Nate quickly stepped off the portal platform along with Kiri and Frick. A number of elves that looked like mages or perhaps enchanters moved around the grey stone platform, seemingly checking everything after the portal itself had vanished. A more officious female elf approached them. This one was wearing livery of red and yellow in the form of a pristine shirt, pants, and a coat that almost brushed the ground. Heraldry on the coat depicted a scaled wing in red surrounded by a yellow sun.

“Welcome to Jungpo. Identification token please,” she stated, holding what looked like an enchanted clipboard in front of her.

“We don’t have one of those,” answered Nate.

“Don’t have one? How did you get here then?” she asked in confusion before her eyes widened. “Apologies Lesser Divinities. No need to answer this lowly servant. If you’ll wait a moment, I shall have someone come to take your statement and handle any issues.”

The woman scurried away quickly, tapping on the clipboard frantically.

Nate glanced at Kiri before shrugging and the pair moved to a nearby bench that looked an awful lot like a bus stop to Nate. The sky above them was a clear blue and they settled in to wait. Fortunately it was a short one, as Nate quickly spotted another of those skiffs zipping out across the grasslands between the portal and the city in the distance.

“Why do they keep the portal so far from the city do you think?” asked Kiri.

“Maybe they’re worried about attacks? Honestly, I don’t know.”

They lapsed into silence as they watched the skiff rapidly approach before it landed in a spot that seemed set aside for exactly that purpose, curved wooden beams cupping the ship perfectly. A team of four disembarked from the skiff followed by an officious looking female elf. The team of four looked like a standard adventuring team as far as Nate was concerned, with one carrying hammer and shield, another with a bow, strung but no arrow nocked, a short, shifty looking elf in dark leathers, and a blue robed male in the back. Tank, Archer, Rogue, and Mage, Nate listed in his head.

The team fanned out protectively around the Official who held another clipboard, though this one looked newer. Her bright green eyes however were locked on them and not the clipboard held in front of her.

“Welcome to Jungpo. I am Savalia, Head of Jungpo Portal Operations. I understand you do not have a Dynasty of the Heavenly Serpent Identification token. Would you mind sharing your story with me?”

“Not a problem,” answered Nate, leaning on his Divine Translation Spell. “We were making our way to Serpent’s Wing for the upcoming competition. We had a minor issue with our portal though, and it spat us out in the Principality of one Custodian Varantir. He helpfully sent us on our way to Jungpo but there was no mention of an identification token.”

“I see, I see. I suppose with so many portals opening for the upcoming World Reaping, it can be expected that there might be some spatial turbulence. However, to gain access to Serpent’s Wing, you will need to have a Dynasty Identification token. There is of course a cost involved. Otherwise, we will need you to pay to have yourselves returned to your own world, or at least the nearest non-Dynasty world. I assume this isn’t an issue and you’d like to receive a Dynasty Identification token?”

“We would. Our Grandmaster was adamant that we compete,” answered Kiri. “How can we resolve this?”

Savalia nodded, tapping a few times on her clipboard, which Nate suspected she was doing to confirm their story about Custodian Varantir. A whisper from the Mage interrupted her and the woman’s eyes widened slightly.

“Apologies, Guardian Mage Thorfin believes based on the materials used in your compatriots equipment that you might be Seeds. Is he correct?”

Kiri’s hand snaked out, covering Frick’s mouth before the little goblin could start yelling, so Nate answered.

“He is correct.”

“I see. I see… yes… we can get this sorted out for you. If you’ll come with us, I will personally ferry you to the Foreign Visitor Management Centre. They should be able to resolve this. Please.”

Savalia motioned to the skiff and the Lesser Divine team parted to allow Nate and Kiri what could be seen as an honour guard, or perhaps a prisoner escort, as they were guided onto the ship. Frick thankfully stopped struggling once they were on board and sat in the corner pretending to sulk. Nate knew he was pretending because the feeling coming through the Familiar bond was the usual amusement.

As the skiff took off, Nate opened up his soul communication with Kiri.

“Thoughts?”

“Trust them till they give us a reason not to. Divine Artifacts seem a little uncommon though. I didn’t get a sense of anything from the four of them,” answered Kiri.

