“I’ve heard of many river rocks like this being found but it’s commonly believed that they serve no purpose, but I have a theory if you’re willing to keep an open mind.” Iris looked at him to seek his approval.

“Please continue.” Anthony nodded.

“Are you familiar with the element of Xiangorite?”

“It’s one of the five divine minerals.” He talks in the manner of a professor teaching his students. “It’s typically found in its purest state in the water gems and known for remarkable abilities to repair organic life forms such as bones, plants, and even flesh, earning it the title of the Living Element.”

“Good, then do you also know that aside from demons like the Sea Serpent and the Typhon, its raw state is harder to identify than any other element?” She pulled up her loupe glasses to speak with him eye to eye. “Unlike your other relics I can’t confirm it’s Xiangorite on glance alone. And unlike the test I did with your raw Mythril I wouldn’t be able to tell if this were really the same substance if I just poured water on it. Mineralogists have yet to trace its origin but there are some speculations, some dating back to the origin of Water Magic. That is if you believe in the story of the Sacred Hind.”

“The Artemis Hind?” Jason rolled his eyes overhearing this debate. “That’s just a fairytale told to little kids, rock head.”

“No it isn’t farm boy, it’s a legend, and that’s a big difference!” She protested.

“I’ll admit I’m not familiar with legends in the country, please explain.” He asked politely. “What is this Sacred Hind?”

“Ahem, according to the LEGEND!” She hit that point especially staring at Jason. “Artemis was a renowned water mage that was said to be blessed by a blue stag. After saving its life, it gave her a piece of its horn, which she tossed in the ocean as an offering to the sea. In time that seed blossomed into a large bridge of land that formed the great connection between the two parts of the continent. The new lands above would later be colonized as what we now called the Neoptolemus Empire.”

“Fascinating.” He simply said.

“Yeah, for all the good it’s done!” Jason angrily protested.

“What have you got against the Empire, Jason?”

“What don’t I have against the Empire?” He scoffed. “The Duchy was here first and yet they act like they’re the center of the continent. You grew up in the middle states Iris, you don’t know what it’s like growing up in the lower states or slums. The Empire was supposed to offer protection, but that doesn’t extend beyond the middle states and it doesn’t even interfere in the Slums. It’s been nearly a century since King Aster joined the Imperial Ruling Class, meanwhile all us folks on the bottom are dealing with nothing but heavy taxes and lawlessness.”

“That’s not everywhere Jason. Ms. Gaia seems to get along fine with Imperial rule.”

“She’s a war hero, a graduate, you’re saying they don’t look after their own.”

“She came from the low states and she brought back useful knowledge and resources from her time there.”

“You know what, let’s just drop the subject, and skip to something else.” He quickly put his hands in the air as he walked over to Anthony, then picked up his necklace. “You know there’s something else I noticed about this necklace of yours.” He pointed to the blue-yellow fang attached to the leather string.

While it seemed like a regular canine fang, upon closer inspection Jason found a distinct engraving on it. It was a shield with an arrow and dagger piercing through it, and at the center of the shield was an engraving of a starry flower blooming with eight petals. Everyone knew this symbol as the stamps of the nation, the Asterisk, which was also the mark of the royal family Aster.

“By the look of this little trinket you got you’re a certified hunter, am I right?”

“You are correct in that assumption.”

“That’s great, we need a hunter, especially someone as knowledgeable as you.” She smiled boldly to their newest member.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“What Grade are you, E, D...”

“I am Grade C.”

“What...How long have you been hunting?”

“Almost two years.”

“No way? That would make you what, third class?”

“A third class is indicated by a beak of a Granite turtle, this is a fang from Brimstone Hound the mark of a first class hunter.”

“Seriously?!”

“What, is that a big thing?” Iris asked, confused.

“Yes, rock head, that's a very big thing!” He looked at Anthony with suspicion. “Most hunters take at least a decade to reach first class C rank. You look about as old as me, do you come from a family of hunters or something? When did you start hunting?”

“Almost two years ago.” He simply stated.

