"You want to be a PTC?" Ceasing his Holy Aura, Scipio Mars tilted his head confusedly.
"It'll open many doors and grant me plenty of benefits." Taking a sip of his tea, Adonis shrugged.
***
(30 minutes later)
The Academy's main gate
Outside the academy's enormous gate were hundreds of carriages, hoping to transport a noble back home.
'I hope Minnie follows behind the carriage properly unlike last time, he almost gave the poor coachman a heart attack.' As he strolled towards he gate, Adonis smiled at a familiar figure.
"What took you so long?" Holding a leather briefcase, Hiram frowned.
"I had some tea, sorry I'm late." Adonis approached the sulking lady.
"It's okay, but I doubt we'll get a cheaper carriage."
"MAAARRSS!" Realizing Hiram was right, Adonis turned his head to the sky and cursed the Elder's entire lineage.
'That idiot prince better pay me back, not only did he drink my tea, eat my cookies and take my teapot, but he also made me miss out on a price cut!'
{You also ate those cookies.}
'He tempted me.' Adonis huffed.
"Adonis?" Already used to his sudden outbursts, Hiram merely tilted her head.
"O-oh. Let me carry your bags." Slightly embarrassed by the hundreds of eyes staring at him, Adonis cleared his throat and took her bag.
"Thank you." Hiram smiled.
"Let's go find a carriage." Leading the way, Adonis approached a coachman who rode a large white carriage.
"Good day sir, where will you be going?" The man smiled.
"Periculum Village," Adonis said.
"Okay, have a nice day." Smiling awkwardly, the coachmen commanded his horses to leave immediately.
SMACK
"Neigh!"
-sigh- "That's to be expected." Watching the carriage flee in fear, Adonis shook his head.
"Periculum?" Hiram looked up at the magic knight.
"Yeah, we're not going home this holiday." Adonis smiled.
"You're not supposed to make decisions without me." Hiram pouted.
"I'm sorry Hiram, but it'll be really fun and beneficial." Adonis smiled nervously.
"Beneficial?" She tilted her head.
"We're going to get stronger!"
***
After an hour of having coachmen run away from them, and making lazy excuses Adonis and Hiram finally found someone willing to take them to their destination.
"One hundred gold coins? That's ridiculous, I'd rather run there!" Outraged by the exorbitant price, Adonis gripped his hair tightly.
"Suit yourself, as you can see. No one's willing to take you there kid." Rather than try to debate a fair price, the coachmen merely shrugged and prepared to whip the horses.
"Wait! We'll pay the fee." Hiram gripped her finance necklace and summoned fifty gold coins.
"Hiram? We don't need this scammer." Adonis huffed.
"Adonis, I'm tired of walking." Hiram complained.
"O-oh okay. I'm sorry for being inconsiderate." He said gently.
"It's okay." She smiled.
"It's one hundred and ten now, because of the kid's attitude." The coachmen said flatly.
{Kill him!} "Have you ever had your soul burnt?" Adonis glared at the man.
"I'm just kidding!" The gentleman chuckled.
"This is going to be a fun ride, you're a real hoot kid." He slapped his knee as he continued to bellow uncontrollably.
***
(2 Days later)
Periculum village.
Periculum Village, despite its name suggesting a humble settlement, was far from small or rural. The city's strange name originated from its peculiar 'detachment' from the Caelum Empire.
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This detachment was caused by the combination of its geographical positioning and internal affairs.
Standing as the only buffer between the rest of the Caelum Empire and the mountainous outskirts of the Wicked Continent, Periculum served as the dungeon capital. Essentially, the city and its people acted as shields for the Empire against dungeons and curious monsters and magic beasts.
The Ranger/Dungeon Capital's detachment from the Empire was intensified by the rampant lawlessness within its gigantic walls. The lack of law enforcement, combined with the attraction of ambitious combatants made it the third most dangerous city in the world.
Despite not being officially part of the Empire, Periculum remained heavily influenced by its culture and rules. However, this affiliation did not extend to tax payments or military protective services, making it alluring to ambitious business owners and vulnerable against enemy empires.
Like most cities, Periculum featured thick layered enormous enhanced stone walls, with the innermost wall being as durable as a mountain and its outermost being capable of withstanding the full power of a 1st Tier magic knight.
Strangely, while the walls were the personification of quality and durability, the rest of the city appeared somewhat neglected, characterized by aged buildings and worn streets.
Inside the city, the only modern structures were the ranger guild branches, shops and a handful of hotels/inns.
"We're here! Is there anywhere specific you'd like me to drop you off?" The coachman asked.
"An inn please." Seated in the back of the coach, Adonis rubbed his eyes wearily.
"Got it."
As they continued to traverse the streets of Periculum, Adonis gazed out the window, memorizing every detail.
"Adonis?" Laying on the boy's lap, Hiram groaned sleepily.
"We're here." Adonis smiled.
"Where?" Hiram lifted her head from the boy's lap embarrassedly.
"Periculum."
"Oh yeah." She yawned.
"Don't worry we're not going to the dungeons right away, we'll freshen up at the inn first. Plus there's some admin we have to take care of first."
"This is it. The Pegasus Guild 'Hotel." The coachman smiled.
'I said inn... That place looks expensive!.' Adonis stared at the massive estate.
