Seclusion [Old Version | Dropped]

I sat in my office and went through the countless letters, books, and documents lying on the table. Only a week had passed after my announcement in the dining room. From that point on, things got rolling quickly.

After discussing some matters with the head maid—whose name was apparently Ava—, I instructed her to contact the old butler and ask him if he knew a way to get 'secretly' registered into the adventurers guild. I also told her that I would like to post a request to find skilled teachers in the field of magic and martial arts—armed and unarmed, mind you. Their salary would be three hundred gold coins per month, board and lodging included. She was bowled over when she heard those numbers, but when I showed her the document stating her new salary, she somehow lost consciousness due to sheer surprise. For a commoner like her, a salary of seven hundred fifty gold coins per month was a sum she would have never dared to dream off. Luckily, she fell into one of the more comfortable chairs in front of my desk. For someone who tried to hide her real identity, she was somewhat careless. Yet, I didn't mind this behavior at all. I'd no doubt at all that, in the future, she would be someone who would be very loyal to me and my cause. And honestly, even after buying this mansion and all the other important necessities, my funds still exceeded one point five million gold coins. I even ordered a few materials and ores I'd never heard of before. It seemed like that the gods and goddesses blessed the world with many new things after their appearance. But before I talked about those, I still needed to clear my mind of the report I got about my three girls. 

Not even a day after I asked about a more discrete way to be registered into the guild, Ava announced—in the afternoon—a guild employee, who came to discuss the 'little' request. 

This person obviously loved gold above all else; at least, that was what I thought after hearing his slimy and disgusting way of talking. In addition, he rubbed his hands together every time he spoke of the 'expenses' that such an undertaking would entail. There was even a small fee for the possible dangers he would expose himself to by adding this guild card to the official records of the guild. Since I didn't care at all about the price, I agreed to the sum without paying attention to whether he might be trying to rip me off. It didn't matter.

After I summoned them to the office, he took a rigged registration crystal out of a big pouch. It allowed you to alter the normally unchangeable entries to an already preset template that the other real crystals would officially recognize afterward. One of the few things that couldn't be faked was the starting Rank and Level. Everything else was pretty much interchangeable. Usually, one had to submit a proper identification document when registering or undergo a check on the spot. Even if it only showed the Name, Age, Race, Job, Rank, and Level, the guild card was considered an official substitute. Carrying such a card often saved one from many unpleasant questions or searches. It also ensured that Tulsi, Nyriel, and Deidre appeared as humans without risk of exposure.

Each time the greasy guild employee finished the preset, one of them had to touch the crystal, whereupon it would briefly glow brightly. When all three were done, he explained that all he had to do now was connect this crystal to the main system, and they were officially guild members. He would bring the cards over early the next day, as the manufacturing process was top secret and only done by specific employees to prevent any possible forgeries. It was kinda funny that they found a way to make these cards forgery-proof but completely ignored the registration process at the same time. 

Apparently, you always started as a Rank H, but there were frequent opportunities to skip the first few ranks if you were confident enough to prove your strength. From Rank E onwards, you could only rise higher after completing a specific amount and type of quests. Moreover, if your Level fulfilled the requirements, you were allowed to accept missions that were one Rank above you. As soon as he finished his explanation, I gave him a thousand gold coins, a much higher sum than he actually asked for, so that he wouldn't get any wrong ideas and went straight back to the guild.

As promised, he appeared the next day and brought the passports with him. He also informed us that the guild arena hosted such a Rank Elevation the following day, which the three girls attended. 

The result was more or less predictable. The report stated that Nyriel had used a spear. It seemed to be her preferred weapon. In advance, she told me that she had the [Apprentice Gladiator] Sub Class, which gave you a basic understanding of all edged and 

bladed weapons. It wasn't anything fancy, but it guaranteed that you didn't flick the weapon back and forth completely aimless. In the end, she managed to surprise the examiner with [Blood Slash]. However, this caused a small outcry among the onlookers because a blood Affinity—especially among humans—was so rare that every major group of adventurers wanted someone like that on their team or in their organization. Supposedly, the adventurer's guild was only the supervising authority. Among themselves, adventurers were able to join with others as a team, group, or organization. These still had to be registered again in the guild itself and were bound to its principal rules but could establish exclusive contracts with merchants and master blacksmiths. In fact, it went so far that one of the largest guilds in the human empire—Blue Lotus—apparently had its own fief under its rule. 

Despite the surprise, she only managed to rise to Rank F, which was probably still incredible. Tulsi, or rather Sophia, who specialized in daggers, also only made it to Rank F due to her overall Level. Even though, according to the report, she had very promising skills. With what she showed in the auction house, I had to admit, I thought she would be ranked higher. However, the System with Levels and Ranks seemed to be more troublesome than I thought. 

