Chapter 164: You Are Introduced To The Guild

Elias glanced at Supervisor Chen in surprise and the man grinned, “You are just stepping foot into the world of Siphon, and take it from me, those knuckleheads in the military may have all their fancy Lumina Vein Arts, but the true measure of power lies in the mind, and the path of Immortal Knowledge is the only true way to reach the zenith… mark my words. Anyways, you will find out that in most major cities, all six paths are represented in some ways,” Supervisor Chen continued. “But Stormfall… well, you know our city. Isolated, strange, built on the bones of a dead… cough… cough. We only have four of the Guild Houses here.”

Supervisor Chen began speaking faster as if aware of the blunder he had nearly made and wanted to distract Elias, who thought it was amusing and remained silent. There were too many mysteries surrounding him, and at the moment, he needed to have a firm footing on what he was capable of before he went out looking for more mysteries.

Elias watched as Supervisor Chen began ticking off a list with his fingers and smiled inside at this unique habit of the man,

“In Stormfall, we have the Alchemist Guild, although in the past, during the era of divinity, this path was called Alchemistry. As the path has been refined to begin serving Siphons and mortals, we mostly regard it as the Alchemist Guild.” Supervisor Chen gestured towards the distance, “You noticed all the grand buildings at the end of the Guild District, the one facing the east is the Alchemist Guild.”

Making a wide sweeping gesture with his hand, “You would notice that each place that the Guild Branch faces, the quadrant in that direction belongs to them, for instance, the eastern quadrant of the Guild Districts belongs to the Alchemist, and you would find the best shops and resources for this path in that section.”

The picture of the four massive guild branches flashed in Elias’s head, and he marked the building for the Alchemist in his mind. He nodded at the Supervisor, who continued his speech, ” Beside the Alchemist Guild is the Artificer Guild, and as you know, they are the masters of Weapons Refinement and…” he frowned, “There is a small section that now deals in Puppet Creation, but that section is growing, fancy that.” He sighed, “There are now two of the paths under one roof, which makes them powerful, but the section of Puppet Refinement is a secretive bunch, and you don’t have to worry about them as they don’t welcome visitors. The northern quadrant of Guild Districts is their territory… be careful if you choose to walk through that area.”

Elias blinked at the venom in the voice of Supervisor Chen, but he did not interrupt the man because he felt that if he did, then he would spend hours hearing about the masters now dealing in Puppet Creation. There would be a time when he would want to spend hours listening to the stories of the man, but not now.

As if aware that he was breaking his image as a master teaching an expectant mind of the path of knowledge ahead, Supervisor Chen coughed in embarrassment,

“Ah, where was I, yes, the Guilds, well, we also have the Formation Guild here on Stormfall, they are the mathematicians and architects of power. Their territory is in the western quadrants, covered in arrays that make them nearly impossible to navigate without permission. Although you won’t find most of their masters inside their territory, they mostly are in the Upper Districts because the most profound of the God-Era Formations can be found there.”

Elias was creating a mental map in his head, and he was understanding the Guild districts in a deeper fashion.

“Then we have the Herbalist and Beast Tamer Guild, which is a combined house for Spiritual Plants and Animals. They occupy the southern quadrant of the Guild Districts, with gardens that float in the air and enclosures that hold creatures from across Trion. They are among the friendliest of the guilds, and I advise you to go there when you have enough money in your pockets; you may be surprised at what you may pick up. That, for now, is the totality of the Guild presence here on Stormfall.” Supervisor Chen concluded.

“Talisman?” Elias asked. “What about that path?”

Supervisor Chen shrugged. “Not enough masters to form a house in Stormfall. The few Talisman artists we have either work independently or have been absorbed by the Noble Houses. It’s a shame, Talismans are incredibly useful. But that’s the reality of a city this isolated.”

Chen leaned forward, his expression serious.

“So, Elias. You want to join the Guild, and I believe I have introduced you to them all. Tell me, which path calls to you?”

Elias didn’t hesitate; in his mind, he said all of them, but what emerged from his mouth was, “Alchemistry. It’s what I’ve been studying on my own for years. It’s what I do in the tunnels, but for so long I have only been mixing pastes, now I want to understand the mystical reactions that I could not see as a mortal and create things that shouldn’t exist.”

Supervisor Chen nodded slowly. “I thought you’d say that. You’ve got the mind for it,” he smiled, “I have watched you over the years, and I have seen your obsessive attention to detail, and your patience to test and retest, the creativity to see possibilities where others see dead ends.” He paused. “But you need to understand something, Elias. Alchemistry at the level you’re talking about isn’t just mixing reagents. It’s a cultivation path. Every potion you brew, every poison you create, every elixir that works perfectly, feeds back into your growth. A master Alchemist can advance as surely as a warrior who kills a thousand enemies. How else do you think the Guild can stand as an equal power to the Royal Houses and the Military?”

Elias’s eyes widened a bit as he considered the implications of these words said by the Supervisor. He had no idea that Lumina could be gained by performing the acts of Alchemy or any other Immortal paths. This changed everything, and his desire to learn every single Immortal knowledge was triggered.

He did not know how difficult it would be for him to be able to gain access to powerful creatures when he grew stronger, and just depending on hunting for his growth would be problematic, seeing that his Lumina Pools were vast beyond reason, but if he had the assistance of the Immortal paths, then the road no longer seemed as endless.

“I understand.” He finally replied.

“Do you?” Supervisor Chen’s eyes were sharp. “Because this path requires sacrifice. Time you could spend hunting, training, growing stronger through battle, you’ll spend it in a laboratory, breathing fumes, testing failures, watching your competitors surge ahead while you’re still trying to perfect a single formula. The Guild doesn’t give power away. It makes you earn it; not many are able to balance these two paths of growth.”

Elias met his gaze. “I’ve been earning everything my whole life, Supervisor. I’m not afraid of hard work.”

Chen stared at him for a long moment. Then he laughed, a genuine, warm sound that filled the workshop.

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