Chapter 104 - Magical Scrolls

A few minutes into the quests being displayed, the crowd changed from violent to somewhat calm. The kid who got knocked out was helped by the partner of the one who threw the punch. Healing spell was used directly, they used mana but didn't channel it. It wasn't normal magic, it felt more like a scroll. Those pieces of paper didn't have the power to individually cast their spell. The caster or the one who was to write said scroll had to physically imbue it with their own mana. Thus, the reason for rarity and quality, more powerful mana is equal to better quality. This, in turn, explained why common scrolls changed to Rare when Staxius wrote them. Obviously, he knew why but acted clueless as to not raise suspicion.

As per usual, two lines formed; one for party quests and one for solo quests. Barely a few were standing in the latter for it was more dangerous to go out into the wild alone, and with broken gear at best. Their body may have been strong and their fighting prowess may have been on par with monsters, the fact remained that bad equipment served to only hold them back.  A few glances here and there, the average party counted four to five members. Individually, none looked any special but each had their specific set of skills. All this was but a mystery to him, thus he stayed and watched for a few more hours.

One by one, the adventurers left. Staxius sat and had coffee though he didn't have any money. A piece of silver hid inside the pocket watch. 'Time to see what is required to start a party,' he stood. An invisible wave of tension hit both guild assistants. Their eyes locked onto Staxius instantly, he used a bit of unleash aura. His footsteps felt louder and denser than the people who were here before.  

"Morning sir, how may I be of service?" her hands out of view, the lady spoke courteously. "Morning," he returned the greetings. "…" She examined his face and body from top to bottom. The man who stood before her wasn't anything out of the ordinary but she felt something else inside him. "Excuse me," he spoke, she subtly started to daydream. "I-I apologize," her face remained blasé, it looked unbothered though she had just fallen asleep. "Could you kindly explain how one is supposed to begin adventuring and also how is one supposed to start a party and guild?" the tone felt gentle and innocent; her guard lowered. "Of course," she clapped, "Melisa, please take this gentleman here upstairs," the order felt vague but the assistant understood what she meant. 'A little suspicious but I'll bite,' he eyed both down.

'This way, sir,' she climbed, Staxius followed. They walked across the balcony that stood above the noticeboard and arrived at a black door. *Click,* the door opened, she stood outside but pointed inside. He nodded and took a seat. The room felt dark and vacant, it was lonesome and quiet. * Adventuring 101,* it read, a short film began to play. He watched intently and waited for the bit that concerned him personally. "Now we come to our final chapter, Guild formations," he sat into a more serious and focused posture.

"Guilds can both be independent or allied with the main guild. Independent guilds are the groups that are formed by individuals who choose to step away from the restriction that the central guilds have in terms of ethics. Though becoming a partner of the main guild can be tiresome, people opt for starting their own. The process is rather simple, though the prerequisites are hard to acquire." The video continued, it felt somewhat homemade, the voice narrating was the same as the lady at the desk.

"Firstly; the founder must be of a rank higher than Tier-four, Bronze. We know that acquiring that rank isn't simple nor is it easy; however, these are in place to provide a safe working space for anyone and everyone." She took a pause and did so with each requirement.

"Second; the guild in question must have three members excluding the leader."  

"Third; the leader or party must have done something that is recognized by the central guild; the slaughter of a beast or saving of a village. Anything deemed worthy will be accepted. "

"Fourth; any endors.e.m.e.nt though not required by other guilds will greatly boost your chance of being accepted."

"Fifth; the party in question must have at least fifty thousand gold pieces."

"Sixth; the guild must have a building to be used as their headquarters."

"Seventh; for people starting guilds in other kingdoms, after all those requirements have been made. The newly formed guild will have to accomplish quests and be deemed worthy to expand into another territory. Permission from the ruler of said state is a must." The video ended, Staxius held a smile on his face. The quality of how they shot and filmed was worthy of an award for it had made him laugh with their inaptitude to keep a straight face or straight shot.

'Interesting, very interesting,' he stood and began thinking. The door opened, the lady outside waited for him to leave. 'Most of the requirements seem hard but actually are not, I'm sure I can find a way around most. Gold, location, permission from the queen of Arda, those I can cross off without any problem.' He stepped out.

"If you have any questions, please ask them right away." Her stance felt rigid, Staxius's presence was menacing. "Matter of fact, I do," he turned and stared the girl, her eyes wandered off everywhere except him. "-will becoming an adventurer cost money?" he asked. "Yes, the cost of being tested for compatibility is ten gold pieces.' She replied with shyness still plaguing her tone. "Very well, thank you," he left. "Thanks for your visit," the other guild assistant spoke as he walked out.

'Avon,' Void's thunderous roar echoed throughout the street when he arrived. The door opened and they both left. "Morning master," he spoke, "morning to you as well," Staxius drove. "May I ask were we are headed?" instead of hiding within the car, Avon materialized and sat beside him. "Can you contact Arda?" the car came to a slow halt behind the giant buildings. "Yes, but for what reason?" Without replying, Staxius took a pencil and wrote down all the prerequisites for starting a guild, "send that by whatever means you want to Arda; I wish I had teleportation for myself." As ordered, the message got delivered to queen Shanna.

