The next day, I awoke with a surplus of time; my guild visit was scheduled for after lunch, allowing me to explore the city from a fresh perspective. I donned a new set of simple robes and left the inn. The transformation was remarkable; I no longer felt the weight of countless eyes on me, and people didn't shy away. I blended in with the crowd, spending hours wandering, visiting open markets, and sampling various foods and snacks.

'It's a pity [Consuming Osmosis] doesn't work with food, for whatever reason. Although, perhaps that's what stops me from eating a dragon steak and getting a free profile?'

An unexpected encounter during my exploration was with pickpockets. It seems I didn't venture into the city much as Syl, always heading straight to my destination. But now, either my elf guise was too intimidating, or my current appearance was seen as an easy target. The reactions of the would-be thieves were quite amusing, as they delved into my pockets, which were purely for show, only to find nothing. I couldn't help but miss the giggles of my now-absent tiny companion.

'This could be a decent way to level up [Perception]...'

It felt like the perfect moment to head to the guild, so I set off. Upon entering the building, I joined the line, prepared to wait. To my surprise, I didn't have to wait long before James approached me directly, looking equal parts frantic and grateful.

"Sylvester, I'm so glad you came. If you would please follow me, the client wishes to speak to you." James said.

"Well, it certainly beats waiting in line." I chuckled and followed him.

Heading through the door, James led me deeper into the guild. Using my mental map, I figured we had crossed the wall and were now technically within the inner wall. It was subtle initially, but everything from the floors to the furniture seemed suddenly nicer. We eventually reached what looked like a private meeting room with leather couches arranged circularly around a very ornate table. A golden egg-shaped device in the center of the table was engraved with what looked like enchanted runes. James told me to get a seat and that the client would arrive shortly.

While I waited, I stared at the strange egg, the most interesting thing in the room. The intricate carvings into its structure tickled the back of my mind, looking overly familiar to something but different enough to perplex me. Eventually, the door opened to two well-dressed individuals. I immediately recognized one, and my mind went into a brief frantic panic.

I immediately wanted to leave the room, only holding it together with some heavy reliance on [Acting]. I didn't feel up to interacting directly with someone I knew as Syl.

Johnathan looked dressed down compared to when I met him as Syl, and it looked like he had advanced his class. His racial levels, however, were a shocking disappointment, only gaining a single one since I last saw him.

Gregory, on the other hand, was old and had a magnificent long and grey wizard beard. Instead of an accompanying robe, he wore a trim-fitted two-piece suit in a brown shade.

My extra senses also picked up another individual entering the room stealthily. If not for [Thermal Vision], I might have missed her, as her strange, full-bodied armor seemed to greatly blend her into the background.

'A warrior tank hybrid with a rogue? I can only assume she's his bodyguard. If I were a noncombatant, I'd probably also feel hesitant entering a room with a potentially unknown person with a combat class.'

They both sat without saying anything, and the bodyguard took a corner position out of my direct line of sight. Well, for my human eyes, at least. Finally, James entered and closed the door behind him.

"Mister Green. Thank you so much for your valuable time. This is Sylvester, who I mentioned in my report."

"Thank you, James," Gregory spoke while Johnathan uncomfortably stared at me. "Before we potentially waste Mister Green's time, would you kindly inject the device in front of you with Ice Mana?"

"Very well," I responded politely, extremely thankful I was immune to nervous sweats.

I placed my hand on the golden egg and focused on filling it. Almost immediately, as I began, Gregory made an unexpected comment: "Oh, good. He already has [Mana Infusion]."

The engraved lines on the device drank in the mana and soon shone brightly in a pale, almost white blue. I could sense the device would take no more, and I removed my hand.

"Good. At least he actually managed to fill it, unlike the last one." Gregory muttered, pulling out a small handheld device that looked like a stick encrusted with five identical gems lined up in fixed intervals.

"Now, the real test..." He touched the tool against the egg, and all five gems immediately lit up. He stared at the tool with astonishment, stashing it in his pouch and pulling out a nearly identical one except with a different wooden finish. He touched it, and again, all five lit up. He frowned deeply before pulling out another one, this time with eight gems, and when it touched the egg, all eight shone.

"Well. Either all three of my tools are defective, or we have found our man, Sir. It appears he wasn't a braggart when he informed James of his Ice mana purity."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"And you're sure, Greg?" Johnathan asked, the first words since he entered.

"Positive. He has the highest purity Ice mana I've seen in quite some time. I'd almost suspect he's someone's bastard son."

I felt extremely uncomfortable with them talking around me, even though I was sitting before them. It was a stark contrast to my previous interaction with Johnathan.

"Hmm... I thought of that possibility too, but my merchant skills are behaving oddly." Johnathan replied before finally turning to me. "Tell me, Sylvester, are you married?"

I blinked in confusion at the odd question. "No?"

"So bastard son is likely then," Johnathan said, returning to Greg. "[Merchant's Eye] is telling me he's linked to a great fortune, but it's unavailable or restricted. The only time I had previously encountered that was when a wife kept a separate bank account from her husband."

I wanted to comment, or leave, or do something, and the only reason I wasn't staring wide-eyed, slackjawed, and flabbergasted was my [Acting] skill begging me to just sit there in silence.

"I see. He would be entitled to it if he knew about it. What a fascinating skill interaction."

"Fascinating for me. Can't say the same for the now widower," Johnathan smirked. "So. Is he worth your time, Greg?"

"He meets all the minimum requirements. I've certainly worked with worse on other projects."

"Excellent. You can start immediately tomorrow; I'd appreciate a progress report at least every two days."

