Bro, I'm not an Undead!

The value of silver and gold could not be underestimated as they were precious as a means of buying and selling in different yet no so different ways, and for the longest time, the three stood as the medium of exchange.

However, what truly made their value work, was the unique trade that happened in all of Feinheath.

Because of this unique trade where new incoming materials with higher value, as the merchants and mercenaries put it, an addition had been made due to the ridiculous asking prices that some of these mystical goods had that, the costs having fashioned by those who risked their lives to procure them. Mercenaries.

The new addition was the diamond coin.

There were things much more precious than even diamond, the resource being used merely as elevated currency that mostly moved in trade of high value goods among nobles, top Guilds and Academies, one of these valued at a thousand gold coins.

Still, this did not do anything to tear away the value of gold as it was remained a dream for others to hold it one hand, especially those who remained at the bottom for all their lives._.

With that in mind, a certain man couldn’t help but narrow his downturned eyes as he looked at the three gold coins laid on top of his fish and a rather enthusiastic, weirdly-faced man who looked at him with shining eyes.

“Are you sure that’s all you want?” he asked.

“That’s right,” Skullius replied.

“Perhaps I misunderstood you. You want to know everything about how to become strong…because you want to become a mercenary? Everything?”

“Yes. Throw in some knowledge about who runs everything in these cities too, I’d really appreciate it.”

The dark haired man had wanted to confirm as this wasn’t a request he normally got from anyone.

He was worried it was a scam but his intuition told him that the man before him could make him rich.

“Hmm. It’s the first time someone has come to me wanting to know such basic things but hey, who I am to judge?”

‘You could pay half this amount to get all this knowledge at a College,’ the man said inwardly, withholding it from Skullius in case he changed his mind as a result.

He swiped the gold coins into who knew where and began to speak in a friendly tone.

“My name is Frock. I feel we’ll be doing business together for a while, so we might as well get acquainted. By what name shall I address you?”

“You can call me Festos,” Skullius replied as Frock gave him a seat on the opposite side of his stall.

“Good. Nice to meet you, Festos. As for what you need, I am a man of integrity, so I shall be generous and give you an adequate overview.”

“If someone wants to know the best way to move with their life, the best or rather obvious choice is always to visit the Temple where the priests convene with the Deities to find which Direction is most suited for you.”

“Wait,” Skullius interrupted. “What is this Direction thing? I’ve been hearing it a lot.”

“Right,” Frock said, still shocked that there was genuine curiosity in the eyes of his customer. He really didn’t know? “Direction is something like fate. Apparently, the Deities can show which path you are best suited for, A predetermined fate. Everyone has a Deity they favour and they often go to a priest who represents said Deity. I never believed in that Direction crap but I do favour Quintess.”

The Discount Human mulled it over.

So essentially it was a set path that you would be given.

Most didn’t believe such a thing as the belief in the Deities’ doctrines was fading. Many were beginning to think of them as decorations whose only purpose was for granting them Tasks, when it came mercenaries at least.

Such was the case with the long lines at Temples as those that wanted to become mercenaries rushed to the Temples to try and get blessings while some genuinely wanted to know their Direction, holding onto their faith.

As for personality, less and less believed that the Deities actually spoke as testimonies from some priests who had quit their jobs while claiming that they didn’t speak to the Deities at all, fueled the unbelief. The fact that no retribution befell the masses even as they expressed their insults made people bolder.

“Essentially, if one has been Directed towards the path of being a fighting force in any way, they have to complete the first Task. It is to get recognised by the Deity they favour and earn their blessing. This is what keeps people flooding at the Temples despite not giving a rat’s ass about devotion.”

“The First Task…” Skullius muttered to himself. He recalled that Benzard had once told him about this.

However, he eventually saw an issue with this.

‘Wait. I didn’t get a First Task. Didn’t I start as a level 1 with the guidance field demanding that I accomplish that Second Task before I could get to level 2?’ he thought.

“So the Deities give these tasks?” Skullius asked.

“Yes,” replied Frock, looking slightly annoyed at a memory that suddenly surfaced in his head. “As far as I know, everyone’s Tasks differ even if they favour the same Deity.”

The reply troubled Skullius deeply.

‘I don’t have any Deities’ favour, right? So where are my Tasks coming from? Could it be the Voice of Worlds…?’

“The blessings people get are also different, most of which are not as ridiculous, as they grow with how much an individual enhances their strength or by clearing Clusters. Its different for those who devote themselves to the path of Paladins, as they have a chance to get a Divine blessing, which is vast degrees higher than the regular blessing.”

Even with this knowledge, though, fewer and fewer people think its worth it to become a Paladin. There are other diverse ways to grow regularthough, but they require much more than coin to divulge,” said Frock with a cunning glint in his eyes.

Skullius raised his brow. He could feel that this guy had a white core. A bright one but nothing too shocking.

However, after his encounter with Tulnas, he knew that judging someone’s strength only by their core was a very misguided way of approaching this system.

He hoped all the avenues of strength would be cleared for him as one, blessings, was already closed off.

“Now, to the good stuff. The very important things about growth.”