"Your majesty, why do you look woeful," the sage asked, she had spoken with many inhabitants for they wanted a private audience, monsters still ran rampant. Her gloomy stare changed into one of a woman reborn, "what's the matter now?" the sage stood baffled with how regularly her expression changed. "We've got the necessary information about starting an adventuring guild. Staxius has just sent a report through Avon." She told the old sage for he was a counseling member as well. "-it also included, I wish I had teleportation for myself, " she finished and chuckled.

"What are we to do now?" he asked, "well Staxius told us what the prerequisites are. He didn't ask for any favor nor supplies; let's leave it into his hands. Monsters are growing more common but we can manage for two years if need be." Her tone was serious but reassured.

Back in Rosespire, still sat inside Void; Staxius wrote. He made a lot of magical scrolls. From uncommon to rare, he wrote till Avon was out of blank scrolls. "This should suffice, I've got a gut feeling that magical scrolls aren't that common here. If we start selling them at a cheaper price than what medical or magic shops do; I'm pretty sure it's easy money." Staxius said with a smile on his face. "Are you sure it's that easy? I mean trading and such." Avon asked. "Yeah, don't worry about it. We'll scout out shops and ask for how much and what type of scroll they sell. My guess that an uncommon scroll can go for two gold pieces give or take one. It all depends on how much they obtained it.

"There's only one thing to do now," for two hours, Staxius and Avon drove around the entire capital. Mainly commercial, they checked each shop personally. The prices were written down on a piece of paper, they even went as far as asking the magical guild whose prices were above average. With that, they managed to get all the information needed.

[Common: One gold piece]

[Uncommon: Ten gold pieces]

[Rare: Fifty gold pieces]

[Epic: Five hundred gold pieces]

[Legendary: Last reported sale two-hundred thousand gold pieces]

[Relic: Unknown]

"No wonder the fuss about using rare scrolls on mild injuries." He laughed; Avon continued to watch over the data. "Master, the prices of the scroll are expensive, but they also differ. From what I see, there are different scrolls and the different types and different spells. We have healing spells which are the price above, but common attack spells go for more, and not to mention the Relic; that can be a whole fortune." He stated what Staxius didn't say. "Well spotted, they are indeed more costly. However, the time it takes to craft an attack spell is very long. I can write healing spells quickly for I had to back when Arda needed the help. I felt Clarity, and that skill is embedded in my soul. I'm confident in writing healing scrolls; but not attack and other types. I'll have to research the magical circuitry first, but they are hard to come by. For now, let's settle on what we have." The trunk was filled, it held two bags. One for uncommon and one for rare; they were ready to start.

"Before we go looking for people to buy, let's visit the magical guild, I'll take a few scrolls with me." The car turned and headed towards said guild. Staxius changed his mannerism, he looked more serious and credible. The car he drove made people envious. The thunderous roar of the engine always made an impression when he needed it most. He walked inside, the guild assistants were already scared about him. The way he stepped out, the aura behind him, the visual intimidation of such a powerful car.

"Greetings my Lord," they automatically assumed he was a noble. "Greetings," he returned the greetings with a cold tone. "How may I be of service?" the assistant asked, his tone felt feeble compared to Staxius's. "I'd like you to check on these scrolls," he placed the rare scroll then the uncommon ones. "w-with pleasure," the assistant quickly took said items into the master wizard's study. "If you would, please follow me this way," while the scrolls were sent for examination; one of the other assistants took Staxius into a flashy meeting room. It was situated on the upper floors.

"Impossible," the wizard's quill fell, the assistant knew not what happened "T-this scroll… i-it's a work of a-art," his tired old eyes rejuvenated. Do you know how much value this item is worth? It's extremely rare and not to mention very sought after by scholars, warriors, and collectors alike. I thought scrolls were so rare that only a few existed. I know of only two I've come across in my many years of researching magic. Despite being in my fifties, my legs are shaking as if I was a kid again. I need not look inside for I have a natural talent, [Skill: Appraisal]"

Appraisal; a skill that can be taught easily but hard to master. Normally, anyone from adventurers to normal folks could learn it. Most traders, craftsmen, and artists possessed it internally, the skill to judge an item accurately. However, said skill can be very useful when trading. If a master gave an item a good appraisal using the current ranking system – the word from the master will be enough for it to be authenticated. If need be, a certificate could be given in extreme situations. The wizard who sat in the study that day was someone renowned in the field of magical research. A twist of fate or a blessing from lady luck, none knew.

"Take me to the one who brought this," he stood and demanded, the eyes lit. 'Here they come,' Staxius felt the presence, the footsteps were one of people running.

*Bam,* the door flung open, "sorry to barge in." Staxius let out a small smirk; the first step towards making the guild a reality had been made. 'Time to step into this battlefield called business and trading.'