Vaela’s group of five turned into two as Cal approached, leaving only Vaela herself and one other—a girl.

“You already splurged on your first day, Cal,” Vaela said as a greeting, with a small smile. “And a fairly expensive necklace, too. Who’s the lucky lady?”

Nice of her to immediately confirm they were watching my purchases.

“The girl that just ran away,” Cal chuckled. “I felt generous today, and she happened to be in the right place and time.”

Vaela’s eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline at her surprise. She turned to her friend and said, “If he gives such gifts to a random mortal, imagine what friends must get. Looks like we have a new friend, Liora.”

“Seems like that’s the case,” Liora laughed lightly as she held out her hand. “As Vaela said, I’m Liora.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cal shook her hand. “And I’m afraid this was an exception. I’m not wealthy enough to give out gifts every time I meet new and interesting people.”

Liora possessed all the same hallmark signs as Vaela. She was another gardener. However, she went an extra step to make herself look good, with her light green hair going down to the middle of her back in loose waves and slightly more intricate clothes.

“So, you never told me what you were.” Vaela studied him curiously. “I’ve never seen an Initiate look so ruffled the day after they were assigned.”

“Ah, I was blessed to be a farmer, but one stationed in the Northern Wastes.”

They laughed, thinking it was a joke, but their smiles slowly died off when he kept a straight face.

“You can’t be serious,” Liora said after a moment.

“I’m afraid I am very serious,” Cal cracked a smile at how much they felt for him. “Don’t feel too bad about it. I expect to be moved after a month or so.”

“Ah, I see. You were punished by the Overseer,” Vaela grimaced, a funny image on her gentle features. “There were some I knew that were punished like you, but nothing as bad as getting stationed in the Northern Wastes.”

That’s because I explicitly asked for it.

“Are you prepared for the stray beasts that wander into that place?” Liora asked with concern.

“Beasts?” Cal had assumed those were taken care of at the border—at least, ones that were too powerful. "You don’t mean of the Uncommon rank, right? I knew there was a possibility that I could face Common beasts. Those shouldn’t be of much concern.”

“There have been sightings of Silvermane Wolves in the past few months. They seem to be coming from the direction of the Northern Wastes, but the guild hasn’t sent anyone to investigate yet.” Vaela looked annoyed at that fact.

Silvermane Wolves were beasts at the Uncommon rank, but they were at the lower end of it. Their most dangerous ability was deflecting minor spells, which made most encounters fatal for inexperienced Initiates.

I remember hearing something about this. The guild didn’t bother dealing with it until there was a major attack on a mortal town… and it was in Oracle Shores. That means it was either Mariner’s Rest or Gales’s End. I didn’t care enough back then to learn the specifics.

“That’s not ideal, but it’s not the worst news if it's limited to Silvermane Wolves,” Cal noted another issue to investigate.

“Confident,” Vaela stated. “You must be one of the few who practiced offensive spells before the Selection. I’m glad for it, though. If you need help, let either of us know, and we’ll pull you away from the Northern Wastes for some made-up emergency.”

“… Thank you.” Cal had looked for some hint of a scheme or disingenuity but saw none. Such kindness was rare in the core guild. By rare, it was never seen unless members were related or had romantic notions for the other. Even then, it seemed to end in tragedy.

“Ah, you must have had a taste of the game played among the Trainees,” Liora said knowingly. “We can’t afford to out here. The only reason we survive is by working together.”

Not Trainees. I can barely remember that playground. It’s my time as an Initiate in the core guild that stands out.

“What do you mean by survive? Surely the guild gives us enough allowance to be comfortable.”

“… How were you not told?” Liora asked with a hint of suspicion.

“The punishment,” Vaela filled in for him with her assumption. “The Overseer might be waiting to reveal that at the end to add the extra sting. The sadistic bastard.”

That’s the first I heard the Overseer described as such.

“Of course he did,” Liora sneered. “It’s not enough that our allowance is reduced to four gold a year. He has to rub it in whenever possible.”

“… Four gold isn’t enough for the bare necessities.” Cal knew that activating the interface came with a permanent cost for Initiates. Simply living needed one guildmark worth of supplies every year. Anything else and Initiates would literally starve to death.

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“It's good that you already know,” Vaela said as she glanced at the stall where he had spent eight gold. "If you regret splurging on the gifts, I can help you return them. The seller will accept it if he wants to keep his stall active.”

Cal shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I try to keep my word, and I already made the deal.”

The two women shared a look before Liora spoke. “We won’t force you to go against that but save up all the funds you have left. Best to have it available for emergencies.”

“And another thing,” Vaela said immediately after, not giving Cal time to respond, “Do you plan on visiting this town frequently?”

Ah, here it comes. I knew there was something they wanted—the catch, the reason for the random kindness.

“This is the closest town to my station,” Cal shrugged.

“You see this bazaar?” Vaela asked rhetorically as she motioned around. “We Initiates watch over the dealings such as this in shifts. Some of the artifacts that arrive over the sea are valuable enough for which the guild will gladly pay an exorbitant fee.”

“Seems simple enough.” Cal waited for the issue to be explained.

“Simple, he says,” Liora scoffed. “We have to pool all our funds together to buy what we suspect the guild would want. Half the time, we fail to predict correctly, and all the money is lost.”

… I can’t believe that.

“It’s a gamble worth taking part in,” Vaela assured. “We succeed more often than not, but it is always a risk. Especially since we must cut our time at the job the guild will pay us for the shifts.”

