Selena answered before I could. She stepped forward, calm and composed, and produced a small velvet pouch from her storage. She loosened the drawstring just enough for the contents to catch the light, then tipped it into her palm. Several gems spilled out, flawless and unmistakably valuable. Even Sargin’s expression shifted at the sight of them, his irritation fading into sharp interest.

  “We’re looking for a meeting,” she said evenly. “With someone connected to Tad’s Magical Inventory. Specifically, whoever makes their magical items.”

  He snorted. “Nobody can make magical items. Everyone knows that, unless you’re counting potions. Magic items only come from dungeons.”

  As I watched him answer, I could hear his heart rate accelerate. He was lying. More than that, I could tell that the dagger on his belt, the belt itself, two of his rings, and his boots were all magical. That was by far the most magical items I’d seen on anyone since we’d stepped through the portal.

  “Be that as it may, we’d still like to speak to them, especially to Tad. We’re willing to make it worth your time to set it up.” Selena stayed as calm as ever.

  Sargin inhaled slowly through his nose. He crouched just enough to peer closer, then straightened and closed his hand around the pouch. “I don’t make promises,” he said. “And I don’t sell introductions.” He met Selena’s gaze without flinching. “But I can ask. As for making it worth my while, I’m not sure if that’s possible. What rank adventurers are you, anyway? I can’t identify you, which either means you’re hiding something or you’re freaking powerful. Whichever it is, you’re going to need to clear it with the guild, maybe the Order. Without one of them supporting your request, it likely won’t happen. Of course, my sources have already refused to meet with either of them, so you might be in a bit of a pickle.”

  “The Order?” I asked.

  He squinted at me as though I’d grown a second head. “The Order of the Lawgiver, but surely you know that. If you’re some sort of plant sent here to trap me, I’m not gonna speak ill of them.”

  Selena frowned and slid in front of me again. She nodded and placed a single gem on the counter. The ruby was large, deep red, and cut so cleanly that it seemed to drink in the light. “A deposit,” she said. “For your trouble.”

  Sargin stared at it for a long moment before sliding it off the counter and into his coat. “I’ll do what I can,” he said finally. “No guarantees.” It was not a yes, but it was far more than a no.

  We left the shop quietly, the door closing behind us with a muted thud. The noise of the street rushed back in, grounding and familiar after the controlled tension inside. I did not look back. Whatever Sargin decided to do would happen on his timeline, not ours.

  Selena exhaled softly once we were clear of the storefront. “That could have gone worse,” she said. There was no triumph in her voice, though, only assessment. Samvek grunted in agreement, his posture easing as he resumed scanning the street.

  I nodded, already turning the encounter over in my mind. He was confident that no one could enchant an item. Perhaps too confident. I’d been half-tempted to demonstrate it right in front of him, but I realized the need for discretion. For all intents and purposes, we were in an alien universe with no clear path home.

  “Next step is coin,” I said after a moment. “Then the guild. If we can’t meet with this Tad, the least we can do is explore this dungeon of theirs. I presume you’re both up for some exploration?” Both agreed without hesitation.

  After questioning a few passersby, we found what passed for a bank—a shop, really, with a couple of rare-tier guards. Trading gems for coin was universal, and soon we had 1,000 gold, silver, and copper each. Frankly, none of us knew if we were being taken, but Samvek had let slip a bit of his aura and scared the moneychanger enough that more than likely we got a fair price, if not a preferential one.

  From there, it was on to the adventurers’ guild. The moneychanger had given us directions so that we wouldn’t have to ask on the street, though it was impossible to miss once we were close enough to see it properly. It sat near the center of Basetown like a block of stubborn stone that refused to yield to time or traffic. Thick walls rose three stories high, built from fitted blocks that had been scarred and repaired often enough to tell their own history. The building was without significant ornamentation, but it did not lack presence. This was not a place meant to impress. It was meant to endure.

  Foot traffic thickened as we approached. Adventurers moved in and out through the wide front doors, some alone, others in small groups, their gear ranging from freshly oiled to badly in need of repair. I saw weapons carried openly without comment and armor worn like everyday clothing. A few stopped to stare at us, or more likely at me. I should have seen it coming. While Selena’s alterations to herself and Samvek made them blend in fairly well, my armor was far more sci-fi than fantasy. As I thought about it, I was surprised that it hadn’t elicited more comments up to this point, but I knew the reason behind it. People here were weak compared to me, at least those I’d seen so far, and they knew it. They didn’t want to aggravate an unknown adventurer, especially one whose armor made him look like more of a tank than a man. Not that they knew what a tank was.

  I slowed my pace and took in the details of the guild. The stone near the entrance was worn smooth where boots had passed over it thousands of times, the threshold polished by weight and repetition. Heavy iron bands reinforced the doors, and the hinges were thick enough to resist anything short of deliberate siege. A pair of guards stood just inside, their attention on the flow of people coming and going.

  As we reached the steps, a familiar thought crossed my mind. No matter the system, no matter the universe, places like this always existed. Guilds were the compromise between chaos and control—a way to harness and unite people who lived on the edge of danger without letting them burn down everything around them. Different rules, different names, same purpose.

