Dimensional Descent

Isoltihne’s mood and attitude seemed to shift on a dime. Quite frankly, rather than being shocked, her colleagues were more jealous than anything else. As Crafters, they understood the value of her jade pendant quite well.

But, after Leonel also extended helping hands to them, their tunes couldn’t help but change. Before Anya and Engnaril understood what was happening, the five of them were happily chatting about their Crafts, completely forgetting that there was a certification exam going on. If not for Engnaril clearing his throat and excusing himself, who knew how long it would have gone on for?

…

Engnaril walked out of the Guild House shaking his head. He really didn’t know what to make of this day. He had some Crafting experience of his own and he had never seen a youth as talented in this aspect. Even Anya, who had gained acknowledgement of that person, couldn’t match up.

Though it was clear that Anya was also holding back, Leonel did the same with far more elegance and ease. The gap between them was as clear as day…

Still, Engnaril felt that much of this gap could be explained by their Familiars. A Metal Spirit was just too perfect for Crafters. Though it couldn’t’ be used across disciplines like a Flame Spirit, for example, within its niche, it was untouchable.

As for Anya, though she had a great background, she only had an ordinary Flame Spirit.

Engnaril shook his head. There was nothing ’normal’ about having a Flame Spirit. His perspective had been twisted by Leonel to the point where he forgot that Anya’s Flame Spirit was the first he had seen in his lifetime.

Beyond that, even if Anya could get a Metal Spirit, not just anyone could control one. As far as Engnaril knew, they were incredibly dangerous, which was what made it even more shocking that Leonel didn’t even use Force Crafting Gloves.

’Just what kind of monster is he…?’

Engnaril shook his head, putting his greed away. He didn’t have a death wish. Even if he could defeat Leonel, what about his backers?

The fact that everyone who came here had to be registered was a double-edged sword. He couldn’t’ just erase information that Leonel had been here. And, because of that, if something happened to Leonel, it wouldn’t be long before he and the other elders became suspects. By then, he would be finished.

Plus, if Anya was correct about Leonel’s origins, let alone him being implicated, his entire family and even the Guild itself might be eradicated because of him. He had no intentions of getting embroiled in such nonsense.

Engnaril shook his head for the third time in just as many minutes.

At that moment, he suddenly got another message from his tablet. This time, though, the gears and Force Arts that ran across its surface shifted, forming the emblem of an organization Leonel recognized all too well: Shield Cross Stars.

This wasn’t a very surprising development, at least not for Engnaril. The truth was that the security of worlds like this one were often left up to Shield Cross Stars. After all, they were the universe’s police force. At the request of powers, they could take root at your borders and give a layer of protection you wouldn’t otherwise have.

The concept was similar to someone on Earth buying a security service and planting their emblem in their front yard for all to see. Sometimes, the fact that there was a certain level of security to begin with was more important than the security or its level itself. 

This was mostly a route taken on by Guilds and Merchant Hubs while Organizations, Kingdoms, families and Empires usually handled their own security. Though, there would always be exceptions.

Of course, this came with a fee. But for the Force Crafters Guild, it was negligible.

As for Engnaril himself, he worked for Shield Cross Stars and could be considered to be a hired hand of the Guild. As such, though he answered to the Guild directly, those orders could be overruled by Shield Cross Stars in some circumstances.

He had been tasked with Anya’s safety by both the Force Crafting Guild and Shield Cross Stars. So, the seriousness of this charge couldn’t be underestimated, which was why he had been especially sensitive to Leonel’s arrival. Even now, he hadn’t forgotten his job.

Hours ago, he had ordered a detailed background check for Leonel. But, he had already expected not to find much of anything.

If Anya was right about Leonel’s identity, he didn’t have the cachet to access information on those higher order families and organizations. So, he had fully expected to receive an access denied. But, when he looked down to casually accept his fate, he froze instead.

’What…?’

…

”Why are you looking at me like that?” Leonel smiled, looking toward Anya who was observing him curiously behind her veil. She seemed to be trying to look into his mind.

The two walked through the hallways of the Guild House, heading toward the treasure house. Though they had yet to build up any merits, in all their gratitude, the elders and Isoltihne had given a million Guild Points to Leonel directly.

Leonel had no idea if this was a lot or not, but he still accepted them enthusiastically. It seemed that being kind no matter the circumstances came with its own perks.

Anya blinked. ”My mom said to avoid men who were too charismatic.”

Leonel’s lip twitched. First he was too mean, but now he was too nice? Maybe he should have been used to the difficulty of pleasing women by now. He couldn’t help but sigh as his mind wandered to Aina again.

”Oh, right!” Leonel suddenly thought of something he had meant to ask Anya before, but it felt inappropriate to do so. ”You said that only the ignorant would say what I said about family names. What did you mean by that? Is it not possible for others to be called Morales?”

Leonel felt that there was something off about that… Morales wasn’t exactly a unique family name on Earth.