[12:46] [11/1/102] [Main Gate, Snowpoint City, Glaciera Country, Yaokurov Continent]

Ted walked for about 20 minutes before finally arriving at the city gates. The walls surrounding the city were massive, reaching a height of five meters and being made entirely of dark stone arranged in a brick layout. Every 50 meters along the wall, Ted could spot several sentries most of whom were housing several dark elves holding bows with a few humans busy arranging defensive machinery, these weree designed for repelling beast attacks that occurred from time to time.

Above the wall, he noticed the blue light forming a concave dome that stretched along the entire perimeter of the city wall. This was a stronger version of the camp arrays the City Corps used, an intricate defense mechanism made of ice cores enchanted to store cold energy from the surroundings and channel it in a circular pattern, forming a protective barrier.

As Ted approached the gates, he saw two orcs standing on either side, each wielding a massive axe. One of the orcs stepped forward and addressed him in the familiar broken phrasing common to their race. Orcs often found it challenging to translate their thoughts into words.

“Ted? Why enter here? Corps no more?” The orc grunted while curiously eyeing him.

Ted noticed a faint, warm sensation emanating naturally from the orc, most likely a subtle display of his talent. ‘Must be this orc’s talent; I can sense it even though it seems weak. I’ll have to observe different ones to understand this feeling better.’ Ted mused for a second and immediately responded to the orc.

“Yeah, I’m no longer with the Corps. I couldn’t make a contract before the deadline but I managed to get this one almost right after leaving the city.” Ted explained, giving Spirit that was on top of his head a gentle pat.

The orc nodded and then moving back to the side of the large, spiked metal gate that was already open and said, “You friend, enter, no need check.”

“Thanks. I’ll see if I can bring some alcohol for both of you later, just don’t tell the higher-ups i’m the one bringing it as always.” He grinned as both orcs broke into broad smiles, Ted entered the city and was greeted by the same familiar, calm scene he always saw upon arriving.

The streets were paved in cobblestone, only the main roads differed from this type of street by being made with a special concrete mixture. The houses here were sturdier than his old shed, built from a blend of wood and stone arranged to ensure durability and warmth inside. Most houses also had reinforced wooden shutters to protect against snowstorms. This area, which was one of the five entrances to the city, was known as the Living Quarters and was the outer circle around the city, also being filled with homes like these and a few grocery shops.

All the buildings stood at no more than two stories high and featured uniquely designed roofs: each roof was spiraled, allowing accumulated snow to slide safely off to the side. On top of the roofs, small metal cubes served as climate detectors, able to sense subtle atmospheric changes to predict snowstorms. Ted never fully understood how these metal cubes worked, even after examining one. To him, they looked like simple pieces of metal but somehow transmitted data to designated buildings, the most probable thought was that they were enchanted and Ted didn’t know shit about enchants.

Between houses you could see small, intricately carved lanterns mounted on metal poles lined the streets. Each lantern held crystals that emitted a soft, warm glow which helped lighting up the paths even on the darkest, snowiest nights.

Ted moved swiftly through the streets, observing the people he passed. Most wore only moderately thick clothing as the city’s heating system, combined with the defensive array, gathered the cold energy outside and redirected it and maintaining a temperature within the city walls of around -3 to -5°C. This made the frigid air bearable and allowed the residents to dress lightly compared to the world outside, which hovered around -30°C at this time of the year.

The residents were mostly human, with dark hair and eyes being the norm, though he occasionally saw a few blondes and redheads. Dark elves were also a common sight, most of them with black or gray hair. White-haired elves were rare and rumored to be of purer bloodlines.

Ted soon approached the city’s central area which was divided into four main districts: the Living Quarters on the outer ring encapsulated these four districts, and within it was the Guild District, Merchants District, Military District and Workers District. At the very heart of the city stood the mayor’s mansion, a symbol of Snowpoint’s resilience. Rumor had it that the mayor was the city’s founder, he had apparently lived here for hundreds of years and was still alive and well.

Quickening his pace, Ted made his way to the Guild District where the mix of people shifted. He began to spot more Awakened among the civilians. The Awakened were easily distinguished by the presence of their contracted companions and the unique armor they wore.

Ted observed some of the Awakened as he walked, noticing that most kept their tattoos concealed, even those depicting their contracted beasts were usually hidden in this district. Strangely, he realized he couldn’t sense the talents of the Awakened as he could with unawakened individuals, ‘So it only works on people who haven’t awakened yet.’ He thought, ‘It would be really helpful to sense stronger talents, I could steer clear of the big powerhouses who might kill me if i say some dumb shit to them.’

