Murmurs fill the hall. The once dissatisfied looks of the spectators are now replaced with grins.
"Ok." The man immediately turns his back after accepting the offer. It's anti-climatic, even for the Madam. She might be thinking that the member is just bluffing, and she counters it with another bluff. Sadly, she fails to judge the person right in front of her. I know very much from his eyes that he's willing to give up what he had if he doesn't get what he wants.
"Are you sure you're just going to l-left like that?" The madam sighed. She just stepped on a land mine. She needs to win him now or he'll be gone forever. Even I knew his value, especially with the hunting season coming.
"I heard you're already blacklisted with other guilds due to your arrogant attitude. Crescent Black, if you'll stay uncooperative, you won't get anywhere. You'll end up alone."
That must have hit a nail. Crescent stops, then, turns his head showing his warm smile.
"I��m not alone."
---------------------
Except for that day, nothing unordinary happens during my two days apprenticeship. I left my resignation on the table before the lights out, explaining my dissatisfaction at work.
One more thing, I took the contact number of Crescent Black from our file, hoping that I'll be able to contact him after our opening.
Here is the content of my letter:
Dear Madam Catalyst,
I sincerely thank you for giving me a wonderful job. As much as I wanted to stay to learn and serve Lamba, the school I'm admitted to forbid me from taking part-time jobs. When I graduate, please give me a chance to work with Lamba again.
Sincerely Yours,
Nabi Blue
Blue is the President's last name. Although he didn't officially take me in, he agreed to use his last name for the job hunting.
"We lack many things." I explained. We're sitting again in the living room to discuss the next step for officially opening Axum as a guild.
"To officially become a guild, we need to recruit skilled employees and members. We need to purchase an EIC device, additional fixtures, and basic office supplies. Furthermore, we need to create marketing strategies, establish a strategic organizational structure, and have a game plan on how to retain employees. As for our accounting and payroll, we can just outsource them as Lamba did."
Their face turns grim, just like me. It's obvious what we're lacking, and that's money.
"We might be able to do all of these tasks except buying EIC device. I just check it online and the cheapest model costs like the price of the yacht we saw once on the TV."
We fell silent. I never thought that my dream of getting affiliated sooner with the elites will be blocked by as trivial matter as this. Damn, money is powerful!
"S-should we still one?" Ven recommended out of nowhere.
I thought of that too. Unfortunately, that's not possible. We'll high likely be busted soon. A new guild pops out of nowhere, and it didn't even drop by to the EIC stores to buy its gadgets. If the store representative visit, they'll check the model number of the device, and well, it'll be jail time for us.
What should I do? What should I do? Even if I save all my pays from taking three part-time jobs anywhere, it'll take ten years before I could buy one.
"G-guys, don't panic. W-why don't you drop by at the EIC stores and see if they got discounts- Big discounts! Maybe they have installments that we can afford?"
Installments? I never thought of that before!
My eyes sparkle. There is still hope.
After breakfast, Ven and I immediately went to the only one EIC store in the city. It's just 30 mins travel by train. The store is located in a very big mall in the Upper Area. It's called Upper Area since it's constructed on the floating estate. We need to ride a cable car from the train to enter the magnificent place. Magnificent isn't enough to describe it. It's more than that.
Well trimmed trees and plants can be found inside the building. Robots in the form of animals greet guests, some are even programmed to guide them.
It's my first time visiting a tourist mall after staying inside the Axum for three months. Although I've seen the place before on the cloud (Internet), the cloud images won't do justice to the real deal.
Out of curiosity, I went on the edge of the building and lean on the big tinted blue glass wall that overlooks the eastern part of Avhelle.
The city is bustling. I bet it looks amazing at night, all except in one area.
It's not like any other place I found in Avhelle. The buildings there look very old and cheap. The roads are too tiny for cars to safely pass through. It might be cruel for me to say this but that area looks like a dump site from afar.
"That's Li Way, one of the poorest areas of Avhelle. No need to mind that, though. There are plenty of places like that around the world."
"One of the poorest areas?! What is your God doing?"
The God system, remembering it only pisses me off. That very God still persecutes the cursed and overlook the less fortunate. He must only be a God for those he likes.
"Idiot. Are you planning on overworking your human God? He's human too, a HUMAN. Even if he's not, I'll still feel bad to the omnipotent God. No matter how strong he is, there are just things beyond his control."
Infuriated, I close my eyes and sigh. To be honest, I wanted to argue.
I can still remember what happened to my people.
I can hear their screams.
I can hear voices on the back of my head persistently saying to kill everyone, everyone for the sake of revenge!
