Chapter 2: Log 1: The Receptionist

Log 1: 

Date: July 5th, 2190 I.C. 

Time: 19:56

Location: Imperium City Adventurer's Guild 

Thud.

The loud sound of a heavy object falling onto my desk resounds through the grand halls of the Adventurer’s Guild startling everyone within the vicinity. Heck, even the painting of our predecessors were alarmed by the sudden noise, their gazes averted to my tiny corner of the hall. 

In front of my very eyes was a bulging drawstring cloth bag the bottom soaked a bloody crimson. A thick, viscous liquid seeps out of it, staining the oak countertop of my workspace and my paperwork which I had invested four hours of my day into. 

I let out an exasperated sigh, quickly shoving my paperwork out of the way of the thick blood. The crimson fluid ran through the cracks of the wood like water flowing down a mountainside. 

This was something I have to deal with on a regular basis. 

“Again? Really?” 

I glance up at the tall figure in front of me. He wore a black cloak that was as dark as the night sky right outside my arched window the two moons staggered right next to each other. A silver-plated mask concealed his face with only two holes for the eyes to see through but upon closer look, one could only see the abyss as if the figure before my eyes were a hollow doll. A leather-gloved hand was placed on top of the hilt of one of his short swords that were still dripping in the blood that had slain whatever was in this bag. He tilts his head to the side as if telling me I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.

 Well, he was right. 

I take a peek inside the bag. My eyes were exposed to the grotesque and, well, mutilated green and bumpy skins of goblin heads. Their long pimply noses touched coated with disgusting black snot on my skin causing me to retract my hand quickly. 

“Have considered using plastic bags? Ether boxes even?" 

The figure shook his head and spoke plainly. 

“Plastic bags break easily. Ether boxes are expensive and not very flexible.” 

“Ugh,” I grimaced counting the number of goblin heads in the bag. I really wanted to hurl. The pungent smell of sulfur wafting through the air touched my nose. I can’t ever get used to this. “That’s 40 heads. Considering their state, you’ll only be compensated about 15 Silvers.” 

“I’ll take it.” The figure replied emotionlessly not caring about the amount.

“You really aren’t in it for the money. Most Adventurers would be negotiating with me for higher compensation.” 

>>>

Currency had been the same ever since the formation of civilization. The only thing that’s changed about it in modern times is that gone digital. Our currency, better known as Coins, has a few denominations. The lowest of these denominations was a Copper Coin. From there on up it would be Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Imperial Platinum. 

A Bronze Coin was equivalent to ten Copper Coins while a Silver Coin was equal to ten Bronze Coins. And if I were to give you a quick diagram it would look something like this: 

1 Bronze Coin = 10 Copper Coins  

1 Silver Coin = 10 Bronze Coins 

1 Gold Coin = 10 Silver Coins 

1 Platinum Coin = 100 Gold Coins

1 Imperial Platinum Coin = 1000 Platinum Coins

Now let’s talk about the purchasing power of our currency. A cup of coffee cost approximately two Coppers. A typical meal consisting of a soup and sandwich plus a beverage at a local restaurant would cost you a Bronze. A Silver could allow you to buy a single video game while a couple of gold coins could pay off monthly rent in Imperium City. As for Platinum, you could put a down payment on a house with a single one, and Imperial Platinum, you might as well purchase a mansion in full cash. Plus, you might also have some cash to spare to hire servants and bodyguards for a few months. Imperial Platinum could be considered something of legends to Commoners. It would take a decade just for the average person to earn an Imperial Platinum, not including living expenses. With a single Imperial Platinum, a person could immediately retire from their job. 

>>>

The cloaked figure chuckled. 

It was rare. 

“I know, you’ve told me this many times, Arian.” 

“Yeah, well. I’m pretty bored without anyone to talk to." I respond. "I'm one of the few people willing to work the afternoon shift. And yet, the only person I get to talk to is you, Blank.” 

>>>

The figure in front of me was a regular, Blank. He's the mysterious rising star in the Adventurers Guild and became a 5-Star Adventurer in only half a year. Note that Adventurers are classified into a ten-star ranking and the more stars one possessed, the stronger they were. Anyways, Blank is a lone wolf that takes on any and every Request within the scope of his abilities and manages to complete them with a hundred percent success rate but it always ends in a bloody mess which eventually comes to me to clean up. Because of Blank, I'm known amongst Guild Employees as the "Janitor", what a terrible nickname to go by and I have to live with it. 

You also may be wondering if Blank wearing a mask was a weird thing. No, it's not. In fact, masked Adventurers are more common than you think. It's actually pretty smart because wearing a mask helps conceal the Adventurer's identity, allowing them to separate their private and work life. If you watch or read the news, the Adventurers that are often flocked by crowds of people are those who don't wear masks but the ones who do remain in anonymity and can at least enjoy part of their lives in silence. However, the mask can also act as a stigma or negative memorabilia like in the case of Blank who just happens to make a bloody mess and scare half the people here to death. 

>>>

He shrugged putting his hands up in defeat. 

“Can’t help it when I’m notorious here.” 

I really don’t understand this guy’s character sometimes. Sometimes he's extremely cold and other times he's friendly and amicable, cracking jokes about himself here and there. For the most part, he's pretty curt when he speaks. I can't help but feel like his entire persona is an act. What can I say, it's none of my business to pry into his life.

I'm a Receptionist and he's an Adventurer.  

“Anyhow, give me a moment to clean this all up.” 

You are reading story Imperium City Orders at novel35.com

With the clap of my hands, the bag floats in the air before landing delicately in a steel basin behind me. Good riddance, why does he always have to come to me? I wave my right hand and in an instance, a Sigil the size of my palm materializes on the table. The blood that had begun seeping into the oakwood had started flowing in reverse towards the Sigil akin to two magnets attracted to each other. In an instant, the blood that was on the table disappeared into the Sigil without a trace to be seen. 

