“I want to attend the same school as Nathan.” said Thomas.

“Me too.” said Chana.

“Okay, I've lived in the city for a long time, and I know some tricks to get into Bluefield College. However, before that, the first thing we need is a job and a stable income.” Patrick said pragmatically as he turned toward Harold, “Harold, I believe you know already. You cannot continue to work as a mercenary because of your injuries. I plan to open a clinic and affiliate myself with a hospital as a physician. However, I need an assistant I can trust. I am a Master Physician and I can legally take on apprentices. If you are willing, I hope you can become my student and assistant.”

Harold raised up his thumb with his right hand. “Sure I can. I am very grateful for the opportunity.”

“What about you Maya? Would you like to learn medicine as well?” Patrick asked as he turned toward Maya.

“Thank you for the offer, but I will pass,” Maya said, knowing how much work there was in becoming a physician.

“Ashley will turn six soon and start school.” Patrick said, “You know, city schools only have full-day programs, and all of us will be too busy for housework. Speaking of which, I was thinking of hiring a housekeeper who can cook. For a bit extra, I can also ask them to clean your place. What do you think, Maya?”

“I'll think about it,” Maya answered.

“Sure. Harold, for you to become my assistant, there are a lot of materials to cover.” Patrick said as he took out a four inch thick textbook from his bag. “We'll start with this one. This is a very good introductory textbook. Please memorize the materials over the next three months. I’ll quiz you every week to keep you on track.”

“May I ask how many books like this do I need to study?” Harold asked, daunted by the thickness of the textbook, a stark reminder of his struggles with studying that had led him to become a knight in his youth.

“This is your first year, so I'll go easy on you.” Patrick said before gazing upward to think. Then, he said, "Let's just study three more in the upcoming year. There will be more."

“…” Harold gulped before saying, “Great! But why me? Don’t you think I am too old to study?”

“You’re in your thirties and you think you’re old? Look at me!” said Patrick with a chuckle. “Even if you get your Bachelor’s certification in your forties, you will still have at least twenty more years to practice.”

A hint of frustration crept into Patrick’s voice as he added, “I had taken on many younger apprentices in the past. All of them left within a year, such a waste of my time." Patrick shook his head, then said seriously to Harold, “The only thing I need from you, Harold, is that you’ll get your certificate and become a Master Physician in the future.”

Harold nodded with a smile and a determined spark in his eyes, endeavored to take on the challenge.

Patrick then turned to the children and said, “Next, you will need to work at the Adventurer’s Guild and become professionally ranked in multiple disciplines."

The Kingdom’s economy was mainly overseen by three government-affiliated agencies: the Adventurer’s Guild, the Craftsman’s Guild, and the Merchant’s Guild. These three agencies were also called the Big Three because of their scales and influences.

The Adventurer's Guild managed all natural resource gathering, mercenary, and menial labor requests. It was the largest of the three by the number of daily workers and the scope of its operations.

The Craftsman's Guild oversaw all requests requiring highly skilled craftsmen or technicians. It was the most prestigious of the three guilds and worked very closely with academics and universities.

The Merchant's Guild facilitated the transportation and trade of goods. All department stores, supermarket chains and well known stores were members of the Merchant's Guild. Additionally, they were the postal service of the Kingdom. On top of handling mail and merchandise, their efficient processes enabled them to gather news and information more quickly than the other guilds and news agencies. Therefore, they also doubled as information brokers for the government.

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Certified workers, services, and merchandises were contracted or sold through the Big Three at a higher price, but their qualities were guaranteed.

Outside of the Big Three, there were other ways for people to get jobs and trade. For example, small businesses thrived in the downtown area, while farmer's markets flourished near agricultural villages. Of course, there was also the black market in the slum. However, as only the Big Three were authorized to confer certifications, they faced little competition from these alternatives.

