30 Treye Guild Branch in Tessar
Sitting in a stable and smooth carriage despite the somewhat rocky roads, Raz looked at his Father, Mother, and Grandmother, who were making small talk.
Wanting to see the city, Raz unlocked the latch on the window of the carriage and opened it.
Immediately, a bustling cityscape noise hit his ears as hundreds of people roamed and walked the road.
The occasional food vendor or just vendor, in general, could be heard advertising to pedestrians and folks passing by.
Clotheslines were strung about as the carriage seemed to be passing through a residential sector or area of the city. Children were running about with sticks in hand, pretending to be mages or knights.
After ten or so minutes, the scenery started to change from a residential look to a more industrialized style of architecture.
Clouds of smoke rose from smokestacks mounted onto the rather large workshops, home to various blacksmiths, engineers, enchanters, alchemists, etc.
The clangs of hammers to metal could be heard ringing out from the various workshops as the distinct, unforgettable odor of hot metal entered Raz's nostrils as he peeked out the window slightly.
The coal and materials themselves, burning bright with light, also shone with uniqueness and gave off different odors that could be found nowhere else.
Occasionally the sound of sizzling could be heard through the open doors and windows of various smithies as Raz could occasionally see someone quenching metal.
Seeing his grandson's fascination with the industrial section of the city, Raymond boasted, "Don't forget that Tessar is considered one of the top cities in terms of smithing. We aren't too shabby in terms of alchemy as well."
Pointing and gesturing at the various large workshops as the carriage continued to move closer to the center of the city, Raymond praised, "We supply a decent chunk of the Kingdom's needs in things like weapons, armor, or even some certain mass-produced magic items."
Raz continued to listen to his grandfather's praise and brag about Tessar while looking at the scenery and sights.
He knew almost all the information of what Raymond was talking about, things like how Tessar could be seen as the Alden clan's ancestral home as their family had been managing and building Tessar up from scratch.
After a few more minutes, the carriage finally stopped as a giant building appeared in front of Raz from the window.
The building itself was similar in looks to the rest of the city.
It had a European medieval style type of architecture.
Still, it was plain to anyone with a sharp eye that the building's design held inspiration from other places, and the original design was no doubt quite different from its current state.
Located on a banner and carved into the front door was a familiar symbol of three eyes which was identical to the bronze medallion Raz held in his small, slightly chubby hands.
The occupants of the carriage hopped off as the rest of the group were riding their own horses and rejoined the family.
After some discussion, Fay wanted to visit other places instead of the Treye guild as they wouldn't really carry what she wanted to see.
Marisa, Ed, and the guards decided to go with Fay to sightsee elsewhere.
This left just Raz, Raymond, and William, who all looked forward to stepping into this building.
The front door had a wooden texture and visual but was no doubt some form of metal.
Blocking the door was two stone statues depicting a knight in full-plate armor with intricate details that Raz wouldn't be too surprised to learn that they were carved by a master sculptor.
Holding a spear and a halberd-like weapon, respectively, the statues had their weapons blocking the door from even being opened.
As the trio approached the door, they each had their medallions out.
William and Raz had identical bronze-like medallions, while Raymond's was quite similar, except his medallion had a gold-like finish with some intricate patterns carved in.
The moment the trio got within a few feet of the door, a sudden rumbling noise rang throughout the air as the statues started to move their weapons out of the doorway, which also opened gently for the group.
As Raz walked through the doorway, the change in surrounding made him feel like he had been teleported to a different place.
The heat of the sun and the humidity of the air outside disappeared.
Instead, a cool and perfectly balanced humidity permeated throughout the building as a gentle fragrance of flowers wafted through the air.
Already standing in front of the trio were three attendants dressed in similar style uniforms that looked like black, gray, three-piece suits.
As the two male attendants in front of Raymond and William greeted them, a pleasant-voiced feminine voice greeted Raz, "Good afternoon, honorary customer! From the logs on your medallion, I can see this is your first time visiting us since you acquired your medallion."
Raz nodded as he was surprised that the lady, who had long, dirty blondish hair tied up in a neat bun with a hairpin through the center, was not in the least taken back that she was talking to a child.
Smiling politely, the attendant gestured towards the front desk with her white-gloved hands and humbly requested, "If you could be so kind as to sit down over at the desk there so I can clarify a few key pieces of information with us."
Raz looked at his father for confirmation, to which William, who was about to leave the room, responded, "Don't worry, Raz. It's just a first-time procedure that everyone goes through.
"Your Grandfather and I will be in a different room, but you can trust the attendants of any Treye branch. They are probably one of the most reliable and trustworthy people you'll meet. Just don't spend more than 300 gold or three mana shards."
As William was guided by his attendant to a different room, Raz noted how much his Grandfather and Father trusted the workers here and sat down in the chair at the front desk.
The female attendant, who introduced herself as Sarah, asked Raz for his medallion before asking a bunch of questions that were mainly general, like his full name, age, and home location.
Sarah then asked who gave the medallion to him as well as a few other questions, before she got an impression of fingerprints on both hands and scanned his face with an orb that reminded Raz of a camera.
After everything was set up, Sarah looked up from her book-like device and asked, "Now that the official stuff is out of the way, how can the Treye Trading Guild help you today?"
"I'm here to see if I can purchase a material called Thasium?" Raz inquired.
Without hesitating, Sarah opened up her book device again and flipped through a few pages before writing something in the book and waiting for a few seconds.
"Unfortunately, it seems we don't have any on-site. However, that just means we'll have to search the other branches to see if they have any in stock; otherwise, I'll have to work out a calculation for acquisition," Sarah politely shared.
She stood up from her chair and started to walk down a slightly different hallway than the one William and Raymond were led down as she instructed, " Please follow me this way."
Raz didn't have to rush, however, as Sarah seemed to alter her pace to accommodate Raz, who was still rather short and could only walk so fast.
As they leisurely strolled, Raz asked, "I'm just curious why you didn't even bat an eyelid at the fact that I'm a child who has access to this place."
Letting out a small giggle which she covered habitually with her hand, Sarah answered, "I've been shuffled around to many different places in my life, thus experiencing a lot. It's not my first time helping out a younger customer such as yourself."
Soon he was led into a white room that resembled the teleportation hall in the way that there were a plethora of runes that were carved on every wall, floor, and ceiling.
A sphere that sat on a white pedestal was the only thing in the room besides the carved runes.
Sarah walked up to the orb before Raz's eyes went wide as he could barely feel the mana being manipulated by the attendant before the orb started to glow.
But the most surprising part was that it seemed like Sarah was at least as strong as his father but was only an attendant for this guild.
Done with her part, Sarah instructed, "Just wait for the orb to fully activate and answer what it asks you. Everything from there is pretty explanatory. If you need assistance or have finished with your needs, then please knock on the door. I'll be just outside."
The door was gently closed before the orb roared to life, and a robotic voice echoed throughout the room as it asked, "State the item or information wanted."