  Selena walked beside me without comment, her expression thoughtful. Samvek adjusted his stride to match mine, his gaze already sweeping the entrance. I took a breath and headed for the doors. Whatever tests waited inside, this was the next necessary step, and there was no sense in delaying it.

  The moment we crossed the threshold, a wave of familiar sound washed over me. It wasn’t chaos, but the constant, layered hum of voices, movement, and metal on wood that never quite faded. It reminded me of the Rayden compound. The guild hall opened into a broad chamber with a high ceiling supported by thick beams darkened by age and smoke. Light streamed in through tall windows set high in the walls, catching dust in the air and giving the room a muted glow.

  A few dozen adventurers occupied the space, scattered in loose clusters that shifted as people came and went. Some sat at long tables, eating from bowls that steamed faintly, their weapons leaned within easy reach. Others stood in front of wide boards covered in parchment, scanning listings while murmuring to companions or tearing notices down with practiced motions. No one lounged without awareness. Even at rest, these were clearly people accustomed to danger.

  In stories or anime, there were always more adventurers inside the guild hall than actually out on jobs. This was where the super-cute clerk was supposed to become interested in us, or some shirtless guy was supposed to walk around talking about what manly men do. These types of halls were where the fire guy picked a fight with the ice guy until the armor girl dragged them both by their ears off onto a mission.

  I realized that I was officially a member of the adventurers’ guild in the Heavens System, but that I’d never actually been to one of their facilities. I wondered what that would be like. It felt strange to think that at my power level, I’d still be learning noob stuff.

  But on this world, I felt nothing but excitement with the situation. New universe, new rules. Yeah, that was going to become my motto. I could even do this guilt free, at least for a while, and I had the two best partners I could ask for. A stray thought reminded me Cece, Lana, and Jiang were all going to be mad at me, but again, the mere fact that we’d escaped Gallarosa and ended up in a new universe should buy me a bit of grace.

  I let my gaze travel slowly, taking in the layout. Along one wall, a food counter ran nearly the length of the hall, manned by two workers who moved with brisk efficiency. The fare looked simple but filling, and judging by how quickly bowls were cleared and replaced, it served its purpose well. They even had something that looked remarkably similar to Hot Pockets. I’d have to check those out.

  Nearby, a set of counters were arranged in a semicircle, each attended by a clerk and stacked with small trays holding strange, faceted crystals that caught the light in dull flashes. I did not understand their function yet, but the steady line of customers told me they mattered. There seemed to be a lot of arguing going on between the adventurers and the counter clerks, with many of the groups walking away without a crystal or seemingly accepting one that they ostensibly didn’t want. I almost headed to the nearest counter to find out what the crystals were for, but realized I needed to get a better grasp of my surroundings before I made any decisions.

  “Any idea what those are for?” I asked my companions, nodding toward the crystals. Selena shook her head.

  “They almost have a taste of spatial mana,” Samvek said, “but that’s one of those things that’s different about this place.”

  Selena and I both stared at him, waiting for him to expand. “C’mon, I can’t be the only one who’s noticed? Or maybe if I am, it’s because of my bond with Azuria.”

  “Now, you’ve really lost me. What does your dragon have to do with this?” I asked.

  “Everything. Mana works differently for dragons. They create mana, but to them it’s all just mana. To us, we have our affinities, and we divide mana into a thousand different flavors. There wasn’t much time to talk to her about it, but I was beginning to wonder whether these were arbitrary distinctions we made, or if they really meant something. As for what I mean, well, feel the mana here. Doesn’t it all feel the same?”

  Selena and I looked at one another as we realized there was something to what he was saying. I reached out and felt the mana around me, pulling it in and focusing on really feeling it. My body split mana to conform to my affinities, and maybe that was part of why my abilities didn’t seem to work as easily here.

  But another thought hit me. The mana here still tasted like chaos. That seemed like it might be significant, but I couldn’t say why. When I mentioned it, neither Samvek nor Selena felt it the same way I did. They didn’t doubt me outright, but they just couldn’t feel it. That only raised more questions for me as I tried to figure out what the significance was.

  I smacked my lips. I really could taste the chaos in the magic here. But eating magic? What a strange thought.

  Chapter Eight: Guild Master

  Ultimately, I realized the mystery surrounding the magic might require the help of a local to finally solve. I wasn’t too concerned. We’d only been here a few hours, after all. There were bound to be differences, and part of the joy of exploration was finding out what they were. For now, I would be more than content with exploring the guild hall.

  The job boards dominated the far wall, organized well enough to make mid-level managers feel like their work had actual value. They were divided by size and color, with some notices marked by wax seals or iron tags. Adventurers drifted between them, some reading intently, others dismissing entire sections at a glance. A few arguments broke out over specific postings, but they were short-lived and ended without much more than raised voices.

  Whatever authority governed this place, it was understood without having to be announced. I was glad my translation abilities applied to reading as well. That meant I could see how the notices were divided into basic, journeyman, advanced, elite, and master tiers, although the latter only had two jobs on it.

