'It's... it's so low! I can't believe an Anima of this quality is so cheap!'
Sword Anima were most prominent in Eastern Mountains. However, they still weren't considered mainstream and were slightly uncommon there. Even in that scenario – even in the situation where sword users were uncommon – this Anima would go for over double its current price. It would be as valuable as a Rank 2 Anima.
However, Northern Tundra wasn't just a place where sword users were uncommon. It was a place where sword users were almost extinct.
'It's called sword intent for a reason; you can't use it without a sword. Since nobody wields swords around here, I guess this Anima was just left to rot on a shelf and steadily declined in price. Well... that's their loss and my gain.'
Isaac withdrew his will from the Librarian Anima and immediately told Martin which Anima he wanted. Martin was surprised, but he didn't judge. He just controlled the Librarian Anima to move over to Johan.
The others also picked their Anima. All of them picked Anima which were cheaper than the ones they were handing in, so there was no need to make a payment. Martin just told them to come back in the evening after he'd gone to retrieve the Anima.
After that, they all left the Adventurers' Hall. Outside, Isaac spoke to everybody else.
"Right, let's head back to my house for a debrief. It's a bit of a mess so I apologise in advance."
The others agreed. There were still details which needed to be ironed out, such as how their reward points were distributed.
They walked back to Isaac's place with minimal chatter or discussion. When they arrived, he unlocked his window and let everybody climb through.
They all sat around his table and Isaac placed the 3 pouches on the tabletop,
"We already agreed the reward distribution beforehand. Johan and I take 30% each, and you two take 20%. That means we get 9 reward points while you get 6 each. The Sarcevic Wolf's hide, claws, nose and eyes are worth 15 reward points, so we'll distribute those with the same splits after selling them."
Isaac emptied the pouches and divided the reward points. Nobody objected since this was all according to their prior arrangement. Next, Isaac asked another predictable question,
"Eva. Would you like to officially join our team."
He received a predictably short answer.
"Yes."
Isaac nodded,
"That's good. Now that you've agreed, we can start doing this paperwork to make an official team. Of course I'll do the major paperwork; I just need you to sign some things."
Isaac went around and handed each person several sheets. He pointed where they needed to sign and write the date.
"I also need you to write your signatures on a blank piece of paper. The applications are getting sent to the teams department in the Adventurers' Hall, but the mission department also need to keep a copy of our signatures."
Isaac went over to one of his cupboards and found four sheets of paper. Then he brought them over to the table, handed one to each team member, and started signing one himself.
The others finished the paperwork Isaac had given them before signing the blank piece of paper. When they were finished, they looked at Isaac. He gave a shallow nod as if to say, 'You can go now', and the others stood up and left.
Now Isaac was all alone in his small house. The fire blazed in the corner while he sat, motionless, beside the table. There were various papers stacked or strewn across the table, but Isaac's gaze was drawn to the 4 pieces of plain, signed paper.
A sly smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
He collected these bits of paper and stood up, then he walked over to the fire.
He took one of the slips of paper and cast it onto the bed of flames. It snapped and crackled as its corners bent and its body turned black. Within a few moments, Isaac's signature had gone up in flames.
His smile slowly widened as he saw this. Now he walked back to the table, shifted it to the side, moved his rug, and dug up the box under his floorboards. Isaac placed the signed bits of paper next to his notebook of talented newcomers. Then he locked the box and put everything back in place.
His smile faded as if nothing had happened and he went back to doing paperwork.
*************************
Isaac had underestimated how long the paperwork would take. He had to read a long contract about agreeing to protect the sect if it was attacked, taking at least one mission a month and so on. On the upside, forming this team would provide many benefits. Every member would receive a small monthly wage on top of their mission rewards. Their merit points would also be boosted and they would receive priority if they applied for certain sect jobs in the future.
Most importantly, the sect would keep a record of all their missions and the grades they achieved in them. Top teams with good records could receive special commissions and would always get the best jobs from the Adventurers' Hall.
It was already evening when Isaac had completed the paperwork.
He brought it with him and went to visit the Adventurers' Hall.
When he got there, he submitted the paperwork and then went to find Martin, who gave him his Anima.
It was a spirit in the form of a rusty, broken and cracked sword. Though the spirit looked frail, it was actually very strong and it put up a good fight when Isaac tried to subdue it.
However, his will was just too strong. He eventually overpowered the Anima and it became his. It flew into Isaac's head and took up residence in its new home. Isaac was astonished by its absurdly high idle consumption, but he soon accepted it. Great power came at a cost, after all.
After receiving the Anima, Isaac thanked Martin and headed home. It was getting late and he wanted a proper rest.
*************************
The next morning, Isaac was up nice and early. He got dressed and decided to go for a walk.
He was taking a trip through the quiet backstreets, but he suddenly came face to face with a wall. It was the wall which separated the Sect's Rank 1 and Rank 2 districts.
Isaac looked up at the 3-metre wall and shivered slightly since the entire street was in its shadow. However, the cold didn't bother him and he simply turned right. He kept walking through the dark, gloomy, cold, empty street which ran alongside the wall.
After several minutes of walking, Isaac had to turn right again. He headed away from the wall and made his way to the market. At this time of morning, there was only a fraction of the usual hubbub and noise about the place.
Isaac went straight to the Official Exchange Centre. He traded 7 reward points for Basic Qi Pills, then swiftly left.
He ventured back to the outskirts of the market where he found a small DIY store. It was entirely empty other than the owner, who sat behind the counter.
They acknowledged Isaac, then went back to whatever they were doing while Isaac browsed in silence. He picked out a variety of goods: a ball of very fine but adequately strong string, a stone shovel, and a small bag of eye hook nails. They were basically nails with a metal ring on the end.
Isaac bought the items. He put the string and nails in his pocket and carried the shovel as he walked back the same way he'd got here.
At a certain point along his route, Isaac stopped. He glanced up at the wall on his right, then he looked along the row of houses to his left. This was a dark, gloomy part of the Sect so nobody lived here and all these houses were empty.
There was rubbish flung across the street, and Isaac saw a pile of rotted wood, torn rope, and various other bits of trash at the side of the road. He walked up to the pile and pulled some of the rubbish away. Then he hid his shovel, nails and string deep within the pile of trash and put back a layer of rubbish to cover them.
After this was done, Isaac kept walking.
He wasn't headed back home. No, he soon arrived at the Cultivation Pagoda. He paid a reward point to rent a room for a week, then he eagerly ascended the stairs to his assigned room. He got inside and made himself comfortable, just as he'd done several times before.
He pulled a milky white pill from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
Thus, his cultivation for the day began.