Chapter 35

“Was there a lot of interest in your healing skill, or was it mostly about your ability to teleport?” Cora asked as we made our way to the City Lord’s manor just outside the secondary gate.

The large home was surrounded by lush gardens that would have seemed out of place on the opposite side of the Dungeon Complex. However, within the affluent neighborhood of the secondary gate, the sight was hardly noteworthy.

The manor itself was significantly larger than its neighbors, making it clear that those who resided within were of great standing.

“Surprisingly, a little more than half of the inquiries and invitations seemed to be focused on my healing skill. The rest mentioned my ability to teleport or alluded to my spatial skills. I’m pretty sure a couple know, or at least suspect, my background as a Space Magi.”

“Do you think any of them know about your title?” she asked, carefully avoiding the word ‘Originator’ since we were in public.

“Maybe?” I said with a shrug before smoothing the bodice of the new dress I’d picked up for the luncheon.

Though I didn’t necessarily care for such things, I understood the importance of appearances. I was also somewhat pleased at the deep, royal blue of the dress I was wearing. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d worn something dressy that wasn’t black, white, or purple.

“I’m sure some might suspect my status, considering the dungeon’s obvious elemental leanings, but none outright stated anything,” I continued. “They were mostly just invitations to discuss potential opportunities.”

“Did you get messages from the Enchanter Guild and the Healer Guild, too?”

“Yes. Both sent a letter of congratulations and a reminder to remember to officially join both organizations.”

“I got one from the Alchemy Guild, as well,” Cora stated. “I thought I was already a member when I became an apprentice, but I guess you don’t officially join until you reach the first evolution and take an assessment.”

I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have to take an assessment to become a full member of either guild, given my experience. It was likely different for Cora since she was still a newcomer to her chosen field.

“Even Mike?” I asked, glancing toward the Earth Magi walking behind his wife.

“Even me,” he replied. “I already took care of the paperwork, though. As of today, I’m officially a full member of the Builder Guild.”

Stephen had also gotten a similar letter from both the Leatherworker Guild and the Association of Armorers. The latter was less formal than the guild, but he’d seemed happy enough to have gotten an invitation to join them.

While guild or association membership wasn’t officially required to practice any particular craft, selling crafted items was often much more difficult without the appropriate organization’s seal of approval.

There were obviously tons of ways that such a setup could be abused, but there were going to be things like that no matter what system was in place.

“Welcome, Ascenders!” a man wearing this realm’s version of a butler uniform greeted us before we even reached the door. Clearly, he’d been waiting. “Please come inside. You are right on time.”

We were led through a sparsely decorated foyer. The lack of clutter made the space appear much larger and highlighted the few pieces that were on display.

We followed the butler down a long hallway decorated with hand-painted canvases depicting a variety of scenes – likely those reflective of the City Lord’s history, given the contents.

The butler led us to a sitting room and asked us to make ourselves comfortable. He assured us that the City Lord would greet us shortly, then disappeared.

We’d all expected something like this since it seemed illogical to expect the City Lord to be sitting around waiting for us. We had no idea how long we’d be made to wait, but I hoped it wouldn’t be very long.

To my surprise, only a few minutes passed before the butler returned and guided us to a small, informal dining room.

“Welcome! Please be welcome at my table, fellow Ascenders,” the City Lord said.

He was taller than most Dians I’d encountered, and considering his status as an Ascender, I knew that his towering frame was by design.

Interestingly, the man had ombre hair that started pale silver near the roots and gradually shifted to metallic blue at the tips. His eyes looked like an ocean filled with silver flakes.

Such physical manifestations were a clear sign of his advanced evolution, and I didn’t even need to Identify him to know that he was extremely powerful.

To his right sat his wife, Alora. She was a beautiful woman with light pink hair and pale blue eyes. Based on her appearance alone, I guessed that she was likely only at her second evolution.

I was almost certain neither would know if I used Identify. However, I was equally sure I would get little to no information back from such use. Even if it might help the skill progress, I didn’t want to risk the possibility of offending such powerful individuals, especially not when one of those was the City Lord.

There were four additional chairs placed at the table, though it was large enough to easily accommodate another six.

I left the seat to Lord Jaxon’s left for Mike, opting to sit next to Alora. Cora sat across from me, and Stephen took the remaining seat on my other side.

“Before the food is served, allow me to introduce myself and my wife. I am Jaxon, Ascender City Lord of Sorenguard. I originally hail from Graven, an inconsequential realm that has produced few Ascenders since its inception.

“My lovely wife is Alora, another Ascender, though she is originally from Jorges. I believe one of your cohort is also from the same realm, so you may already be familiar with it.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Aribella,” I confirmed. “She told Cora and me a little bit about Jorges. She said it had guilds that ran like corporations and were basically only interested in extracting whatever profit they could get from the rifts that appeared.”

“That sounds about right,” Alora said. Her voice was a lot softer than I would have expected for an Ascender. “It is a harsh realm – one in which it is difficult for those without advantages to succeed. I happened to be lucky in my birth, which granted me more opportunities than most.”

“What about you all?” Jaxon asked. “I’ve read information reports on all of you, but I’d rather get information like this from the source.”

This time, his focus seemed to be directed at Mike and Cora, which made sense considering he was the party leader.

The couple shared a little about their background and their current roles before the focus shifted to me.

Following their lead, I shared some of my background, mentioning that I’d grown up on a world without mana, only to be introduced to the system in my early twenties. I mentioned awakening dual affinities and drawing the eye of a very strong mentor who happened to be the Sect Leader of a fairly well-known sect.