Demeter and I, after talking for quite a while, noticed that it was already nighttime, so we stopped and called it for today, then went out from the guest room.
The hallway was brightly illuminated by the magic lamps installed on the wall. Those lamps looked like glowing flowers made of crystal, shaped into blossoms by a craftsman.
The hallway was empty. Most of the people in the manor were already asleep, only the guards remained awake and alert, protecting the manor and its residents from harm.
She gave me a brief tour of the mansion. During the tour my stomach growled, protesting and requesting food.
Demeter giggled, covering her mouth with her hand like a noble lady. "Oh my, are you hungry?"
"Yes."
Demeter hugged my arm and led me into the kitchen.
"Good evening, Lady Demeter, your food is here," a maid greeted while taking out all the food they had prepared in advance, safely stored in the Food Inventory Room—a room built for preserving cooked food. It controlled the room temperature and stopped the flow of time for anything inside. Food would remain unchanged as long as it was stored within.
Hot rice would stay hot rice, no matter how long it was stored here. This magic-tech room only affected food and nothing more, and it was originally built by a Guild employee who saw Chaos Sovereignty.
Demeter nodded and thanked the maid. She sat, and I followed, sitting right beside her.
The maid excused herself and went to get our food. I and Demeter waited in silence, but she soon broke it.
"I almost forgot, John, where would you like to stay? Here in the manor or outside?" Demeter asked.
"Outside."
"See you then. If you're going to update your Falna, just find me."
"Ok."
We enjoyed our dinner and went outside afterwards.
Demeter bid me goodbye, seeing me off.
She watched me leave, his figure disappearing into the crowd.
"Lady Demeter," a girl's voice asked. It was Kana, captain of Demeter Familia.
"Looks like he won't stay here," Demeter replied.
"Then he'll create his own farm. He already told me that," Demeter added.
"Did you agree?" Kana asked.
"Yes."
"How about accommodation?" Kana pressed.
"He won't stay. Sorry for your inconvenience."
"What do I do with that room then? I already cleaned it. It's a pity if I just let it gather dust again."
"Just give it to Max. Apparently, he was divorced by his wife yesterday," Demeter said.
They talked while heading back to the manor.
Guild, crowded lobby.
I returned to the guild and was greeted by its crowded lobby. Many adventurers in their gear filled the area, each busy with their own business. Some lined up for quests, some went to the exchange booths, some checked the request boards, while others visited the small library or private meeting boxes.
Despite being already night the guild and the city was still lively and bright like day.
I looked around the place, searching for a familiar person. After a few seconds, I found her.
I went to her queue, managed by her, and waited for my turn.
"Oh my, you're quick. Did you find one?" Misha said in surprise. Normally, adventurers took at least a week or a month to successfully join a Familia. Some even took years.
"Here, fill up this form and drop some blood on it, then you're ready to go," Misha handed me a form. It asked for my personal information and the Familia I belonged to.
"What's the blood for?"
"For verification. This form can communicate with the world and confirm if everything within is true and some other things. It's a necessary process."
"Ok." I filled out the paper, then bit my thumb, targeting a vein to draw more blood.
"Wait—!" Misha saw my action and tried to stop me, but it was too late.
A wound opened on my thumb, and a fountain of blood gushed out. I slapped my hand on the form, splattering it with blood.
Misha looked at me exasperated. "You know that wasn't necessary. I have a needle, and besides, that's too much blood—you bit a vein."
She reached under the table for a medical kit, but then stopped. Before her eyes, the wound instantly closed and healed.
"How did you do that?" Misha asked.
"Magic."
"You're amazing. Your future is a bit brighter than the others, huh? But don't let this run over your head, or you'll die just like the normal guys out there."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"By the way, Misha, is that it?" After slapping my blood on the form, nothing happened. The paper looked the same, still normal, no mysterious energy or power leaking from it—just nothing.
"That's normal. No one can see or detect the power this paper holds. Boundless won't even begin to explain it—uncharted level. But let's forget about that. It's not necessary for you to learn."
"Ok, your registration is complete. You can now go to the dungeon after your adviser is chosen," Misha said.
"Can't you just take the role? It'd be much faster."
"I'd love to, but it's Guild procedure. There's nothing I can do."
"That's a pity then. Do you know some information about the dungeon?"
I asked various things about the dungeon, and she told me everything she knew. I got a lot of relevant information. We talked for quite a while, forgetting that we were at the counter, and a long line had already formed behind me.
We only noticed the line when one of Misha's colleagues reminded her.
With a sheepish smile, she apologized to the crowd, asked a colleague to take over, and dragged me away under the jealous stares of the men and the intrigued gazes of some beautiful women.
We talked for a while about the dungeon, then shifted the topic to the guild. She discussed the lobby and different areas of the Guild main building with me.
The truth was, what I saw outside wasn't the true scale of Pantheon, the main guild building.
She told me about the library, training grounds, cafeteria, entertainment areas, industrial area, and other facilities that only those with Guild approval could access.
You couldn't just walk beyond the Guild's lobby and head deeper into Pantheon unless you had the approval of Guild employees or other related figures.
We talked about the Guild and its main building, Pantheon, for a few hours before stopping. The reason? There was too much to discuss and too much information to digest. Even eternity wouldn't be enough to cover it all.
"How do you even know all of this and fit it in your brain? You're still human, right, Misha?"
"That's the Guild's secret. But yes, I'm still human. And besides, you're not in the position to say that. I just dumped a millennium worth of knowledge onto you, and you absorbed it in a heartbeat. You even kept up with my pace. I'm starting to doubt you're human."
"Former human."
"Is that something to say lightly?" Misha said, flustered.
"No, but I trust you enough not to spread it. Besides, you're not that kind of person."
"Is that so? Then I won't let down your expectations," Misha smiled, happy at John's trust.
"By the way, Misha, the Guild handles real estate purchases, right?"
"Yes. We handle real estate in the city. In fact, we handle everything in this nation—we govern, we build, and we protect."
"Are there any properties available to purchase? And the price?"
"We don't sell. We rent," Misha said.
"?"
"Everything in this nation belongs to the Guild. Why would we sell our property? Besides, we don't charge property tax."
"Fair enough. How does it work then?"
"You'll pay 3% of the property's assessed value. For example, if a residential or commercial property is worth one million valis, you'd pay twenty to a hundred thousand valis, depending on quality. Agricultural land runs around ten to thirty thousand per hectare per year, depending on productivity."
"What about unclaimed land? You said everything belongs to the Guild, so there must still be rent."
"Correct, but it's much lower. A fixed ten thousand valis."
"So you don't make profit from renting unclaimed land—you make it from its development, huh."
Misha only smiled at my words, but that alone was enough to confirm it.