The town outside the dungeon wasn’t quite what I expected.
Given its location on Sira, the sole Tier Ten world accessible by the Atlantis Alliance, I expected something more… futuristic. Instead, I found myself in a quaint town that could have been located on any ‘integrated’ planet in the Alliance.
The town had a relaxed, almost resort-like feel, which I found deeply incongruent with the fact that it housed a realm-spanning dungeon holding tens of thousands of people, most of whom were struggling to advance as quickly as possible.
Okay. Maybe not most. There were a lot of people who just lived their lives in the dungeon and didn’t really care all that much about progressing beyond a certain point.
It was a lot like the outside in that way.
But still, there were no overt signs drawing attention to the town’s unique status. At least, there were none that I noticed right away when I appeared next to Zavira on the arrival platform. I had little time to examine my surroundings further when my attention was drawn to two individuals standing nearby.
“Little Z!” A burly dwarf with a thick beard reaching his stomach was grinning widely as he stared at me and my companion. His robes were mauve trimmed in red, and the Hephaistos Sect emblem was clearly visible down both of his sleeves.
Seeing the dwarf who could only be her Sect Patriarch and however many-great grandfather, Zavira shifted her trajectory and sped up.
I followed behind at a slower pace, though my eyes had already been drawn to a familiar man in pristine white robes standing nearby. His garments were far nicer than the ones I wore, though they bore an intentional resemblance.
The man was significantly taller than the nearby dwarf and had long, platinum-blonde hair pulled back in a loose bun. His pale skin looked a little out of place on his muscular body. It was almost like his skin rejected the effects of the sun altogether.
While my long-time friend and companion embraced her slightly shorter ancestor, I stopped at a respectful distance and placed my right fist against my left palm before bowing.
“Disciple greets Master.”
I’d only ever done the proper greeting a few times since it felt overly formal and awkward before. It had always felt cheesy, like I was acting and merely parroting words.
But that had changed during my time in the dungeon.
I could feel the shift in Master Kairos’s demeanor at my formal greeting. Instead of waving me off, his posture grew rigid, and he returned the formality.
Zavira and her ancestor had eschewed formality in favor of familiarity, but that was fine. They had that kind of relationship.
Master Kairos and I did not.
“That was perfectly executed,” the older Time Mage said approvingly.
I smiled tightly, uncertain about what level of familiarity would be appropriate. Master Kairos and I had grown much less formal in our regular communication, but that somehow felt different than standing in front of him.
“Thank you, Master Kairos. Lisa made me practice a lot,” I replied honestly. “She insisted I was going to need all of the etiquette you included in my inheritance as soon as I left the dungeon.”
“Your Interface Assistant was not wrong,” Master Kairos said. “The ceremony is going to be very formal. You are familiar with the process, correct?”
I nodded. “I am.”
I’d spent what amounted to days, perhaps even weeks, learning about and practicing for almost any contingency I might face. Taking part in a ceremony to transition from a disciple into an Elder was included.
After receiving several notifications that I’d been the target of an identification spell, I looked around and saw multiple groups watching us from a distance. Nobody approached, which was nice, but feeling the stares of so many people made me feel uncomfortable.
I almost wished I’d worn some kind of [Disguise] amulet, preferably one that hid my status as a Tri-Affinity Mage.
After being introduced to the nearby dwarf named Heph – Zavira’s ancestor, the Hephaistos Sect Patriarch, and Master Kairos’s long-time friend, we made our way to the portals that led outside the town.
The one we’d arrived through was only connected to the dungeon.
While a few people seemed to be following us from a respectful distance, nobody bothered us, so I tried to force myself to relax.
I noticed that Master Kairos seemed oddly off-balance as we made our way to the transport hub. It wasn’t in the traditional or literal sense, but more like he was just as uncertain about how to interact with me now that I was out of the dungeon as I was with him.
I wondered if it had to do with my impending transition into an Elder.
Or maybe my new status as a Tri-Affinity Mage?
