Two silhouettes could be seen walking towards the city's border under the scorching sun; they looked much more energetic than tired, walking under the sun, which attracted people's stares from time to time.
Both of them hold a small clothes bag in their left hand as they walk towards the guards who are patrolling the border.
'They are just ordinary people,' Nyxir sighed as he looked at each of the patrolling officers staring at them from afar.
' I guess they wouldn't let a diviner do such a crude task as patrolling the border'
" There should be diviners around to step in if there is any trouble," Olivia nudged Nyxir by the side.
"-----"
"How do you know what I'm thinking? Nyxir frowned, slightly surprised at Olivia's answer.
" It is obvious from the subtle movement of your head after looking at them as an underestimation them. " Olivia smiled as they continued their approach to the border.
" It seems your Spirituality has indeed improved your intelligence. Was that why you tricked me the last time I asked for your help?"
Nyxir and Olivia neared the border, but none of the guards tried to stop them from afar like the previous time. No doubt, this left them wondering if they already knew they were coming, but it is not possible to predict their arrival, so they both dismissed the thoughts.
" They might recognize us from before, and knowing that we are returning means we've joined an organization, so they decided to be more respectful. These swines! " Nyxir growled in silence.
When they got near the border, an officer with a sturdy build and slightly darker skin walked up to them. He had a leisurely air around him, and a smug look was evident on his squarish face.
" Halt! What brings you here? " The officer asked, looking at them with indifference.
" We are here to answer the guide's call, " Olivia spoke up and stepped forward to meet the patrolling officer.
"What guide are you answering to, and who asked you to come today?" He sneered in response while disregarding Olivia, he looked past Nyxir and inquired.
" I don't think we are supposed to tell you that," Olivia responded in the same manner, her expression unchanging.
"What do you mean by not supposed to? We are guarding this place and we have the right to know who is entering and going out, do you hear me?" The guard's expression suddenly warped in contempt as he stared down at Olivia.
Nyxir pulled Olivia back and stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the guard's eyes.
" Did you know about not coercing a recruit? "Nyxir's voice rang in the surroundings, drawing everyone's attention.
" Why are you bringing up coercion? I'm not even in any guide." The guard quickly retorted with his voice equally raised. "I just want to know the identity of those entering the city."
"True, you are not in any guide, but can't you be hired by them? More importantly, we already stated our reason for visits, but you still asked about the guide we are headed to, are you going to ask us about our house next?"
Nyxir continued, his voice growing louder with each word.
" Did you not know that recruits will be entering the city for the next three days to join a guild, or are you trying to threaten us after getting personal information from us? "
Nyxir continued talking rapidly which rendered the sturdy officer speechless, he had thought they were country side bumpkins whom he could intimidate at least till they got into a guild and grew stronger, who knew one of them had a machine gun in his mouth.
"We are sorry for the behavior of our impertinent officer here, he was being extra cautious since someone just impersonated another person to cause trouble earlier, so please understand his view point and forgive him" a slightly monotonous voice drifted from afar and lingered in the air before vanishing, causing people to turn their heads around unable to locate the owner of the voice.
'Voice transmission! A mid-sequence Venerate! Not showing up to apologize and just transmitting his voice over, more like a threat than an apology, Nyxir tensed slightly before quickly appearing normal.
"Thank you for your understanding, please proceed into the city." The voice drifted over again before disappearing just like it had come.
Nyxir pulled the slightly stunned Olivia by the wrist, and they both entered the city.
Although they are also awakened diviners, they have limited interaction with diviners, so most of the abilities they are seeing are new to them, which left Olivia stunned. Only Nyxir, who was a venerated level diviner himself, had seen many abilities in his previous life, and was not in the least amazed but only annoyed at such an obvious disrespect. Since he could not do anything, he also left without saying anything in return.
But thinking about it now, a venerate does not have to personally tend to a low sequencer like themselves, maybe because he was once a venerate himself, that was why he felt it was a blatant disregard for him.
"Damm it!" The sturdy officer clenched his fist with a warped expression as he stared at the pair walking into the distance, he was just posted here and had decided to use his influence to win over the others, who knew some country side bumpkin would spoil his show?
" Come over," the voice drifted in the air again, causing the guard's body to stiffen, and cold sweat beads quickly formed on his forehead.
