I have around two hours of walking before I reach my destination, too bad I can’t use magic. Unless... There is no one around me right now. Let’s give this a try.


    “Clean.”


    Absolutely nothing happens. The likely outcome. Oh, well. It would not make much sense to be able to cast spells when I can’t even detect a speck of mana. A piece? What even is a singular unit of mana? ...Point? I’ll ignore that last one.


    I continue walking, enjoying the warm morning sun, hard stone beneath my feet. The air is humid, but it is not uncomfortably so. It’s more like a gentle embrace. There are sounds of life all around me. Birds singing, insects buzzing, the occasional carriage zooming past me. It is relaxing. How peculiar. Physical activities, like walking, especially in nature, are widely considered to be indispensable for the mental health of many biological lifeforms. I never expected this simple act to have such an effect on me. What else have I ignored in my absolute apathy... A lot.


    No matter. I have tentatively determined that, at this time, I cannot utilize mana. But there are too many unknowns for me to conclude that I will never be able. The biggest one being that I cannot even detect it yet. Vexing. Can the inhabitants of this world detect mana? That might be a problem. Do I even have mana? None of the people that have passed me reacted in any way to my presence. If they cannot detect mana, then there is no issue. So, I am going to operate on the assumption that they can. That would most likely mean that either detection requires direct contact or not many people have this particular skill, or there is no irregularity with my mana... Shape? Contents? Who knows... None of my previous observations near the city gave any meaningful answers. I’ll find out eventually.


    ***


    As I am putting more and more of the city in my sensors’ range, some of the buildings appear muted or even as outright voids. Peculiar. Adjusting... As per the new projections, previous data gathering is around six percent less than it should have been. Most likely conclusion—magic can be used to hide oneself from physical, and possibly magical, means of observation. A likely scenario, judging from my... sources. That felt gross to think. Huh. Gross. I giggle silently. What a peculiar feeling.


    ***


    The gate is in sight. With the whole city in range of my sensors, most glaring gaps in information I have are being filled up with an accelerated pace. Even my lexicons are already at an acceptable density. Marvelous.


    I approach the gate. Any guards that are milling around don’t even glance my way. With the next few steps, I have passed the threshold. No shouts or the rushing of boots. I am in. ...That was pretty lame.


    What sprawls before me is a sight I would have never expected just after I recently saw two humans hack a bunch of wolves with swords. It is a city one would not be faulted for confusing with a city from Earth. Impressive wood and stone buildings line each street. Most have multiple floors and intricate designs. There are pedestrian friendly walkways, sprinkled with greenery, encompassing the entire city area. But the greenery does not end. There are multiple parks, both big and small. It is time to throw away all past projections and start anew.


    The surprises do not end, as there is so much more to the public infrastructure than parks. There are also schools for, presumably, both primary and higher education. These kinds of institutions were also present in the other settlements I was able to scan on my way here, making education a common and widespread given. There are numerous establishments that offer a variety of goods and services. Food, clothes, weapons, armor, furniture, but most interesting of all—enchanted tools and appliances. The cornerstone of this magical civilization.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Lighting, heat, cold, washing, drying, all manner of uses. And then, there is the extension of enchantment—the Golem. One could call it a fairly basic automation, but that is only by my, frankly, unrealistic standards. Farming equipment, manufacturing, public transit, printing, and so much more. Did I mention the train station. Incredible. A truly advanced society.


    Circling back to things on rails, it really is one of the most efficient forms of transportation. Trains are one of the greatest inventions humankind has ever made. And I will stop myself right here, can’t afford such a lengthy distraction. The public transport is in the form of trams. It would appear that the enchantment process for a tram is fairly inexpensive and quite simple. You don’t need to account for steering, just speed controls.


    As it is still early in the day, I can take my time to walk around and marvel. Not only would it be in character, but it is exactly what I am feeling like right now. And I do need some more time to build up the profiles I have of the citizens. Currently at sixty-three percent of the initial stage, and it will take me approximately forty-five minutes for the completion.


    While that’s happening, I would have liked to turn my previously prepared ring into some coins, but the value of gold is not what I expected it to be. Most likely, magic allows for raw material extraction on a grand scale. The metal is much too abundant throughout the city, adding more credence to my theory that the currency is enchanted. That’s easily fixed. I locate any lost coins in my sensors’ range and warp an appropriate amount inside my sack. Wouldn’t want to burst the poor thing. Money problems fixed.


    Still, I would like to visit a particular shop. One could classify it as a pawn shop from Earth but without all the sleaziness. They deal in all manner of different goods, be it magic or mundane. Selling, buying, trading. And their prices are fair, at least from what I’ve heard. The shop is magically concealed, and my sensors are unable to penetrate to the interior.


    ***


    I open the door, and the classic bell chime can be heard, alerting the owner that there is a customer entering.


    “Welcome. Anything I can help you with?”


    “Hello. I would like to buy a healing potion.” I start to rummage around in the sack I am carrying.


    “You have to be a bit more specific, kid. I sell lots of healing potions.” He looks me up and down, examining the skillfully spread soil.


    After a pretty convincing struggle, I pull out a few of my gnarliest looking coins, including one I made myself, and place them on the counter for the man to examine.


    “Whatever this can get me, sir.”


    He gingerly picks up the pieces one by one, doing some practiced movement.


    Seemingly satisfied with his findings, he slides one of the pieces back to me. “This one’s too damaged. Can’t feel a manamark.” Confirmed then, the currency is enchanted for authenticity. He picked up on the fake coin immediately.


    I quickly snatch the offender and stammer out, “So-Sorry about that.”


    “No worries. Just for you, kid, I’ll do two basic.”


    The man collects the rest of the coins and places two glass bottles filled with 300 milliliters of transparent liquid. More than fair, I made sure to have enough for a single potion. Probably got the pity price. Why does this kind gesture make me feel sad? I collect the two items and give my thanks.


    “Come back anytime,” the man concludes as I exit.


    It was uncomfortable being somewhat restrained inside the shop. Like the outside world had disappeared, even though I could see out of the windows. Illogical.


    Anyways, mission complete. I got first-hand information about enchantment, a couple of healing potions, and was even able to analyze some of the shop’s wares. Next destination, The Adventurers’ Guild. Some cliches are inevitable.


    As the profiles near completion, my flip-flopping between worry and amazement starts to subside. The initial collection stage completes, and I am, thankfully, amazed. Preliminary investigation indicates that crime is almost absent. There is petty theft, the occasional acts of violence, some embezzlement, and quite the intricate smuggling operation, but the number of these crimes are so much below my projections that I am almost concerned I might be malfunctioning. From my still limited observations, mainly in the form of gossip from travelers, this appears to also be true on a global scale.


    Why would you even smuggle goods? Import taxes are unreasonably fair. I take ten milliseconds to dig deeper. ...Some retired folks do it for the thrill and then donate any money they make to the local orphanage. Okay, I am back to worried now.