Meanwhile, far from the imperial palace, at the entrance of the imperial city, a small horse-drawn cart reached the western gate. Seated at the reins were the old man and his son, Alistair, riding in the back. The cart came to an abrupt stop right at the gate, behind a long line of carriages.

Carriages that ranged from gaudy and opulent to mundane and wooden. Observing the very long line, Alistair sighed. Watching the slow progress was annoying and frustrating, impatience welling up inside.

Looking down at the wooden planks of the cart. At the sight of the city gate off and into the distance, his thoughts raced. I wonder if I should just fly over the wall. He imagined himself ascending into the sky and touching down behind the city walls.

Of course, someone had informed him about the need for identification. When he explained he had no such thing, older adults with Roderick quickly reassured him he could get them from the Guild.

Upon asking what the Guild was, Roderick replied in a stern, almost angry tone. He explained they were a bunch of upstart independents trying desperately to maintain their power. They are a collective of various organisations that were once part of the divided kingdoms.

Roderick had some choice words about the decadent and greedy countries that didn't respect the spirits. His extolling of the first Emperor, Felix Aleric Judica the first and his conquest to unite humanity, showed how patriotic he was, truly a loyal Imperial subject.

Back to the guild, before the Empire united or conquered the various human kingdoms. There were various guilds spread throughout the kingdoms. The Mercenary Guild was an independent organisation that organised employment for mercenary companies. They made quite a name for themselves, arranging soldiers for the feuding kingdoms.

It wasn't until peacetime; did they branch out to more specialised work? Monster hunting, caravan guarding, many stuff. They kind of remind me of the adventurer's guild back on Matesh. Alistair thought, reminiscing about his time in another world.

Despite Roderick's disdain for the guild, he did cave and mention their usefulness to the empire. An independent organisation that employed specialised killers was a hard pill for the empire to swallow. Yet the emperor did and allowed them to operate with imperial oversight.

The other two organisations in the guild collective were the Wizarding Union. Roderick had a lot to say about them, too. I believe he called them a bunch of low-down curse slingers. It seems wizards aren't well-liked in the empire. Roderick explained these wizards came from the northern kingdom. They traded with federation states, passing their vile magic across the borders.

A collection of wizards who were being persecuted by pro-spirit zealots formed the Wizarding Union. Though there is no tangible religion around these spirits. A large chunk of imperials revered the spirits as sacred divine beings. People consider contract magic, where mortals bind with spirits to share power, as the purest form of magic.

Wizards don't rely on spirits to perform magic. Instead, they utilised the power of their souls or the ambient mana around them. The northern wizards instead formed a union to protect their interests. The empire accepted them after a time, with heavy restrictions and scrutiny.

The third and final organisation was more or less accepted quickly by the empire. They were the Explorer's Collective. A bunch of treasure hunters and ruin raiders, Roderick called them. The peasants despised them, but not as much as the other two. The Explorer's Collective brought in a lot of revenue for the empire, as well as maps of unexplored locations.

The Guild Collective represents a coalition of unions. Coming together, the three organizations kept some of their autonomy. The guild can also provide identification, probationary citizenship, in exchange for service. The empire heavily taxed these probationary individuals, yet it still allows them some freedom to travel.

After a while, mostly because of the shouting match between the two nobles. They angrily debated which carriage should go first to be prioritized. Both mentioned they were barons, thus making them of similar rank in the noble hierarchy.

Finally, it was Roderick's turn. The carriage arrived in front of the sealed gate. To the left, in front of a stone archway, was a large muscular man, wearing leather armour. Wielding a long spear, he set his stern gaze on Roderick. The grizzled, barely shaven, in a month's face set his inquisitor's eyes upon us.

The tension was palpable, yet Roderick remained calm. The two facing off broke the stalemate by erupting into hearty laughter. Their laughter resounded for a time before the guard approached the carriage, laying his spear to the side.

Turning his gaze upwards, he spoke in a gruff tone. "Ah, my dear Roderick, how have you been? I haven't seen you since the twins were full." It appeared as if the two knew each other well.

Staring down at the guard, who gestured to his fellow guards to search the carriage. Roderick paid them no mind. "Hesun, you know how it is, some time the spirits grace us with good crops, sometimes they don't."

