Free Web NovelChapter 12: The Guilds of Valoria 2
After leaving the Artisans’ Guild, Adam headed toward another important district of Valoria.
This time, his destination was the Merchants’ Guild.
The moment he saw the building, he immediately understood the difference between it and the two previous guilds.
The Adventurers’ Guild inspired power.
The Artisans’ Guild inspired knowledge.
The Merchants’ Guild, however, radiated wealth.
The structure was built from polished white marble and precious wood.
Large stained-glass windows reflected the sunlight.
Uniformed guards watched over the entrances.
Even the pedestrians seemed better dressed in this part of the city.
"It looks like a giant bank..."
Adam climbed the stairs and pushed open the doors.
The interior was luxurious.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the vast hall.
The floor was covered with perfectly maintained marble.
Elegant counters occupied the sides of the room, while merchants, nobles, and representatives of various companies negotiated in small private lounges.
The atmosphere was calm.
Professional.
And incredibly organized.
As with the other guilds, Adam presented Isadora’s golden token.
The receptionist immediately froze.
Then she invited him to follow her.
A few minutes later, he found himself standing before the office of the Guild Mistress.
"Madam, your visitor has arrived."
"Send him in."
Adam entered the room.
And was surprised.
Behind a massive desk covered in documents sat an oni woman.
Long white horns emerged from her violet hair.
Her imposing figure resembled a warrior more than a merchant.
Her violet hair reached down to her hips.
Golden eyes observed Adam with curiosity.
The woman smiled.
"I am Shiora Crimsonhorn."
She crossed her arms.
"Guild Mistress of the Merchants’ Guild of Valoria."
Her gaze shifted to the token.
Then an amused smile appeared.
"Isadora doesn’t grant this kind of privilege very often."
Adam took a seat.
As before, he began asking numerous questions.
And Shiora answered gladly.
He quickly learned that the Merchants’ Guild supervised a vast portion of the imperial economy.
Shops.
Department stores.
Merchant caravans.
Warehouses.
Trade routes.
Imports.
Exports.
Investments.
And above all...
Banks.
"Our guild handles the majority of major transactions in the kingdom," Shiora explained.
"Without us, most cities would simply stop functioning."
Adam was particularly surprised by the banking system.
Although the world appeared medieval at first glance, its banks were extremely advanced.
After a few explanations, he understood why.
Every bank account was linked to a personal magical card.
The card possessed several functions:
Balance consultation. Deposits and withdrawals at any affiliated bank. Direct payments between two cards. Customized access permissions. Authorized partner management. Magical signature security.
"This is more advanced than some banks in my old world..."
Shiora burst into laughter.
"We’ve had several thousand years to perfect the system."
Thanks to the special authorization granted by the token, Adam quickly opened his own bank account.
He was handed an elegant black card engraved with silver runes.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Magical Bank Card
Owner: Adam
Status: Verified
Access: Personal
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Adam then spent some time in the guild archives.
He borrowed several books:
*History of Imperial Commerce.
*Continental Trade Routes.
*Currencies and Financial Systems.
*Great Merchant Families.
*Rare Resources and Specialized Markets.
*Inter-Kingdom Trade.
When he finally left the Merchants’ Guild, the sun had already begun descending toward the horizon.
"One more to go."
He looked up.
In the distance, dominating part of the city, an immense white tower rose into the clouds.
The Mage Tower.
The final destination on his list.
Unlike the other guilds, this structure seemed almost unreal.
Magic circles slowly rotated around its upper levels.
Colored lights appeared and vanished from the windows.
Occasionally, small magical explosions illuminated certain floors.
"That looks perfectly dangerous."
And that was precisely what made him curious.
Adam adjusted his bag.
Then headed toward the gigantic magical tower that dominated all of Valoria.
Without knowing that his visit would allow him to meet one of the most influential—and probably most eccentric—people in the entire kingdom.
The Mage Tower was exactly as Adam had imagined.
Perhaps even worse.
Or better.
Depending on one’s point of view.
As he approached, he saw mages practicing spells in the outer gardens.
Some floated dozens of books around themselves.
Others seemed passionately engaged in debates about incomprehensible magical theories.
One woman was running around screaming that her experiment was about to explode.
A few seconds later, an explosion indeed erupted from a seventh-floor window.
No one seemed surprised.
"Yep... definitely mages."
Adam entered the tower.
The interior resembled a mixture of a gigantic library, a university, and a laboratory.
Shelves covered with grimoires stretched as far as the eye could see.
Magical circles illuminated the ceiling.