  The strength of those present varied widely here, but the lowest tiers were still more powerful than almost anyone else we’d encountered since arriving in Basetown, save for those Lawkeepers. No one here was powerful by my standards, but they were capable, and more importantly, they were accustomed to working within a system. That alone made them dangerous in their own way. There was also still the fact that the mana was more concentrated here, and was still slowing down some of my abilities.

  Selena leaned slightly toward me as we paused just inside the hall. “Efficient,” she murmured. I nodded, already feeling the familiar pull of structure and order. The boards were the engine driving guild activity, but like a non-mechanic, I didn’t know what all the moving parts were doing. I could only say that Selena’s summary was accurate. Leave it to a scion of one of the peak families to recognize and admire efficiency. It wasn’t my strong suit, but that’s why I’d become a fan of delegation.

  Samvek’s attention remained on the edges of the room. He noted the guards stationed near the stairwell, the clear lanes kept open through the center, and the lack of blind corners. Violence could happen here, and it probably had, but only briefly, and never without consequence. The building enforced that understanding. The more I looked at the guards, though, the more I realized something. All their focus was directed externally. They weren’t watching the adventurers. They weren’t primed to break up an argument. Instead, they were prepared to defend against an attack from the outside. That added another layer of intrigue here.

  At the far end of the hall, a counter stood apart from the rest, marked with a clean wooden sign that read ‘Registration’. No one had approached it since we’d come in, but I supposed if that was for new adventurers, it wouldn’t be shocking that it would have the least activity.

  The woman behind the registration counter looked up as we approached, and her expression shifted from boredom to excitement. As I got a better look at her, I realized she was one of the younger clerks. Maybe they put the less experienced ones here.

  She looked up with half a smile when we reached the counter. “How can I help you folks?”

  I smiled back. “We’d like to find out what it takes to register as adventurers and hopefully go into your dungeon. But what can you tell us about it? Is the dungeon truly endless?”

  She perked up even more. “I took you for experienced adventurers, based on your gear and how you move. When you approached my counter, that was the last question I would have expected. I can give you the official guild response. No end has ever been discovered for the dungeon, and very few parties have made it below level 100. The few who have and made it back to let everyone know all had at least one grandmaster among them. For some reason, most wouldn’t say what level they stopped on.”

  “Interesting. How are the levels of the dungeon determined?”

  She appeared confused for a moment. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I really have to ask. Are you some rich young master with more gear than experience? Questions like that betray an absolute lack of knowledge about stuff that every aspiring adventurer would have known since they first picked up a wooden sword.”

  Selena chimed in. “Let’s pretend we’ve been to many different dungeons, but they were all very far away. Can you just humor us and explain a bit about this one? It isn’t like you’re busy.”

  I thought she might get mad at that, but she didn’t mind. “Fair enough, and at least you aren’t being rude about it. According to legend, this isn’t just a dungeon. It’s every dungeon. We are taught there are other dungeons spread across all of Aerth, but those entrances only access a limited pocket of the Endless Dungeon. But through the entrance here in Basetown, you can make it to any level of the dungeon. Some even say there are paths to other worlds, but not everybody believes them.”

  With those last words, it seemed like a lightbulb went off in her head. Wide-eyed, she quickly covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation in a private room?” she half-whispered.

  Curious about what she’d figured out, I agreed. She came around the counter and led us up to the second floor to a series of offices. She took us into one of them and then once we were comfortably seated, she closed the door. “Again, I must state the guild’s official policy. We do not insist otherworlders identify themselves, but if you do, that information will be held in the strictest confidence. Only the registering agent and the guild master will have access to any information provided.

  “That said, as a practical matter, if you are in fact otherworlders, it would make the process much simpler if you let us know.”

  I had a quick discussion with the others and decided it was going to be impossible to keep up our ruse for long. The fact that they had a term for it was promising.

  “Okay. We’re happy to be more transparent.”

  She held up her hand, cutting me off. “Before you say anything further, I swear by my levels under the Great System that any information you share with me will remain secret, only to be discussed with the guild master, unless such information presents an imminent threat to the guild or the people of Aerth.”

  I felt a swirl of mana around her, but the patterns were different from what I’d seen before. Samvek wrinkled his brow. “Out of curiosity, why do you call it the Great System? I thought it was called the Fey System?”

  Her eyes bulged and she quickly cast a spell. I could only tell that it was intended to cut off any sound from getting in or out of this room. Her heart had started beating like a hummingbird’s when she came to the realization that we were from another world, but it was positively trying to pound its way out of her chest now. “That is incredibly dangerous to say out loud. I can only hope that you weren’t overheard. Know that my spell can’t stop divine ears, but it’s the best protection I can offer.”

  My curiosity was growing by leaps and bounds. “Dangerous how?”

  “Stars above, you really don’t know anything, do you? According to legend, once upon a time, the fey ruled this world. I don’t even know if that was true, or what a fey would even look like. What I do know is that for the past 3,000 years, the only god recognized on this world is the Lawgiver. His Order is the only church allowed, and those suggesting otherwise have often become a rather colorful object lesson. It isn’t so bad now, but supposedly in the past they had entire crusades to kill off anyone who objected.”