Or maybe, just maybe, I was just being overly sensitive and socially awkward. Too much time alone hadn’t done me any favors in that way, and feeling the constant gaze of watchers wasn’t helping.
At least nobody was being overtly hostile.
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It only took a couple of hours to travel from the dungeon town on Sira to Garnet City, Aegeas – the home of both Epíkairos and Hephaistos Sects.
I only noticed one of the watchers following us from the dungeon town, and he disappeared as soon as we arrived in Garnet City. I could sense him heading away from us, which was comforting after being tailed for so long.
I felt certain that the others were well aware of our stalker, but nobody seemed bothered by it. I was pretty sure I’d even seen Master Kairos make eye contact with the man a couple of times.
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“What do you think?” Master Kairos asked as he motioned toward the sparkling city once we exited the enclosed portal hub.
Finally, my hopes of seeing a real futuristic-looking city were fulfilled.
While the portal hub was only a few stories tall – the top two of which were filled with shops and restaurants, most of the surrounding buildings towered over us.
More than half of the structures appeared to be made out of gemstones, with the majority being maroon, like garnets. I wasn’t sure if the city was named after the building material or vice versa.
I would have expected such a sight to create an ambiance of something other than comfort, but I was wrong. As soon as I stepped foot into the city, I felt warm and welcome.
It almost had to be a magical effect.
“I like it,” I replied. Zavira and Heph were busily chatting about something sect-related, so I didn’t see her reaction to the city.
I couldn’t recall discussing Garnet City before, so I wasn’t sure if Zavira had been there before or not. I knew she’d grown up on a different world, but that didn’t mean much, given her family connections.
Master Kairos seemed pleased by my response.
I was just about to ask how we were planning to get to the sect when a pair of elegant carriages slowly dropped from the sky, coming to rest in front of us.
I took a breath to ask about them, but was interrupted when Zavira rushed over and wrapped her arms around me. “Thanks for waiting for me. I’m glad we were able to leave together, even if we’re separating already.”
“You’re welcome,” I replied as I returned the hug. “We’re still doing a joint reception after the ceremonies, right?” That was what the itinerary I’d received as soon as we exited the dungeon said, at least.
“Yes. Tomorrow,” Zavira answered. “But call me tonight so we can talk. I’ve got a lot of stuff to take care of before the ceremony, and I’m sure you’re the same.” She glanced at Master Kairos before focusing back on me.
“Okay,” I agreed, though I wasn’t sure what Master Kairos had planned for the rest of the day. The itinerary just said ‘ceremony preparation,’ and that could mean just about anything.
I wanted to talk to my family, but a quick check with Lisa informed me that it was still a little early to call.
Instead, I sent a low-priority message to everyone important letting them know I was available for contact when they had time to talk. By sending it as low-priority, I didn’t have to worry about interrupting anyone’s sleep.
I climbed into the carriage, sitting on the seat opposite Master Kairos. The floating carriage was shaped like an oval, much like my pods, with storage space behind the comfortable-looking seats and beneath the hollow floor.
Since storage devices had to be extremely common at this tier, I doubted the space got much use.
The rest of the carriage was dedicated to passenger comfort, and it was obvious that Master Kairos had not opted for a cheap ride.
The seats were made of enchanted beast leather softer than anything I’d felt on Earth. When I leaned back in my seat, it felt like the whole thing shifted to perfectly fit my body.
“This is nice,” I commented as I rubbed a hand across the soft material appreciatively.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said with a smile. “We have a few stops to make before we go to the sect, so I hope you’re not too tired.”
Most of the stops we had to make revolved around my outfits for the following day. Aside from a set of ceremonial robes, I needed a couple of sets of Elder robes to hold me over until the two sets of growth robes Master Kairos had given me before entering the dungeon were altered to reflect my new position.
The Tailor didn’t react when Master Kairos mentioned my third affinity. I wasn’t sure if he was just playing it cool or if he really didn’t care about it. Either way, I appreciated his professionalism.
Once we left the Tailor’s shop, Master Kairos insisted that we stop by the local Enchanters’ Guild so I could ‘properly register’ now that I was out of the dungeon.