The carriage stopped outside the gate, where two burly men stood on guard.
"Thank you." Adonis gripped his necklace and summoned fifty gold coins before he handed them to the eager coachman.
"You're too kind." Accepting the money with a bizarre glimmer in his eyes, the coachman smiled greedily.
"Don't spend it all in one place." The boy grit his teeth angrily.
"Let's go, Hiram." Adonis opened the heavy carriage door and hopped out.
"Thank you." Following closely behind Adonis, Hiram turned to thank the coachman.
"Don't thank him, he scammed us." Adonis whispered under his breath.
"It's no problem miss." The man tipped his hat and commanded his horses to take him away from the hotel.
SMACK
"Neigh!"
THUD THUD THUD
"This place is huge." Adonis studied the grand estate.
Inside the Pegasus Hotel's massive gates was an expansive stone pathway that led to all the important destinations, these being the main building, the outdoor training area, the gravity room as well as the weapons, magic items and potions shop.
'I didn't get a chance to check out the gravity room in the academy, I should use this one.' Adonis approached the two guards.
"Name, reason for visit and affiliation." Maintaining his stern demeanour, the guard looked at the teenage boy and young lady.
"Hiram Vindicta, ranger activities and I'm an assistant at the Hero Magic Knight's academy." The lady said first.
"Adonis Vindicta, ranger activities and I'm a first-year student at the Hero Magic Knight's academy." The boy said flatly.
"A first year?" The guard frowned.
"I have a temporary license issued by the Elders." Using his spatial ring, Adonis summoned a scroll tied by a red ribbon and handed it to the sceptical guard.
"Hmm..." The guard unravelled the scroll and studied its contents.
'Issued by PTC Vice Commander Scipio Mars... Who is this kid?'
"It checks out." The guard rerolled the scroll and nodded at his partner.
"And you?" The other guard looked at the lady with silver hair.
"I plan on getting my license today." Hiram said.
"That's fine...Welcome to the Pegasus Hotel."
The guards stepped to the side and pulled one lever each, initiating the opening of the gate.
"Enjoy your stay." They said simultaneously.
"Thank you." Adonis and Hiram nodded lightly and walked through the massive gates.
***
The hotel's lobby was busy to say the least, swarmed by magic knights, mages and knights of varying strength, each returning from or embarking on dangerous missions into the city's infamous dungeons.
Acting as the border between the entrance and the main lobby was a sizable circular table operated by four middle-aged women.
After a brief wait in line, the duo finally reached the front of the queue.
"Good morning." A woman smiled.
"Good morning." Adonis smiled gently.
"Seeking accommodation?" She asked.
"Yeah, for two." He glanced at the silent mage by his side.
"We have many different packages, please feel free to browse and pick what works for you." She smiled and handed the boy a large piece of paper with dozens of images and prices.
Single Room (A single room with one bed) - 1 Gold Coin per night
Double Room (A single room with two beds) - 3 Gold Coins per night
Junior Suite (A large room with one bedroom and private bathroom)- 3 Gold Coins per night
Couple's Suite (A large suite with one large bedroom, a kitchen and a private bathroom.)- 10 Gold Coins per night
Partner's Suite ( A large suite with two large bedrooms, a kitchen and two private bathrooms.)- 15 Gold Coins per night.
Luxury Penthouse (3 bedrooms, a large kitchen, a private bathroom per bedroom, balcony, indoor swimming pool and more!)- 50 Gold Coins per night.
Pegasus Penthouse ( 6 bedrooms, private bathroom per bedroom, balcony, indoor swimming pool, private gravity room and more!)- 1,000 Gold Coins per night.
Add-ons:
Unlimited access to gravity room- 100 Gold Coins upfront per person
Unlimited room service- 20 Gold Coins upfront per person
Unlimited access to training room- 10 Gold Coins upfront per person
...
"I'm getting dizzy." Overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of offerings, Hiram frowned.
"Take your time." The woman smiled.
"We'll get one partner's suite package, two unlimited room service add-ons, one unlimited access to the gravity room and two unlimited accesses to the training room add-ons." Adonis looked up at the clerk.
"Got it." The woman nodded.
"That'll be eight hundred and twenty gold coins." She gestured towards the finance ball on the table.
***
*Extra Information:
How to become a PTC:
1. Achieve something thought to be impossible.
2. Have your head of state recommend you to the King of your home kingdom.
3. Your king will then accept or deny this recommendation.
4. If accepted the king will present a case at an "Imperial meeting" where there will be a vote. All the kings in the empire attend this meeting, the emperor as well as the saviour of the empire. Each king's vote is one point, the saviour's vote is two and the emperor's vote is three. To be approved you need at least sixty per cent positive votes (In the Caelum Empire this is six votes.)
5. Your application is then taken to a "Domain meeting" where all the Emperors and Saviors attend and vote. (To keep the peace of this meeting it is moderated by a neutral angel.) (Each Emperor and Savior have one vote.) To be granted PTC status your application will be reviewed, there will be a discussion then a vote. You need at least eight total votes to be cleared as a PTC at this meeting.
6. Alternatively, the angel present can approve your application with no need for voting.
(Scipio Mars healed Adonis's wounds.)
(The Wicked Continent is the most dangerous place in the world.)