The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 806: The Grand Opening Celebration Week 2

The overview of the schedule for the week of celebrations.

Day 1 – The Day of Opening Gates

Marks the moment the dungeons are opened to all. Symbolized by feasting, parades, and the Sanctum’s decree.

Day 2 – The Dawn of Learning

The inauguration of the Sanctum Academy and the Dungeon Studies research division. Exhibitions, lectures, and the first pledges of scholars to the new order.

Day 3 – The Trial of Blades

Martial contests, duels, and jousts to honor strength and courage. The victor claims the right to enter the dungeon the next day. Along with valuable prizes, such as runic equipment and gold coins.

Day 4 – The Descent of the Chosen

Selected adventurers undertake the First Descent before the eyes of the people. Their deeds are recorded, their victories celebrated.

Day 5 – The Sanctum’s Vision

The Lord Keeper unveils his monumental endeavor for the realm’s future. Sworn oaths, festival markets, dances, and fireworks close the five-day celebration.

After three hours of speeches, performances, and a parade, it finally ended. Well, the opening part only. After an hour of break, there was going to be a giant feast, to which everyone in the city was invited to eat.

It was supposed to be a big unity gesture, all seven heads of Sanctum eating alongside the citizens of Sanctuary. That too was outside the Sanctum walls. Food was prepared in tons, so no one would be left out. This content belongs to novèlfire.net

Damian, alongside all the guests, had returned to the Sanctum. They had an hour before the feast. In front of the others, the VIP guests had applauded the speech, but when Damian arrived on his floor, already many were waiting for him with impatience.

He had stayed back alongside Lucian and Evrin and had sent others back to Sanctum before them, wrapping up the floating stage and giant replicas.

Quite a few people had ambushed him. Land-breaker, Voidshaper, Vidalia, Ilvanya, the emperor and his wife, along with Alex, Hellstorm.

“When you said you would give access to your dungeons, I never thought it would be to all people on the mainland!” The emperor, as always, was first to speak up.

“And even that at a dirt-cheap price!” Hellstorm commented from the side.

“When you said all people, did you mean mundanes as well?” Voidshaper added.

“A grand research division for the dungeons? Are you seriously saying you will share all the info related to those hundred and other dungeons you will get access to in the future? Is this only limited to people you guys invite to join?”

Ilvanya, for the first time, asked questions with a serious face.

Damian looked at the faces of everyone present in the hallway connecting the runic lift to his personal living space. The few days were too hectic, and there was much more to do. The part that took the most of their focus was already done. With a smile, Damian stepped forward, everyone falling beside him, waiting for him to answer.

“Do you guys really want to do it here? We can at least take a seat before having a conversation.”

Some of them realized what they had done. Just because no one stopped them didn’t mean anyone could barge into the keeper’s personal space just like that. Damian had instructed his staff not to stop anyone if they wanted to come for a chat. He had no giant secrets here, and everyone knew his mana sense was one of the best in all of the mainland.

They knew he could sense the whole city’s mana signatures.

Once they entered his office, Damian had them all be comfortable on the fancy couches and padded chairs he had in the office. He even gave an order to a guard to get snacks and some refreshing drinks. Damian had tried his best to recreate all the modern food he used to enjoy, but he was no chef, and most of the time, he just described what he wanted, and Evrin and the head chef would somehow make it work.

His random requests to the kitchen had even become a running joke in the sanctum head text-chat channel.

“Go on then,”

Damian said, sipping on a strange version of a virgin mojito. The others also had a glass each. Some gave strange looks to the blue colored drink.

“We apologize for barging into your personal space, uninvited,” The emperor’s wife said before anyone else. Soon, similar phrases were said by all the people present, except the emperor himself – the guy just smiled stupidly, as if this was his own castle.

“So, is your research invite-only?” Ilvanya asked.

Damian shook his head. “No, I have yet to plan it properly, but it will also have the same structure as the internal Sanctum system. Based on the work and accomplishments of a researcher or scholar, we will give them a rank, the highest of which will have a say in the research subject and allocation of resources or private exploration missions. The lower rank ones will have all the info and could contribute equally, but their authority in the division will be limited.”

“Anyone can join?” Ilvanya asked again.

“As long as they sign a mana contract stating that anything they learn will never be used to harm humanity,” Damian replied.

Though he knew there were plenty of workarounds for that condition, a person could just learn about dungeon civilisation and language and could just teach someone else, without knowing what that man or woman will use it for – that way the other party can use the info to build weapons or anything else. The man leaking info won’t be held responsible for that by the mana contract, if he does this unknowingly.

“Will mundane humans be permitted in?” Land-breaker asked.

Damian looked towards the man and exhaled, “I know you are concerned for their safety, so am I. But I don’t want to put a limit on this right to dungeon entry. We can put some heavy requirements, but taking their chance to enter feels just wrong. The dungeon itself doesn’t differentiate between pathfinders and mundanes, so why should we? I will follow your judgment on this, though. Safety of people is also my top priority – but there is a subtle difference in protecting people and controlling them.”

Land-breaker met his eyes; his eyes, too, had several thoughts running behind them just like Damian. It wasn’t a simple decision. In the end, Land-breaker sighed and nodded,

“They should have at least a chance if they enter a party with sufficient strength. Who knows, maybe it will have some unseen change. It is their right to find their own fate.”