Ignasio made his way to the main square slowly riding his new acquired pony. Navigating the city was not hard, all he had to do was to choose the wider or cleaner street once alternatives presented itself. He was somehow disappointed to find Cholodagi to be a city like any other, he expected more of the fabled southern lands: exotic people, tribal dances in the streets, weird animals, foul smelling spices and food and mysterious shops and monuments. With the exception of the foul smells none of the above was apparent. It was a city just like any other, a little poorer, a little less orderly than the average (though that changed as he neared the center square) and with a larger share of non-humans than he got used to. Nothing to write home about, yet.
Captain Oto was kind enough to mention a couple of Inns he himself considered way too expensive to be appropriate: one right on the main square across the city hall and a quieter (and even more expensive) one at the back of the grand cathedral. Ignasio was heading to one of those, his sense of responsibility aiming for the quitter one while every other part of his body navigating to the center of things, to the main square itself.
The official reason for him being here was the promise of establishing a far-reaching office of the Guanahato Cartel, dealing with exquisite merchandise, bought -to-order for the rich and powerful, that was his father's expertise: special spices, wines, fabrics, arts and antiques. anything a rich widow, a young nobleman, a royal astronomer or a famous bard could wish for the cartel could find and supply. The sky was not the limit, only the purse was!
Later on, he will need to get all required permissions, pay the dues, taxes and bribes, rent an office and then start mapping all possible clientele. But for now, committed to his mission, he decided to review the shops and businesses of town on his way, not those poor stalls and workshops mind you, real shops!
This lasted for a full ten minutes of his ride, after which other, more pressing and interesting things took over his attention: that kid, expertly stealing foodstuff from the stall, a wooden idol of an unknown deity, a friendly three legged dog, that green eyed damsel selling flowers, and that black haired one, and the one by the well….
And so he finally reached the main square which was just like any other except for the very uncommon commotion in front of the town hall and the voices of the few city guards desperately trying to seize control over it. He ignored it for now and, expertly shutting down the last voice of reason within him, stepped into the Golden Rooster Inn and hired the best room available, for a full month.
He took a good two hours to settle in, dismiss his makeshift guards, have a good bath and an expensive drink and writing a short report which will never be sent to his loving father. He then stepped out to the square making his way to the still besieged town hall determined to be in the middle of whatever was happening there.