Chapter 9

POV: Bash 

Location: Southern Empire

The sword garden headquarters in this village was built in the shape of a castle, Standing in front of the tall metal gate, the emblem of the Southern Empire hung above the gate looked down at me, it is the portrait of the hero standing with his white sword pinned to the ground. His fingers wrapped around the handle with his body covered in silver armor.

I passed through the gates with two guards staring at me, the sight of my sword handle was enough to let them know I am an approved swordsman. The white vines circling my sword handle indicated to them my rank, a Gozaimon. The fifth rank out of ten.

The sound of swords colliding with each other welcomes me, it's from newbies practicing their crafts in the open courtyard. 

I walked through a narrow pathway to a large hall, It was the place of gathering for swordsmen, a civilized restaurant instead of the cheap tavern I visited.

Passing by the blonde Lady at the Counter, I got to the sword garden receptionist, she was in a room with no doors, it was in the same location as the restaurant. 

It only has a front window as an opening, you would have to stand in the restaurant grounds to hand over evidence of your completed mission.

"Hello Susan," I dropped the leather bag I was holding on a wooden blank extended just below the window opening.

Susan's green eyes looked upward to me, "Bash, you have already finished your mission."

"Just got back to the village," I placed one of my arms on the wooden plank, "I have killed them, all the eight bandits terrorizing the merchants."

Her eyes blinked and she squeezed her face, "being this calm after ending the lives of eight people, I just can't understand what going through the heads of swordsmen,"

I smiled for some reason and responded, "What is there to mourn about, everybody should be happy when a scumbag dies."

"Even you," she replied, the air surrounding her foaming with anger.

It was silent, we were silent, she just took the wool bag I gave her and then placed it in a drawer under the window, she did not even count the ears to verify my claims.

Gold coins stack against each other until a total of sixteen pieces assemble, Susan pushed them out the window without making eye contact with me or saying a word.

I was a scumbag until Ash saved me, I don't have the right to be angry at Susan's words, however, my face still grew an air of sadness, breaking the smile I had before.

"Thanks," I said, pulling the gold coins into a small bag.

Susan did not look up to me, I just walked away with no reply from her.

"I am sorry, I overstepped my boundary," she mumbled to my back turned against her.

Raising one of my hands without turning around, I wave my wrist with my fingers stretched wide open.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," I replied.

"You are not a scumbag, at least not in my eyes," she shouted, her voice bringing all the attention of the busy diners to us.

I just smiled and walked out of the sword garden, not even turning back to see the expression on Susan's face.

The sun was at the peak of its heat, radiating throughout the ironstone village, I went back to the Inn I stayed last night to pick up my belongings. 

I am leaving the village today.

In my room, I grabbed my sleeping bag made out of wool then placed it inside a three-foot-tall black leather bag, it has a long thread circling the opening, pulling the threads would close up the opening and I could dangle it around my shoulders as I moved.

My belongings are not much, the bag doesn't hurt even if it occasionally bounces off and onto my back.

I placed my sleeping clothes into the bag, a cup for making tea, two extra clothing all different shades of black, an extra boot then a comb.

Coming out of the room I paid the last rent I was owed, twenty silver coins. I then head straight to the village center where the artifact is located, the ancient gate used for teleportation.

Even in the daytime the pleasure district was still active, grown women waved their hands from the open windows of their rooms, and some even made their way to the balcony, wearing nothing both skinny silk gowns.

My vision was focused on the stone walkway in front of me, the smell of alcohol coming out of a nearby bar mixed badly with the cherry perfume homing in the entire district.

I entered the blacksmith district after twenty minutes of walking, the sound of metal hammers smashing molten ore roared through the air, creating a violent rhythm distorting the air.

The blacksmith shops have no doors to them, each shop has brand new swords hung on a wooden board, visible to the walking public. Ashes from the burnt charcoal painted the stone walls of the shops a dye of gray, even ruining some of the signboards hung in front of the opening to the shops.

Finally, after walking for twenty more minutes I made it to the village center, to the Gate.

I had to stand in a line filled with people of different backgrounds. In front of us, two giant pillars stretching to the heavens stood in the center of a round stage.

Intrigue patterns of lines representing the rays of the sun adorn the pillars, two guards wearing the Southern Empire uniform stood in the center leading to the pillars. 

Other guards were patrolling the long queue we made, collecting ten gold coins in exchange for a Vave card. It's a unique item serving as proof for our payment.

From noon I waited till near sunset for my turn to arrive. Standing between two guards holding a spear, I handed over the Vave card to them, it was a white card in a rectangular shape, and nothing was written on it.

"What's your purpose for visiting Castle of Dragons," one of the guards asked.

"I am on my way to meet a friend, sir."

"Safe journey," the other guard said, stamping my Vave card with red ink.

I walked to a staircase only five steps long, the tall cream pillars were one meter apart from each other, not wide enough for anything besides humans to pass through.

The round stage had a different atmosphere to it, the air above the ceramic circle homed with electrifying energy, raising the strands of my hair as I walked close to the opening between the pillars.

A beam of white light descended from heaven and struck me like a lightning bolt, stealing my existence from the surface of the earth.