Chapter 1

Shades of Blue

Her blue hair fluttered with the wind. Her almond shaped eyes were clear and divine. Her skin was pristine white like untainted snow. Thin robes wrapped around her body, revealing a perfect figure beneath.

She was singing under the moonlight as if bathing in its faint glow. She danced slowly, gracefully, stirring the glowing orbs around her. Those orbs contained something that belonged to me, but I do not remember what. I do not remember. I can’t remember.

Her song ended, and so did her dance. As she stood still, her eyes laid upon me, stirring my soul. She could see through me, everything of me, all that I had gained and lost, and all that she had taken away. A sad smile appeared on her face.

“Child, forgive me,” she said in a beautiful voice. It was weak yet strong, soft yet powerful. It washed away all the doubts I had and all the resistance that remained.

She lifted her hand, her palm facing the night sky. The orbs gathered on her palm, and with a gentle motion, she lifted her hand up. The orbs of light trailed along and then were sent floating steadily up to the bright blue moon.

“Go,” she said and pointed behind me. “Your new life awaits.” Her voice was filled with encouragement, yet her eyes were sad. Those were the last things I noticed before I turned around and left for where she told to go.

Behind me was a city full of life, lit by the blue glow of the bright full moon.

“Let’s go,” a young man in a simple shirt said as he patted my back, then walked ahead. My blank mind suddenly started turning its gears. There were other before me, making their way down the hillside toward the city surrounded by a high stone wall.

I felt like I forgot something important so I looked behind me. The top of the hill was covered by a small group of trees. In the middle was a clearing with nothing in it. For a moment I thought I heard a singing voice but when I listened closely there was nothing.

“Just my imagination…?” I shook my head and followed the others down the hill. I was the last one to get down and received a bit of resentful glares.

Everyone had gathered in front of a the city gate. We were separated from the city walls by a deep moat. Then, after some creaking sounds, the city gate slowly opened and a rampart was brought down. A man in full armor walked toward us and took his helmet off, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a growing stubble. He had a scar across his face and looked stern. After a few seconds of silence, a huge smile appeared on his face breaking the tense mood.

“Welcome to Blue Hyacinth City!” he said as he spread his arms wide, his armor clinking with every movement. “I am Knight-Captain Zerold, and I know you have a bunch of questions, but for now, follow me. We’ll do the talking later!”

He turned around and walked back into the city. I exchanged glances with the others and we all came upon a silent agreement. We followed the knight-captain, forming an unorganized crowd behind him.

He led us through the cobblestone streets, receiving curious glances from some of the bystanders. Some of the men were whistling toward the girls. There were women who were discussing among themselves and giggling while sending amorous glances toward us.

After a few minutes we arrived in a huge three-storey building. A signboard of a blue flower hung above its door.

“This is the Blue Hyacinth Guild,” Knight-Captain Zerold said, “and it manages almost everything within this city. Its best you behave within its walls!” He then laughed loudly as he walked in.

The first thing inside was a crowded lobby. There was an area where people in metal and leather armor, robes, and equipped with weapons occupied tables and talked while eating and drinking. There was another area with counters and the people behind them entertained those who fell in line.

The knight-captain led us further in until we arrived in a spacious hall.

“It’s that time, huh?” A figure stood in the center of the hall. Turning around to face us, it was a beautiful woman dressed in a deep blue robe. A conical hat was loosely placed on her head as if it would fall any time. She held a long metal staff with a glowing blue orb on its end. Looking closely, it seemed like small snowflakes were floating around the orb.

“Welcome, newcomers!” she said with a warm smile and an enthusiastic voice, even though her half-lidded eyes made her look like she was sleepy. She walked toward us with bouncy steps, letting the two magical orbs on her chest dance erratically. I heard gulping sounds, and the knight-captain cleared his throat.

“My name is Jessaline, the vice-head and current acting head of Blue Hyacinth Guild. That’s because the head is out on a mission,” she introduced. “First things first. You people are not from this world!”

Upon her declaration, none of us were surprised. A blue moon… a stone-walled city… these were things that felt strange to me as soon as I saw them. The others must have felt the same.

“Were we summoned here?” asked one of the women.

“Hmm… summon is it? I don’t think that’s the right term, but it’s kinda similar. You could say that the Goddess of the Blue Moon brought all of you here.”

“Goddess of the Blue Moon?” The name felt familiar but I had no inkling to who or what it referred to.

A small smile appeared on Jessaline’s face. She waved her staff and the blue orb glowed brightly. Then, a flash of blinding light erupted from it. When the light subsided, the hall disappeared and was replaced by a panoramic view of the city. It looked like we were floating in the skies and the city was beneath our feet.

