Chapter 76 - 75: Artisan Guild

Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Artisan Guild

After returning to House No. 437, Gaode lit the kerosene lamp and spent some time briefly cleaning and tidying the room. Having sorted everything out, Gaode, who had finally settled down temporarily in Bremen, sat in the empty hall and reorganized his thoughts.

Once he determined that Hogan City was no longer a place he could stay for long, his mind had instantly become clear. First, he needed to take advantage of the situation to sell the Medicinal Garden, which he couldn’t take with him anyway, for a good price. Then, he would leave Hogan City with the proceeds from the garden’s sale and find a way to use the "Exemption Recommendation Letter" left by Mage Seda to enter the Cyrus Magic Academy, where he could receive a systematic and formal Basic Mage Education.

However, this was clearly easier said than done. The actual implementation would be extremely complex and troublesome, definitely not something that could be accomplished overnight. Setting aside the issue of how to travel from Bremen to Saint Sean City, where the Cyrus Magic Academy was located—after all, just getting from Hogan City to Bremen had not been easy for the current Gaode. Simply figuring out whether the "Exemption Recommendation Letter" was reliable or not was no simple task.

Yet, if he didn’t uncover the origins of this "Exemption Recommendation Letter" and why Mage Seda had left it unused, Gaode would never dare to blindly show up at their door with it in hand. After enduring countless hardships to reach Saint Sean City, having them reject the "Recommendation Letter" would be the least of his worries; what Gaode truly feared was bringing a fatal disaster upon himself.

With Mage Seda dead, if there was anyone left in this world who knew the origins of this "Exemption Recommendation Letter," it could only be Mage Seda’s wife, Mrs. Misu. He first needed to get close to Mrs. Misu, then find a way to gather information regarding the "Recommendation Letter." Fortunately, the twenty family letters treasured by Mage Seda held many useful clues and information. That was why, upon arriving in Bremen, Gaode had been able to follow the address revealed in the letters to seek out Mrs. Misu directly.

If there was any way to make contact with Mrs. Misu without arousing her suspicion, it was undoubtedly by renting the property Mage Seda had left to his wife. After Mage Seda moved far away to Hogan City, Mrs. Misu had always relied on renting out properties as her source of income to make a living. And Gaode genuinely needed to rent a house to temporarily settle down in Bremen.

It was foreseeable that he would be staying in Bremen for quite some time. Therefore, he had to find a job that could generate income. Firstly, it was to avoid eating through his savings, even though 300 Sean Gold Coins were enough to sustain him for a long time. Secondly, it would serve as a cover. Unlike in his past life, where crowds of unemployed youths were a common sight that no one batted an eye at, in this world, a person without a job always attracted undue attention.

After some deliberation, a fixed job was the first thing to be ruled out: it lacked freedom, would restrict his movements, and interfere with his plans and arrangements. Besides, taking a regular wage job was absolutely out of the question! As for freelance professions, his old trade as an Alchemist seemed pretty decent, but upon careful thought, it wasn’t actually suitable. Without the Medicinal Garden, it would be extremely difficult to keep costs down. Moreover, as a newcomer in a large city like Bremen, his meager output of Magic Potions would make it hard to secure a stable client in the short term. In short, it was a thankless endeavor.

Ultimately, Gaode chose a profession that had zero career prospects in Hogan City but incredible financial prospects in Bremen: Repair Craftsman. Aside from the financial prospects, working as a Repair Craftsman had another advantage: frequent contact with Magic Items would indirectly expand Gaode’s knowledge in the field of Magic.

After the flourishing blooms came the period with the most abundant sunshine of the year. The Flame Flower Moon had ended, and the Sunlight Moon had arrived. Gaode’s first morning in Bremen began with a cup of black tea worth 1.5 Copper Coins and a slice of wheat bread smeared with honey.

After finishing the simple breakfast at a small diner, Gaode took a public carriage and arrived at the Artisan Guild located in the Siren District. He stepped off the carriage, entered the hall, and stood before the young female receptionist in charge of greeting guests.

"Sir, are you looking for a suitable craftsman, or are you looking to join our guild?" the young receptionist asked with a smile, looking at Gaode, who had already changed into a fresh set of clothes.

"I want to join the guild, but I don’t know any official members who can recommend me," Gaode said, cutting straight to the chase.

"That’s fine. A recommendation from an official member isn’t strictly necessary. If you can pass the guild’s assessment, our guild will also welcome you to join," the receptionist said with familiar ease.

"What kind of assessment?"

"What field of craftsman are you? A jeweler, a watchmaker, a carpenter, or perhaps a blacksmith?"

"A Repair Craftsman."

"A Repair Craftsman? Really?" The young receptionist revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

"Of course. Is something wrong?"

"Repair Craftsmen have always been rare talents in high demand at our guild. Sir, please wait here for a moment. I need to inform Mr. Bas about this."

"Go ahead," Gaode nodded slightly.

With that, the young receptionist swayed her graceful figure as she hurried upstairs. A moment later, she came back downstairs, followed by a middle-aged man wearing a classic black robe. He was presumably the Mr. Bas she had mentioned.

"Are you the Repair Craftsman Anna mentioned?" Bas’s initially joyful expression faded upon seeing Gaode, replaced by a look of suspicion.

"I’m still too young after all..." Gaode thought to himself. Although his physique was already sturdier than when he first arrived, and he had deliberately dressed to appear more mature, his youth could not be concealed by such things. Moreover, in the eyes of most people, the profession of a Repair Craftsman required seniority and experience.

"My father and grandfather were both Repair Craftsmen, and I have been learning by their side since I was young." Gaode had no choice but to bring out the same excuse he used when dealing with Mrs. Misu. "If you doubt my abilities, there’s still an assessment anyway, isn’t there?"

"Good," Bas said without wasting words. He took out a small, round bead and placed it on the desk. "If you can repair this Bright Pearl, you’ll have passed the assessment.

"There’s a workshop upstairs. You can use the tools and materials for free."

Gaode didn’t waste any words either. He picked up the Bright Pearl and gestured to the receptionist named Anna, "Lead the way."

Guided by Anna, Gaode arrived at one of the workshops on the second floor of the Artisan Guild. Inside the workshop sat a massive desk covered with various tools, including the carving knives and Magic Ink needed to repair Magic Runes. Gaode stepped into the room and told the young receptionist, "Please wait outside for a moment." Then, he shut the door.

The receptionist had no objections. Repairing Magic Items was meticulous work; if someone were watching, it might distract the craftsman and cause the repair to fail.

However, to her surprise, the door opened again after barely fifteen minutes.

"Sir, this is...?" she asked in confusion. As far as she knew, when an average Repair Craftsman wanted to fix a Magic Item—even the most low-end, everyday Magic Item—it would take at least half an hour.

"Did he give up? He’s so young, he really doesn’t look like a qualified Repair Craftsman..." the young receptionist thought to herself, yet she felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

"It’s done," Gaode said, handing the Bright Pearl to Anna.

"It’s already... done?!" Anna stared in disbelief. Seeing Gaode nod in confirmation, she hastily added, "Wait a moment, I’ll take this down to show Mr. Bas right away!"

With that, she quickly hurried away, her leather shoes echoing CLACK CLACK CLACK down the hall.

Gaode smiled as he watched Anna leave.