“We’re here to see the Vice-Guildleader,” Master Kairos told the clerk when we entered the opulent building. “She’s expecting us.”
Unlike many of its neighbors, the Enchanters’ Guild was not made out of garnet or anything that looked similar. Instead, it was crafted out of white jade, with intricate arrays layered artistically to maximize their effectiveness and their beauty.
The basic runes were unobscured, allowing anyone to see the skill with which they were carved. The higher-level runes were mostly hidden, though I was able to peek at a few of them as we waited.
It seemed the Vice-Guildleader really was expecting us because, after barely a handful of breaths, we were escorted down a nearby hallway and to a teleportation alcove.
“The Vice-Guildleader will meet you at your destination,” the clerk said politely before ushering us onto the carved platform.
I’d seen such items before, though they were not very common on low or mid-level planets due to their mana consumption. In fact, the last time I’d seen such a platform had been in the Enchanters’ Guild on Olym when I updated my registration a few months before the incident with the cultists that led to my painful return.
I didn’t hesitate to step on the platform and move far enough inside to make room for Master Kairos. I could tell he was watching my reactions closely, though I was uncertain what he hoped to glean.
I raised a brow inquisitively but said nothing as Space mana surrounded us, and we were transported to a new location. It wasn’t very far – still inside the same building, even. I couldn’t help but think the mana expenditure was wasteful.
“Patriarch Kairos!” a lovely female elf with dusky skin and dark purple hair said with a smile when we arrived. “I’ve been looking forward to this visit for ages! Is this the disciple you’ve told me so much about? Emie, right?” she added, glancing my way with a radiant smile.
I glanced at Master Kairos again, both brows raised this time. He smiled mischievously.
“She is,” the Time Mage agreed. “Thank you for making an exception for such a special case.”
“That’s not a problem at all,” the elf said before motioning for us to take a seat in the comfortable-looking plush chairs. “I’ll admit I was wary when you initially asked for such a concession, but knowing the situation… Well, intentionally stunting the growth of such a promising young Enchanter based on arbitrary rules isn’t something I’d ever agree to.”
After a few exchanges and a quick introduction – the Vice-Guildleader’s name was Lady Rhania’Aether – I quickly realized that Master Kairos had made some agreement with the Vice-Guildleader to get permission to include advanced Enchanting training in my inheritance.
He’d had to do a bunch of paperwork and pay a lot of fees, but technically, I was already a guild member in good standing.
I was surprised to learn he’d taken care of everything before I’d even entered the Realm Dungeon, especially with how limited communication between Earth and the rest of the Alliance was supposed to have been back then.
That meant he’d been paying my membership fees this whole time. Or, more likely, the fees had been paid out of the proceeds from my MealMaker. I hadn’t checked the balance of the account yet, nor was I in much of a hurry to do so at the moment.
Ultimately, the balance didn’t matter all that much after my time in the dungeon. I had enough credits and loot saved that I doubted I’d need any more during my ten-year break, especially since I planned to spend most of that time on a Tier Six world.
“Alright,” Lady Rhania said after tapping on a fancy tablet a few times and handing it to me. “Input your mana into this, and everything will be done.” The Vice-Guildleader grinned at Master Kairos once the tablet was in my hands. “I think this is the longest registration period I’ve ever seen.”
After doing a cursory scan to make sure I wasn’t signing something unexpected, I sent a pulse of mana into the tablet and handed it back.
Lady Rhania smiled and glanced at the screen casually as she moved the set it down. Instead of releasing the device, her muscles seemed to lock up, and her posture shifted to something far more rigid.
“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that,” Master Kairos said with a grimace. “Sorry. I should have told you before, but it’s still a relatively new development.”
“When…How?” the Vice-Guildleader managed to squeeze out as her eyes shifted to me and a small notification in the corner of my interface display let me know that I’d once again been the target of an identification spell.
My shoulders dropped slightly, and I sighed. This kind of reaction was going to take some getting used to.