Artisan Tower

"Still busy busy?" Jake lightly joked.

"Of course." Samantha rolled her eyes. "Running an exploration team is not easy you know."

"Anyways, this is Tiffany. A new recruit just like you. Tiffany, this is Jake, my homie." Sam introduced the two.

"Looking forward to work with you." The new girl nodded at Jake.

"Yep, see you around." Jake nodded back.

Looking back at Sam, she was busy sending a text message. Seemed like urgent matter.

The two new recruits stood in silence waiting. It was a little awkward.

Tiffany Delaney was not interested in talking to someone like Jake. Jake was just too ordinary. At her elite school, all of her classmates were either rich or talented.

Hearing Sam's introduction, this new girl looked down at Jake a little. An adult now, yet still very dependent on others. Still reliant on connections to get things done.

Naturally, she wouldn't initiate a conversation with someone this average. It would be a waste of time and energy. The greeting was only out of politeness and manners after all.

Jake was not blind. He could see and sense the disdain from this new girl. However, Jake found it too bothersome to build a new connection, so he chose not to. Especially in this case. It's not like this girl displayed any friendliness or anything.

Jake was planning to just stay here for only a week anyways. He couldn't care less about what this girl thought of him.

At the moment, he was more focused on planning out his artisan path.

A moment later, Samantha Hudson finished her text. Clearly, she realized the situation.

Apologetically smiling at the two, Samantha pointed at her van. "Alright kids, get in the van."

The edge of Jake's mouth slightly twitched. 'Oi. Doesn't that sound a little shady? Is it really ok to joke around like this in public?'

'K.' Jake nodded and got in the van.

Since the front passenger seat was worn down due to over-usage, both new recruits sat at the back.

"Soooo." Samantha started the engine. "Still trying to get to the other side?"

"Of course." Jake returned an affirmative nod.

Samantha Hudson chuckled with a smile. Yep, this was still the hot-blooded idiot she knew.

"Get to the other side?" Tiffany raised her brows, clearly paying attention.

"Is this a jargon word for explorers?" The new girl asked Sam. She seemed rather curious, eager to learn the trade.

"Well..." Backing out of the parking spot, Samantha replied.

"It's only a rumor."

"Jake, why don't you tell Tiffany about it." Clearly, Samantha was trying to be a good leader, trying to get the new recruits to mingle.

"Well." Jake squinted a little. "The rumors is this. Pass through the boss room of the highest level. There's a new world on the other side."

Tiffany looked at Jake as if he was delusional.

Jake shrugged, not planning to explain things any further.

After a moment of silence, Samantha returned to the conversation.

"This is actually an open secret in this trade. Many people received dreams from their loved ones, from those who actually got to the other side."

"This was more frequent back in 2012, when green tier realms were the highest levels. Nowadays, Jake's probably the only one who's talking about this." Samantha lightly chuckled. The chuckle was more of a friendly tease than mockery though.

Yep. This was the root cause for Jake to trust that dream. Either way, Jake wanted to verify the rumors himself.

Hearing this, Tiffany's gaze towards Jake changed.

"To have a goal like that, you must have very high magical talents." Tiffany's cold expression softened.

Jake blinked a few times. "I'm a detector actually."

Tiffany's smile froze.

Made sense though. If Jake was an artisan, or if Jake had high magical talent, why would he be dressed in cheap outfit like that?

For the rest of the ride, the two new recruits mostly stayed speechless.

In the driver seat, Samantha seemed to be arguing with someone over her Bluetooth headset.

Since the last time Jake met Samantha, the girl seemed even busier now. Even sitting in the back, Jake could sense Samantha's blood pressure rising.

'In my previous life, you were a real bro to me. Yet, I was powerless. Unable to do anything. Unable to achieve anything...'

'This lifetime... Now that I am capable of accomplishing something great, I'll return you the favor here. I can help now. I promise.'

'It won't be long until that day comes...'

...

The new district was located only a couple of miles outside the Shine city.

Yet, since it's newly built, there weren't any buses connecting this district to the city. As a result, Samantha had to pick Jake up from the long distance bus station.

This small district was built entirely for explorers. Only got 3 streets and 8 revenues. Most of the buildings here were either houses or guildhalls.

At the center of the district were three condos and a seven-storey shopping center.

A pillar of green light was only a street away from this district.

This was Jake's target. In other to receive an explorer's license, Jake had go through a magical realm once.

After this, he could enter any realm at anytime.

Entering this district, stopping at a red light, Samantha turned and apologetically looked at the new recruits.

"I have a meeting in 10 minutes... So Tiffany, I'll drop you off at the girls' residence."

Receiving a nod, Sam then turned to Jake.

"I'll drop you off at the guys' residence?" A hint of apology appeared in Sam's smile.

"Except they are playing ball, so you might have to wait outside for a while..." Samantha's voice dwindled off.

The girl took a deep breath. Jake could sense a mixture of anger and powerlessness from his childhood friend.

"Though, I do recommend that you get your own place... If not, maybe you can sleep over at my dad's place? If you don't mind..."

Jake shook his head. "It's fine. There is an artisan tower around here right?"

*Honk!*

Samantha went back to driving. "Yesss... Why...?" The girl sounded concerned.

Artisan Tower!

If there was a pillar of light, there was an Artisan Tower nearby. Usually it's an actual tower. At smaller locations, it's usually the highest floor of the highest building around.

This was the go-to place for explorers.

Meditation guides. Powerful artifacts. Crafting materials. If it's something related to magical realms, these guys had it for sell.

More importantly, explorers could sell any drops here.

As long as it's a drop from the magical realms, no matter what kind, the Artisan Tower was willing to pay a fair price for it.

Clearly, Jake didn't have any monster drops to sell.

So he had to be heading there for a purchase. What's there to buy? Crafting materials?

Samantha felt a little worried for her friend.

As someone who knew Jake well, she knew Jake's financial situation and Jake's capabilities.

An ordinary 18 years old suddenly awakening extraordinary talent? Becoming an artisan over just a few months? What are the odds?

Jake winning the lottery jackpot was more believable than that.

As Jake's friend, naturally, she was concerned for Jake. Especially now, when Jake's demeanors had suddenly changed. Not a trace of the hot-blooded characteristic was left...

Seeing the reaction of his childhood friend, Jake lightly sighed. 'How bothersome...'

Instead of trying to convince her with words, Jake would prefer to convince her through results.

"If you are free over the weekend, I'll come along with you." Samantha offered.