“Me either. That’s the second group to react to ours though. I suppose it's rarer to turn a Divine Artifact into a useful item than it is to consume it for Divine Energy. Kind of makes sense. You would have to be either rich or powerful to be able to sacrifice advancement for powerful items.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I think we’re going to need to let Wulfgar and Jemima out though, before we get these identification tokens.”

“You’re right. Wulfgar wanted to compete and if everyone needs an identification token, I suppose Jemima will need one if I want her to be able to brew. When should we let them out?”

“Let’s do it after we land. The guards already seem a little apprehensive and they outnumber us two to one. Hate to see how they react when they find out there are four of us,” stated Nate.

The conversation ended there and Nate leaned over the side of the skiff as they began to cross over the city. Unlike the Principality, there was no outer wall here, and if Nate was any judge of things he would’ve called what he was seeing below ‘suburbia’.

He sensed in his sphere of awareness Savalia taking note of his curiosity.

“Was your intended destination Fifth Scale?” asked the elf.

“That is the name of this world?” replied Nate.

Savalia gave a curt nod.

“It wasn’t,” lied Nate. “We were meant to go directly to Serpent’s Wing.”

“Without identification?” replied Savalia.

“Our Grandmaster sent us directly. He likes to throw us into difficult situations so that we are forced to figure out ways to solve them. Develops resourcefulness, or so he says. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was no issue at all with the portal and he just lied to us about where he was sending us.”

“I see… “ whispered Savalia. “It is not for me to comment on your Grandmaster’s intentions. But, if you’d like, I can tell you a little about Fifth Scale?”

“We’d like that,” answered Kiri.

“Very well. Fifth Scale is a part of the Feeder worlds for the Dynasty of the Heavenly Serpent. That, of course, means we are a mostly mortal world, with the mortals supplying food and other raw materials for the Core Worlds of the Dynasty. As with all Feeder worlds, areas are left mostly untouched to allow for the development of some minor Divine Artifacts as well as a controlled set of Dungeons located across the world. They’re mostly for those who stay to manage the world though, as anyone with a modicum of talent is picked up early by one of the Feeder Sects on world. We have four Sects of note and a handful of less noteworthy ones who compete for talent and to catch the eyes of the Core World Sects. As we are a mostly mortal world, the Divine section of the city is relatively small, but I hope the young Seeds will not be disappointed with the entertainment we have available. I should let you know that due to the cost of operating the portal to Serpent’s Wing, it only opens once every two weeks. The next one will be in six days. So, after we handle your identification you will need to find accommodation in the heart of Jungpo.”

Nate smiled slightly to let Savalia know he understood as the scenery below them had begun to change. If the outskirts of the city had been suburbia, the area below them now looked like they were moving into the heart of the city. Skyscrapers stretched into the heavens, as tall as anything Nate had seen on Earth. In the streets below, Nate could see plenty of people moving about, with a few skiffs like the one he was on navigating the skies.

They plunged deeper into the city of Jungpo, the buildings hiding the sun as they began to traverse the streets at a slower pace while roughly twenty stories in the sky. Finally they began to descend, landing in another of those wooden docking bays outside of a bustling metal building.

Nate could tell that they were mostly mortals entering. In fact, besides himself, Kiri, and their escort, there wasn’t a single individual that gave him a sense of Divinity. Savalia marched into the building, with Nate and Kiri following and the guard team flanking them. The elven woman marched straight up to something that looked like an information desk and tapped on it with painted fingernails to get the attendant’s attention.

The attendant glanced up from what looked like a pile of paperwork and the young elf’s eyebrows climbed to the ceiling before he stood immediately, bowing his head.

“Divinity Savalia, how may this one be of service?”

“Inform Foreigner Identity Management that I will be up shortly with a priority case.”

“It will be done as you ask, Divinity Savalia. Do you require additional escort?”

Savalia shook her head as she was already moving away from the attendant. Nate fell in behind her and they quickly moved towards some metal doors along one of the walls. As they walked, he let his sphere of awareness billow out and take in the entirety of the room and the first few floors of the building around them.

The building and the technology within seemed to mimic some of Earth’s to an extent. For example, the doors they were approaching led to what were elevators if Nate’s guess was right. But where Earth used electricity, these clearly ran off of mana and enchantments. The clipboards that were in use however were far more rudimentary compared with modern computers. From what Nate could sense of the enchantments, the clipboards themselves were all built the same with modular slots for what felt like enchanted cartridges. Each clipboard could only support three cartridges.

