“Maybe we should go there too?” Noah wondered once the last of the newcomers disappeared from the square.

  No one paid any attention to the three of them now. Adrian’s North Korea theory hadn’t exactly held up.

  “To the Tourism Center?” Audrie asked lazily. “It certainly wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “What would they do to us there?” Beata asked warily.

  “Nothing serious, dear,” Audrie smiled. From that smile, Noah finally decided her youthful face was misleading — she wasn’t nearly as young as she looked.

  “Remember what you heard on the tram? It’s the same sort of briefing, only this time you can ask questions afterward. They’ll tell you where to stay if you feel like settling somewhere, how to use the local transport, and where to find the nearest library. That kind of stuff.”

  “And then they’ll register us,” Adrian muttered bitterly.

  Noah guessed that back when he was alive, the German must’ve had issues with the government — far too suspicious by nature.

  “You were already registered when you passed the Sphere test,” Audrie replied. “A full registration is only required for guild officials. For ordinary souls like us, the first one’s enough. Honestly, you don’t have to visit the Tourism Center at all if you find someone willing to be your guide for the first few days.”

  Noah noticed a flicker of poorly concealed hope cross Adrian’s face.

  “And you…” The punk stammered, “You could show us around, right?”

  “Hmm.” Audrie glanced at him sideways, lost in thought for a moment. “Like I said, it wouldn’t hurt to stop by there first. The Center always has the newest information about Regia — updates, policy changes, that sort of thing. But… you’ll learn it all eventually anyway, unless you decide to drift off into the estuary of the Flow.”

  She leaned her head on one hand, tapping her lower lip with a finger and smiling thoughtfully.

  “Well… yes, I suppose I could show you around,” she decided. “Take you to the more interesting places. You can come back here later if I’ve missed something. But only after you’ve been polite enough to order something from Lady Alice, of course.”

  * * *

  And so they behaved like rebellious teenagers.

  Instead of following the blue arrows, the three trailed after Audrie — or more precisely, Adrian hovered at her side, desperate to keep her attention. Noah and Beata followed behind, faces stretched in a mix of amazement and quiet disbelief. Even the twelve-year-old could sense something off about the dead German. Way too romantic for a corpse.

  Sure, she’s a lovely woman, Noah thought. But she’s also very dead. Adrian seems to have conveniently forgotten that detail.

  “Those two buildings,” Audrie said, stopping at the park entrance and pointing toward two towering skyscrapers rising above the treetops, “they’re the nearest libraries. Sooner or later, once sightseeing starts to bore you, you’ll spend most of your time in libraries. If you’re lucky, you might even settle in one of the private ones, among kindred souls. Remember — information and its sources are the only truly valuable here. You can think of it as Regia’s unofficial currency. Everything else isn't essential to our existence.”

  “The one on the right, with the red spires,” she pointed to the building, “is a public library. You can go there anytime and find yourself a spot. Everything’s top-notch. Like I said, information is our bread and butter, and the guilds take libraries very seriously.

  The one on the left belongs to a clan. You can enter, but you’ll only be allowed deeper inside if the clan happens to be recruiting and decides to accept you. Think of it as joining a big family. There are some strong privileges, but also some downsides, too. Either way, the core resources stay the same: books, movies, the internet, video games, and access to public dreams. And most importantly — a good company.”

  “A public what now?” Adrian frowned.

  “I won’t spoil it for you, newcomers. It’s something you have to experience yourself to understand,” Audrie winked.

  “And the internet?” Noah asked. “How does it even exist here — in the afterlife?”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Audrie turned to him, studying his face for a few moments before smiling wider.

  “Noah, surely you realize that all the engineers who built the internet in the real world eventually ended up here, too?”

  “Oh…” Noah froze.

  What a fool. Of course, she was right. Sooner or later, all the brightest minds of humanity would arrive in Regia — at least those who passed Gaudemunda’s test.

  Unless she made exceptions for the brightest ones.

  “I don’t know all the details — you’d have to ask the Guild of Information about that,” Audrie shrugged. “But some things are obvious once you think about them. The internet in Regia was just a matter of time. Though don’t get any ideas about messaging your living relatives. The real-world internet is transmitting only one way.”