“You’re either an exceptional hunter or there’s something you’re not telling us?” He looked him in the eye, but it was like staring at a blank wall.

Anthony looked into his eyes without an ounce of fear, a hint of doubt, the mark of a great poker player or a fierce warrior. It was enough to bring Jason an amount of fear and respect that made him back away, but to Iris it was the mark of a handsome and mysterious individual. Wanting to break the tension between them both, she spoke up.

“You know, it’s a good thing you are a hunter, Anti. We’ve been needing one for quite some time.” Iris smiled, getting closer to him. “We’ve had a lot of trouble procuring animal and fruit fat for our hygiene products, you know they’re all best sellers.”

“So, I’ve been told.” He remembered Jason’s sell’s pitch.

“If you’re first class that means you’ve hunted everything below the ranks, like Stone Lizards?”

“Of course Ms. Clotho.” He formally replied. “As per hunter tradition, I hunted at least a hundred greater beasts in each ranking racket to earn the tags necessary for advancing to the next grade.”

“That’s good, we could really use Stone Lizards for gardening and medicine trade. They’re usually a key component. We have a hard time since mostly I’ve only gotten scraps or decaying parts people have thrown away. You think you can tell me what else you have hunted so I can make a list of things we might need if we ever help our gardening and mineralogy research?”

“Just make a list and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Wait, a hundred great beasts for each rank, that math doesn’t add up.” Jason looked at him even more suspicious. “How could you hunt so many things in only two years?”

“It’s true most hunters take years, even decades to advance in each rank, however there is an exception for Sacred Beast. Because they are protected and hard to capture because of their regenerative and advanced abilities, anyone who captures one can advance two ranks automatically if they participate in a capture party. I was only fortunate enough to be part of Brass Boar capture part when I was a first class D rank.”

“Well, an exceptional hunter like you, I’m sure you really earned your share of credit.” She laughed.

“Your confidence is very reassuring Ms. Clotho.” He politely bowed.

“Please call me Iris.” She held her hand out like a lady in front of him.

“Very well, Ms. Iris.” He said politely kissing her hand.

“Eh, we’ll work on that.” She accepted his kiss with a light fluster. “Speaking of manners, Jason, would you kindly return this man’s property?” His eyes turned red with rage, at his forgetfulness.

Jason finally broke out of his stupor and handed the amulet back to Anthony who kindly placed it back under his leather vest, wondering why his new acquaintance had been so petrified in the first place.

“I can see why master Gaia is interested in keeping you both on staff?” Anthony asked, turning his head back to Iris. “You with knowledge of minerals and Mr. Tilt with his knowledge of agriculture would probably make fine business partners in this enterprise.”

“Thank you for speaking so highly of my abilities, and I guess, the farm boy has his uses.” She turned her eyes in amusement to his startled expression.

“Oh, please, rock head if it weren’t for me keeping an eye on all herbs and medicines stocks, this business would have gone broke years ago...Speaking of which I wonder what’s taking Ms. Gaia so long?”

“Knowing her, she’s probably still talking with Selene.” Iris shrugged her shoulders.

“Another member of this operation?” Anthony turned his eyes in curiosity.

“Yeah, you could call her our money manager, but she mostly keeps the debt collectors off our back, and makes arrangements with our supplies for several things like herbs, minerals, and, like rock head was saying, beast and fruit fats, all contracted by the Hunter’s Guild.”

“I’m familiar with contracts of that sort, it was part of my Hunter’s training when I joined the Guild, but it’s mostly to help identify useful medicines and remember in case of injury or aid.”

“I can already tell, she’s gonna love ya.” Iris took him by the hand and escorted Anthon out the door of her little workshop. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Jason followed them both as they exited the workshop and entered the backroom of their little shop, with a sense of fear and dread. Although Selene was a co-worker she was also the manager of the shop and like all managers, she held the highest authority other than Ms. Gaia, the owner. While Iris simply referred to her by name Selene Menander, Jason referred to her as “The Silver Dragon.”