[You have arrived at the [Luminous Kingdom's Great Capital City of Sunlight]!]
"We're finally here, everyone!" I celebrated, as we jumped off my Familiars, unsummoning the so they wouldn't make such a huge fuss.
"Oh, so this is the city, huh?" Rita wondered. "Do we have to get through the gates over there?"
"Yeah, we cannot enter without being identified by the Paladin Guards at the gates." Angelina explained. "We've come here multiple times already, so we are well known. Players usually come here to complete their Job Class Quests or to obtain Skill Books for their respective Classes.
But all of you guys are quite strange in that you've grown and developed on your own instead of seeking the guidance of Job Class Masters, which you find in each Class Category Guild."
"Oh, I see, is there a Farmer Guild?" I wondered.
"N-No, not that I remember…" Angelina said. "There's a Shaman Guild if you're interested? They deal with Spirit Magic and stuff."
"Nah…" I sighed. "It's not even my class. I am a Farmer! If there's no Farmer Guild, I wonder if I could make one myself? Is that possible?"
"I don't know, but you've made yourself a Kingdom, so maybe everything is possible for you." Erdrich laughed. "The Necromancer Guild is also not located here, but in a different city very far away, and quite hidden, so I can share some of your pain."
"I remember I picked the Geomancer Class originally." Lily commented. "Which Class Master should I find?"
"Hmmm, Geomancers are from the Shaman and Druid Branch of Magician, so either of the two would do. The same for Titan I believe, nya." Anikitty said.
"I see! I wonder if I could find some enlightenment from my Class Master!" Lily seemed really pumped up. "Ah, I wonder where's Jenny? It would be nice if she was around!"
"She's at work, but she'll log-in in an hour or two." Mark explained. "Anyways, I guess the Shaman Guild would be worth visiting for me. But should I? It's not like I could find much guidance now that I've advanced so far…"
"You never have enough guidance from the Class Masters." Anikitty said. "They can give you special quests based on your current progress, and help you Rank Up much faster with bonus EXP, and even gifting you Skill Evolution Grimoires or Skill Grimoires! They're most players allies, and who everyone relies on to grow stronger."
"Yeah, usually only those with normal Classes, that's it." Gandalf stroked his beard. "But all of you have very unique classes and evolutions, so I don't know if it could be possible to find much guidance from them… Well, it's always worth giving it a shot."
Class Guilds are sure something I remember hearing about at the beginning of the game. The Guidance Spirit said that I should eventually join a Guild once I enter one of the big cities, but I never felt like doing so, so it was eventually extended all this much.
Its not like I haven't visited cities, but it seems that the Fairy City and the Dwarven City don't count, somehow? Perhaps because they're not open for the entire public, nor are they easy to access to.
As we made our way to the City Gates through the road, we found many other Players and NPC, natural inhabitants of this world, gathered and waiting in the line. There were large carriages with merchants bringing all sorts of products.
"Ooh, fellow merchants!"
Julius ran off to meet other merchants, scaring them with his appearance and then coming back saddened that they shooed him away.
"They didn't wanted to make business…"
"Aw, well, they're naturally scared, Undead have become quite a problem lately." Angelina explained. "But I'm sure you can make friends as long as… Oh! How about you pretend you're Erdrich's summon? This way it could work."
"I can, Lord Erdrich?" Julius asked.
"Eh? Huh? S-Sure?" The Vampire Necromancer seemed rather surprised but accepted the proposal anyways.
"Nice! Then please come with me, Lord Erdrich!" Julius dragged Erdrich around.
This time, using this excuse, things became smoother for the Undead Merchant, as he ended buying and selling items with other Merchants, making a surprising profit. He also began gathering Gold Coins, the Living's Currency.
"Gold Coins are sure an interesting currency, they cannot be eaten nor absorbed, and they are too precious to use on most weapons, armor, or anything!" Julius said. "They're vey shiny and all, but why do you people find them so precious?"
"W-Well…" I wondered. "Just flawed game design, yeah."
"It's easier when there's just a single currency and we're done with it." Angelina shrugged. "Monsters drop them too, so it still similar to Nether Coins from the Underworld in that regard."
"I see! Certainly…" Julius was very curious. "They do contain small quantities of pure Mana. Perhaps they do have some sort of preciousness to high-ranking nobles, we just don't know yet!"
"Oh, that's a possibility?" Angelina wondered. "But for what could they use gold for? To restore Mana? There's potions for that."
"Maybe we could find some answers to that interesting question in that big tower over there." Mark crossed his arms. "I am sensing tremendous quantities of Magic Power from there… Those Mages from the Magician Guild are sure powerful."
"Naturally, they're the strongest Class Guild in the city, and also they are even above the Adventurer Guild, where usually everyone has to register to access the Quests there." Said Angelina.
"Adventurer Guild?! Oh, I can register as an Adventurer too?" I wondered.
"For sure! Any Player is welcomed, nya. Even if we're demi-humans or monsters." Anikitty said. "So don't be shy and go register if you can, nya."
"Oh, that sounds interesting…" Mark nodded. "How about we do that to begin with once we get through the gates? Then we can begin looking for clues for Cloudia, Hephaestus' stuff, and also the Cult."
"Alright then, sound good. We've got three big objectives; this is not going to be easy." I laughed. "But I'm looking forward to it!"
Within the depths of a black, dark hall, a large group of men and women wearing black cloaks and wielding huge black staffs decorated with Miasmic Jewels were chanting a ritual.
In the center of this enormous hall, surrounded by them, there was a huge, red-colored jewel, inside of it there was a small mass of black energy, swirling and twitching slowly as the cultists chanted their ritual.
"The dark one shall rise again!"
"The dark one shall rise again!"
"We will not give you up!"
"We will not give you up!"
"Rise once more, our King!"
"Rise once more, our King!"
The red crystal started to slowly glow brighter, as around the huge ritual circle, there were several bodies of restrained people, wrapped on runic chains, having their life force, soul, and blood drained, and imbued into the crystal.
However, despite its progress, it suddenly came to a halt, the sacrifices dying as they were drained of everything they held… Someone in the large hall stepped in, with a tall skeleton wearing a black cloak at his side, holding a staff decorated with skulls.
"Not enough sacrifices…" The man sighed. "How long must we keep up with this?! You said the ritual would work!"
"It will." The skeleton seemed to be delighted in the sight. "But we need more… More energy. Cloudia's Fragment… if we can get there…"
"Hmph, it's not like it is the easiest of places to enter…" The man sighed. "After all, that blasted Divine Forge Guardian is on the way."