"Your Arcmagia is efficient as always Arian." 

>>>

Arcmagia, a word referring to the application of Ether. Ether is what can be referred to as the energy of this word. Everything no matter how big or small, living or inanimate, has traces of Ether. However, thousands of years ago, many intelligent races learned that they could use this Ether to their advantage hence creating the first Adventurers. The application of this Ether, as mentioned before, is known as Arcmagia and there are about a million different Arcmagias out there. One of the most common Arcmagias is known as Sigils. Sigils are basically Ether manipulated into symbols with various applications. Think of it as plugging a variable into a mathematical equation. If you put the x-value of 2 into the equation y = x + 1 you get the answer three. Similarly, by manipulating Ether, the variable, into a specific function you will net a certain result. The Sigil I just used now was a simple Cleaning Sigil that is taught in every Arcmagia 101 course that exists out there. Even a five-year-old could use it with just a snap of a finger. 

>>>

"Blank, I literally just used a Cleaning Sigil. There's nothing special about it. Plus, as much as I don't like you staining the countertop every time, it's my job. Now that's done, the same bank account right?" 

Blank nodded as I typed away at my keyboard. 

"Okay, you should receive a notification on your Liaiser or Glanceble in just a moment."

>>>

Due to the rapid development of Ether technology, people have figured out how to create Micro Sigils which could store an enormous amount of data. As a result, Ether devices such as Liaisers and Glancebles had been invented. The Liaiser was essentially the upgraded version of the Ether Tablet. Not only could it make long-distance calls, but it could also use applications to send instant messages, play games, manage finances, and surf the Info Strata or IS for short. Glancebles, on the other hand, were wristwatches that could be synced up with a Liaiser. It was mostly used for convenience purposes when one is too lazy to take out their Liaiser such as paying for daily expenses, taking quick calls, or just telling time like any normal watch. 

In the past, there used to be one model of these Liaisers and Glancables but now there are hundreds of brands and producers making their own versions. Hence, the technology that only Nobles could use was now accessible to the public and the gap between the two worlds has closed ever so slightly. Yet, the bloody wealth disparity still exists because the rich keep getting richer.

>>>

Ding.

The familiar bell sound on Blank's Glanceble chimed as he turned his wrist to check at the Ether Projection in front of him. A notification displayed that 15 Silvers had been successfully deposited into his account. 

“Thank you for your hard work.” 

“I’ll be back tomorrow.” 

Blank turned around, removing his hand off his hilt before leaving the Adventurers Guildhall. His footsteps made enough sound as if announcing his departure. The wandering eyes of other Adventurers sitting at long tables that spanned the length of the hall, followed him as he passed through the automatic doors. His black cloak blended into his surroundings till only his silver mask could be seen.  

I sigh a breath of relief, knowing that Blank was gone.

“Great. I guess this goes to Dismantling then.” 

Glancing over at the bloody tray, I open up the metal chute in the back and push the tray in before shutting the door with a loud slam. 

And with that, my shift as a Guild Receptionist had come to a rather eventful end.

>>>

For smaller corpses or parts like goblin heads, we can easily send them down a metal chute to Dismantling where they can take them apart and sell them to customers. For instance, goblin eyes are used as a common potion or summoning ingredient for students. For much larger carcasses, we have to directly call Dismantling to come and retrieve the body itself which is often a hassle. I guess that's the one thing all governments have in common, inefficiency at its finest.  

>>>

"Arian, you're free to go. Good work today." A Receptionist taps me on the shoulder. Her streaks of white hair present tied up into a loose bun served as indicators of stress and aging yet there were barely any wrinkles on her pale face. Her Guild uniform consisted of a white-collared polo shirt, a blue guild blazer with the famous three diamond shards of Imperium City embroidered onto it in silver, black jeans, and brown ankle boots that fit her extremely well. Coupled with her pure silver eyes, she gave off a rather youthful vibe. 

"Thank you, Martha." I smile grabbing my faux leather purse before clocking out on Tabloid next to me with my basic gray Glanceble. "I'll be heading home." 

A message popped up on the Tabloid's screen. 

[Confirmed. Arian Rai 7/5/90 clocked out at 20:00] 

Martha was the lead Receptionist at Imperium City's Adventurer Guild. She has over three decades of experience and has been working at the Guild ever since she retired from being a Professor at Imperium City Academy. She was basically a second mother to everyone and is respected by all. If any issues arose during the day, Martha would resolve them within a few minutes. Also, take caution. If she's not having a good day and you manage to piss her off really bad, she takes you to the back room to give you some "education". And by "education", I mean a nice beating that might put you out of commission for two days. However, everyone knows this and it's mostly the rowdy newbie Adventurers who don't know better than get the "education" from her though it happens very rarely. Other than that, she's very nice and a good manager who attempts to make an effort to understand her employees.

"Arian, I have a couple of things for you before you leave." 

"What is it?" 

"Do you think you could cover for the end of Edward's shift tomorrow? He's going to be out for ankle surgery these next few days." 

I tilt my head. 

"Sure. 10:00 to 12:00 correct?" 

She snaps her fingers together before giving me a wink. 

"You got it. Oh, and do be a dear and bring me more of those beans from your parent's shop? I've been going through them like crazy." 

I laugh. Martha was a coffee addict and would go through about five cups a day. She loves this special blend that my parents would make at their cafe but could never replicate it. With her busy schedule, she hardly has any time to drop by to pick up the beans so she always asks me to procure them for her. 

"Will do. I'll see you tomorrow, Martha." 

"Have a good evening." 

"You as well."