Whenever I have those thoughts during the two weeks I stayed at Axum, the president will talk and argued with Ven.
Ven will then come and pat me.
It must have been his healing gift. Every time he did that, my anger subsides. The voices disappear I felt warm. I felt love.
Ven is a mysterious person, just like the president.
Ignoring the fact that they both can't read, they're strange.
Ven is sharp and smart. I heard that they're many types of healing abilities, but it's very rare for a blessed to have more than two types. Those aren't the only gift he possesses, though. He's gifts are all over the place. Yet, he's struggling to meet ends meet. No, based on what I've noticed, they never accept odd jobs that can show Ven's skill.
When I asked him what his blessings classify, he purposely brushed off the topic.
The president too.
I never see him used his blessing until now.
He's not even related to Ven, but it's surprising how he managed to find and slightly tame him.
There's Axum too.
How did he manage to get a gold license?
I sighed.
I tried to pry but their lips are closed.
As long as they won't get in the way of my revenge, I'm fine regardless of their past or gifts. It's not like they're bad people.
After a minute of walks, Ven and I found the EIC store.
As soon as we entered it, we're greeted by their store representatives.
We must be enchanted for we can't hear their voices. All we can see are cool monitors of EIC displayed on the two corners of the room. They come in various sizes. There are communication tools and other guild essential devices that are lined up on the racks too. It's heaven until we saw the price tags.
It's hell.
"Hahahahaha, dear customer. Those are already on discounts. I don't think they are that expensive."
The female representative beside us smiled nervously.
She must have read our minds based on our facial expression. She's not wrong with that, though. We're certified broke.
"D-do you offer an installment?" I shyly asked. I always hate the idea of how much money has influenced over my revenge.
"That's…. we actually offered them, except for the EIC monitor. We can't resale them after a guild shut down for security purposes.
My world sink.
I looked at the price, calculate the amount of money we can save for a month if we combined our income minus the food expenses-
It's still not enough.
It'll cause as three years until we'll reach our goal, and that's provided nothing will happen to us.
"My money. My money…."
I can imagine how disappointed Ven is. He must be planning on living a good life from profiting from the lives of others.
I sigh
How many times did I sigh today?
I can only look at the big flashy monitor that turns transparent when the animation transitioned.
Hahahaha, it reminds me of the table we have at Axum, Akuji.
Wait….
I run to the corner where several models of unpowered EIC monitors are sitting.
There are three curves lines just like our table, Akuji.
The store representative might have been surprised when I touched the carved lines.
"Ah, that's for the power outlet, dear customer."
The devil must be with me today! I can't help but laugh. If my suspicion is true, then, we don't need to worry about the guild's tool. We already cleared the first hurdle.
"Oh, that looks like Akuji."
Ven noticed it too, but before he can say more, I drag him out of the store.
"Ahh, this is the reason why I should have pried me on your lives!"
The smiling face of the president doing a peace sign flashed on my mind.
After we confirmed our suspicion that day, I never saw the president roaming on his favorite couch. He must have been tortured by Ven. I heard him complaining about the trip costs and how much it affects our finances.
"Ha-ha-ha. My bad. My sister give it to me as a gift but I only thought of it as a regular table. Ha-ha-ha."
That's what the president said before he disappears.
Aside from the EIC monitor, everything can be purchased online. Luckily, I found a company that sells sets of communication devices at second-hand prices. It's a great deal. It didn't take that long for the goods to arrive.
We're very excited, even Ven's can't hide his expression. He must be so excited to become a formal vice president of the Guild. I have thought about it before. These two don't have a plan on taking part in the guild activities. I suspect that they're just going to leave everything to me while they live in luxury.
Ah, just thinking about it gives me a headache.
"Guys, I know that you're blinded by money right now, but are we forgetting something? You know I'll be using the guild for my revenge right? I'm fully aware that you don't want to participate with it."
I looked at the two with a concerned look.
This really bothers me, and I don't want to ignore it.
Ven gave me a puzzled look. He tilted his head and look at the president before looking back at me.
"Who said that? Money is my God."
M-money? Is he serious?
Well, that's possible with Ven. How about the president?
I found the president staring at the floor with guilty eyes.
"We did say that but after staying with you for months, I don't think it's alright to turn a blind eye to what's happening. W-what's more, we're earning money in the process, right?"
Ah, so this is why he looks guilty.
The president isn't a bad person, though.
He takes me in after all when everyone in this world is against me.
He's on my side.
Relieved, I smiled warmly.
"All right, I'm going to make this guild big so just watch me bring you money while I take down the bullshit God system."