Ted looked around while trying to get his bearings in the unfamiliar Guild District. He rarely visited here since he wasn't awakened, nor did he work in any of the buildings. He at least knew that he was in the centermost part of the district where the most important guilds should be located.

The street itself was already a far cry from those in the Living Quarters. Here, the ground was a mix of the cold-resistant cement treated to withstand freezing temperatures without cracking. Workers regularly swept the snow from the streets keeping the paths clear. Along the street, stone benches and small gardens with cold-resistant plants and trees provided a hint of greenery, a rarity in the normally iced city landscape.

Ahead of him stood a massive wooden building with an open entrance themed entryway, twin pillars flanked the doorway, each intricately carved with scenes of beasts and humanoids locked in battles. Above the pillars an emblem connected them, being a spear and a bow crossed behind a roaring bear looking skyward. Under the bear he could faintly read the words ‘Hunter’s Lodge’.

To the left, he spotted a completely different style of building. This one was constructed from white marble with a refined, almost exquisite design. It had four floors judging by the placement of its windows, it was surrounded by a metal fence with a meticulous looping pattern inlaid with gold. The main door in front of the building was a block of blue mineral also carved with endless loops, above the door you could also see the guild's symbol, being infinity loops in the same blue mineral, centered by a golden coin engraved with ‘Snowdome Merchants’ under the coin.

On his right was a building reminiscent of the city walls, radiating an air of ancientness within it. Massive was the word Ted could describe it, being larger than both the Hunter's Lodge and Snowdome buildings combined, with a rough stone-and-metal exterior that seemed built to withstand even the strongest attacks of beasts. The main entrance was made of a thick door of dark wood, it was carved with four beasts, those being a wolf, bear, owl, and reindeer, all gazing upward toward the emblem of the guild.

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Unlike the other guilds which only had their symbols of their guild having a diameter of around a meter, this door that stood at five meters tall had an emblem above it spanned three meters in it’s diameter. It depicted a humanoid figure of no identifiable race, flanked by the four beasts which were the same as depicted in the door, the figure also held a small sword in its left hand. For a moment, Ted felt as if the eyes of the beasts and the humanoid figure came to life, watching him. Beneath this imposing carving was the name "Frostwild Tamers."

He gulped, trying to calm his nerves. The statue had felt almost alive. ‘Maybe I’m more nervous than I thought.’ He reflected, ‘I need to calm down before going inside.’

After taking a few steadying breaths, Ted approached the giant door and opened a smaller passage within the giant door, it seemed to be designed for human-sized beings to enter easily.

The inside of the building gave an even stronger sense of the ancient history that was engraved in it’s walls. It opened into a grand main hall with large iron chandeliers hanging high above, the roof being around ten meters up from the ground. The floor was made of the same dark wood as the door and the stone walls continued the rugged style from outside. Nearly every part of the walls was adorned with the heads and pelts of dangerous beasts, each displayed in a glass case with a book in front of it.

Around him, people from various races, humans, dark elfs, dwarfs and other humanoids were seated at tables that encompassed the hall as a whole, each accompanied by at least one beast. They had been eating and chatting but most now turned to look at him, their gazes inquisitive.

Trying to ignore the stares, Ted looked toward the back of the hall. There were two staircases ascending from the far left and right of the room, and on the sides of the hall he was in were 20 to 30 smaller and larger doors leading to different corridors, each marked with a plaque above it indicating where they led.

On the opposite wall, amid the stairs, he saw three distinct areas. The one on the left was labeled Restaurant for the Fools. He could see a massive orc working in an open-style kitchen, he was surrounded by an assortment of pans and unfamiliar tools that Ted had never seen before. The orc worked alone, with only a few staff members helping deliver food to the clients and a female orc taking orders.

The rightmost area was labeled Supplies Shop. From his angle, Ted could only glimpse a human at a counter, he was apparently working on a computer while two goblins attended to the customers. Piles of boxes blocked most of the view inside, but he noticed a passage behind the counter leading deeper into the maze of boxes.

At the center was an area divided into two parts. To the right was a huge board covered in small papers with Quest Board carved directly into the wood above it. On the left was a counter where five people from various races spoke with some awakened people. The counter had a smooth stone finish that seemed almost fused with the ground, and behind it were several doors that led deeper in the building. The word Registration was etched into the counter.

Ted felt surprised at the sheer scale of the room, though he had expected some grandeur from the building’s exterior.

While he was busy taking in the surroundings, someone approached from the side and tapped his shoulder.

“AAHHhh… Sorry, I was just looking around and didn’t see you there.” Ted said, startled and drawing a few laughs from nearby patrons.