“Don’t worry, this is just an illusion,” she said with a wink. “This is Blue Hyacinth City, shone upon by the moonlight of the Blue Moon, blessed by the Goddess of the Blue Moon.” Then with a wave of her hand, the view zoomed out and eight other cities came into view.

“These are the nine cities of Shiam Luna, each representing a moon and and worshipped its corresponding Goddess. Shiam Luna is a flat world extending in all directions filled with bountiful resources and countless dangers. It is our duty to protect our from the dangers of the outside world while bringing resources in to let the continuous prosperity of our city.”

Silence followed as the illusion faded and the hall once again appeared into view.

“Any questions?” Jessaline asked.

“What of our previous world?” a rough-looking youth asked as he lazily raised a hand.

“Do you remember any of it?”

“Well, no…”

“Do you have any attachments to it?”

“No…”

Jessaline then smile at us as if the answer was obvious. The world we left behind did not matter any more. It was best forgotten as it should be.

“Shiam Luna is your new world, and Blue Hyacinth City is your new home,” she said proudly. “Well then, if you don’t have any more questions, then let’s go on with the itinerary for the night! Knight-captain?”

Zerold nodded and took out cards from a pocket hidden under his armor. He then handed them to Jessaline.

“I’m sure you don’t remember anything, as well as your names, but don’t worry. This card will be your multi-purpose ID from now on. Form a line and we’ll begin registration!” she said as she hopped to the back of the hall.

There were more than twenty of us and for some unknown reason I ended up last in line.

“This card will tell you not only your name and age, but also your class, parameters, skills, and talent. Furthermore, you can use this card to store money in the bank and use it when trading. It’s a very nifty and convenient item, right?” she said, her voice echoing in the hall.

“Swordsman!”

“Warrior!”

“Priest!”

“Wizard!”

“Sorcerer!”

“Thief!”

“Archer!”

“Dancer!”

“Blacksmith!”

There were various classes revealed, each eliciting different reactions from both the vice-head and the knight-captain. Finally, it was my turn.

“Your name is Vin, age 23. Your class is…” Jessaline dragged out my class as her brows scrunched up. Then she looked at me and stuttered, “M-material Conjurer.” Surprise was written all over her face as well as the knight-captain.

Curious glances peeked over my shoulder as they read the class title written on my card.

“What’s a material conjurer?” I asked.

“Uh… well,” she seemed hesitant to answer. “It’s a variant of the summoner class… and it specializes in contracting and summoning items.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Is there anything wrong with that?”

“Uhm… well… It concerns the nature of contracts. It requires acknowledgement from both sides, the contractor and the contractee. For items, unless it’s an item with sentience which only appears on high-grade magical items, you can’t form a contract with ordinary ones. Acquiring high-grade magical items isn’t an easy task even for veterans, so a material conjurer is quite useless early on.”

After the introduction and registration, we were welcomed with a small induction party within the guild. At that moment, I felt the pitying gazes of others. I wanted the party to end as quickly as possible.

In a small four-person room, I lay at the bottom bunk of one of the bunk beds. This was a room provided by the guild for newcomers. The beds were stiff and smelly. The windows let the cold breeze in, causing me to shiver.

“Shiam Luna… Blue Moon… Blue Hyacinth…” I chanted those words like a spell. I took out the card from my pocket and looked at it once more.

“Vin… Level 1… Class… Material Conjurer… Talent…” using the dim moonlight, I read the words written on it. “…Master of Weapons?”

I stood inside the guild lobby, looking at the quest board. It was already the day after we arrived in this world, and right after waking up, we were greeted by the harsh reality of our new lives.

We need to sustain ourselves. Aside from the welcoming banquet and beginner equipment, we would be providing for ourselves. Even the rooms we were currently staying at were being listed as debt.

Outside the city walls, danger lurked at every corner. The others had already formed groups called parties, and after the events last night, it was no wonder that none had tried to approach me.

“It’s best you focus on simple gather quests for now,” said a sympathizing veteran thief. He had heard the rumors about the unlucky fellow who got a useless class which piqued his interest, or so he said when he introduced himself to me. His name was Mard.

“I know,” I replied while brushing my hand against the dagger sheath on my belt. As a summoner variant, I can only equip and use daggers, short swords, or staffs.

“Best be cautious, too.”

I nodded and took a quest for gathering a certain amount of a specific herb. The lady behind the counter confirmed the quest and sent me off with a business smile.

On the way out of the city, the cobblestone streets were crowded and busy. I envied those guys wearing heavy armors and were equipped with cool-looking weapons. My class limited me from equipping those. I could only wear light clothes.

