Universal Bank

In the center of the city stood an imposing mansion spanning thousands of square kilometers. Inside the mansion's walls, in an office, sat a middle-aged man. His hair was a deep blue, as were his eyes, and his mere presence exerted a great pressure on the room. He was seated at his desk, speaking with what appeared to be his butler, a man with gray hair falling down his back, dressed in an elegant butler's suit.

While reading some documents, he asked his butler, "How are the preparations for the event going?"

The butler responded, "The preparations will be ready before the date. Although we had minor setbacks, they have already been resolved."

"Anything else to report?"

"Actually, my lord, it seems information about the auction has been leaked. Although the lower echelon knows nothing relevant, it is said that one of the items in the main auction lot will be of epic rank," the butler replied with a bit of uncertainty.

After a moment of contemplation, the man sitting at the desk, known as Count Tristan Ashford of Lunid, said, "The likelihood that they leaked the information on purpose is quite high. Those old men are too cunning to let that happen by accident."

"Do you want me to investigate further, my lord?"

"No need, let them do as they wish. As long as it doesn't affect our interests, we won't move."

"As you command."

With a bow, the butler left the office. As he walked, his footsteps made no sound, and his presence was minimized. From his shadow emerged a man dressed in an assassin's cloak. Without paying attention to him, the butler continued walking through the mansion's halls, as if signaling the man to start speaking.

"Reporting: tensions between our kingdom and the Kingdom of the Golden Lion have reached their peak. The small skirmishes that had been occurring have ceased, and both kingdoms are starting to mobilize their troops," the assassin said in an emotionless voice.

The butler nodded slightly, not stopping or turning to look at the assassin.

"It was to be expected. The situation has been deteriorating for months. Any information on the specific movements of their forces?" the butler asked, his voice cold, unlike when he spoke with the count.

"Yes, both kingdoms are concentrating their forces at the northern borders. Cavalry detachments and heavy infantry units have been reported moving. Additionally, the Kingdom of the Golden Lion has strengthened its defenses in the fortified cities near the borders," the assassin replied, maintaining his neutral tone.

"Interesting. Make sure to keep me informed of any significant changes in their movements. This information will be crucial for our plans," said the butler, his tone authoritative, leaving no room for discussion.

"It will be done," the assassin replied, disappearing into the shadows. With that, the butler continued his way through the mansion's halls, his mind already working on the next steps they would take.

*************

Entering through the door, Aethereis walked through the lobby. The interior, like the façade, was impressive. The floor was covered with marble tiles, giving it an elegant and minimalist appearance. The intricate designs and large windows illuminated the place, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

The lobby was full of bank clients and employees, all busy with their respective tasks. Approaching a desk where a receptionist was sitting, he was greeted.

"Good morning, sir. How can I help you today?" she asked in a professional and courteous voice.

"Good morning. I would like to open a new bank account," Aethereis replied flatly.

"Of course, sir. Allow me to assist you," the receptionist said professionally, unfazed by his lack of expression.

"Please take a seat, sir. I will need some personal information to open your account. Do you have any identification documents?" she asked, taking out a form and a pen.

Taking out his adventurer's guild membership card, he handed it to the receptionist, whose name was Diana. Taking the card, she began noting down the details on a form.

"All the details seem to be correct, Mr. Aethereis. Your account will be registered in a few moments," she said, calling an employee to explain the details. After the employee left, she continued, "At the moment, your account has the lowest privilege level. If you wish to increase your account's level, a minimum deposit is required."

The Universal Bank has several privilege levels, and you can't deposit a certain amount of money in an account with a low privilege level. The privilege levels are:

- Bronze Plus Card = 0 coins

- Silver Premier Card = 10,000 gold coins

- Gold Elite Card = 100,000 gold coins

- Platinum Card = 10,000,000 gold coins

- Royal Diamond Card = 10,000,000,000,000 gold coins

- Imperial Sapphire Card = 100,000,000,000,000 gold coins

[N.T.: Gold coins are used as an intermediate standard. If a person had 100,000 gold coins, in platinum coins that amount would be 1,000 platinum coins, so they would only need to hand over those thousand coins.]

A moment later, a bank employee arrived with a device in his hand. Its shape was similar to that of a triangular prism and had a front screen. The casing was made of dark metal with runes engraved on its surface. Its shape reminded him of the phones he used to use.

Receiving the device, Diana began to explain its functionality. "With this device, you can access your bank account, check your balance, and receive or make transactions. You just need to link it by placing your finger on the notch at the back."

Familiar with this process, Aethereis placed his finger, feeling a slight prick. Then, the screen lit up, showing an interface with different data.

"Currently, your deposit is zero, and your privilege level is Bronze Plus. Would you like to make a deposit into your account?" Diana asked.

Aethereis nodded slightly, having already decided on the amount to deposit before coming. He raised his right hand, showing a ring with intricate patterns, a storage ring he had acquired on his way to the bank. With a slight flash of light, the ring responded to his thought and materialized a leather pouch in his hand.

"Yes, I would like to deposit ten thousand gold coins," said Aethereis without a change in expression, handing the pouch to Diana.

Using the device, Diana recorded the deposit. The device glowed slightly as she entered the amount, and the runes on the screen adjusted to show the new balance of Aethereis' account. After a few moments, Diana completed the process.

"The process is complete. You can check your deposit in 10 minutes, and it should reflect in your account. Your privilege level has been upgraded to Silver Premier," Diana responded.

After bidding farewell to Diana, Aethereis stood up and headed towards the bank's exit. Today was the day he would start taking missions from the guild. He needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible. In his previous world, he always felt as if chains were binding him, that oppressive feeling where no matter how much he trained or tried, his strength and techniques did not improve. But once he transmigrated, he felt the chains that bound him had disappeared. He wanted to experience that addictive feeling once more...