Noah was not sure about what he had just witnessed.
One mont, he was watching a scene unfold that felt like sothing straight out of the over-the-top dramas that his grandmother used to love. And the next, he and the others were swept away to an entirely different place.
A place he thought he already knew, given they had been here before.
In fact, they had been the first outsiders to ever enter DG’s ’office’. Back then, it was already sothing else, and they could definitely see that it wasn’t a normal place. Not when it radiated energy, even at that point.
But this? This was sothing else entirely.
The second Noah opened his eyes after being treated to the sudden change in lighting, he staggered back in awe.
The office that definitely did not look like an office now had expanded—and not just in size.
The place had evolved.
Pillowy clouds glowed white against a sky so blue it looked unreal. And Noah could rember how it did not look as vast the first ti they marveled at it.
Lush gardens that multiplied in size and in scope surrounded them, all brimming with energy that even the most manicured landscape at the Academy couldn’t mimic.
And the air?
It practically vibrated with a cleansing hum that was even echoed by his bones.
He felt too alive, if that was even possible.
While he had expected the energy and even knew how lucky all these clients were just when he saw the posts, he did not expect whatever this was.
It wasn’t just an improvent.
It was an ascension.
And he felt like ascending with it.
Not to ntion the more surreal parts where heaven looked like an actual spa, one that was made for pets.
With the expansion of this place, there were now paths—pebble-lined trails—that would direct visitors to these incredible anities.
In his mind, this wasn’t a guild facility.
This was paradise.
And he had never wanted to be a beast more than he wanted to be one right now.
Noah turned to Theo, wondering how the boy who lived for this mont was faring.
He was alive, at the very least.
It was just that Theo gawked at everything.
If a light breeze blew, he got distracted, and when the leaves on the trees swayed, he’d falter.
Theo was in wonderland.
The moss he could barely step on could’ve started fistfights. And those leaves glowing faintly by the shade, as well as those fungi by the roots? Might as well prepare for multiple duels.
He looked like he was cataloguing whatever he could see, and he probably was.
But who could bla him?
Especially not when across that small pond was a modest-looking fenced area that had small sections of different herbs.
Small compared to the sheer size of this facility, but this small garden patch could bankrupt at least five black-market vendors from jealousy alone.
Rare dical herbs and flora that haven’t been seen in decades, only partially alluded to in those dusty textbooks, were here.
Growing freely. And not guarded by a slew of battle drones.
Noah had to guide Theo by the collar just to keep him from faceplanting into the flowerbed.
But then they got to the water—the water—was worse.
Or better. Depending on how you looked at it.
Theo made a strange, strangled sound, like a startled siren, when he neared the main pool.
As soone with Siren lineage, however faint, he imdiately felt the compulsion. The water glimred, reflecting the sky above, and to him, it sounded like it was humming with ancient resonance.
It sang.
And it took everything in Noah’s power to anchor the usually mousy Theo to reality.
But they weren’t the only ones experiencing so sort of awakening.
Ada had been taking in the scene as soone who had just accepted her fate.
Sure, the contract they signed was...legally interpretative. But standing here—breathing this air—she thought that maybe it wasn’t so bad.
That even if she got beheaded later, even her parents would understand. She would still go down smiling.
After all, not even in their relatively safe galaxy would they find a place like this. And believe her, they looked.
As for her Highness Princess Kira?
She had no regrets.
If anything, her brain had started plotting how to denounce her inheritance if it ant being able to live here.
Her palace, however grand that was, wouldn’t hum like this, not like how this place was making her insides tingle.
And just looking around has led her to realize her mistake.
Those ores should’ve been gifted, not discounted.
This wasn’t sothing you ask for a discount on. This was a once-in-a-lifeti investnt.
But before the Princess could spiral further into her noble regret, the group was ushered into a nearby dining space—quaint yet elegant.
They were apparently being served a small welco al at the guild leader’s orders.
In Luca’s reasoning, it was important for the staff to know what they were serving, for how does one recomnd anything when they don’t even know how it tastes?
And so, there they were looking at this thing called a nu. And on there was sothing called Pancakes.
Soft. Fluffy. Golden.
Such innocent words, yet such devastating consequences.
When the plates were brought out, each stacked with what looked like golden perfection, none expected anything less than pleasant.
But they were wrong.
Before they even touched their forks, one redhead raised a paramount concern.
"This is the butter," he intoned, as if introducing sacred relics.
"And this is the syrup," he said as he pointed at a small glass jar.
"When serving, please inform guests of proper ratios, as improper allocation may cause depression and chaos."
No one understood what he ant.
Not until the Princess took a bite.
No, correction.
Until she demolished her pancake stack.
Eight bites. Gone.
This ti, the Princess, after weeks of intense training, learned delayed gratification and took eight solid bites.
She froze.
Her plate was barren, while the others had barely cut into their first piece.
"What...?" she whispered.
Then, realization dawned. It was gone.
Just like that.
It sohow felt as bad as the first ti she fought with her Bunbun, and the Princess almost threw a tantrum.
But to everyone’s surprise, the original mbers didn’t flinch and just nodded in understanding.
Instead, she was handed a set of instructions.
"As a Union mber, you may exchange your Work Contribution Points (WCP) for food, personal-use items, and specialty Guild products," began the adjutant, who had long morized this spiel.
The initially despondent princess squinted. "WCP?
"Yes, you’ve already accumulated 20 as part of your initial mbership, in fact."
The Princess was montarily silent as she processed this new information before solemnly declaring, "I must sign up for overti."
"If labor yielded this kind of reward, then she’d fight for it."
But then her loyal aide, who was clearly picked well, asked, "Excuse us, but is it possible to contribute materials to increase WCP?"
This was sothing Ada had cramd after learning that her boss was adamant about joining a guild, and was hoping this was possible.
D-29 actually wanted to answer this with a massive banner, but Luca beat the little system. "Contributions like that could also be counted and could earn points based on the value or rarity of the item or material."
Luca and Ollie’s eyes shimred upon hearing this, but more than that, one Princess looked like she’d hit the lottery.
But in this case, who really won?
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