Dressed in a patched up robe, I left the city and went through the nearby grassland. The herb I was looking for grew in this area. It was used for making medicine and had a nice refreshing aroma. It grew in clumps and was the favorite food of a type of beast that looked like a rabbit.

I quickly found a clump of herbs, but it was tightly guarded by four of those rabbit-like beasts. Although they didn’t attack, they sent threatening yips and glares as I approached. I decided to avoid unnecessary danger and tried to look elsewhere.

Although the quest had listed a certain amount to gather, having more than the required amount would increase the rewards upon completion of the quest. After a couple of hours I had already gathered the necessary amount but since there was still a bit time before noon, I stayed in the area and gathered as much as I could.

When the sun in the middle of the nine moons shone its brightest, it represented noon. With the herbs inside a burlap sack, I went back to the city and submitted the quest.

“Thanks a lot for your hard work,” said the receptionist as I received some copper coins. “Once you have at least 1 gold coin, it would be best to open up a bank account and store your money there.”

“I will, thanks,” I said with a wry smile. With the current pace I was going at, I wonder how long it would take before I could gather an amount of one gold.

“It’s rare to see someone take an herb gathering request these days,” the receptionist said offhandedly which quickly got my attention. Herb gathering should be one of the easiest and most common requests available. There were no requirements in accepting one.

“Huh? Why is that?” I asked.

“With the increase of competent members in the guild, they would only be interested in tackling challenging requests to test themselves. There was no reason for them to take a simple mission with measly rewards if they could accept a much difficult one with way better gains. So, every now and then, we are truly grateful when people like you come and accept the request. No matter the reason, it’s a blessing for us. These herbs are used in making a lot of medicinal potions which are sold in the guild store. We also sell the herbs themselves to some of the shops within the city.”

“I see,” I nodded my head in understanding. “Since I don’t think I can tackle any request harder than herb gathering, I guess you’ll be seeing me a lot with it from now on. I’ll be in your care for a while.”

“I’ll also be in your care,” the receptionist nodded politely in agreement.

With the meager income I made, I went to the guild bar to have lunch. I bought a simple meal and looked for a place to sit. Most of the tables were occupied, but fortunately, I found a two-seater table by the window occupied by only one person.

“Uhm, is this seat occupied?” I asked. Seated on one side of the table was a figure wearing a gray cloak in the middle of the day. I couldn’t see his face as he was looking out the window. A sheathed long sword was leaning against the wall beneath the window.

His head turned toward me but his face was hidden under the shadow of the cloak’s hood. Slightly, the shadows shifted under his hood and a pair of blood red eyes met my gaze.

“Go ahead,” came a voice I did not expect. It was that of a young woman. After saying that, she turned her head back to the window and continued gazing outside.

I occupied the other seat and ate my simple lunch. I didn’t eat too fast nor was I too slow, yet after finishing my meal, she was still there sitting and gazing outside the window. I looked at where she was looking at but all I saw was the busy streets of the city.

“Are you a newcomer?” she suddenly asked. I was caught by surprise and noticed that although her head was faced at the window, her eyes were looking at me.

“Y-yes,” I stuttered an answer.

“I see.” That was all she said before returning her attention back to the outside. Silence permeated between us before I finally decided to leave.

“T-thanks for the seat,” I said before standing up and leaving. I went back to the request board and took another herb gathering request. It was a different type of herb this time, but it was still located in the grassland just outside the city.

“You have some courage to come up and talk with the Slayer,” said the receptionist after confirming the request.

“Slayer?” I parroted.

“Her,” she said while pointing her chin toward the table I had occupied earlier. “She only accepts monster slaying requests, and completes it overnight. Because she always wear a hooded cloak during the day, there were rumors that she’s a vampire.”

“Vampire? Those aren’t real, right?”

“Oh, you’re a newcomer so you don’t know. They haven’t mentioned this in the guild introduction? Hmm… How should I put this?… For the case of Blue Hyacinth, our population is predominantly comprised of humans. There are other races like elves, dwarfs, satyrs, half-beasts, pixies, and many others. In the other cities, humans are few, completely opposite of our situation here.”

“Really?” I looked around and closely observed the people within the guild. I had been too preoccupied with my situation that I had not noticed this simple fact. Indeed, there were long-eared people, and furry people mixed with the crowd. They were the minorities, though.

After that enlightening conversation with the receptionist, I left the city once more to gather herbs. While doing so, I thought of the others who had arrived at this world at the same time as I did. On the plains where I stood, I could see the hill from a distance. The small clump of trees on the hilltop was quite visible, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flash of blue.

I observed it a little longer but after not seeing it again, I concluded that it was just my imagination.