She stopped to admire a table piled high with glistening fruits. Clay chuckled, scanning the vibrant marketplace. "Back in Stonetown, we had one cart selling apples, and we thought we were lucky."
A group of armoured swordsmen passed by, their laughter echoing through the air. Fiona nudged Clay with a grin. "Look at them! Do you think they train all day just to show off those fancy swords?"
Clay shrugged, glancing at the shimmering blades. "I'd show off too if I had gear liek that. But I think they're probably just as serious about training as we are–maybe even more." Yellow aura. As strong as, if not even stronger than Mr Reed.
They continued walking in the marketplace. Intricate clothes, carpets, accessories...
Clay stopped in front of a shop. "Give me a moment." he said, walking in.
The shop was full of gleaming pieces of metal, he could see his reflection from each of them.
"Looking for a sword, young man?" the blacksmith asked. "We sell the best quality steel swords Bilen has to offer."
Steel swords!
He picked up the one with the lowest quality he could find from the stash. "How much for this?"
"Hmm..." the blacksmith replied. "It's only ten gold coins, but are you sure about it? It's my poorest creation so far."
"N-no, I'm just looking." Clay said, placing it back before hurrying out of the smithy.
A gold coin is worth a thousand silver coins. Ten gold coins would be ten thousand silver coins. In comparison, the Grand Hunt forecasted a pay as high as fifty silver coins, and it had all the essence extractors in nearby villages excited. Ten thousand silver coins... Clay couldn't even imagine having that amount of money.
Clay stepped back onto the bustling street, his heart still racing from the shock of the price. "Ten gold coins for a sword!" he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. Fiona, leaning against the entrance, raised an eyebrow. "You were serious about buying one?"
"Not a chance," Clay replied, running a hand through his haid. "Even the worst sword there costs more than I could ever count up to." He glanced back at the shop, watching a few townsfolk walk in, their laughter mingling with the sound of clanging metal inside. "How do they afford it?"
"Must be nice to have all that money," Fiona mused, glancing at the group of armoured swordsmen still nearby. "It's crazy to think that ten thousand silver coins is just one third-rate sword for them."
Clay frowned. "I know we're not here to become wealthy, but I can't help but wonder what it's like to train with real weapons, not just wooden ones or poorly made iron swords." He looked down at the dirt beneath his feet. "Sometimes I feel like we're so far behind."
Fiona nudged him playfully. "Come on, don't let it get to you. We're just starting!"
"Yeah, but ten thousand silver coins? That's like a lifetime of hunting!" Clay sighed.
Finally, they reached the end of the marketplace and entred another street. The atmosphere felt different there–more serious and purposeful. Clay noticed many people carrying swords and wearing armour, their confident strides a stark contrast to the more casual energy of the marketplace. He caught the glint of metal and the ripple of fabric as a group of guild members passed, their insignia emblazoned on their cloaks.
Clay looked up at a small castle. "The Bilen Guild," he said. It was even more imposing up close.
"The Bilen Guild?" Fiona said. "Does it belong to the Lord of this town?"
"Should we go inside?" Clay asked.
They stepped through the grand entrance, the heavy wooden doors swinging open with a creak.
"Wow!" Fiona exclaimed. "Is this what a guild looks like?"
No. It was completely different from Stonetown Guild. Noticeably more grand, of course. Similar layout, just on a much larger and grander scale. The wooden tables and benches of Stonetown Guild were replaced by large study stone and granite tables with well-made wooden chairs, some even cushioned.
They approached a large bulletin board, Clay saw a series of notices pinned to it. Suddenly, the price of the steel sword just then seemed quite... normal. "Five hundred silver coins for an escort duty? I wish we could sign up for something like this." he muttered.
Just then, a figure approached them–a tall woman with short cropped hair. She wore the guild's colours. "You two don't look like you're from around here," she said. "What brings you to the Bilen Guild?"
Clay and Fiona exchanged glances. "We're just exploring," Fiona replied, trying to sound casual. "We wanted to see what a real guild from a big town looks like."
The woman smiled, crossing her arms. "Well, you're in for a treat. This is where the best swordsmen train. I'm Lys, a member of the Bilen Guild. If you're interested, I could give you a brief tour."
Clay's heart raced. "Really? That would be amazing!"
Lys showed them around. The food in the guild, the training grounds, the essence extractors, the strategists...
"Thanks for the tour, Lys." Clay bowed his head. "But from what I see, most members of the guild have an aura of between orange and yellow. You are yellow, but I see a hint of green within you. Are you a top official of the guild?"
"Haha!" Lys chuckled. "There are many more who are much stronger than me. Green aura, even blue aura. They've just all gone on expeditions or missions, and are yet to return. Within the guild, I'd say I'm around the middle."
Mr Reed has an aura of yellowish orange, and he's the guildmaster in Stonetown. Clay thought. And here in front of me is a hunter much stronger than him, and she is only middle in terms of overall strength within the guild...
Next morning, Clay and Fiona decided to set off and continue their journey to Edenva.
"Make way! Make way!" a horseman called as he drove a carriage through the mainstreet of Bilen.
"Who could that possibly be?" Clay asked, looking at the carriage now off to the distance.
"Probably someone powerful or influential in the town." Fiona replied.
"Which direction are we headed today?"
"We're going the direction of where that carriage is headed." Fiona said, pointing at the cloud of dust. "Follow that carriage!"
It was just as Fiona had said. It was a straight road out of Bilen. The Edenva Range seemed as if it was just peeking over the horizon.
At the town gate, they spotted a short line of carriages waiting to exit. At the end of the line was the same carriage they'd seen earlier in the street.
A horseman got off the carriage, and went over to help a young man get off. Clay noticed the glint of a sword at the young man's waist. Even from a distance, the weapon was striking–its hilt adorned with intricate gold engravings that caught the sunlight, sending sharp flashes into his eyes.
Upon looking closer, the carriage seemed to have a certain mark engraved on it. "What is that mark?" Clay asked Fiona, pointing at it.
"Look at the flag. It's the crest of the Bilen family."
"The Bilen family? Who's that?"
"It is the Lord of the town we're in, blockhead!" Fiona rolled her eyes. "We're in Bilen!"
"Oh... right." Clay replied. So I'm a blockhead. he sulked.
The young man's eyes met up with their's and they bowed their heads.
"That should be the youngmaster of Bilen." Fiona whispered to him.
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