Ben tilted his head upwards.

  The building was almost four stories high, and its architecture appeared to be some of the finest Ben had seen. According to the large sign near what looked like a glass flask, it belonged to the alchemy guild. A small group of Hollow Moon soldiers guarded the entrance, making it look like what occurred inside was paramount.

  “You should speak with those soldiers. Seen as though you’re a system user and you have a Hollow Moon rank, they’ll be more inclined to entertain you than someone like me.” Har explained.

  Ben grabbed the crate and chuckled. “Alright, come with me at least. After seeing your bartering skills at the market and the forge, I want you there if they try to rip me off.”

  Har started to laugh before he nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  The soldiers blocked their path when they made it to the entrance before the one in charge stepped forward.

  [Sargeant Gunther Level 7]

  “Stop right there!” Gunther yelled before his tone calmed down. “It’s official business only.”

  Ben gave the soldier a narrow gaze. “Sargeant Gunther, we are here on business, although it may not be official.”

  The other soldiers glanced at each other and laughed when the one in charge shook his head. “Sargeant Bailey, I haven’t seen your face around here, so I'm going to assume you’re from an out-of-town garrison. I have orders to not let anyone in without prior permission.”

  “Fair enough,” Ben muttered. Turning to Har, he nodded at the crate, “Could you please remove the cloth for me?”

  The soldier looked on with a raised eyebrow. “You better not be doing any funny business.” His eyes shot wide open when he saw the crate's contents. It was like his entire demeanor had changed. “I apologize for the cold welcome, but where did you get all that Mirium from?”

  “I’m the new owner of the Blackrock Mine, and we’re here to see if the guild would like to buy it. If you don’t want it, others might be interested.” Ben explained in an official tone.

  “There’s no need to go elsewhere. If you kindly wait here, I’ll speak with the clerks. For that much Mirium, they’ll most likely send the guildmaster out.” The Sergeant nodded before disappearing through the doors.

  Ben glanced at the other soldiers, whose laughter appeared to have stopped. They stood there at attention, still like stones, as if embarrassed by their earlier outburst.

  The Sergeant shortly returned. “If you’d like to follow me inside. They’ve told the grand master, who should arrive at the reception shortly.”

  The moment Ben walked in, he saw an immaculate interior. The place was simple in shape but was furnished with some of the finest furniture he had ever seen, putting the Hollow Keep to shame. Various glass displays held chemical equipment normally seen in a science lab.

  Ben was most drawn to a case near the reception table. In it, separate racks held vials containing differently colored liquids. Beneath them was a vellum sheet displaying the wholesale prices for a case that contained twelve vials. Ben felt overwhelmed by the different types and tiered variations.

  Ben turned to the reception clerk, a young lady who appeared to be watching him and Har with a curious look. “Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but I don't suppose you have a list of these prices I can take with me.”

  Without saying a word, the receptionist nodded to Ben, flicked through a nearby pile of vellum, and held it out.

  Ben looked down, his hands occupied by holding the crate. He turned to Har and was about to ask him if he could take it, but he had already shot forward with a hand and grabbed it. The sheet was folded before Har tucked it in his pocket. “Many thanks to both of you.”

  The receptionist must have found it funny as she chuckled. When a nearby door swung open, she returned to work and pretended to look busy.

  An old man dressed like a royal prince walked towards the reception area. His gaze bounced from Ben to Har before he cleared his throat. “Sergeant Benjamin Bailey of the Hollow Moon.”

  Ben walked ahead, “That would be me. Are you the Grand Master?”

  The old man nodded, “Indeed, Gran Master Malfor at your service. Welcome to the Feruswich branch of the Alchemy Guild. Normally, you’d be talking with one of the guild members, but since you’ve got an entire crate’s worth, I am the only person here, apart from the treasurer, who can issue such a large payment for the delivery of goods.”

  Ben nodded, “Well, it’s nice to meet you regardless. I would have shaken your hand if I wasn’t holding this thing.” He raised the crate, looking down at it.

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  “I apologize for taking some time to get here. Running a guild such as the one we have here is not an easy task. If you’d like to follow me with your companion to the back, we can grade the quality of your ore and weigh it on the scales.” The grand master motioned. When he saw the curious looks on both Ben and Har, he added, “Due to the valuable nature of your product, we conduct this standard operating procedure whenever a new batch of Mirium is received. It’s so we can ensure you are properly compensated.”

  Ben understood what he meant, similar to what the jewelry shops did when dealing with precious metals and gems. He gave the man a nod before following.

  Beyond the door, a large storage area appeared, filled with multi-tiered shelving units and crates, similar to a warehouse. Armed guards stood at various points, with some patrolling the narrow corridors between the stock.

  Further down, an open area appeared toward the back of the building. Several piles of crates were on the ground near what looked like large enough doorways to the outside, big enough for carts to reverse in and be loaded. Workers scurried around with the crates, placing them in the various piles, checking a sheet of vellum, and making their way back to the storage area.

