“So? How did it go?” Maren asked.

Evan had gone in to the tavern alone under his own insistence, so Maren had been waiting for him outside under a streetlamp

“The contact agreed to join the guild.” Evan answered with a nod.

“He even roped in a friend of his and the waitress over.”

“They haven’t joined per se, but they did seem interested.”

“You weren’t wrong,” Maren remarked with a whistle, “Your contact is connected.”

“Never underestimate people who do administrator work.”

“They help you out with a polite smile and wave but inside? Their souls are darker and more twisted than Lovecraft himself.”

“Who?”

Evan shook his head, “Nevermind. You wouldn”t know who he is.”

“Like I wouldn’t know who that girl in that light projection is?”

Evan’s heart skipped a beat, “How did you-”

“Listen kid, it’s not like you’re the most social person out there.”

“You’re also smart. Very smart for your age, but anyone could write you off as a prodigy.”

“You know what didn’t sell it for me?”

Evan paused, curiously waiting for Maren to finish.

“Your eyes.”

“They don’t belong on any living person, no matter how genius they are.”

“Even Fel’s eyes aren’t dead like yours are.”

“...”

“Well I won’t pry any further. You have your secrets, and as long as you don’t endanger the family, you have my full support.”

“Is that so?”

“Then it seems our interests align, old man.” Evan replied with a smirk.

Maren shook his head with a sigh. “Anyway, do you have a location in mind for the guild’s first branch?”

“Do you really have to ask that when you know the answer?” Evan asked, deadpan.

“The Polton House?”

“A grieving mother would do anything to earn some easy money, like renting out one of their properties so they could earn some extra money.”

“Of course, if there weren’t any rumours circulating about the place, or a noble dying inside said house.”

“They would never sell off said property when someone so graciously wants to buy it off of them because there would be absolutely no way a building in such a strategic location right in the middle of the commercial district could ever fall into disrepair and only suck their limited funds dry.”

“And there would be absolutely no reason a captured mage would ever burn down the place or bury it under some rubble because this whole scenario wasn’t planned in the first place?”

“Precisely. It’s just a mere coincidence.”

“Anyway, let’s catch up to the others. I’m sure we’ve discussed enough here. I expect great things from you, future leader of the Mercenary Guild.”

“Alright, let’s go to the tailor’s. I’ll bet your family’s still there” Maren said with a shudder.

Shopping for clothes with women, his worst nightmare.

…

The Vylian Empire was relatively young compared to its neighbouring lands, a mere three hundred years old.

Its bank; however, was far older.

Founded by Argus Vylian 450 years ago, it started off as a merchant company in a small village that grew to be the current capital of Zyra.

Argus had seen the potential value of charging interest for storing his business partners’ money. Thus, he started the Vylian Bank, or better known to the outside world as the Bank.

He expected it to be a massive success. What he didn’t expect was for the Bank to grow so large, Argus’ descendants could decide to buy up the land surrounding the village and start an empire. Not a business one, that had been accomplished before Argus’s death.

A literal empire.

Argus had died drowning in a literal mountain of coins since their vaults had long been filled and the new ones were still being built.

A nation built solely on commerce had risen, and where there was money, there were nations who had wanted a piece of it. The Vylians and their ministers, mostly influential businessmen and the Vylian’s own employees, were swamped with paperwork from the numerous trade agreements, tax reports, peace treaties, and other documents they received on a daily basis.

Many foreign merchants and traders came to open their shops all over the empire, looking to grab a piece of the pie.

Like Grephin’s, the tailor shop the Galiens were visiting.

A bell tinkled softly on top of the front door as Maren opened it for Evan.

The warm scent of oak hit his nose as he stepped inside. Rows and rows of clothes made from cotton, linen, and other fabrics with every colour imaginable stretched far towards the back of the shop. The soft rustling of fabric was soothing to his ears.

Simple, day to day outfits were displayed on the floor while the shelves lining the walls of the place hung more elegant, fancy suits and dresses.

A young attendant walked up to the grandfather and grandson and greeted them with a polite bow.

“Welcome to Grephin’s, how may I help you?” He said with a smile.

Maren nodded, “Yes, we’re with the Galiens.”

“Ah, that’ll be fitting room 3 then.”

“Alright, thank you.”

“You're welcome, I hope you find something you’ll like.”

Maren nodded politely, and Evan followed suit.

The two of them walked through the numerous aisles of dresses, shirts, and pants, passing several fellow customers who were talking with several other employees in hushed tones.

Finally, after walking for several minutes, they reached the back of the shop where the fitting rooms were located. Wyra was looking through a pile of clothes nearby while Zed seemed lost in thought. Cara and Leon were standing in front of a door with an ornate “3” on it.

She saw them both approaching and waved.

“Hey you two, finished your talk?”

“We did,” Maren replied with a nod.

“Evan, over here.”

Zed called out, waving over to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look at these,” Zed pointed out.

“Which one do you think would look better on Fel?”

He held out two different dresses in front of Evan.

One was what Evan could only describe as a single, long sleeved qipao with oriental, tribal patterns covering the body.

The other was a simple white day dress with a floral pattern with puffy arm length sleeves..

“The first one,” Evan said.

“See, that’s what Mom thinks too, but I think the second one is better.”

“Why?”

“Well, yes the first one does have an exotic allure to it since it’s a traditional one from the Onician Dynasty.”

“But clothes are only there to complement your natural looks, not the other way around.”

Just then, the door to the fitting room opened and Fel stepped out of the small closet timidly.

“D-do I look good?”

“...”

“Brother, you have good taste.”

“So it would seem.”

The overall design was simple, unlike the traditional one.

Yet, Fel looked stunning in the dress, as if it amplified her natural elven beauty.

Her rosy cheeks were full now, a sharp contrast to how she looked back when Evan first met her. Her turquoise green, almond shaped eyes shone with a fiery light, proof of her determination. Her sweet, delicate, elven ears…

"You look great, Fel." Wyra exclaimed, running back to the rest of the group.

"Thank you!” She cried.

Fel pulled Wyra into a hug that Leon and Cara joined in on.

Meanwhile, she noticed that the Zed and Evan were standing off to the side, staring off into space.

"What?" Fel asked. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

"You look nice." They both said in unison.

"Idiots!"