<(ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)>

He quickly sensed a familiar displeasure, Spirit wasn’t thrilled at being woken abruptly for the second time today. He reached up and gave her a few pats, calming her as the man beside him chuckled and spoke.

“No problem. You look like it's your first time here and I can see you've got yourself a contract, so congratulations! You can go over to that counter and ask any questions about what we do in here.” The man said, pointing to the Registration area.

Ted thanked him and made his way across the hall to the counter, acutely aware of the eyes on him once more. He moved briskly pace and waited in a line made on front of the counter for a few minutes, the line was just the painting of some feets on the ground where everyone waited in order while standing on them.

When his turn arrived, he came closer to the counter and was greeted by a warm smile from a beautiful elf on the other side of it, “Welcome to the Tamer’s Guild. You can call me Ally, i can see you’re new here and have recently formed a soul contract, your Owlet being this young gives that away. May I have your name?”

“My name’s Ted. I think I got my soul contract last night… today’s the 11th, right?” he asked, receiving a nod from her as she retrieved a form from under the counter, jotting down his information.

Ted felt an unusual energy coming from her. He had sensed similar auras during his journey, a talent, but hers was notably different. It wasn’t overwhelming but it had a distinct presence, far more refined and stronger than any he’d encountered outside.

“I see.” she said, “I’ll need to ask you a few questions to register you in the system. You won’t be joining the guild directly, but it’s mandatory by law for all awakened individuals to register with the nearest Tamer’s Guild upon awakening. You can skip any questions you’re uncomfortable answering.” she explained, then began asking him for some details.

She asked for his full name, age, height, weight, residence, bank account information, family details, if he had any background in the city, and some information about his stats and Spirit’s. Ted answered selectively, sharing minimal details about his stats, only mentioning his 1-star soul tier, null physique, and his Identify ability, the same discretion was made when telling about Spirit, even though her stats were more common.

After recording his responses, Ally requested his citizen identification. Ted handed it over and she logged some information on a small laptop she picked up from under the counter before returning his ID.

After storing the laptop, she smiled and continued, “We’re almost done here. First thing, congratulations on becoming awakened! Your registration will be completed shortly and you’ll receive your Tamer ID once we finish processing everything. If you ever lose it a request can be made for a replacement, you do need to come in person and you’ll also need to pay a small fee for the reissue. The first one, however, is on us.”

“All awakened need to carry this document to prove their affiliation and that they are legally doing their jobs. Without it, you can’t take any quests; those who don’t have it are typically criminals banned from our database.” She then picked up Spirit from his head and placed her on the counter.

“With this, you’ll be able to take jobs from our quest board, from other guilds in Snowpoint City, and across the world, at least in places within the Tamer’s Guild system database.” Spirit was delighted by the number of pats she started receiving from the elf.

“Quests are ranked by stars, matching the stats you have. This ensures the safety of all involved and each quest is reviewed by professionals before it’s graded. So, you don’t have to worry about one and two-star missions being way above your paygrade. Higher-ranked quests are a different story, as verifying their information is a bit more challenging. But you have a long way to go before you reach those ranks.” She then took out a few treats and offered them to Spirit, who sniffed them but didn’t even peck one of those.

“Each Tamer’s Guild also offers membership options to those just starting their journey. This is also dictated by the law ofthe country and you have three paths to choose from us. The first option is basically what you’re doing now, just receiving your identification without becoming a guild member.” Ted watched as Spirit swatted the treat away with a wing, moving closer to him and chirping ‘Not tasty.’

“The second option is what we call the sub-membership program. You won’t become a full member and you’d need to complete five quests a month for six months to maintain it. During this time, you’ll receive free meals, a small stipend at the supplies shop and access to specialized teaching and training with some of our guild tamers on weekends. You can choose classes from our catalog over these six months, and at the end, you’ll decide whether you want to become a full member or go your own way.” Ally’s eyes gleamed with enthusiasm as she took out a second jar from under the counter, offering a golden deluxe treat to Spirit.

“The third option is a direct contract with us, making you a full member right from the start. You’d be assigned a mentor based on your talents, receiving extensive benefits such as a high base pay even if you don’t take on a lot of quests and prefer to keep training. We have our own bank here, so you’d get a new card with a set monthly amount, plus tailored training sessions. You could live in the building’s living quarters, with free food, and a higher monthly stipend at the supplies shop, all of this being given after a contract are made between you and the guild that maintain you in here for some years. So, which option would you prefer?” She sighed in defeat as Spirit turned her beak away from the deluxe treat.

Ted chuckled, which earned him a side-eye from Ally. He then took a moment to consider what choice would best fit his future plans.