As we walked to the Crafters' Guild, the lieutenant gave Thaddeus a tour of the city. Pinewood City was the third most populated city in the Arcadian Empire. Although it was incredibly small compared to the capital Redwood, if one wanted to explore the entire city fully, one would need at least several days.
The teleportation hall of Pinewood City was located on the southwest side of the city. It was relatively close to the city's entrance. Meanwhile, the Crafter's Guild was situated near the city's Central Plaza near the other vocation guilds and the Church of Light.
Pine Grove City was considered a city because its administration was far stricter than a town's. At the same time, it was also much more active. Being the focal point of several hundred towns, there were many more residents, crafters, and merchants. On either side of the main street, one could easily find various item shops, bars, restaurants, fruit stores, clothing stores, leather clothing stores, armor stores, magic stores, alchemy workshops, smithies, and much more.
In the city, players were forced to follow stricter laws, which carried more severe penalties. Players also needed a set amount of reputation points for some quests until starter towns. Items were also much more expensive and were of much higher quality. From what Thaddeus could see Pinewood City was extremely prosperous. A tall ornate bank and auction house connected to the seven other main imperial cities. If players placed their items up for auction, players from the other six cities could access them.
They finally stopped at a large intricately crafted building with statues of the various crafting professions along the building's Corinthian columns. The building was a massive five-story building. He admired the ornate building. He left his wagon with the city guard and walked into the guild.
As soon as he walked in, he saw a mural that covered the entire wall. The mural showed blacksmith forging, carpenters sawing, and tanners tanning in antiquity. The mural showed the rich history of crafters and their importance throughout time. It remembered the viewer of the importance of crafters and their involvement in society's evolution. The painting made Thaddeus feel good about himself and his decision to slow-play Heaven's Gate.
Five feet from the door stood a desk with an old woman knitting. She had white hair and moles dotted across her face. When she smiled at Thaddeus, he felt at ease and welcomed.
"Excuse me, madam receptionist, I would like to join the guild," Thaddeus said respectfully.
The woman stared at Thaddeus warmly and said, "That will be 12 gold and a letter of recommendation," she said comfortingly, sticking out her hand out her left hand to receive the payment and the letter.
'This shark, 12 gold that's nearly all my money! What's the point of bandits if a guild can rob its members legally," Thaddeus shouted internally.
Thaddeus begrudgingly handed over the required money and recommendation letter from Josh.
She counted the coins and examined the letter, and then looked quizzically at Thaddeus.
"One moment, please. Someone shall be with you shortly," she said, pointing to a group of seats along the wall, where some other men and women were seated.
"Hi what's your name and are you already affiliated with a player guild?" asked a man as Thaddeus set down.
"No," Thaddeus said, choosing to leave out his name.
"My name's Conan and I represent the Golden Knight guild. We'd like to recruit you. We can pay you 50 gold a month, plus living expenses, and crafting materials," he said soliciting Thaddeus.
"Don't listen to him. I'm with the White Rose guild. Normally we only accept women as members, but we'll make an exception for you. We'll pay you 60 gold a month, plus living expenses, and crafting material," she said animatedly.
"Can you tell us your class and Level?" said tall slender men in epic armor. He clearly was a higher level, but he also commanded the other recruiters respect.
"I'm a Level 10 Artisan. But I'm not interested in joining any of your guilds," Thaddeus explained.
"Artisan? Wait-let me look that up?" the man said, disregarding the rest of what Thaddeus said.
"That's a hidden class. You must be the first to reach an apprentice in three different crafter classes. And you are Level 10 already, that means you level up 10 twice now, haven't you?" the man said anxiously.
Thaddeus nodded, and the man looked even more interested in Thaddeus.
"I'm Hephaestus of the Mythical Guild. We are the number one guild in HG. That means if you join us, no other guild will dare mess with you. We can also pay you 150 gold a month, plus living expenses, and crafting materials. Oh, I see Crimson Outlaws have put a bounty on your head for their guild members. If you joined us, we would be happy to make that bounty disappear. I'm sure the Crimson Outlaws would even compensate you for your troubles," Hephaestus explained.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to join a player guild. I plan to homestead in a remote place," Thaddeus said.
"What a waste of talent," said the first man.
"Let's add it each as friends. That way if you change your mind or need help. I'm only a call away," Hephaestus smiled.
Not wanting to piss off a second guild, especially the most dominant guild in Heaven's Gate, Thaddeus agreed to add each other as friends.
As soon as they finished, a fat, bald man, in a fancy suit, summon Thaddeus to his office.
