novelraw Chapter 41: The Daoist
Chapter 41: The Daoist
"Here is the key to your room."
The hotel staff member handed the plastic card over to Verso with a hollow smile.
Verso not wanting to bother the staff any further, took it and headed toward the elevator.
He had finally reached the hotel that the school had sponsored him, it was a mid-range establishment in the financial district of the city.
He was supposed to stay the night here and rest before the examination began the following morning.
As he swiped into his room, the door clicked open to reveal a standard one bed studio.
"What do I do now?" He muttered.
The silence in his room was deafening.
Usually, his free time was spent grinding in the realms, but with both the Land of Atlantis and the Shattered Wilds greyed out in his menu, he felt an uneasy feeling.
He threw his luggage into the corner and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Turning over, he looked out the massive window that covered the entire wall of the room.
Emerald City was like a monster made up of glass and steel. Huge skyscrapers pierced the clouds, their neon lights reflecting off the flying buses and luxury cars below.
This was one of the the country’s biggest economic hub, the territory of the major clans and their corporate empires.
The city never stopped to take a rest as something big was happening almost every hour.
"Not like I can afford to do anything fun."
He wanted to explore the place, but Emerald City wasn’t built for people with his background. He pulled out his phone and opened his banking app.
[Balance: 1530 Credits]
Verso stared at the number with a frown.
As an orphan who had lived his entire life on government funding and school stipends, he had barely anything to his name.
This was the money that he had painstakingly saved over years for hard times.
But here in Emerald City where a decent meal could cost a few hundred credits, he was practically a beggar.
He turned on the TV to distract himself, flipping through channels until a loud, energetic host caught his attention.
"The Emerald Auction House is always open for business!" the man yelled, standing on a stage surrounded by glowing display cases.
"The main auction starts in one hour! Make sure you place your bids on your phones!"
’An auction?’ Verso sat up.
He knew how the market worked pretty well.
Auctions were the primary marketplace for attribute crystals, rare beast souls and artifacts. They were where the elites spent their millions to cut down on their training time.
’Wait a second.’
An idea sparked in his mind. He pulled up his status window, his eyes scanning his summon list.
---
[✦Summoner Window✦]
Name: Verso
Title: -
Talent: [Endless], [Son of The Seas]
Core: Uncondensed (95%)
Stats:
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Endurance: 10]
[Mana: 10]
Summons: [Nameless Skeleton], [Minor Stone Golem (25)], [Stone Golem (9)], [Stone Gargoyle (3)]
---
A slow, calculating smile spread across his face.
"Well, I have a few golems to spare."
He did not feel the need to keep all twenty-five of his Primitive rank Golems anymore, especially now that he had the Gargoyles and the Giants.
Selling a few of his summons would be the fastest way to bridge his credit gap and maybe buy something to help him with his examination tomorrow.
He pulled out his phone again as he checked the map on his phone.
The Emerald Auction House was literally just down the street.
’Perfect.’
He quickly put on his shoes, grabbed his hoodie and headed for the door.
------
Verso stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the entrance of the Auction House.
"They are making some serious money..."
The building was an architectural marvel.
The name was carved into literal emerald, glowing under the streetlights.
The entrance was like a sea of luxury.
Men in bespoke suits and tuxedos stepped out of high end vehicles, accompanied by beautiful women in dresses.
’Those dresses probably cost more than my life savings...’
Verso looked down at his grey hoodie and worn out trousers.
He looked completely out of place, it was almost as if somebody had edited a beggar into a luxury lifestyle show.
He hesitated at the bottom of the steps, wondering if the security guards would even let him through the front door.
"Brother, are you here to face the scholar’s tribulation?"
Suddenly, he heard a question that felt like it was directed at him.
Verso turned to his right and saw a boy with messy green hair standing a few feet away.
He looked to be the same age as Verso, but he was dressed in a strange robe that looked like something straight out of a martial arts movie.
"Do you mean... the Exam?" Verso asked, confused on what the boy meant by tribulation.
The green haired boy nodded slowly, keeping an incredibly straight face.
"Indeed, I speak of the tribulation."
"Uh, well... yeah. I guess?" Verso blinked confused by what he was saying.
The boy’s face broke into a wide, enthusiastic smile.
"Ah, fortunate indeed! To meet another fellow daoist facing the tribulation!"
Verso stared at him for a long, silent moment.
’What the fuck is wrong with this guy?’
He shifted his bag, ready to walk away but the boy stepped closer, his eyes sparkling with a weird intensity.
"I am Han but you can address me as Brother Han."
"Since fate has brought us together before the Great Trial, we shall also enter this pavilion of treasures together, Brother."
"I was just here to sell some stuff..." Verso muttered, already regretting making eye contact.
"A trade of resources! That’s excellent." Han said, gesturing toward the doors.
"Let us proceed onwards then."
Verso sighed, looking at the emerald sign.
He did not exactly have a choice as he really needed these credits.
Letting out a small sight he started walking toward the entrance, with the strange green haired daoist trailing right behind him.