They’re serious… I never thought the guild is in worse shape than I already assumed. Third-rate is more than it deserves to be called. I wondered why the guild says ninety percent attrition rate. Now I know.

They are ashamed to acknowledge the others. No reliable funds means no way for them to advance. No way for any menial [Class] to become masters of their field.

“I know it’s a lot to absorb,” Vaela said when Cal stayed silent. “Take as much time as you need. This is an open offer. Every person that joins reduces the burden on us all.”

“I’ll think it over,” Cal replied quietly. “The others… you told me I would be introduced. Why did they leave?”

“Your purchases,” Liora said bluntly. “They were… vexed to see a new Initiate spend so much after learning of the reduced allowance. I’m sure they’ll be less so when they learn you didn’t know. Just give them some time to cool off before we make introductions.”

That’s understandable. I would feel the same in their shoes.

“So you both weren’t bothered,” Cal said pointedly.

Vaela laughed with Liora. “Oh, we definitely were. We were just more curious about you than the others.”

Cal shook his head and smirked. “I’ll look forward to meeting the others. Unfortunately, I have to get going soon if I want to make it back to the Northern Wastes before night.”

Vaela nodded. “Have a safe travel. And if we’re not here when you’re back in town, just speak to any Initiate available. They’ll know of you.”

“Take care, Cal,” Liora added before they left to return to a few waiting Initiates.

They will probably tell them I’m not a complete idiot spendthrift.

He left the bazaar and went through the town, retracing his steps to get to Orrin’s shop. The tour was cut early, but it was for a reason that was more than acceptable. Seris could give him a more thorough tour when he returned.

I spent enough time here. If I start now, I should be able to get some more work done before I have to turn in for the night.

Cal heard the rhythmic pounding of metal on metal as he approached Orrin’s smithy. He saw Seris loitering outside restlessly. She perked up when she saw him before rushing inside.

He half-expected Orrin to start yelling at Seris for surprising him, but nothing of the sort happened.

The hammer pounding on metal continued without a break.

Cal entered the house and saw Seris waiting at the entrance to the backyard. She held a finger over her lips.

He stood beside her and glanced into the smithy. Orrin had a sheen of sweat covering his body as his coarse clothes stuck to his body. The boy was relentlessly hammering a misshapen, glowing-red piece of metal into shape—though what Cal couldn’t tell. It was too early in the process.

Whatever the end result would be, Cal found this impressive. Seeing Orrin’s skinny arms lift a hammer that must be half his body weight and bring it down at full force—then repeat it endlessly—was almost magical.

… I’m an idiot.

Cal motioned for Seris to follow and exited the house to put some space between them and the smithy.

“Since when did Orrin use mana while smithing?”

Seris scrunched her face in thought before shrugging cluelessly. “It’s been forever, as long as I can remember. Maybe five years?”

I found a gem. How did Orrin not show up at the core guild?

“Were you serious when you said Orrin would ask the guild to let him join when he is my age?”

“Of course I was. Why would I joke about that?” Seris narrowed her eyes. “Did those Initiates say something? They laughed when I asked them to help Orrin.”

I would have done the same. But why did I never hear of Orrin before? The Celestial Order would roll out the red carpet for him. Unless another guild poached him before he could ask.

Cal suddenly recalled what Vaela spoke of. Silvermane Wolves.

Orrin might have been one of the deaths caused by those wolves… I need to fix this. Someone like Orrin can’t be lost because the Celestial Order can’t be bothered to care about anything outside the core guild.

He glanced at Seris and added her to the possible casualties. He didn’t want that to happen either. The girl grew on him quickly.

I was planning to give this to her later when I felt she earned it, but now is also fine.

“How would you like a job?” Cal asked abruptly.

“Me?” She pointed at herself dumbly, surprised at the change in subject.

“I need someone to visit me at the Northern Fields every day for the next month. I’ll give you a list of supplies I need and money to buy them. I expect them to be delivered the next day.”

“Oh,” Seris still had a blank expression.

“Since the travel might be dangerous, I’ll give you this as an advance,” Cal pulled out the necklace he bought from Benan. “What do you say?”

With the way Seris almost vibrated in place, it was obvious. “Really?! I can do it for way less, Cal. Like way, way less.”

That convinces me even more. Is it silly for me to trust her while barely knowing her? Yes. But I’m enjoying this. Better than being on guard constantly.

“And I’m offering you this instead of way, way less,” Cal dangled the necklace again. He smirked when Seris snatched it from his hands.

“No takebacks!” She warned as she wore her new piece of jewelry.

“On one condition,” Cal said seriously, making Seris look at him fearfully. “Remember what you did when we met Nismus?” She nodded with confusion. “Don’t repeat that. If you think I should do something else, explain instead of trying to force me.”

“But Nismus is super weird! He keeps trying to make me follow him as he shops.”

He wants to make money… now that I think about it, if the mortal knows, how do the Initiates not know of Seris?

“You might be right, but use words instead of immediately resorting to force.” Cal wondered when he became a mentor.

“You got it, boss,” Seris saluted with a cheeky smile.

He rolled his eyes and decided to take that as acceptance. Orrin conveniently chose that time to take a pause in his work.

“You better go in before he starts again,” Seris commented when she saw him turn to the house in interest.

“You’re not coming?”

“… Orrin banned me after I distracted him again.”