"My name is Micheal Williamson and I'll be your clerk," he replied shaking Thaddeus' hand.
Thaddeus took a quick glance around Mr. Williamson's office. His desk was neat and tidy, and there was a curio cabinet behind him that displayed various awards.
"Mr. Thaddeus thank you for providing the necessary payment and recommendation letter. So, few of you Travelers come prepared. I must say, I was surprised to read you apprentice under three different crafters and gained the Artisan class. The Artisan class is a highly respected crafting class. Few attain it, and none at such a young age. You must be truly gifted. If you could please fill touch this pad. I'll be able to review your crafter skills and levels. Please refrain from asking questions until the end," he said sternly.
Thaddeus did as he recommended and just like when he entered the city, his full stat sheet appeared holographically.
"Truly impressive indeed. I can see why that Mythical Guild wanted to recruit you so badly. Now listen, the Crafter's Guild has different requirements for opening a shop in the city and towns. We also have a contract with the Merchant's Guild to purchase and resell our goods. If you open a shop in the city, there is an agreed-on pricelist for every item.
Now here is your guild membership card, please keep it with you. The card entitles you to a 20% discount on transactions with Crafter's Guild. If you lose your card, it will cost 50 silver coins to replace it. If you decided to leave Pinewood, be sure to check in with the local Crafters' Guild. Failure to do so will jeopardize your business and you may be subject to a fine.
Also, as a member of the guild, you are required to pay an annual fee of 5 gold coins. Failure to do so may result in expulsion. Now, do you know where you wish to open your shop? Oh, I almost forgot. If you wish to open a store in a city, you must also purchase the land from the Land Office in City Hall," he explained.
"I don't want to open a shop. I plan to purchase a homestead," Thaddeus explained.
"An adventure. Well, I wish you luck. Unless you have any other questions, we're done here," Mr. Williamson said disappointedly.
"Wait can you tell me an inn where I can stable my horse and house my wagon? Thaddeus asked.
"Go to the Prancing Pony. It's a hangout for crafters. They have a barn, and they'll happily take care of your horse for a few coppers.
With that over, Thaddeus felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. He was officially a member of Heaven's Gates Crafter Guild. He was well on his way to accomplishing his goal. Outside the thanked the guard for watching over his wagon and Betsy and made his way to the crafter's district where the Prancing Pony was located.
The two-story inn faded into the city. It didn't stand out, but it was easy enough to find. Outside a bored stable boy sat throwing walks. When he saw Thaddeus approach he visibly cheered up and waved at him to pull into the adjacent barn.
"Welcome sir, to the Prancing Pony. I'm Tony. It's two copper to feed and water your horse. If you'd like me to wash her, I can do that for an extra two coppers," he said smiling excitedly.
"Here's 10 coppers, make sure to give her the works. Oh, do you know where I can find another Clydesdale like her for sale?" Thaddeus asked tossing the boy ten coppers. He was slowly getting used to giving out ten coppers for assistance.
"Thank you, sir. I don't but, I'll ask the other boys if they know anyone," he said tipping his cap and unhooking Betsy's harness.
Thaddeus left the boy. He could hear him whistling as he happily got to work. When he walked into the inn, the saw there were already people sitting down eating lunch. As he walking-in, he saw a long countertop to the right, and to his left were 15-round tables. Behind the countertop was a maid wearing a white barmaid apron.
"How much for two nights' room and board?" Thaddeus asked.
"One silver. My name's Rhonda and I own this inn. Breakfast is from 7 am to 9 am, Lunch is from 11 am to 1 pm, and dinner is from 5 pm to 7 pm. Food is served with one glass of beer. If you want more, you got to pay for it," she explained.
"I'll take lunch now," Thaddeus said handing her a silver. Just as he gave her the money, he received a notification that Dustin messaged him back.
"You can eat at the bar or sit at a table. You're in room number 2," she said throwing Thaddeus the key.
Thaddeus read the message, "Glad to hear you're in Pinewood. Everyone in the group is excited to meet you in-game, especially Heather. Wink emoji. Meet us at the Ugly Goblin near the Adventurer's Guild. It's a popular hangout for players. Let's meet at 8 pm. Okay, got running, we're about to head into the boss room. See you tonight."
"Here you go. Today's lunch is pot roast and potatoes," said the innkeeper putting down a big plate of pot roast and a mug of warm beer.
Thaddeus ate lunch and thought about his next steps. After he finished eating he'd need to visit City Hall and purchase his homestead. He wanted to buy another horse, and some other supplies. Maybe he asked Heather to shopping with him. He was so excited he quickly finished and headed to his next stop.