The two bantered over many things. They spoke of nagging wives, and how their children were until the guard shifted to Al. A frown appeared as he observed the unknown man and turned back to Roderick. "Who is that stranger in the back?" He spoke sternly, wary of the newcomer.

Roderick quickly spoke up in Al's defence, sensing the growing tension. "Don't be like that, Hesun. He is just a traveller from the southern villages, come to our fair city for fortune." Attempting to calm the twitchy guards, Roderick continued. "I have assured him he can get an identification from the Guild. These are trying times, Hesun." Leaning over to speak closer to his friend. "The war with the Demonus heathens is approaching. Having strong young men deal with the lesser work is always a good idea." Listening in, Al noticed the little quip but remained stoic, as if he was oblivious.

Hesun nodded, ordering the guards to let them through. The carriage passed through the gates, stopping just inside. Approaching a small stone building to the left. It seemed to be built out of a carving on the wall. In the distance was a long, bustling pathway, with many carriages and foot traffic. Wooden buildings flanked each side, architecture reminiscent of medieval England.

Once the carriage came to a stop inside, the guards ordered Al to exit and follow them to the building. Looking back at Roderick, he nodded for him to follow the rules. They escorted him to a chair and made him sit down. He was situated inside what appeared to be a guardhouse. Opposite him was an empty chair. He waited and several figures entered.

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The figures were composed by an elderly man who appeared forlorn and tired. The wrinkles on his face denoted a man of around fifty. He had short blonde hair, green eyes and wore a red robe. There was an insignia on the right breast, a staff and a wand crossing each other, against the backdrop of a sun. Next to him was the guard, Hesun. He travelled along with a bored expression.

The wizard sat opposite, bringing out a small crystal and setting it on the table. He coughed a few times, pulling out parchment and quill. Setting his tired eyes on Al. "According to this gentleman, you wish to become a probationary citizen under the supervision and employment of the guild. Is that correct?" He asked, head down.

Al narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I wish to join the Guild. I hear I can have temporary citizenship." He was polite and spoke as reasonably as he could.

The wizard nodded and gestured to the violet crystal at the centre of the table. Al put his hand upon it since he recognised this scenario. Once he grasped the crystal, his tattoo was now visible for all to see. Despite the frown on the wizard's face, inspecting the strange symbol. He cast a glance at the now glowing crystal. His eyes widened in shock; the glow was immense but only for a short time.

As if by design, the glow faded to a shimmer. The confused wizard glanced back at Al, Realising what he had done. He adopted a bemused grin.

"You have an impressive affinity for the wizardly arts. I'm not sure why you reduced the magical emanations of your spark." His grin turned to a frown, noting Al withdrawing his hand to the side. Deciding to continue while Al remained quiet. "You have a gift lad, you could be a great addition to the Wizarding Union. What do you say?" Laying out the offer, he eagerly waited for a response.

The guards noticed the joyous expression of the wizard before straightening to attention. Al mulled the offer over. Internally, he was debating his next move. In his past, summoned hero adventure, he joined the adventurer's guild like a total normie. It was useful, he admitted, since he could easily get jobs that crossed borders. The guild on Matesh was a multinational organisation, outside most of the polities' control.

Of course, this situation was different. The empire administered the guild collective after their takeover. He initially thought he could join the mercenary's guild, hop a caravan to the border, and fly the rest of the way to Ikarus. Noticing the fine choice of words to fly to Ikarus, the image of himself burnt to a crisp in the sun crossed his mind.

After some time, he decided it was the most logical choice. "The Wizarding Union, you say. I'm not much of a city man. I'm from the southern region." He leaned down meekly. "I learned a little magic from my pa, but I was thinking I would join the mercenary's guild or explorer's collective so I could travel." The concept of travel seemed to cause the wizard to perk up. He coughed a few times before looking back incredulously.

The stare-off lasted for some time before he spoke. "Hey don't sell the union short, we wizards aren't just sitting in a lab mixing potions." There was an air of annoyance, as if Al had offended him and he had to defend the honour of all wizards. "We travel young man, no self-respecting wizard stays couped up. They need to experience the world and learn all we can to be truly knowledgeable."

It sounded like he was playing up some sort of PR campaign for his little group. Al refused to roll his eyes and instead listened intently as if he had him hooked. The wizard rose to his feet, adjusting his robes and looked down at the meek young man. He cleared his throat before delivering another stellar performance.

