The two moved through the dimly lit streets, navigating many buildings and plazas before eventually arriving at the Baron Family estate. They entered, where they were met with a large pagoda; its peak seemed to pierce through the shadowed clouds. "That is the lounge of the direct descendants of the Baron family. Avoid that place at all costs," Rain said.
Right next to the tall pagoda was another, much smaller building with a sign that read, "Hall of Internal Affairs." This was where all the internal affairs of the Baron family were carried out.
"We are here," Rain announced.
"Rain, it seems like you're still stuck on guard duty," a young woman at the front desk said. She appeared slightly chubby, and in front of her were canisters of scrolls and rows of books.
"Tasha, she's here to take the contract," Rain replied.
"Yeah, I know that. Why else would you come here? It's not as if you miss me," Tasha said. As the two conversed like old acquaintances, Helice stood in the background, totally forgotten. However, she wasn't offended in the slightest.
The designs and architecture within the Baron clan were completely different from the outside. Contrary to the exterior, which gave the vibe of a slightly more advanced medieval city, the interior here had a mixed Chinese and English aesthetic. It was incredibly lavish and breathtaking.
The chubby girl named Tasha pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Helice. "Take a moment to go through the terms of the contract. Note that they can neither be changed nor modified. If you agree, then sign by placing your thumb in the designated rune."
Hearing this, Helice took the contract paper. By this time, Rain had left, saying to contact him when she needed anything, but he never mentioned how. The sigil of the Baron clan was actually a group of stars that formed a circle; Helice found it catchy.
The terms of the contract were very simple. While there would obviously be some limitations, Helice found her eyes glued to the benefits. According to the terms of the contract, in exchange for becoming an acolyte under the Baron family, she could browse through the collection of magical principles within the clan's public library. Upon signing, she would be given a free residence within the clan, they offered protection, and a whole bunch of other minor benefits.
In exchange, she would have to remit 10 Aether crystals every month. She could only defect twice before the contract was terminated, after which she would still have to pay what she owed before she was finally free. She could not harm nor betray any member or direct descendant of the Baron clan. The contract also included rules for staying in the city; there was only one: no killing or experimenting, be it on mortals or other acolytes, within the city.
Though the last part was a bit strange, she still found the terms of the contract agreeable, especially since she could finally get her hands on books. She placed her finger on the sign rune, and it lit up. She felt something poke her finger, drawing a tiny drop of blood. In an instant, she felt a new rune in her psychic sea.
This was the part she didn't expect. The psychic sea was a rather sensitive place; it was the most vulnerable spot for a magus, but it couldn't be helped. Besides, this contract was only for one year, after which she would have to renew it upon expiration.
She felt the use of the new rune; it meant she could not go back on the terms of her contract, or she might face a backlash from the mind rune. The only way to get rid of it was for the contract to expire. Runes like this worked both ways; it meant Helice couldn't go back on the terms, and the same could be said for the Baron clan. But Helice didn't think they rose to power by following the rules. They likely had a way to breach the contract if they wanted to; in fact, she was counting on it.
In fact, it was due to this that most acolytes would often refrain from joining any family or organization. After signing, she returned the paper to the desk lady, Tasha, who then proceeded to ask her a series of questions.
After that, a name tag was assigned to her with her name on it. On the tag, the name read "Helice Saresian." Helice didn't have a last name, so she casually used the name of the dark magus Saresian instead. This was the only name that came to her mind when she was asked to provide a last name.
After that, Tasha gave her another tag with a number and a key attached to it. The room assigned to her was incredibly spacious, almost twice the size of her bedroom with Amis, with a large king-sized bed in the middle. Helice quickly dived in. Tomorrow was going to be a new day, and she already had a great idea of how to start.
---
The next morning, she was woken up by a knock on her door. When she opened it, a stranger handed her a new set of acolyte robes. She sensed this one had the same runes as her old one, but the only difference was the Baron clan sigil etched on the left side of her chest.
Helice didn't do this naturally. After taking a bath, she quickly headed for the library. The distance from her lodge to the public library was not very far; it took her a few moments to reach the building.
Although it was called a public library, it was actually only open to acolytes of the Baron clan. Apparently, the direct descendants had their own library, hence the name "public." Helice had to guess they were keeping the good stuff to themselves.
Upon entering the library, Helice was met with the librarian, who was also a Rank 1 acolyte but much younger than herself. He looked to be no older than 19 years old, and Helice was actually 27 this year. This once again reminded her how far behind she was; she needed to catch up fast, and the first step was earning money.
There had to be something in here that could make her money. After all, she had to continuously pay the Baron clan ten Aether crystals per month. Twelve months in a year made a total of 120 Aether crystals in a year. The thing was, Helice hadn't even seen an Aether crystal before in her life, much less provided ten per month.
She presented her name tag to the young librarian, who said, "You can only browse through. Books and scrolls are not allowed to leave the premises; however, you can copy them onto a piece of paper."
Helice nodded. However, before she turned to leave, she asked a question, causing the young librarian to look at her as though she were an idiot. However, he still provided her with the answers; after all, that was his job.
Helice quickly followed the young librarian's instructions before entering the library. Her question had been simple: what could she learn based on the information here that would make her the most money?
It turned out there were two professions among magi: charm casting and alchemy. Of course, both of them cost a lot of money even to experiment with.
Charm casting involved using the Aether to create mind runes on objects. They could then be used to attack, defend, and a whole bunch of other things.
Alchemy, on the other hand, was a much broader term. It actually encompassed an array of other professions: potion-making, magical biology, actual gene engineering, and many more. People who practiced alchemy almost certainly ended up with necromancy as their specialty.