Picking up Girls With My System

"What happened?" Arthur thought as he stepped out of his lab.

The entire villa was a mess, with broken furniture and books scattered all over the floor. Someone broke in and was looking for something, but how?

Arthur had spent lots of time creating the formations around his villa, and even though the city had lots of criminals, it was not to the point of people breaking in without the guards noticing it.

Also, this villa was in a rich area of the city, making it safer than the rest of it.

"I should ask Jhazaken to see if he saw something."

Jhazaken was his neighbor, a dark elf who was also a mage. Arthur barely went outside, but every time he did, he would take the chance to chat with Jhazaken.

He left his villa and went to the villa on his right side.

"Jhazaken!" Arthur yelled, and within seconds, a youth appeared.

"Akhur, hey. Is something wrong?"

"Actually, yes. I was away, visiting a few shops in town, and when I return to my villa, everything inside was a ruckus. Someone broke in and destroyed the place."

"What? No, this is impossible," Jhazaken said.

Jhazaken still remembered when Arthur put all of those formations that even he couldn't break, and now someone easily broke in? It made little sense.

"I am so sorry, Akhur, but I heard nothing. I was inside my lab working in a few experiments, and that place has a soundproof formation, so if someone broke in while I was there, then I did not hear."

"No problem. See you later."

Something inside Arthur was telling him that Jhazaken was acting weird. Could he be lying about this? If anyone could crack those formations that it could be him who saw Arthur place them.

Arthur saw no reason to go after him without proof, so it was the best if he first tried to find some clues about the invasion.

Back at his villa, Arthur stood there, looking at all the damage the trespasser did. With a focused mind and sharp senses, Arthur smelled everything with his dragon senses.

Deulara's scent, the smell of food, flowers from his garden, and...

"What is this?"

There was a strange smell that Arthur could not recognize, which meant it was possible from whoever broke in.

"This does not smell like Jhazaken at all, but he could still be involved, so I should be careful."

It was a smell Arthur never came in touch with. He recorded that scent so that he could recognize the owner with they ever meet.

Arthur went to the same place where he bought the villa, as it also offered cleaning services.

"Someone dared to break in? I will send someone to clean it up and add more guards around your area."

He was pleased with the quickness of that attendant, so with a bright smile, Arthur returned to Deulara's shop, which was as dead as when he had left.

"No costumers?" Arthur said to Deulara, who was sleeping on the counter.

"What? Who? Akhur?"

She was surprised to see him there, but also wanted to hide her face in a hole after Arthur caught her sleeping while working.

"It is dark already, so close to the shop."

"Also, someone invaded our villa, but I am already taking care off."

"What?"

Deulara woke up in an instant after hearing it, worried that something could have happened to the place they lived, but Arthur reassured her that everything was fine.

"Someone is already there cleaning everything, and I think more guards will now patrol the area. So, let's go out and eat something in the meantime."

"Okay, okay. Let me lock everything."

The talk about food made Deulara hasten up her moves, locking her shop within seconds, and then following Arthur closely behind.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," Arthur said.

It was a full-moon, which made everything brighter and beautiful. There were lots of people in the streets, enjoying the night, chatting, eating, exploring. A vivid city that reminded Arthur of his previous world.

Their destination was one of the fanciest restaurants, which had 5 floors, and the people with more authority would sit in the higher levels.

A guard stood in the restaurant's front. Anyone could use the first floor, but the other floors one needed some status to be in.

The second floor was only four mages between the 1 circle. The third for 2-3, the fourth for 4-5, and the fifth floor was only available for mages from the 6 circle beyond, and the royal family of the dark lands.

As there was no one with that level of strength as a mage, it was basically only for the royal family. Well, not until Arthur arrived.

"Excuse me, is it with you I must speak to go onto the higher floors?" Arthur said to the guard who was in front of the fancy restaurant.

That guard scanned both him and Deulara with clear disgust in his eyes.

"Yes, but do you know the rules to go higher? One needs actual strength to do so."

"Oh, actual strength? Like this one?"

Arthur had his palm facing up, and then circle after circle appeared. He would not cast a spell inside the city. It was only to show the guard that he had the strength to cast such spells.

He thought about showing his 9 circle prowess, but it would spoil the surprise, so he opted for only 6 circles.

"I-Impossible."

The last time a 6th circle mage appeared in the dark lands was a long time ago, but now a youth showed up, making the guard unable to realize what was happening.

"Wait here, let me talk with my boss."

After thirty seconds, a man showed up. It was the owner of that restaurant, as well as a 5 circle mage.

"Can you show me, please?" He said to Arthur.

The guard was skeptical about Arthur's veracity as a mage, and for that reason asked his boss, who was also a mage, to come and check.

Arthur did not mind that, and cast once again a tier 6 spell.

"It is true. You are a 6 circle mage, ha ha ha. Please come in. Is she with you? You can come, too."

The owner of that restaurant was a mage that wanted to one day reach the status of a 6 circle mage, as he was close, yet could not reach the next step. So, he treated Arthur even better, hoping to have a chat that would benefit him on his mage journey.

They kept going up, and everyone who was on each floor could not believe the status of that young dark elf.

"What floor is he going to? Fourth? Fifth? Who is he?"

"Maybe a lover of the queen?"

"Shhh, don't say that. Don't you know she is there on the fifth floor? What if she hears you?"

When Arthur heard those conversations, a smile formed on his face.

"So the leader of the dark lands is here? What a coincidence."