Deidre, on the contrary, made it to Rank E. She had borrowed the enchanted gauntlets from Tulsi since, by her own admission, she thrived in close combat. Supposedly, she'd beaten the poor examiner to a pulp before another intervened and ended the fight. The display of her speed and strength surprised everyone in the arena the most—including me, even if I didn't see it directly. Deidre still hadn't told me what her goal was at all. What I did know was that it haunted her and apparently left severe scars. I could see that one part of her soul was slightly splintered, and her mana heart was clearly 'scarred'. Something caused permanent damage to her and weakened her considerably. I would have loved to know how strong she was before all of this. Either way, I was glad I found her. She was just far too promising. 

In the conclusion of the report, it was also stated that the three of them were tried to be scouted by various people, but they obviously turned them down, because on the one hand they were not human and on the other hand they were 'devoted' to me. If one of them had accepted the offer, a corpse would be lying in front of the guild the next day. 

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After I finished my reread of the report's contents again, I picked up one of the letters. The first one was from the guild. They told me that an S-Rank battlemage contacted them and was very interested in my training request. I could well imagine from the term what a 'battlemage' might be.  

I wrote a short reply that I was interested in a private meeting at my mansion and put the letter with the other six invitations I'd already written. Ava would send them off in the evening. Then I reached for another letter, which arrived a few hours ago. It was sealed with a golden dragon stamp but otherwise showed no special features, quite the opposite of the contents. 

The letter got send by the new archduchess, who already somewhat adjusted to her new life. She even thanked me for the new body, with which she was now much powerful than before. She also seemed to like other aspects already. Rarely I witnessed such a rapid change of heart in a person. Even if she had some problems proving her identity initially, it was quickly solved by the many witnesses present at the time. There were some outcries here and there, but when they heard that it was a punishment of a Titled Witch—who seemed to move in higher circles—they fell silent. Especially after they also heard that I myself 'asked' to treat her well. It was rather obvious that anyone who attempted to topple or even kill her would experience my wrath.  

Anyway, she invited me for a talk at a neutral place—the royal academy—because she wanted to discuss some things with me...like the changes taking place in her by now. I grinned. This offer came just in time. I was already planning to pay the academy a visit anyway, as I would like to borrow some things from their library. The rest of the content was rather boring. I wrote another reply and added it to the pile. I would tell my dear head maid later that this one was a top priority. 

Countless more documents and letters later, I heard a knock at the door. I already knew who was on the other side, of course. 

"You may enter," I answered.

Shortly after, Ava stepped into the room, followed by the auction house's master appraiser. She bowed briefly before she began to speak. "Mistress Asche, as per your request, the honorable Karon of Trum brought the samples of the metals and materials you wanted to examine." 

I nodded with satisfaction. "Good, thank you, Ava. Please take this stack of letters with you. This one goes to the archduchess. Please make sure it arrives as soon as possible."

"Yes, my Lady," she said, taking the stack, turning, and quietly leaving the room. 

Only now did I give attention to the dwarf, whose name I actually heard for the first time. He seemed confused as to who exactly I was, for my appearance was now markedly different from when we first met. But even if he did not recognize me, he knew that the person sitting in front of him was either associated with the 'Titled Witch' or the real deal. Therefore, he still kept a low profile.

"The samples," I said gruffly, not wanting to look at his irritated face forever. He was obviously not used to being bossed around like this, especially by a person who looked considerably younger than himself.

He placed a golden medium-sized magic jewelry box—which possessed a strange cloaking aura—that he carried under his arm on the table and opened it for me. 

My eyes glittered with greed and amazement as various energies and auras flowed towards me. I was spellbound. They were novel, strange, and something about them made me quite fidgety. 

"How much?" asked Karon, trying to maintain my calm demeanor. 

The dwarf just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lady Asche, but these are samples and not for sale. The very fact that I brought them out of the auction house is an extreme exception. We ourselves own next to nothing of those raw materials, as getting hands on them is next to impossible. Their production is so tightly regulated that it's a miracle that we got this small amount at all, and we—"

I opened my storage, took out seven vials of my liquid, and placed them next to the box for him. 

"Would this be enough?"

I heard the Master Appraiser swallow loudly. "I-I need to ask first!" he said, pulled a magic transmitter crystal out of another pocket, and left the room briefly. Not that it changed anything. However, I'd no interest in eavesdropping on the conversation either. So I waited until he knocked again, and I invited him back in. 

"Well?"

"The guild master gratefully accepts the offer and looks forward to doing further good business with you in the future," he replied, expertly polite. 

I just smiled. "Good good, then I would ask you to leave the sample, as well as the jewelry box right there and take the vials. And then please leave my office, I still have work to do. Ah, yes, and also leave the documents about the materials here."

He did as he was told. After stowing the flasks, the dwarf said goodbye and exuberantly left the room. It was easy to see that he no longer wanted to be here. I, on the other hand, was delighted. I hadn't thought when I gave the order to show me samples of the rarest ores and materials they possessed that such treasures would be delivered to me. Truly, the gods blessed this world with things unknown to me, and I would show them that this had been extremely foolish of them.