  The grandmaster took them to a location that looked like goods were incoming. A man with an oversized mustache sat behind a desk filled with magnifying glasses. Behind him was a large scale, as big as a cart. When he saw the grandmaster, he stopped what he was doing and stood to attention.

  “Grand Master Malfor,” The man smiled and nodded, “how may I be of assistance?”

  Malfor pointed to the crate Ben held and said, “This is Sergeant Bailey. He is here to sell his Mirium. Please grade the ore and weigh it so we can pay him.”

  Without hesitation, the man nodded, “Of course, Grand Master. It shall be done at once.” He then moved a few things out of the way on his desk and motioned for Ben to bring it forward. “If you could place it here.” He removed the cloth covering it when his jaw almost hit the table. “Magnificent. A powerful glow with massive dense pockets of ore. This stuff is as nearly refined Mirium as you can ever get.” Turning to Ben, he asked, “Who mined this?”

  Ben scratched his head with a chuckle. “It was me. I mined it.” He didn't feel comfortable sharing the details of the Onmitool, which had done most of the hard work.

  “Finding excellent quality ore is one thing, but it must have taken you immense hard work and effort to get it to be like this.” Before turning to the Malfor, the mustache man explained, “I don't need a magnifying glass to tell me this is the best Mirium you’ve had here in a long time.”

  Malfor nodded to the grader. “Well, you should weigh it and determine its worth.” He then turned to Ben and asked, “Where did you mine this ore?”

  “I’m the new owner of the Blackrock mine,” Ben explained.

  The grand master glanced at Ben as if he wasn't sure what to make of that. “Interesting. I’ve not heard that name in a long time. Alright, I will assume there’s more where that came from. Are you willing to work with us to create a contract for regular deliveries? We will buy all you can produce.”

  “That depends on a few factors. I’m not sure how much we can produce and send to you regularly. Let’s keep it so that whatever we mine, we will come here once a month and deliver it for on-the-spot cash. Does that sound better?” Ben enquired. He felt like the grand master had already started negotiating and didn't want to give in to his demands too easily as it would make him look weak.

  Malfor let out a croaky sigh, “I’m fine with once a month as long as the ore is similar to this.” He motioned to the crate.

  Ben stroked his chin as a little idea popped into his head. “There is one thing I wanted to ask you.”

  Malfor nodded and motioned for him to continue.

  “I’m not sure if you’ve heard from the Grand Marshall Le’Vieux, but he’s sending a bunch of artisans to the Mesolands. Almost all of them will stay at the mine where we’re creating a production-based village. Do you know about it?” Ben explained.

  Malfor gave Ben a narrow gaze. “Indeed, but we’ve not been specifically called to donate our artisans to the cause. I’m assuming due to the lack of resources available for us to do our work.” He motioned at the crate, “This here greatly changes the situation. But still, I don't see why we would create another operation there. It makes no sense from a business standpoint.”

  “That’s true, but you’ll have access to whatever Mirium is mined without waiting for it. Besides, from what I hear, many skilled artisans will be working there, which could, in theory, result in the creation of items and potions that are more powerful than what this kingdom has ever seen. Besides, Le’Vieux will be handing out honors once that war is over. Imagine what it could do for your guild.” Ben explained. He hoped he had done his cause of helping the people there get the justice they deserved.

  Malfor paused. It looked like he was thinking things through before he started. “I’m not making any promises, but I'll send someone up there to assess the situation. If working with yourself up there appears feasible, then I don't see any problems with it.”

  “It’s done!” The mustache man exclaimed. He placed the crate and the contents back on the table and waited patiently.

  Malfor ignored the man momentarily as he waited for Ben to speak.

  “That sounds great to me. Also, I don't suppose I could buy some crates of potions from you?” Ben asked.

  “What potions are you exactly looking for?” Malfor asked with an inquisitively raised brow.

  “Health and Mana,” Ben replied.

  “Consider it done at no cost to you. I will have them in your cart and some other varieties as a goodwill gesture for our continued cooperation.” Malfor nodded.

  “That’s much appreciated.” Ben smiled.

  They all turned to the desk where the man had taken out a sheet of vellum. He waited for a nod from the Grand Master before he started speaking.

  “As you can see on this sheet, there are many prices for ores of different qualities. According to the grading, your ore was of exceptional quality, the highest on this list, priced at ten Gold Pounds per pound in weight. According to the scales, you have approximately twelve pounds of product, which will be rounded to the whole number according to our fair trade rules. You’ll be paid one hundred and twenty Gold Pounds.”

  Malfoy removed a book filled with what looked like banking checks and promptly filled it in before passing it over to Ben. “One hundred and twenty as valued.”

  Ben grabbed the check and gave him a funny look. “I don't suppose you know where I could cash that. I’ve got a few in my pocket.”

  “The Royal Bank of Feruswich is your best bet. You can't miss it if you carry on down the road past this building. It’s one of the grandest buildings in the city, second to only the keep. You’ll need to show them the deeds to the mine and open a bank account before checks can be cashed out.” Malfor explained.