"Of course, Sir."

"Wait," I finally said, holding up my hand.

"Is there a problem, Sylvester?" James asked, looking at me like I had just kicked a baby.

"I never agreed to accept this. I was even still contemplating whether I wanted to pursue alchemy instead."

James was now visibly sweating; now, I had just eaten the metaphorical baby in front of him. Gregory raised a curious eyebrow while Johnathan looked furious.

"Do you have any idea how important this deal is?" Johnathan demanded.

"No. Quite frankly, I have no idea why you even want me. Nothing has been explained, and you've assumed I'll merely agree without question." I replied.

"A commoner with some backbone." Gregory chuckled.

"Accepting this deal is in everyone's best interest. You'd be a fool not to take it."

"Why does it have to be me? Surely you can get someone else?"

"You think I haven't tried? I even paid for Greg to level up to his next ascension. But the Gods decided Ice wasn't on the menu." Johnathan replied angrily.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I refuse to blindly agree to something. Picking up Enchanting or Alchemy was a fun idea I had at the time."

Gregory looked bemused, James looked like he was having a panic attack, and Johnathan looked outraged. "Your life will become exceptionally difficult should you turn down this offer."

"Is that a threat?" I asked.

"No. Merely a suggestion. Trust me, you'd know when I make a threat." Johnathan said darkly.

"I'm assuming real threats involve Mari in the corner there," I asked, pointing toward her location with my thumb.

Johnathan's eye twitched. He opened his mouth to reply or perhaps give an order, but he was interrupted by Gregory's hearty chuckle.

"Pardon me, Sir. But you've tried the stick; perhaps let's try the carrot? It seems Sylvester here likes to see the cards laid out on the table."

Johnathan looked like he swallowed a lemon but gave a curt nod.

"This is our goal," Gregory said, pointing towards the golden egg. "A magical tool that will create a cold freezing aura that preserves perishables."

I looked at the egg in a new light. Were those intricately carved sigils some modification or alternative version of my Ice spell constructs? I was more interested after hearing that tidbit, and Gregory smiled eagerly, perhaps noticing my interest.

"But if you have one or made one, why do you need me?"

"Well, I made this one, but it was carved using Arcane mana. It's perfectly functional, so long as you always have someone on hand to fill it up with decent quality Ice mana." Gregory explained. "Now, should you accept and are capable enough to learn, I will have you create two of these carved out with Ice-mana. The end result will be that anyone can fill up the tool with raw mana to get the desired result."

"And I'm assuming that if the mana in the carving isn't pure enough, it won't function?" I asked.

"Precisely. Or it will function but be so inefficient that it would need a near-constant mana supply to even work. The purer it is, the more easily it corrupts Arcane mana."

'Well. That's an unexpected revelation. Who knew I was my own worst enemy when working with Arcane mana? It nearly instantly corrupts into other mana.'

"Couldn't you get around that by using a material aligned to Ice?" I asked curiously.

Greg smiled; perhaps he liked inquisitive minds? "Yes, but-"

"That's what I'm trying to get around!" Johnathan interrupted. "I'm trying to replace two ice core tools with these so that I can sell them to a very important client."

Suddenly, the situation clicked. Johnathan was trying to free up the slime cores to sell to me! I felt stupid for not connecting the dots sooner, perhaps put off by not wanting to interact with someone I knew and by his very different behavior. Did he treat all commoners like this? Was it because I was currently a man? Or was it purely because he was desperate to impress an Elf? Maybe it was even simpler than that, and he was just desperate for more merchant levels since our last transaction apparently gave him two.

'Shit. I guess I'm in now...'

While I would have loved to have left him to stew, now it was in my best interest. I'd effectively get free training and two slime cores! I obviously could be wrong about Syl being his important client, but who else wanted slime cores other than me?

"Okay. I'm interested, but are you training me only to make these and then abandoning me? Or am I actually getting properly trained?" I asked curiously.

Gregory actually looked offended by my insinuation. "I'm obligated to train you to the best of my abilities when I assign you the [Apprentice] emblem. I am not leaving someone linked to me directly no better than some back-alley enchanter."

Having taken enough time to ponder, I nodded. "Very well. Then I'll accept your offer."

The tension in the room suddenly deflated. James immediately looked relieved, and Gregory gave me an enthusiastic nod.

"Excellent. I leave the rest to you, Greg." Johnathan said and promptly left the room.

Mari actually approached me, I would have suspected something, but I sensed no hostility from her. She put her hand on my shoulder and leaned in to whisper. "I'm impressed you could detect me. Also... Just between us, while your backbone could be seen perhaps as courageous or admirable... You might be executed on the spot if you behave like that before any noble other than Mister Green."

Then, she promptly left. She practically rushed out the door before I could respond or say anything.

"I won't keep you any longer. Meet me tomorrow bright and early. I hope your desire to learn is as much as your inquisitiveness." Gregory chuckled. "James, make sure you revise his admission so he can enter the enchanting rooms."

"Thanks, Gregory. I look forward to it." I smiled. "Can I call you Greg?"

Gregory snorted a laugh. "Sure. But tomorrow, it will be Master Greg, and I won't tolerate any tomfoolery."

I nodded, and he left. James turned to me and gave me an awkward smile. "I don't know whether you're brilliant or insane. Maybe both."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, giving him a pat on the shoulder and thanking him for everything. Having nothing else to do, I decided to head back to the inn, where I had a pleasant late afternoon and evening before retiring early to my bedroom and finishing the day off with my regularly scheduled magic practice.