BXBX NOVEL Chapter 130: Their purpose [1/2]
The shops and guilds here on the 3rd floor felt lofty and impersonal.
But when I saw the faces of the representatives, I knew instinctively that these men and women were experts in their chosen crafts.
'And the fact that they were all Phantoms.' I thought to myself.
If money made life easier on Earth, here in Hellsgate, souls were directly related to our survival.
It powered our abilities and equipment. It served as the medium with which we bartered and traded. And most importantly, it kept you in the safety of the battlefront.
A blonde woman raised her hand out of the blue. Philip noticed and gestured for her to continue.
"My name is Yvonne. And I represent the Golden Wick Guild. We are part of the Saint Division. We would like to apply for a blessing contract. Do the blessings have to be tied to the loot contracts?"
Even though this question was related to me, I didn't know the answer myself. That was the problem with not wanting to get involved in such matters. You gave control to someone else.
It was an uncomfortable feeling.
But Phillip's survival was tied to mine. If I died on the Zones, he would eventually be kicked out. So I trusted not in his loyalty to me, but in his self-interest in keeping himself alive.
"No, Miss Yvonne, while it would have helped in deciding who to hire, the blessings can be a separate matter," my clerk replied.
"Understood. Then Golden Wick will draw up a contract and send it in the next few minutes," she said with an angelic smile.
"Mr. Scrivener. The Guild of Hera's Light would also like to apply for a blessing contract!"
"Us too!"
The scene became rowdy as more and more guilds from the Saint Division announced their intentions to join.
Even on Earth, it was a similar scene. The guilds here were not equal. These small guilds probably didn't have the ability to compete with the better guilds. Instead, they stuck to what they could do.
Phillip's phone began to vibrate as he checked the proposals from the Saint guilds. He forwarded them to me and I had Aira summarize them. Having an intelligent AI was truly a blessing.
Then a small man who looked like a typical dwarf stepped forward. He had thick arms and a wild beard, adding to his resemblance to the fictional race.
"I am Addison from the Priority 2 guild, Overlord. We have a proposal ready, but still have some doubts. Lala recognized the man next to you as Limitless, so your identity is not in question. However, what proof do we have that this contract would be profitable?"
As I listened to his words, I tried to answer the question in my mind. Why should I believe in someone like Limitless? Was it because he was powerful? Was it because he didn't take nonsense from anyone? Or was it because he was well connected?
Phillip nodded in understanding and turned to the receptionist.
"Lala, can you please verify under oath that Limitless is an Octad for the July Enlistment?"
The receptionist nodded and began typing on her laptop. After a few moments, Lala spoke to the rest of the representatives.
"The information for the Mercenary Limitless is under a gag order. So I can only give you small tidbits. However, I can confirm that he is an Octad Ranker from the July Enlistment, barely a week ago."
My clerk then turned to me and made a request.
"Esteemed Limitless, please summon one of the weapons you used to fight the undead."
'I wonder what this is all about? It wasn't as if I was hiding the fact that I was Formless,' with nothing to lose, I complied with his request and drew the M60 machine gun.
The effects of my actions were immediate.
"A gun?"
"Holy hell! Limitless is Formless?! Are you for real?"
"How is that even possible?"
"What is the name of his {Fate}! Please tell me!"
While the other people made a fuss, the dwarf said nothing and just nodded. Without a word, he took out his phone and sent the contract proposal.
Just then, another woman stepped forward. She had a medium build, pink hair, and an average face, but her demeanor was sharp as a knife.
Why is someone like that in Production? I would have believed her if she said she was a death seeker.
" Limitless. I am Cynthia from the Priority 2 Red Moons Guild. I just have two questions: Do you have any plans to form an army in the future? And what would its purpose be?"
From the downloads, I knew what she meant.
Each profession had created rules that governed their domain. There was a special one for the Death Seekers. Unlike the other groups, the Mercenaries were allowed to form armies.
Of the professions, only two actively engaged in combat. Mercenaries and Adventurers. Production could form guilds, the Academics worked together and created schools, Fortification also had groups called workshops.
Adventurers were allowed to form parties, just as Mercenaries were allowed to form personal squads. The difference between the two was that Adventurer parties were not allowed to merge into larger groups.
This restriction prevented the benefits of being in an Adventurer party from spilling over to members beyond the first party. Mercenaries, on the other hand, were the only profession allowed to arm and maintain large armies upon becoming a Specter.
Much like the adventurer party and the mercenary squad, a mercenary army granted perks, the most important being the ability to draw souls from a party member's soulgem. Another important perk was the ability to use your leader's {Fate} without a loan limit.