It was an interesting design, but the miniaturisation of the enchantments seemed to be the blocker for making them more capable. Still, the design was clever from what Nate could tell. As per usual, the Sigils in use had been obfuscated to the point where he could only sense some of the Concepts involved. That alone was enough to trigger Divine Energy to flow into him though, as he figured out that one of the Concepts consistent across all the modules was Information.

Savalia’s eyes widened and she quickly moved away from him as the guards stiffened. They relaxed a moment later as the sensation passed.

“Did you just have an epiphany?” asked the Tank, his brow furrowed.

“Is that what you call it when you align with your Embodiment?” Nate asked.

The solid-looking elf gave a hesitant nod.

“Then yes.”

The group relaxed around them but Nate caught Savalia and the Mage throwing furtive glances his way that spoke of a deepseated hunger. The leather-clad, shifty looking elf though seemed worried, if Nate was any judge of body language.

The elevator trip was a quick one and they walked into a richly decorated foyer with a few doors at the far end of the room. Another attendant was waiting just beyond the elevator for them. This one wasn’t Divine either, as far as Nate could tell.

“Welcome Divinity Savalia. Divinity Jerom will be available shortly. He is just finishing up another case. Is there anything else I can do to assist?”

Savalia shook her head, “It’s just these two. They are to be treated like honoured guests, understood?”

“Of course, Divinity Savalia. We shall show them the hospitality of the Dynasty.”

“It’s four actually,” interjected Nate.

Savalia spun quickly on her heel, “Four?”

Nate nodded. He’d wanted to release Wulfgar and Jemima quietly but it seemed like they were not going to be left alone or given the privacy to do so. And while he wasn’t opposed to smuggling the pair into Serpents Wing, if it was going to be like this again then they might as well get it out of the way now.

“We have two attendants with us. Mind if I bring them out?”

Nate was trying to be polite because he had sensed how the guards had gotten incredibly tense at the mention of additional individuals.

“Attendants, yes, that makes sense. Though they will need to use the mortal office for Foreign Visitor Management,” explained Savalia.

“Wouldn’t that be inappropriate for Lesser Divinities?” asked Kiri, her smile far too sweet as she was clearly enjoying the tension in the air.

“Your attendants are Lesser Divinities?” asked Savalia, wringing her hands slightly as the mortal attendant visibly retreated a few steps. “Umm… if you don’t mind… where are they exactly? We can have another team pick them up. If it’s beyond the portal platform you used, we may need to charge you for the service.”

“That won’t be necessary,” answered Nate before reaching mentally for the Close Rune on his Regalia. A trickle of Divine Energy and the space within was opened, allowing Nate to grab the pair of Lesser Divines and extract them.

Wulfgar and Jemima appeared next to them as the guards all drew their weapons. Jemima looked disheveled and was smoothing her plain brown robe down while Wulfgar had his bag and axe slung over his back, his blood red armour on display for all to see, and a little something in his mouth.

“I told you not to drink my paint,” Nate said with a frown.

“You try sloshing around in there and not getting some in your mouth!” retorted Wulfgar, before quickly swallowing the paint.

Nate sighed at the minor theft. He supposed he could allow it since it was likely less than a days worth of paint recovery, but he was still not happy. Compared with Wulfgar's boisterous nature, Jemima looked utterly cowed, shooting a fearful look at Kiri.

With a sigh Nate turned back to Savalia.

“Apologies for not mentioning them sooner. We always intended to get our attendants Dynasty Identification tokens as well. I was just wary of scaring you with the added numbers.”

Savalia’s face went through a series of emotions in the space of a few seconds. Fear, then surprise, then something that made Nate think of obedience.

“It is no problem. I should have recognised that Seeds of your caliber would be attended by other Lesser Divinities. However… for security reasons… I hope you will not object to me sending for a second team of guards until your Identification issue is resolved?”

“Whatever makes you more comfortable,” answered Nate.

At that point the middle door on the other side of the room burst open as a trio of Lesser Divines marched out, the gigantic orc in front boisterously calling across the room.

“What do we have here?!”