  Stunned by this “minor” revelation, Noah didn’t even think to mention that he’d already communicated with the real world through YouTube comments.

  By the time he gathered his thoughts, Adrian had already steered the conversation elsewhere.

  “So where is everyone? The tram said there are about three billion souls in Regia. But the streets look… half empty.”

  “Exactly!” Audrie smiled brightly. “Three billion, yet no one’s rushing, no one’s trampling over each other, and no one’s making noise. Remember what I said about Regia’s most important ‘currency’? Try answering that yourself. Come on.”

  “They’re in the libraries,” Beata said.

  “Bingo!” Audrie raised both hands. “Everyone except those who want to do something out on the streets. Or just take a walk. Come on, follow me.”

  She led them along the park’s edge, beneath the thick canopy of leaves, guiding them farther away from the station and the Tourism Center. Noah began to wonder whether he’d even find his way back later.

  Still, the city enchanted him instantly. There wasn’t a single car. Every street was for pedestrians, shaded by trees and blooming gardens. At nearly every major intersection, built into the walls, stood small alcoves fitted with old-fashioned keypads. Audrie explained that these were teleport booths. Every building had its own number and receiving zone. And if you wanted to reach another city, you only needed the number of its arrival plaza.

  “Or,” she added, winking at Adrian, “ if you’re in the mood for a slow ride, you can always take the train.”

  The punk went red as a firetruck.

  “I wonder if she even knows what she’s doing to him,” Beata muttered quietly.

  “Depends on when she died,” Noah murmured back, watching the show. “If it were a hundred years ago, she might’ve forgotten all about human instincts.”

  “Adults have disgusting habits,” the girl wrinkled her nose.

  “Glad you didn’t live long enough to pick them up?” Noah said before he could stop himself.

  He immediately regretted it and turned to apologize, but Beata only shrugged:

  “I don’t know what to think. But… it would’ve been nice to live a bit longer on Earth. My only friend stayed there, on the other side.”

  Noah silently scolded himself for his loose tongue. Especially now, when he had no real friends left — only fellow travelers.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed. “A few more decades on that planet wouldn’t have hurt.”

  “But not too many,” Beata said quickly. “I wouldn’t want to end up here looking like that old lady from the tram.”

  Noah laughed.

  Their guide and Adrian didn’t even notice how far behind the two of them had fallen.

  “And those other buildings?” Adrian asked, gesturing around. “If they’re not libraries, what are they?”

  “That skyscraper there belongs to the Guild of Crafts,” said Audrie, pointing. “You should visit sometime — there’s plenty to see. And the others… I think they’re private apartments for those who still feel the need to live in them.”

  “And you? Do you live in an apartment?”

  “Oh yes, I have a tiny flat on the edge of the city,” she nodded. “But I mostly use it as storage for personal things. Or when I want to get away from people and be alone. Like I said, it’s not necessary for survival, but people keep their apartments for all kinds of reasons… Would you like to see mine?”

  “Y-yeah, I’d like that, but… we’re already taking your time, so…”

  “Oh, nonsense, you’re not bothering me!” she said warmly, touching his arm. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have offered to show you around!”

  “I’m gonna puke,” Beata whispered.

  Noah barely managed to hide a grin before Audrie turned back to them, as if suddenly remembering they existed.

  “Would you two like to see what a local’s apartment looks like? Adrian’s already agreed to visit my place!”

  “Hmm… maybe,” Beata shrugged.

  “If everyone’s going, I’m in,” Noah said. “But first, I’d like to know how we’ll get back. My sense of direction’s not great.”

  “We’ll worry about that later,” Audrie said. “I’ll show you the way back. Now, come this way.”

  She stepped into the nearest teleport booth and motioned for them to follow. Once she’d made sure none of their feet crossed the silver line on the floor, she turned to the keypad and began entering a number. The process was almost identical to using an old public phone — except no payment was required.

  An address flickered onto the small screen. Audrie confirmed it, and the booth filled with soft silver light.

  Almost like the water in the Dream Sphere, Noah thought before vanishing.