A new tab appeared next to Active and Inactive on the mastery menu. It highlighted the masteries I had already unlocked for the relevant classes and displayed how much they needed to grow to meet the requirements. I mentally thanked the system for the information. Not only were its messages getting less snarky as time passed, but they were getting more helpful too.

Thanks to my recent escapades, my attributes had experienced minor growth too.

Brawn: 7

—STR 4| VIT 10

Control: 19

—DEX 23| ARC 15

Wit: 23

—INT 16| CHA 29

Traits:

Coward’s Brand | Facts Begin With Fiction | Arcane Strings | Acknowledged By Mana | Sharing Traits | Druidic Inclinations | Spirit Sense | Royalty Fees

I could see the Merchants Guild a little down the road from where I stood. The results would likely be no different from before, but I risked it anyway. Instead of screaming flamboyance like the Bards’ Guild, the entrance hall oozed luxury. The guild appeared less diverse as well. Only gnomes and humans filled the interior, barely anyone had any hair atop their heads, and everyone wore the Seekers of Oth’s crest.

No one approached me this time. Instead, I spotted a pair of reception counters and a long line leading up to them. I regretted not getting cleaned up. Before approaching either, I ducked into a corner and willed the cloak’s patches to brighten. The journey’s dirt and grime disappeared off them.

This time around, though, no one glared or stared. In fact, the only people sitting in the lounge area appeared nervous; tapping their feet, chewing their nails, or engaging in heated discussions with stacks of paper in between them.

After over half-an-hour of waiting, I finally got to the front of the line. The woman standing behind the counter had bags hanging underneath her eyes and spoke so quickly I had trouble understanding her. “Are you applying for membership?”

“Yes. I’m also hoping for a meeting with—”

“The Merchants’ Guild is not accepting any members without a letter of recommendation while we reform our infrastructure.” She looked at the pedestal on her left. A crystal sphere the size of my head sat atop it—dull and gray. “The Mastery Crystal is powering down and will not be reactivated until the reform is complete. Please be advised: the city council will announce when the guild is ready to accept more members and start teaching Merchantcraft or any lower-tier Masteries.”

As soon as she finished, an armoured gnome guard pushed me out of line. I don’t know whether it started as a malicious act or my frustration made me clumsy, but I tripped over my own feet—intentionally—and fell into the pedestal. The Bards’ Guild rejection had already frustrated me. Now, the corrupt Merchants’ Guild was trying to lock out entrepreneurs so a select few could control the market. I wanted to make them pay and destruction of property felt like the only method at hand.

“Careful!” the receptionist exclaimed.

I lost my nerve when I saw the sphere shift. Fears of forced reimbursement and system-created penalties made me falter. Getting blacklisted by the guild would likely end our venture before it started. I had to remind myself that not getting my way wasn’t an excuse for acting like a dick. Instead, it was vital I remained calm and maintained the persona I had adopted for my time on Arena Disk.

Mastery Crystal energy is insufficient for full knowledge transfer.

Residual information transfer in progress.

Brokering Mastery unlocked!

All merchants have to start somewhere. Start with a client, buy for them, sell for them. It’s what brokers do.

Brokering Master: Novice Rank 0

You’ve unlocked a new Loreseeker spell!

Appraise spell unlocked!

Appraise spell has combined with Analyse to create the Identify spell!

Identify: Novice Rank 0

My brows furrowed. The system had reset my spell’s rank, but the mastery level hadn’t changed.

“Don’t touch it.” The guard dragged me away as the woman stabilised the sphere. Turning around, she glared at me. “The guild lounge houses priceless artifacts! We strongly advise care and caution when within our walls.”

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, looking at the floor. I feigned embarrassment, trying to hide my smile, and straight away swapped Brokering with Cooking Mastery. The latter disappeared from the Active tab and reappeared in Inactive.

Returning to her counter, the woman repeated the same words she’d said to me with the next person in line. Meanwhile, the gnomish guard escorted me to the door. He shoved me out of the door, but I didn’t care. Trying to hide my excitement, I power-walked away. Both guilds had rejected me, and my Charisma had proven ineffective, but I didn’t leave empty-handed. Instead, I had knowledge regarding the class masteries, and Brokering to unlock Merchant without anyone’s help.

I found Hruk standing outside. He looked like I’d felt until the little ‘mishap’.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“The Artificer’s Guild turned me away,” he answered, almost growling. “They said they’ll ensure no merchant in the city will sell hobgoblin-made devices.”

“That sucks, buddy.” Sighing, I placed a hand on Hruk’s shoulder. “My day hasn’t been much better. The Bards’ Guild kicked me out, and the Merchants’ Guild is under new management. I’m not good enough for them either.”

“I guess it's a bust. Maybe I should just give up on artificing and turn to magecraft.”

“How did it go with the Mage’s Guild?”

“They’ve given me membership, but won’t teach me any new spells, give me access to their library, or share information regarding other sources of power yet,” he replied. “I need to pass their trials and complete tasks off their jobs list to increase my standing first.”

“Well, I can help you with that. As for the Artificer’s Guild, screw those guys. I’ll continue to pose as the craftsman and seller of your wares. Once they’re popular enough, we can reveal that your hands are the ones that created them.”

“So, the plan is still on?” Hruk asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course! We can’t let hurdles like bureaucracy in our way! We’ve got money and shit to sell. Let’s get enough materials to get us started and get Tom to source the rest.”

“This could get us into a lot of trouble, you know. They’ll take one look at my green skin—”

“Which is why I’ll pose as the person leading this operation and you can follow as my assistant,” I told Hruk, and Doctor Whoo chirped as if in agreement. She had adapted to the crowds with such ease that I had almost forgotten that she was with me. “If we go down, I’ll be the one they charge.” I leaned close to him, lowering my volume. “Besides, our goal is to sell large volumes at high speed and track down the local champions. There’s one I intend to take down. Once that’s done, we take all the money we’ve made and either buy our way into a decent guild position or disappear and start up elsewhere.”

Hruk stared at me thoughtfully. “Are you sure about this, Perry? You’re taking almost all the risks here, while I’m the one that benefits the most. It’s my dream to make a living as an artificer, not yours.”

“Well, we’re friends, aren’t we?” I asked, smiling. “Besides, I can’t beat future champions the same way as I did Kraine. I need to grow socially and financially. Your talent is going to help in the latter part. If things take a turn for the worse, we’ll take Tom up on his offer or flee to Schwartzberg.”

“Fine.” He sighed. “What now?”

“Tom gave me the address of where we’ll be staying. Let’s find him and put in a materials request. The sooner we get this started, the better.” I paused, scanning our surroundings. “We need to make allies in the city and, given the state of things, they might have to be folk on the wrong side of the law.”

“Leave that to me,” Hruk said. “People might get suspicious if the generally law-abiding hill folk start asking about the Thieves’ Guild or gangs.” He sighed, shaking his head. “On the other hand, it’s pretty easy for a hobgoblin to dig up such information.”

“Well, we might as well play to our strengths, then,” I told him as we walked away from the guilds. “The gnomes want to play dirt. We’ll give them dirty.”