Registered members of the Adventurer's and Craftsman's Guilds would receive a certification, which was also called a professional ranking, in their respective disciplines or crafts. Adventurer ranks, from low to high, went from Porcelain, Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold and beyond. Craftsmanship ranks, from low to high, went from Apprentice, Initiate, Associate, Bachelor, Master and beyond. Each rank had three-star designations, indicating achievements and seniority. Each rank up required a certain amount of achievement and an examination. Most people, after working for years, would receive the required amount of achievement for ranking up. However, due to the challenging exams, many remained at the Bronze or Associate rank. Finally, only a few selected disciplines were legally available for children under twelve.

“Children, what are your ranks?” said Patrick.

“I am a one-star Porcelain Botanist.” Arielle said. “Nathan is a two-star Porcelain Botanist.”

At five year old, Ashley was too young and no one asked her to take the exam. In the countryside, the siblings frequently gathered herbs for the guild as a part of the Botanist discipline. Then, Patrick looked at Thomas.

“I am a two-star Apprentice Weaver,” Thomas said.

“Apprentice Weaver, one-star,” Chana followed.

They learned weaving from Maya and occasionally took on requests from the Craftsman's Guild. Weaver apprentice level requests mostly involved sewing up lightly torn second hand clothes.

“Thomas, Nathan, in a few months, you two will need to choose a combat discipline and start working towards your Porcelain rank.” said Patrick. “For now, everyone, focus on ranking up your existing disciplines as fast as possible. Lastly, girls, you will need to cut your hair, dress and act as boys when you work at the Adventurer’s Guild.”

"Why?" Arielle and Chana asked in unison, furrowing their eyebrows.

"There used to be kidnappers targeting young girls in the Kingdom, so, as a precaution, all underage girls working at the Adventurer's Guild would disguise themselves as boys. Although those kidnappers are long gone from the capital, the practice has stuck." Patrick explained.

Chana raised her hand, "On a second thought, I will go to the public school nearby instead." She obviously hated cutting her hair.

Thomas smiled at his younger sister and said, "Then, me too."

Patrick looked at Nathan and Arielle and asked, "What about the two of you? To be honest, trying to get into Bluefield will be very tough."

"I will try to get into Bluefield." Nathan said firmly.

"Then, I will too." Arielle followed.

"Ok, next, let me take everyone out for a walk. I will show you where the guilds are." Patrick said. "Harold, you need to stay home of course."

"Alright." Harold answered, looking at his first textbook while everyone scrambled to leave the house for a stroll.

The families’ duplex stood on a moderately busy four-lane residential street. They had a gated front yard with trimmed brushes, a lawn and a tree that shielded the house from the busy street. Most on the road were small carriages or people riding on horseback. Due to the ban of heavy wagons and the speed limit in residential districts, the noise was sufferable even during the day.

After leaving home, the families turned right, heading east. The families headed west this morning to a local downtown area that they saw from the wagons the day before. However, no one had gone to the east yet.

To the east, they first passed through a clean, tidy and beautiful neighborhood where most front yards were well maintained. At this time of the year, most foliage had fallen. The warm and cozy afternoon sun kept the family comfortable as they strolled beneath the bare tree branches. The streets got busier as they traveled; and soon they reached a district with densely populated apartments. Buses of huge carriages pulled by four horses could be seen busying the streets to carry people around. It was a Sunday afternoon, so there were quite a lot of people despite not during the rush hour. The area was predominantly inhabited by well-established adults employed by one of the three guilds. Given its proximity to the guilds and downtown, the area's real estate prices were steep. This fact was evident from the tidy and expensive attires of the middle-aged and elderly pedestrians to the well maintained sparkling clean neighborhood parks. The families, on the other hand, were wearing their typical countryside clothes like brown long pants and comfy cotton t-shirts. Even though they were not standing out in a bad way, they were apparently outsiders.

"Children, you could come play here sometimes." Patrick pointed to the empty, lonely playground inside the park. Although it was a Sunday, its children's playground was empty, suggesting that this area was too expensive for typical young couples trying to raise a family.

"Is it really alright for us to live here without paying? Harold and I could take out a mortgage or cover the rent instead." Maya said to Patrick, noticing how expensive the duplex was.

Patrick offered Maya a reassuring smile and said, "Don't worry about it for now. We can discuss the details later."