Chapter Thirty-Two: I’m on My Way to the Promised Land
The procedure for becoming a prospect to the Guild was actually quite simple. There was a confirmation of Awakening as a Fire Mana user that Mumay had graciously provided, the acceptance of recommendation letters written by Grenn, Rynan, and Meservi which would be appended to his record, and the payment of his first three months of membership dues. This amounted to three iron markers or 300 Rel.
Marc had Kira give him a brief rundown of local currency. The basic form of currency on this continent was the Rel. Actually, the Tashtalik word was “Rel”, originally Kira had translated this as “Apple” which was also the same word. Apparently in ancient times, apples had been the basic form of currency. Now they used metal strips. They looked like small bookmarks, each had a strip of a different metal embedded down the center, which metal and varying lengths denoted their value. The strips, or Ban-Rel were paper thin, made of some kind of steel alloy apart from the center strip, and approximately 4 cm in width. On the back of each, the emblem of the nation they were issued in was stamped, along with date of issue. At one end of each strip, a small hole was punched.
According to Kira, there were six strips in wide circulation. They were:
Tin, 1 Rel, 8cm
Copper, 10 Rel, 10cm
Iron, 100 Rel, 12cm
Silver, 1,000 Rel, 14cm
Gold, 10,000 Rel, 16cm
Mythril, 100,000 Rel, 7cm
Only the Mythril strips were different, apparently rather than a mix of metals, they were made of pure Mythril and translucent gold in color.
Of course, so far Marc had only glimpsed local money a few times. Marc had to endure the humiliation of Grenn paying his application fee for him. He pulled out a small leather pouch from one of the pockets on his belt. It was about the size of a small cellphone, but when he undid a snap on the side and unfolded the leather cover Marc realized it was more like a keychain. There was a loop on one side and metal Ban-Rel strips were attached to the loop. Grenn found the iron strips and detached three of them and handed them to Mumay, who took them and ran down the stairs. She arrived back shortly with what Marc recognized were contract papers and the same stone that Rynan had used to make a copy of the teaching contract.
Mumay quickly arranged the copies and handed Marc the membership application and prospect agreement. At her prompt he signed with his Mana, taking care to bleed out a small about of fire Mana as he did, emitting a light red glow while he held the documents. Then she handed them to Meservi who quickly did the same.
Marc took his copy and looked it over. It was very thick with pages of details he would have to look over later. For now, he slid the documents into the bag Rynan had given him, noting the faint purple flash as he moved them from the bag into his storage space. He caught Meservi’s smile and gave him a wink when he saw the bag.
Mumay however gave another start when his bag gave a flash. Marc watched her face and was relieved to see her expression was not one of concern, but of envy. Now that he had seen her status, he recognized her awkward movements and general demeanor as one of a young adolescent, rather than that of a full-grown woman that he had initially thought her to be.
“Tremendous! With that bit of bothersome paperwork done, let’s go get something to eat, shall we?” Meservi was in excellent spirits and was already standing and moving to the stairs.
“I thought we would head back to my home and introduce Marc…” Grenn started, but Meservi was already at the stairs.
They somehow managed to get back to the elevator and then descended down to the ground. As they moved, a panic seemed to break out as people realized that Meeservi was heading for the exit. A dozen staff members moved to cut them off, shouting demands that he check out some reports or approve various requests. Meservi for his part never broke a sweat, slipping through the crowd of desperate Guild employees like an Olympic figure skater doing a solo performance. Marc wondered if he was using air magic somehow to move so quickly and gracefully.
Descending on the elevator platform, leaving a pile of pleading and depressed employees behind, they made their way out of the Guild, and over to a nearby building. This one looked like a shipping warehouse. A large square monolith of a building of a building, it stood about two stories high and was covered with large doorways of various sizes, each with one of two colors painted around the opening. Marc realized that the colors indicated direction, as lines of people stood in front of the blue-marked doors, while the red-marked doors had steady streams of people carrying crates and pushing carts loaded with cargo exiting the building.
This time they lined up at one of the lines in front of a smaller door. The line moved quickly and in less than a minute they were allowed into the building and entered another small room. Almost as soon as they entered the room, Marc felt a shock as they began to descend into the ground.
This was very different from the smooth movement and aesthetic design of the lift in the Guild Hall. This felt far more practical. The movement was fast and Marc felt every bit of acceleration and deceleration as the room continued its downward journey. The trip was longer than Marc had expected it to be and by the time the room stopped with a lurch, he thought they must be far below the ground level outside of the wall.