Students carried stacks of books taller than themselves.
Others took notes frantically.
Of all the buildings he had visited that day, this one was probably the most chaotic.
But also the most fascinating.
Another thing quickly caught his attention.
Unlike among adventurers, men were relatively numerous here.
Not a majority.
But present enough to be noticeable.
Mages seemed to be one of the few combat professions where men could compete with women.
After all, magic depended more on talent, knowledge, and control than on physical strength.
Adam presented the golden token.
As every time before, the reaction was immediate.
A few minutes later, a receptionist escorted him toward the upper levels of the tower.
Eventually, they arrived before a massive black door covered in runes.
"The Tower Mistress will receive you now."
Adam entered.
The office was enormous.
Hundreds of books floated through the air.
Magical maps slowly revolved around the room.
Glowing crystals illuminated everything.
And behind a desk covered in grimoires sat a woman.
An incredibly beautiful woman.
But above all, terrifying.
Long black horns emerged from her black hair.
Her red eyes seemed capable of piercing the soul.
Thin black scales appeared on parts of her neck and hands.
Her nails resembled claws more than fingernails.
Even in humanoid form, her identity was obvious.
A dragon.
And not just any dragon.
A Black Dragon.
One of the most powerful races in the world.
The woman looked up from her book.
"Interesting."
Her voice was calm.
But Adam immediately sensed the monstrous power hidden behind those simple words.
"I am Vespera Drakharis."
She slowly closed her book.
"Grand Archmage and Mistress of the Mage Tower of Valoria."
Her eyes settled on the token.
Then on Adam.
Then back on the token.
"Isadora has become remarkably generous lately."
Adam sat down.
As with the other leaders, he began asking questions.
Magic.
Magical schools.
Elements.
Rituals.
Enchantments.
The limits of mana.
Dragons.
Artifacts.
Portals.
Dimensions.
Vespera answered everything.
Sometimes patiently.
Sometimes with a slightly amused expression.
Eventually, the subject of joining the tower arose.
"The Tower is not an ordinary guild."
Adam nodded.
"I figured as much."
"To officially join the Tower, one must possess magical affinity or be capable of using magic."
Adam thought for a moment.
Then raised his hand.
A gentle green light appeared.
The healing spell he had obtained.
Vespera observed the phenomenon.
Her red eyes widened slightly.
Then a smile appeared.
"A man capable of using a healing spell without formal magical training..."
She seemed genuinely intrigued.
"That is rare."
After a few formalities, Adam was officially registered as an external member of the Tower.
He also received permission to access part of their library.
Which probably made him happier than anything else.
He immediately borrowed several books:
*Introduction to Magic.
*Fundamental Mana Theory.
*Fire Magic.
*Water Magic.
*Earth Magic.
*Wind Magic.
*Lightning Magic.
*Light Magic.
*Dark Magic.
*Life Magic.
*Death Magic.
*Space Magic.
*Time Magic.
According to most books, learning magic was extremely difficult.
But Adam possessed the system.
And several skills that facilitated learning.
He had good reason to be optimistic.
After storing all his new books inside his inventory, he finally left the Tower.
It was only once he stepped outside that a thought crossed his mind.
He stopped in the middle of the street.
"Wait a minute..."
He mentally reviewed all the people he had met that day.
Selene Arkwell.
A White Tigress.
One of the Four Great Ruling Bloodlines of the Beastfolk.
Elaria Sylverleaf.
A High Elf.
One of the noble bloodlines ruling the elven kingdoms.
Shiora Crimsonhorn.
An Oni of the Crimsonhorn Clan.
The royal family of the oni and one of the wealthiest lineages in the world.
Vespera Drakharis.
A Black Dragon.
A member of a ruling draconic clan.
Adam fell silent.
"I met half the continent’s elite today..."
And suddenly another thought came to him.
Lyriana.
A Dark High Elf.
Silver hair.
Clearly a lineage of exceptional status.
Then Elena.
Then Isadora.
He looked up at the sky.
"Hold on..."
All of these influential people lived in the Duchy of Valoria.
All of them respected Isadora.
All of them cooperated with her.
All of them even seemed to show her a certain degree of deference.
Adam felt his curiosity growing.
Who exactly were Elena and Isadora of Valoria?
Because the more he learned about this world...
The more he felt that the Duchess of Valoria was hiding a status far greater than that of a simple regional ruler.
And somewhere in the city, Isadora suddenly sneezed.
"..."
The duchess raised an eyebrow.
"I have a feeling someone is finally starting to ask the right questions."