"I have visited the northern ruins of long-dead civilisations and learned more ancient magic than anyone." The pride beaming from him made Al think of a peacock showing its colourful feathers.

Al realised where he was going with this and chimed in. "So, if I joined the union, I could travel north?" Those words had the wizard perked up with a wide grin. Adulation at reaching the intended result of his sales pitch.

His smile couldn't get any wider as he reached out to shake. Al looked down, noticing the familiar custom and wondering if the summoned earthers brought that over. With his hand outstretched, the wizard spoke.

"Oh yes, just shake my hand and we can get started on your journey through the mysteries of the universe." Still trying to add more bravado to his ever-strengthened sales pitch, Al smiled.

The concept of exploring the mysteries of the universe was odd since he could travel between universes. Deciding it was at least a good idea to explore joining. Reaching out and clasping his hand in a firm handshake, he agreed to the offer.

"My name is Al and I would love to join the Wizarding Union." Initially, he had thought the other guilds were more alluring. But then again, a union of wizards that allowed free travel north would be useful. Also, the potential for magical knowledge was too good to pass up.

Shaking Al's hand vigorously, the wizard replied in kind. "I am Xedicus Zulantra, union wizard of the mystical arts." Both smiled from the introductions, causing the wary guards to sigh softly. It appeared they were not fans of wizards increasing their numbers.

Al ignored them and focused on Xedicus, eyeing him curiously. The two broke the handshake before speaking. "So, what now?" Al asked sheepishly, still keeping that meek demeanour going, milking it for all its worth.

Xedicus smiled as he filled the next hour with signing documents using a quill. Luckily, Al could read most languages because of a rune he carved onto the back of his neck. It was very useful when travelling to another country or world to read the signs and, of course, literature. The meeting ended with the exchange of some gold nuggets from Al's pocket.

There were some curious glances between the guards when he showed off the pure gold. It wasn't much of a problem since the bartering system included weight to match with their coinage system. Once Al crossed all the red tape, he became a probationary member of the Wizarding Union.

Someone gave him a parchment, granting himself temporary imperial citizenship for about a year. With that, he set off, accompanying Roderick and his son towards the central district. Promising to swing by the union building to complete the rest of his initiation.

Now, sitting in the back of the carriage, he regaled Roderick and his son about what happened. The comment about joining the Wizarding Union got some harsh gazes from the two. Wizards were not well-liked and more or less tolerated by the imperials for their use. Spirit contractual magic was more well-received since most of the empire worshipped them like deities.

Travelling deeper into the city now on a solid road, he didn't have time to check the surroundings. Roderick was getting increasingly more and more prejudicial against wizards and the federation. "You can't trust wizards, Al; I know you have the gift, as they call it." The term gift seemed like a displeasing word, like he was talking about dung. "But pledging to the spirits is the better path. The wizard arts are too close to the ways of the demons. We should have thrown the lot out of the empire decades ago." His rant lasted for a while until Al tuned him out.

Instead, he looked at his surroundings, hearing a few affirmations from Roderick’s excited kid. Behaving in a manner that mimics an elderly racist is not appropriate for celebration. Al noticed the clear distinction between architecture as they travelled deeper.

The buildings were all stone, with some wood thrown into the mix. Their architecture was like the style of London, with the buildings condensed close together. Most of them had a Romanesque gothic aesthetic. He could see taverns, clothing, blacksmiths, and perfume stores.

Roderick was still ranting about demons and evil wizard magic before the carriage halted. Confused, Al looked around and noticed they had stopped at an intersection. In the distance was the imperial palace. The gaudy structure was massive, made of some sort of pure white stone. It looked like a Greek palace with columns and everything.

What was noticeable was the massive crowd blocking the roads, stationed outside, and waiting for something. Scanning the crowd with some confusion, Al was about to ask what was going on. Instead, he saw the two in stunned awe.

Initially, he thought it was the marvellous palace that had their mouths dropped. Instead, Al's idea fell apart when he heard Roderick say a single sentence. "The Heroic Trinity, they are here. Praise be the spirits." The sentence brought Al's gaze back to the palace, directly to the portcullis. Standing there were the three summoned heroes from earlier, being paraded like art pieces.