I took the first sample in my hand, and at the same time, I put the corresponding document with its description within my line of sight. Osmiond was the name given to this metal. Of all the samples I had gotten hold of, this piece was the smallest, which probably also meant that it was the most valuable. It was a magical metal whose rarity and properties surpassed all other magical ores. Mithril was ridiculously common compared to osmiond. The mines for this metal were so strictly controlled that nearly nobody knew all the details. The processing and extraction were also so secret that only the dwarven family with the virtual monopoly on this magical ore knew it. This family named itself after this ore—the Clan of Osmiur. Their family seat, where also the largest known mine was located, was in Quarzfestung.  

Thinking about where this place might be located, I grabbed a simple map of the continent, which I had found somewhere around here in my office, and looked it up. Quarzfestung could be found in the dwarven empire, in an area commonly known as the Crystal Plains. I actually remembered this place. It was a vast area located west at the foot of Donnerberg and northwest in the dwarven empire. This region was extraordinary because the soil, the plants, and everything that grew there...well, you couldn't call it growing, were made of some crystalline material. Even at my time, it was already known as the greatest source of rare magic crystals, such as mana and elemental crystals. I picked up a book, which fortunately was nearby, and looked up this so-called Quarzfestung. 

Apparently, on a random day, one massive quartz appeared out of nowhere in the Crystal Plains. And when I meant massive, I truly meant mountainous. The first to find this place was the dwarven folk who lived in the area. However, they first had to build a path across the gorge that descended deep into nothingness around the quartz. No one knew exactly how deep it went down there, but those who had embarked on a daring expedition down were never seen again. After creating a passage, the dwarves built their way into the quartz and found large cavities inside, containing all sorts of magical crystals that were otherwise scarce on this continent. On and on, they built their way through the gigantic quartz, hewing factories, workshops, and houses right into it. The interior grew and grew, and with all the materials they found inside, they created themselves a city. The water crystals always supplied them with enough fresh water, whilst the earth crystals made sure they could plant normal crops. But even the crystal trees and their fruits, which you could actually eat, were beneficial. Yet, it was only when they went into the depths that the true wealth became apparent—unknown ores, for which there was no further processing method. One day, a particular family of dwarves—who claimed a canyon within the crystal for themselves—stumbled upon osmiond. They puzzled over how to process it for a long time until they finally succeeded and forged items of unparalleled strength. As the gods and goddesses willed it, it also turned out that osmiond, when combined with certain runes and other materials, had unimaginable properties that revolutionized the fundamental thinking of enchantments from one second to another, thus creating new possibilities for complex mechanisms. At the time, Quarzfestung became the unofficial second capital of the dwarves and was considered the center of blacksmithing and enchantments. The academy located within was one of the most influential institutes on the continent. 

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I put the book aside and let its contents sink in. It seemed that if I really wanted to have someone in the organization who knew stuff about weaponry and armory, I would probably have to travel to that place at some point. Plus, I could learn new things about enchantments and runes there as well. 

Map:

I was about to get something else out of my storage when my eyes roamed over the map of the continent once again. The borders actually shifted more than I anticipated. The human empire, located at the bottom of the continent, was surrounded by seven other domains due to its size. To the southeast was the beast-kin empire, while above them began the wooded empire of the elves. The southwest was ruled by the naga, who, like the lamia, were not originally native to this continent. Above them laid the orc kingdom, where vast steppes and prairies stretched out. Part of the northeast was ruled by the lamia, which bordered the human realm with only a small section of its territory. Or rather, they were connected to the autonomous Holy Kingdom, which officially belonged to the empire, but administered itself. It was the center of the absurd human beliefs that placed their race above all others. The dwarven empire was located directly above the human empire. According to what I could gather from the books, only the humans were really at war with the Ashen Realm—situated between the elven and dwarven empires—, while the other races stayed out of it for the most part. The smallest country drawn on the map was the so-called Kingdom of Origins.  The Eternal Citadel was the only sphere of influence that stayed the same after all this time. That place where those crazed mages were always up to their mischief. When I thought of magic, I remembered what I wanted to do just a moment ago. 

I took Abyssal Depths out of my storage box and let it hover quietly over the table. Then I grabbed the osmiond and held it near my unfinished magic invention. Unfortunately, nothing happened, or so I thought, when suddenly black energy blasts shot out of the abyss stone and merged into the osmiond. I felt how the pure destructive energy stabilized through the osmiond and then suddenly tripled exponentially. To avoid causing total destruction in my office, I threw the osmiond into the air and created a blood barrier around it. The shock of the explosion would not have been heard or felt even if someone else happened to be in the room. One might think it wasn't a big deal at all, but if I hadn't created a barrier, a deep hole of yawning emptiness would now be in our place instead of a mansion.

I grinned and began to laugh uncontrollably. I finally succeeded in finding a material that could ultimately make my invention a success. Still, I had to exercise patience at the moment. First the System, then the magic tool. Even my liquid could wait in the face of these two discoveries. I laughed again, this time at another thought that crossed my mind.

"Anansi, you dirty bastard. I'm going to get you sooner or later after all."