Using a signal talisman, Minos sent an alert to Rubella. As he waited for her to arrive, he began thinking.
Minos understood his weakness well. In terms of cultivation talent, he was completely lacking, hence if he wanted to make his way up this world, he needed to rely on his other abilities.
One man was strong, but he could never compare to an army. The last time Minos was in Underwood City, he noticed the Weapon Refining Union, which was somewhat like a sect, but also different.
Unlike sects, union's were much more freelance. Members didn't have to work exclusively for the union, and could do work in other places, and could even be members of sects.
Essentially, unions were free organizations created with the goal of centralizing certain skills, making them more accessible for the normal man.
Weapon refiners weren't the only ones with a union, in fact pretty much all auxiliary occupations had unions as well.
There was the Talisman Union, Alchemy Union, and others. Of course, in Underwood City, the only union Minos found was the weapon refining one, otherwise he would have naturally joined the Talisman Union.
Unions were great places for those who had poor cultivation talent, but good skills. There they could truly shine, and find a way out for themselves.
Of course, most people are quite mediocre both in cultivation talent, and auxiliary talent, however in the case you have the second and not the first, a union is the perfect place to go.
The power of these unions were vast, spreading across the entire continent. In fact, some places won't even buy your goods unless your talent has been verified by a union via the badges they give out.
Fortunately for Minos, Underwood City doesn't have the luxury to care about things like that, so Minos can sell his goods regardless.
But in the future, when he travels more inwards into the continent, he'll need a badge, or people won't feel confident in buying his goods.
As long as Minos managed to showcase his talent, he'd be able to quickly move his way up the ranks in the Weapon Refining Union.
Using the union, Minos could not only further refine his skill, but more importantly, he could gain access to information about the treasure's he needs to break through, killing two birds with one stone.
As Minos cleared up his thoughts, Rubella arrived, curious as to why Minos sent out a signal so suddenly.
"What's wrong, master?" Rubella asked.
"We've spent enough time out here, it's time to head back for Underwood City." Minos said.
"Really!?" Rubella shouted out with excitement
"Really." Minos responded with a smile.
Rubella said nothing more, and quickly ran to gather her few belongings. After waiting a couple minutes, Rubella came back, hands filled.
"Is that everything?" Minos asked.
"Yes master!"
"Alright, let's go." Minos said, as he walked out of the cave, Rubella skipping along behind him in joy.
…
Underwood City wasn't far, so the journey back was a quick one. Minos and Rubella soon arrived back in the crowded city, Rubella's entire body jittering as if she couldn't wait to run out and find her friends.
"Go ahead." Minos said with a slight laugh.
With Minos's go ahead, Rubella rocketed out, not even saying a goodbye before disappearing among the dense crowds.
Minos smiled as Rubella disappeared. With her gone, Minos could focus fully on his goal.
He already knew where the Weapon Refining Union was, so he headed directly towards it, soon reaching the grand building.
It was even more luxurious than the Nine Treasures house, and was much bigger, making it clear the power that existed behind this building.
Minos opened the doors, walking inside with confidence. The first thing Minos noticed as he entered was the lack of people.
Unlike the Nine Treasures House that was filled with people, the Weapon Refining Union was mostly empty.
However just by looking at the clothes of the people inside, Minos could tell they were definitely from wealthy backgrounds.
It seemed it was quality over quantity here, hence when Minos entered with his dusty white robe that had followed him from his Green Barrel Sect days, the people inside looked at him with slight disgust.
However, unlike the novels Minos had read when he was a beggar, it seemed like none of these people were interested in insulting him, and just ignored him after a quick glance.
Minos was more than happy to be left alone. Walking up, he soon arrived at the front desk, a pretty young receptionist greeting him.
"How can I help you." She said with a professional smile, seemingly not at all concerned about his current attire, unfortunately the slight aura of disgust around her gave away her true feelings instantly.
"I'd like to join the union." Minos said with a bright smile, ignoring her aura as if it didn't even exist.
"You'll have to complete a skill test, requiring you to build at least a One-Moon weapon. If you pass, you'll earn your One-Moon Weapon Badge, and become an official member. Are you sure you're ready?" The young lady said, maintaining her smile the whole time.
"Ready as can be." Minos said.
"Alright, well the next promotion test will begin in three days. In the meantime, you can fill out this form." The young lady said, as she handed a sheet to Minos.
"Thank you." Minos said as he took the paper.
Walking over to an available desk, Minos began reading the questions. They were mostly asking basic information, such as his name, as well as the weapon he was planning on making.
Minos quickly filled out the form before walking back and handing it to the young receptionist.
"I've also got to warn you that if you fail, you'll be forced to pay a few of 1 Nux Stone." She suddenly added, as she read over Minos's form.
"1 Nux Stone? Isn't that a bit much?" Minos questioned.
"Well, since we give you the material required for your weapon for free, we've had cases in the past of people abusing this system for their gain, hence this punishment was put in place to stop them. If you aren't confident, you can always cancel your application." She said.
"No need." Minos answered, not pausing or stuttering at all.
The young women nodded in appreciation at Minos's confidence. Her original aura of disgust transformed into respect.
As someone who's worked here for years now, there was no shortage of people fearing away once they heard that price, so seeing someone as confident as Minos was a rarity.
After reading through Minos's form, she began typing on a strange machine shaped like a large block, one that Minos had never seen before.
The machine was connected to another smaller machine via a wire filled to the brim with lines, similar to talisman strokes.
After she was done typing away on the machine, she pressed a button, causing the lines on the wire to start glowing and rotating.
Soon enough, the small machine connected to the wire began printing out a small card. The young lady took the card, and handed it to Minos.
"This is your Union Card, you'll need this card to get anything done here. Make sure not to lose it. I've also registered you for the test in three days, so just come early that day and present your card." The young lady said as she handed Minos the small hard card.
Minos took it, appreciating the strange technology that had gone into creating this small card. As he was about to leave, he suddenly turned around, not able to hold back his curiosity any longer.
"Before I leave, I'd like to ask one more thing. What are those two machines? Minos asked as he stared intently at the machines, as if he wanted to see through them.
"This large one is called a Nux Calculator, and the smaller one is a Nux Printer. If you want to ask how they work, then I'm sorry to tell you I have no idea, but I hear there's a branch of weapon refiners that specialize in the creation of these things." The young lady answered.
"Many thanks." Minos said with a smile, as he said his final goodbyes and left.
As he walked out of the building, he couldn't help but think about those two machines. If what the young lady had said was true, it meant that as a weapon refiner, he may soon have a chance to connect with the people who can make such things, and maybe even learn from them.
Ultimately though, that was still a distant thought. For now, Minos should spend these last three days preparing thoroughly.
Heading towards the alley he last found Rubella in, he soon found the small group of dusty kids, playing with joy on their faces.
As per usual, Rubella was at the head of the group, commanding the groups playing like she was the queen.