《23 meters below ground level actually, but you should know that this facility goes considerably deeper.》
Marc was intrigued. What could be down this deep? Weren’t they going for lunch? He was about to ask Meservi when the Elf piped up.
“We’re here! Marc, you are going to love this. Truly a wonderful place.”
Grenn also seemed to be in good spirits, despite his plans being railroaded by the enthusiastic Guild official.
The doors opened and Marc was speechless.
They stood in front of a large field. There was a light breeze, and the sky was clear and bright. It was a wheat field, with golden plants as far as he could see. Instantly Marc felt the stress of the crowded city melt away, but then the questions kicked him back. How was this possible? Wasn’t he underground?
“Is this some kind of pocket dimension?” He asked Meservi.
“No, of course not. It’s just a clever use of light spells, air and water circulation systems, and a tremendous amount of effort. We have dozens of these chambers under the City, plenty of space for farms, livestock, and even the Guild training spaces are here.” Meservi spoke while enthusiastically gesturing in every direction.
Marc looked closer and noticed some things that confirmed what Meservi had said. First of all, the was no sun, despite the space being brightly lit up like mid-day. The whole sky seemed to produce a soft and even light. The wall behind them, where the doorway was also just a thin illusion. Marc went over and touched the wall, and indeed it was a cold and flat stone wall, yet when he took a step away, it melted into an image of rolling hills and green grass.
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Grenn looked at the wonder-filled expression on Marc’s face with a sense of pride. “You see how we can last months cut off from outside the wall now? We can produce enough food here to be able to export some, even during a beast surge.” The giant spread his arms out and took a deep breath.
“The air here is even cleaner and fresher due to the air circulators. Of course, it’s a bit tougher for the livestock areas to keep up, so you might want to be prepared when you visit them.” he chuckled.
Marc was dumbfounded. This whole city was far beyond anything he had ever seen before. He had been prepared for something more Middle Ages or fantasy, but everything he had seen reflected a highly advanced society.
《This field covers 40 hectares of farmable land. There are four more fields on this level and four more floors. Exactly like this one. There are also another 5 floors dedicated to livestock, and another floor dedicated to waste management and logistical support. All in total, the underground complex provides more than 2,000 hectares of land for food production.》
Marc was dumbfounded. This was monumental. The magnitude of this underground structure was beyond his comprehension.
《That said, that much land would struggle to support even a fraction of the population in your world. The output of the fields here must be significantly higher. Likely the influence of Earth Mages and other applications of Magic technology.》
Marc just stood there in awe until Meservi grabbed his arm and dragged him off to some structures along the back wall by the elevator.
“Here we are! The best place to eat in the whole city. Farm fresh ingredients! The best of the best!”
Marc saw that many of the structures were restaurants. Simple affairs built in the open air with kitchens and a large area with tables set up. Many dozens of people sat at the tables eating and socializing, while others lined up at the kitchens. Meservi led them over to one of the kitchens and lined up, motioning them to stand beside him.
The line was orderly and quick and before Marc had even had a chance to take in the whole setup in front of him, Meservi was already chatting up the cook.
“Three of your finest Naijel! Marc, This is Naijel, the greatest chef in all of Clearwater. His egg and pork pilaf is a masterpiece!”
The cook, obviously used to the Elf’s personality just eyed them, then in one quick motion scooped three portions of rice onto three plates and placed them on a table. Then he nodded his head at a thin straight dowel sticking out of the table.
“Nine copper.” The man said gruffly, then went back to chopping vegetables. Marc noticed that his chopping speed was inhuman. He worked in front of a giant frying pan and every motion seemed to accomplish multiple actions. As he swept his hands over a plate or a cutting board, things just seemed to instantly cut or mix or arrange themselves…”
《Like magic? Of course, it is.》
Marc wondered what would happen if he got his cooking skills up to the Master’s level.
Meservi had produced a silver Rel slip and slipped it over the dowel on the table where it dropped and joined other slips of varying denominations.
“Keep the change,” Meservi said grinning slyly.
At that the grumpy-looking cook sneered at the Elf, seemingly taking affront at the offering. Then he just shook his head and produced three cups of juice and placed them next to the plates of steaming rice, again with just one sweeping motion of his hands. Then he looked past them and bellowed “Next!”
Meservi, completely unperturbed grabbed a plate and a cup and motioned Marc and Grenn to do the same. Then they took their food and found an empty table and sat.
Grenn had also grabbed some spoons and handed one to Marc and Meservi, then started to inhale the food. Meservi for his part also ate with a look of utmost pleasure, as though this was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten.
