"To create art is to bare one's soul, a gift meant for all. My art shall not be sullied by the grasp of parasites feasting on others' toil."

Arvi the Painter, upon rejecting a noble's sponsorship, days before facing the gallows for her insolence.

1460 MA.

----------------------------------------

4522 MA

Grand Temple of Atriya, Rovos, Kartas

Maya slouched in her chair, her brow furrowed as she stared at the sea of letters scattered across the table. The overwhelming amount of sponsorship offers they received was astonishing. "You know, I really thought our acceptance into the Auberon Institute would be more dramatic and fun," she grumbled, tossing a letter onto the growing pile of discarded offers.

Vyas, seated across from her, carefully perused another letter, his expression one of quiet focus. He glanced up at his companion, a wry smile playing on his lips. "What did you expect? We're joining a school, not a military. Reading through papers full of dull information is going to be a constant for us soon enough."

He put his fingers on his chin, stroking it in thought, and said, "Honestly, if we stayed with the Order, we might have more excitement fighting mystic beasts, exploring uncharted wilds, and rescuing innocent people."

Seeing Maya's face betray a look of shock and realization, Vyas decided to tease her further. He set aside the letter he was holding and leaned back in his chair. "I mean, think about it. This is one of the best places for learning on the continent. They'll teach us complex, complicated information that will require a lot of mental effort. We're going to be learning and studying a lot. That means writing, note-taking, and memorization." He gestured at the letters before them. "This is just the beginning, you know?"

Vyas laughed as he saw Maya's speechless, somewhat catatonic state. He then decided to reassure her. "I'm just joking, Maya," he said with a grin. "You know as well as I do that we'll have plenty of action-packed moments, too. We're not just here to bury our noses in books."

He leaned forward, his tone more serious. "You're a cultivator, and I'm an extremely powerful mage. Sure, we'll have to do a lot of writing, comprehension, and memorization. But there will still be plenty of time devoted to training and practical application. You know, sparring, honing our skills, and exploring the world firsthand."

Vyas chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "On top of that, as a cultivator, you'll likely have less actual studying and more hands-on training compared to my workload as a mage. So, don't worry, I'm sure you'll find plenty of excitement during our time at the Institute."

Maya breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders visibly relaxing. She defended herself, her voice earnest. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate studying and reading. I do enjoy learning new things."

She glanced around the library, her eyes lingering on the towering bookshelves and the multitude of knowledge contained within their walls. "But when we decided to leave the Viptes Order, I had this vision of us traveling the world and going on all sorts of thrilling adventures. I just thought there'd be a better balance between the two."

Her gaze returned to the letters on the table, and she sighed. "The thought of spending the next few years hunched over thick tomes and writing endless papers just caught me off guard, I guess. It took the wind out of my sails for a moment."

Vyas gave her a look of understanding, which Maya noticed. Still a bit embarrassed, she tried to change the conversation. "So, what's the deal with all these letters? Any interesting offers so far?"

Vyas skimmed through his notes, detailing the various letters and patrons they had encountered. "Well, aside from the ones the Prior specifically mentioned as needing a response due to the importance of the potential patron, and the ones he recommended we give strong consideration to, there have been only a few intriguing ones. Most high-profile patrons didn't offer terms in their letters, but instead requested a meeting. You know, like Jognarr II."

Vyas looked up, his eyes thoughtful. "The Prior mentioned that the appeal of these high-profile patrons lies in their status and connections. That they can offer us things that others can't."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Well, for cultivators like you, they might provide rare prana-infused foods or powerful cultivation manuals only they own. And for mages like me, they might have access to one-of-a-kind tomes or unique artifacts," Vyas explained. "But because we've caught the attention of these influential figures, even lesser patrons are trying to increase the stakes."

Maya considered this. "So, they're trying to compete by including better incentives in their letters?"

"Exactly," Vyas agreed. "It's all about trying to catch our interest and sway our decision."

Maya contemplated this for a moment before asking, "Yeah, but if the wealthier patrons can offer all those incredible resources, why shouldn't we just go with them? I mean, I get that the Prior warned us about owing too much to powerful people, but isn't it worth it for the unique opportunities they can offer?"

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Vyas furrowed his brow as he contemplated. "The wealthier patrons can offer us rare items, sure, but the Prior warned us that there's always a catch. Both of us met Jognarr II. It was fascinating, but at the same time it was a very intense experience. It might be the case that we'd be better off with a smaller patron who would be much more reasonable. We'd probably have a lot more control over our lives."

Maya replied, "That’s true, but at the same time did you really not enjoy that day? Walking through that indoor jungle, that amazing food, the views from his airship? Do you think that," Maya picked up a sponsor letter at random and read the name, "‘Guvry and Sons Construction,’ is there any chance that working for them is going to ever result in an experience as unforgettable? I know I speak for both of us when I say that day was one of the best days of our lives."

