A New World, An Immersive Game Experience

"I apologize for any the loss you might incur." The guild clerk Eldrian was talking to started off with after Eldrian explained his purpose in visiting.

The clerk was a middle-aged wolfkin with strikingly pure white ears, and like everyone else working on the first floor of this guild hall, he wore attire that made Eldrian think of him as a butler.

Naturally, a city as large as Taur couldn't rely on a single guild to manage everything. Not only was it too large, it also had over 5 million residents.

Instead, each section in the second district had a branch from the main guild. This held not just for the adventurers' guild, but also the mages, warrior, and the rest.

"Because of the war," the clerk continued, "we removed the general bounties and instead shifted those rewards to killing our enemies."

"That's fine." Eldrian replied, he didn't have a clue how much he could claim, but he knew most of his activity was against those invading the kingdom. So the change mattered little to him.

Heck, he was sure just his participation at Elomir should net him well over a thousand gold. After all, with Crystoi's sacrifice (hopefully temporary) he had killed two Tier 7 devils (one morphed into a blood monster and the other one near death) and countless other monsters.

Nodding, the clerk took out a blueish silver tablet. "Please place your hand on here."

"This is new." Eldrian mumbled as he did as instructed. Last time he claimed his bounties, he had to confirm via an oath his kills.

However, since he hadn't been keeping count or anything (heck, it would be impossible to even try), he was relying on the information he got from the other players.

Unlike natives of Gaia, the Chosen had their system. The natives couldn't directly connect or even know about it, but it was possible for them to access some information from the system through the help of the gods.

Eldrian also assumed this was how Skepsi knew so much about him. He wasn't sure how much information their systems stored. Apparently it wasn't a recording things -at least not in detail that would allow one to relive the experience- it was likely more like a paper trail.

While all his actions being recorded sucked, in this instance it worked in Eldrian's favor.

"Yes, this is a device we received from the empire to assist us when dealing with Chosen." The clerk explained. Apparently, he noticed Eldrian was a Chosen without him needing to explain it. But that wasn't a big surprise. Elves were rare in the kingdom.

There were a few in the wooded area in the North (near Elomir) but they rarely left the forest. And those elves were wood elves who lived in peace, along with the fae that occupied the area.

Apparently, they predated the kingdom. And the kingdom never forced them to join their nation. Instead, their situation was like the dwarves and Taurus, or Taurus and the empire. Within their borders, but not under their jurisdiction.

Continuing to explain what the device was about, the clerk said, "This allows us to skip the normal tedious confirmation process. It also helps that we don't have to do the calculations ourselves."

The clerk explained that the main branch could change the bounty conditions and this would then be reflected on all the tablets, making it extremely useful. They also acted as a calculator, or rather a computer that had a sort of spreadsheet.

They were busy making more of the tablets to send to the branches in the other cities, but the raw materials needed were hard to find due to the strain the war caused on the economy.

As for why Eldrian didn't simply go to the main branch, getting into the first districts was a hassle.

His noble status might allow him access, but Eldrian didn't want to bother. It wasn't like it was the best district for his aims, either. The first district was more a place for nobles and their entertainment, while the second was for the affluent and their businesses.

Few weapon and armor shops could be found in the first district, while plenty of clothing, tea, restaurants, and even super high-class brothels were aplenty there, or so Eldrian had heard. If one wanted gear, the second district was your best bet.

After a few seconds, a transparent screen appeared above Eldrian's hand. It reminded him of his interface and also the screen that appears whenever one entered fort Phoenix for the first time. Apparently, the gods were slowly introducing a worldwide interface system to Gaia.

"O-oh, my..." The clerk turned pale seeing the total. In haste, he scrolled and looked into the details. Only to turn even paler. When he looked at Eldrian, he struggled to make eye contact, sweat beading down his head.

"I-I'm afraid we can only..." Faltering, the man swallowed with difficulty, praying that Eldrian wouldn't throw a fit. Luckily, they had guards here for such a case, but the clerk truly didn't want to anger Eldrian. "W-we can only pay out a thousand gold at the branch."

"That's it?"

"B-b-b-but! But we can work as an intermediary if you wish to buy anything! I p-promise you w-won't be disappointed!"

"Oh, that would be appreciated. I was hoping to buy a Mov Crystal while I am in the capital. Can I leave that to you? Would it be possible to arrange one within the day?" Eldrian had always planned to ask the guild to help him acquire the crystal. His second option was visiting the magic guild.

If neither worked, he planned to meet with Myropsis' father and have the duke step in as his intermediary. But this was easier. Besides, Eldrian didn't want to be indebted to the duke further than he already was. He had, after all, used a bunch of materials for free when he stayed there for a few months.

The request to buy a Mov Crystal within a day was not an easy one to fill, but the clerk nodded nonetheless. Quickly taking out a thousand gold, in stacks of twenty golds at a time, and handing a bag filled with them to Eldrian.

"I-I'll arrange for the rest of your payment to arrive by the end of the day along with the crystal, sir!"

Just as Eldrian was about to leave, the clerk called back, apparently realizing he forgot to even ask what grade of crystal Eldrian wanted. Praying that it would not be an outlandish request, the clerk asked, "W-what size crystal are you looking for?"

"What can I afford?" Eldrian asked, and the clerk swallowed with difficulty.

"I-I'm afraid it would be difficult to acquire a larger crystal in such a short amount of time."

Realizing he should not be greedy, Eldrian asked for a stable crystal somewhere between medium and small. This would cost somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 gold, but that was fine. His total reward for the bounties was just shy of 10,000 gold. It would still leave him with around 3000 to get some new gear.

Eldrian wanted to save the rest for the management of his estate, and also investment into the forsaken cavern—which he wanted to turn into his personal mine.

Thanking the clerk, Eldrian headed back to meet with Ceph and Mattheus, the player who had shown him the way and would now introduce him to the best smiths in the city.

As Eldrian left the guild, the clerk rushed to talk with the branch manager.

AN: Remember to leave a comment and vote to show your support!

:)