Marc took a bite of the still-steaming rice and was instantly enthralled. This was indeed the greatest thing he had ever eaten. It was salty and savory and sweet and spicy. The rice was firm and bouncy while the meat was cut into small chunks and exploded with juice as he chewed. He was lost in the moment as he ate the simple, but exquisite dish, before he knew it, the plate before him was empty and he almost gasped that this experience was over.
【SKILL ACQUIRED: GOURMET [1]】
SKILL: GOURMET [1]
PASSIVE
ACTIVATION: UPON EATING ANY PREPARED FOODS, ABLE TO DISCERN INGREDIENTS USED. ABLE TO DETERMINE RECIPE AND COOKING METHODS FOR SOME DISHES. LEVEL UP SKILLS TO APPLY TO MORE COMPLICATED DISHES.
Luckily, Grenn was already walking back from the kitchen, three more plates of the wondrous food in his arms.
At this, Marc’s brow furrowed. As the group started in on the second helping of pilaf, Marc broached the subject that had been gnawing at him since they had left the Guild Hall.
“Is there a way for me to make money here?” He asked both men as they shoveled food into their faces.
“Money? Certainly! That is what the Guild is here for my boy!” Meservi seemed unsurprised by the question.
“I’m not strong enough to fight beasts. At least not yet. Maybe not anytime soon.” Marc admitted bitterly.
“That’s no problem at all! There’s no limit to what a person like you can do here in Clearwater. Do you think we all go out and hunt beasts all day?” Meservi chuckled.
“Look out at the fields and the restaurants. The shops. Most of the people here have never gone out to hunt or patrol.” Grenn added. “I told you that there was plenty you can do here.”
“Let me explain how the Guild works. It’s well overdue I see.” Said Meservi.
“As a prospect, you will need to gain contribution points. This is done by taking jobs through the Guild. Each job will award you with points for completion. But you should be careful, if you fail to complete any jobs you have contracted, you will be punished with a reduction of points equal to the amount you would have gained for success. If you are not confident you can finish the job, you should skip the job and look for something more in line with your abilities.” Grenn nodded along as Meservi spoke.
“Each job will also pay you a certain agreed-upon amount of Rel. As a prospect, you will need to pay a commission of seven percent back to the guild. When you become a full member, that amount goes up to ten percent. Of course, the most lucrative jobs are hunting tasks. On top of the fee for taking the job, any Mana Crystals obtained from beasts can be sold back to the Guild. That’s where the real money is, and why hunters come from across the planet to our hum le backwater city.” At this, Grenn cut in.
“We are very careful with hunting jobs. First of all, there is no contribution point penalty for failing a hunting request. Only for committing reckless or dangerous actions while hunting. Safety of the hunting parties is the highest priority.” He explained somewhat defensively.
“Yes, yes.” Meservi continued. “Aside from those jobs, the Guild manages nearly all other work done in the city. There are always farm work requests, as well as delivery, cooking assistant jobs, repair work, there’s an endless amount of work available to Guild members.”
“Does every job require guild membership?” Marc asked.
“Oh, of course not. Anyone can contract anyone else for work. But Guild contracts are preferred in most situations as the work is guaranteed by the Guild. It means a slightly higher cost, but the confidence in knowing the work will be completed as promised.”
“What are the contribution points for then?” Marc asked trying to absorb all the information.
“That’s the best part. Once you accumulate at least one thousand contribution points you are able to apply for full membership to the Guild. Once you are a member, your contribution points are then tracked and each year you are awarded shares based on the total contribution you have gained in that year.” Meservi explained.
“Shares? Shares of what?” Marc asked, suddenly confused.
“Of the Guild of course. The Guild is not a company as I told you. It is a cooperative. It is owned by the members themselves. Each year members receive additional payments based on how many shares they possess. They can even trade or sell their shares to others, although that requires special permission and is strictly regulated.” Grenn stirred at this. He looked at the Elf as though he wanted to ask something, but was afraid to ask in front of Marc. Meservi seemed to sense this as he quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, that’s a discussion for much later. For now, don’t worry. As a prospect, you can now find some work that is right for you and you will be able to earn more than enough to be self-sufficient. I’m sure soon you will be able to earn quite a bit if that is what you want. Let’s look through the available jobs when you come back on your next visit. Then you can decide how long you want to stay, or if you want to move here permanently.”
Marc thought about it. He looked up at the notification he had received earlier. Maybe he could work as a cook? That wouldn’t be so bad.
“Now, where should we go next? Want to see the wyvern stables?” Meservi asked, already gathering up the plates from the meal.
“You bet.” Both Marc and Kira said at the same time.