Vyas nodded, understanding her point. "You're right, that was amazing. It's a delicate balance though. That experience was spectacular, but it also showed us just how powerful and eccentric Jognarr was. It’s one thing to visit him, another to be in his debt. With his personality, I would worry just what he might want in return for a sponsorship."

Maya exhaled, twirling another letter between her fingers. "I suppose we'll have to trust our instincts and choose wisely, won't we?"

Vyas grinned, his eyes filled with mischief. "Or we could just let fate decide," he said, sticking his hand into the pile of letters and pulling one out randomly.

Maya rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a chuckle at Vyas's suggestion. She playfully tossed the letter she was holding at him like a dart. "If we wanted to be that arbitrary we might as well choose based on who has the most striking letterhead design."

As the afternoon light dwindled, Maya and Vyas diligently continued their work, scrutinizing the letters and debating the merits of each offer. They meticulously organized everything into neat stacks, devising a system to compare and analyze the various proposals. Despite their progress, the volume and nature of the sponsorships forced them to work at a snail’s pace.

Maya looked up from a letter, her eyes thoughtful. "Vyas, it's remarkable how many high-profile patrons have taken an interest in us. Even if most of these letters are only invitations to meet, instead of full offers."

Vyas nodded, his fingers drumming on the table. "That's true. Considering how many we’ve gotten, it's unlikely we'll be rejected by all of them after meeting. Still, we shouldn’t assume anything, especially since we have no idea about the prices they'll demand."

Vyas continued, "Just to be safe we should probably go through the more normal offers and find what we’d be most interested in just in case."

Maya reclined in her chair, crossing her arms, "Frankly, the fact that the majority of the normal patrons only wish to sponsor one of us, and not both, makes me much less enthusiastic about choosing one of them."

Vyas said, "It makes sense, since the normal patrons have practical reasons to sponsor students. They're more likely to sponsor mages or cultivators for specific needs."

Maya sighed, her shoulders drooping a little. "This isn't improving my mood. Fine, let's get through this quickly. We can go through your potential sponsors first, and then move onto mine."

Vyas nodded, picking up a small stack of letters.

"Many of the offers I've received are from patrons involved in Rovos' local construction firms. They want me to use my impressive power to help build homes and buildings in Rovos. Most of them require me to work part-time while attending Auberon and full-time when the Institute is not in session."

Maya listened intently as Vyas continued and started speaking about offers from trade firms. After he explained they wanted him to manipulate the water and wind to expedite sea travel, Maya laughed and replied, "There's no way you'd accept one of those. Stuck on a boat for months at a time? I remember just how seasick you got on our two-week journey here."

Vyas winced, remembering the experience. "I have no desire to relive that. I'll stick to solid ground, thank you very much."

They then shifted their focus to Maya's offers. Vyas began listing the various offers, "It appears that you're mostly attracting interest from mercenary crews."

Maya arched an eyebrow, "At least it's connected to fighting, but I don't see myself as a hired thug."

Vyas spoke, "A couple wealthy families are interested in sponsoring you to be a bodyguard for their children when school is off. They want someone closer to their child’s age to watch them on vacation."

Maya exhaled, shaking her head. "Babysitting rich children doesn't sound much more appealing. None of this is anything close to what I dreamt of when we decided to come out here."

Vyas nodded, his expression thoughtful. "True, but it's important to remember that this is only for while we’re at the Institute. We can do whatever we want after graduation. Still, you're right. This was supposed to be the start of an adventure, instead, reading through these letters kind of feels more like the end of one.”

Vyas reached across the table, giving Maya's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Still, don't lose hope yet. We still have to meet with the high-profile patrons. We’ve just got to hope that any adventure they promise doesn’t require us to sell our souls."

Maya replied, "Honestly if my choice is between farming and selling my soul, I'm not sure which one I'd choose at this point." Exhausted and feeling a bit down, Maya glanced at the fading daylight and made a decision. "We've gone through a lot today, but there's still so much more. Let's get back to this tomorrow with fresh eyes," she suggested, rubbing her temples to ease the growing headache from the day's hard work.

Vyas agreed, feeling just as mentally drained. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Maya stretched her arms, yawning. "At least not all the letters are the same. The governor of the territory sent us a letter of congratulations as well. Supposedly, he hosts a gala every cycle to welcome all the new practitioners who move to Rovos to attend Auberon, as a way of introducing them to the Vasco Kingdom. So we have at least one event to look forward to later this week."

Vyas tilted his head and stared at her with an expression of confusion. "A gala? What's that?"

Maya couldn't help but burst into laughter.