'Why would they station such a powerful diviner at the border? '
Meanwhile, Nyxir's mind was still on the previous incident at the border as they traversed the busy street of the big city. Venerates are very powerful and busy diviners. More importantly, they are proud individuals; they are often asked to lead a squadron into the wasteland to hunt monsters and train the newly recruited diviners, or they are sent as emissaries to other districts. Seeing one at the border made his nerves tense. He is not strong enough to take a venerate, at least not in his current situation, and he was scared that there might be someone to notice his abnormality.
He was also a veteran, and he knew how scary their perception could be, especially one with high spirituality.
'Maybe he was only visiting, I hope so,' Nyxir sighed as he felt the need to improve faster.
'If only I awakened a sealing aspect '
" You have not told me about the guild you will be joining." Nyxir turned to Olivia, who was absorbed in the scuffle in the streets.
"You haven't told me yours as well," Olivia replied without averting her gaze from the busy roads.
"Well, I only have one guild who is interested in me, so it is obvious, but you? "
" The lunar enclave, they are a guild of mostly mages, and it is pretty __." Olivia paused.
" Close to me and old Lu? " Nyxir finished her words.
" You know you should focus on yourself now, right? "
" I know, and I can't even call the distance close. I just want to feel closer to home, that's all, and the lunar enclave is pretty strong compared to your azure guild. " Olivia replied, shaking her head.
They remained silent as they walked towards the carriage park. The distance from each guild is far and not something easily traversed on foot, as they each govern over a territory, so they prepare money to take a public carriage to their destination.
Due to the sudden destruction of the world, their technology regressed, and they soon found out that normal technology no longer functioned due to corrosion from divine energy in the air. Even the simplest pocket watch used to tell time is imbued with a spell to function, which makes it very expensive and not a commodity that just anyone could get their hands on.
They were soon on their way to the capital city of Aurenhold. Each district has a capital city, which is the centre of the district and the place where numerous guilds' headquarters are located. Each district also has a tier that depends on its overall strength.
Nyxir stared out of the window as he observed the world go past them in a blur.
' I'm finally entering the lake's eye, there is no doubt I will have eyes on me now. Wait! I already have eyes on me.
They travelled for about thirty minutes before alighting.
"Wow," Olivia stared in amazement at the huge infrastructure and more advanced road. It is her first time coming to the capital, and she was entirely blown off by what she saw, unlike Nyxir, who was still deep in thought.
He had instinctively thrown the bustle to the back of his mind and was trying to sort out his plans, entirely forgetting that it was Nyxir's first time coming to the capital.
Even still, Olivia did not seem to mind his indifference and just continued to be impressed by the new sight in front of her.
"Excuse me, I'm going to the Azure guild, can you please show me the direction?" Nyxir stopped a passerby and asked.
" You just have to take a carriage to reach there, there are some parked at that corner." The man clad in a white robe replied and continued his journey.
" I think we will have to enter another carriage to get to our destination." Nyxir turned to Olivia, who was still taking in the spectacle of the street and was rendered speechless when he saw her scribbling something down on a small note.
" You may not know, but keeping records also helps me to create a spell unique to me from my experience, part of my acquired knowledge. " Olivia smiled at the stunned Nyxir before keeping her note.
" Let's go to the carriage park over there, we will be able to get information on our destination properly. "
Western education is the only form of elementary education passed down in this world, but there is no school for it, so each family teaches their children from a young age to be able to read and write the Western language.
Although the Western language is a rudimentary and basic education, not all are exposed to it, and it is mostly run down in families. Olivia's mother, Mrs Marian, had taught Olivia and Nyxir Western language, while Old Lu would always boast about her clan from the side, which enabled Nyxir and Olivia to be well versed in the language, especially Olivia, who had put in a lot of work in learning.
The secondary education is after an individual awakens a divinity, and their aspect will determine their type of school which will teach them things that are beneficial to their aspect.
"We are headed to the Azure Guild and the lunar enclave," Nyxir said to a plump carriage driver who sat by the side.
"Both guilds are not in the same direction, so I can't take you both there. " The man waved his plump hand dismissively.
" Okay, just the lunar enclave will do. How much does it cost? " Nyxir continued.
" That will be 4 coppers, " the carriage driver said, brimming with a smile.