Vol.1 - Chapter 2: Future Plans (7/12)

''Huff... Huff...''

"She's not chasing us, is she?"

''Huff... I don't know, I was just following you, I didn't look back. She couldn't have chased this far.''

"So you don't know if she's behind or not?"

''Huff... Wasn't she after you, too?"

''Anyway, she probably would've caught up to us while you were all exhausted. So I guess we're safe for now. But what are we going to do in the evening?''

Minato put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. The person next to him who asked him this question was none other than Shin. Just as they were about to leave the inn, they got an unexpected surprise and had to run without stopping for a while. 

When Minato recovered, he started to speak.

''I don't know about you, but I can sneak in with my superior skills. You better find Dom-san or Sana-san to get inside."

When he looked up from his bowed head and looked at the boy in front of him, he realized that the boy had already started to walk away. Minato was taken aback for some reason and felt the need to call out to the boy.

''Hey! Where are you going?"

''I had a few things to do. I'll use your advice, thanks.''

Shin was relaxed and careless as if nothing had happened. Minato stared at him for a moment, but when Shin disappeared into the crowd, he decided to mind his own business as well.

---

'It's too early for me to go to that herbalist, I'd better stop by in a couple of hours and check it out.'

Shin had nothing with him except some money and his knife, but he was heading in a certain direction as if he had already decided what he was going to do. After walking for a while, he came to the streets he remembered from yesterday.

'I found my way easier than I thought.'

The shouting around was getting louder and the crowd was getting bigger. Looking at this environment, Shin saw a city even more lively than yesterday.

'I think it will be busy for a while because of the celebration.'

With a big smile on his face, he made his way through the crowd and reached an even busier, but in contrast, spacious area.

'It's unfortunate that I don't have more of that plant. Still, I can start a good job in this place. Maybe I should already find a potential customer and speed up the whole process.'

He was getting excited and the smile on his face was getting wider and wider.

'Ahh! There are so many possibilities! I think I made the right decision to come to this city.'

Yesterday he had reached the center of the city, where the celebration had started. He was trying to keep up with the activity and the events going on around him, but he couldn't keep up with it. After pushing himself a bit, he felt himself getting tired and shook his head, giving up observing more for the day.

'The tables that were set up yesterday were almost full, but there were still fewer people than there are now.'

Even though this area was quite large, yesterday's tables had been replaced by small stalls, and counting the people around, there was hardly any space left. Merchants were trying to sell their wares, people were chatting amongst themselves, and the occasional large horse-drawn carriage was making its way through the crowds. Of course, even in this chaotic environment, it was the three big guilds that stood out. After all, they seemed to be the main focus of everyone's attention.

'Looks like the celebration was just for show. I'd better not wander around here any longer. Obviously, I won't learn much from just observing the crowd.'

So he stopped wandering around randomly and, like most people, shifted his focus to the big buildings.

'The entrance is really huge...'

He had stopped by the Golden Raven Guild yesterday, but the door was locked and he couldn't get in. Now he had randomly chosen this place again from the three big guilds.

'The people around here reveal the true value of this place. When I came here yesterday, this place didn't seem so magnificent.'

Shin also entered the guild before the big door closed, following the man who entered with a large load in front of him.

''Wow...''

''Move aside, kid!''

After Shin entered, he stood in front of the door, looking inside, mesmerized. Another man behind him angrily pushed him aside and stepped in front of him. Even though there were a few guards inside, no one seemed to mind this behavior.

'What a hurry you guys are in.'

As he was saying these words to the man who pushed him, he realized that he was not far away from him. Or rather, he couldn't seem to get away even if he wanted to. When he looked at the long line in front of him, his opinion changed a little.

'Looks like we'll have to wait for a while...'

One would expect a queue with so many people to be cramped and chaotic, but on the contrary, it was quite organized. The guards in the building were on standby in case of trouble, but apart from a few angry voices every now and then, there was no problem.

Shin joined the queue and began to look around while waiting for his turn. This seemed to keep him occupied for a while because there were more than a few things around.

'It looked huge from the outside already, but inside is something else.'

Apart from the line Shin was in, there was an equally long crowd on the left side of the building. The reason for these lines was that people wanted to talk to the receptionists. People who came to do business would talk to the receptionists and get what they needed to sell or buy and generally conduct their business there.

These receptions were placed all along the floor, which fit very well with the design of the building. They were all small rooms, and the person arriving would sit on a chair and talk to the receptionist inside through a window connecting the two sides.

There were many receptions on both sides of the building. Despite this, the guild seemed unable to keep up with the high demand for business. That's why there was a long waiting line.

Despite the crowds inside, there was still an open and empty space in the building. Surprisingly, this was right in the center of the building. A water fountain was placed in the center. Around it were benches for sitting. When Shin paid more attention, he saw that there were also benches to the left and right of the entrance.

'This place is like a garden. I never imagined the inside of a guild building like this...'

The building was not only horizontally long but also quite high. It was already four stories high, but this length was used wisely. At least the first floor had a very wide ceiling. Since it was the entrance to a large guild, it was obvious that this ground floor had been carefully designed.

The first floor was illuminated by many chandeliers hanging from the ceiling so that there was not a single dark spot. The number of chandeliers did not create any visual pollution due to their very nice designs full of jewels.

'Forget the garden, this is a mansion.'

The tiling was complete with the rest of the decorations, polished stones were laid all over the floor and they sparkled.

Shin continued to look around, mesmerized. Although he didn't realize it, a lot of time had passed as he waited in line. Finally approaching an empty reception desk, he stared at perhaps the most intriguing thing on the floor, forgetting what he had come here for.

'Wow...'

There was a wide, two-sided staircase leading upwards, and in the middle of it was a huge 5-meter statue rising to the ceiling. This statue was a female figure that looked like an angel.

The statue was holding an instrument that looked like a scale in her hand, and her vision was turned toward the entrance of the guild, covering the entire floor.

''Shin-kun?''

Shin stood where he was for a while and the person at the front desk felt the need to call out to him. When Shin learned that it was his turn, he realized that he had been standing idly by, keeping other people waiting, and remembering what he had come here for, he sat down in the chair next to him.

''Sorry, I got distracted.''

He had intended to start talking right away and quickly learn something about this guild and the trade in the city, but as soon as he sat down, something caught his attention.

'Shin-kun? Where did you get my name?'

He hadn't even had time to think about it before the blonde-haired woman at the reception desk shook off his confusion and continued speaking.

''Are you here to trade?''

This time it was Shin's turn to be surprised. For a few seconds, he just stared at the woman inside the reception desk and tried to figure out what was going on. Noticing his puzzled look, she expressed herself with a giggle.

''Ahh, I guess I didn't tell you that I work here.''