Vol. 2 – Chapter 56 – Unplanned Meeting

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After he explained to his guild members what their task was, if they wanted to help him, he later changed himself in his 'Victorian Clothes' and started braiding the end strands before tying it down, with some help from Jeanne who did mind giving a hand into whatever Mathias decided doing.

Fayrene who exited her room, holding in her arms some notebooks, noticed Mathias changed into the 'Noble' Persona, the crimson-haired noble that visited the Wallmor District and even dined down into the Raven's Tavern, gifting out people with some booze money.

The people of the Wallmor District were trying to find out who this masked noble that made a good introduction of himself last month, only Fayrene and Jeanne when hearing those gossips from the citizens, knew the answer and had in front of them the 'Crimson-Haired' Noble.

"Are you going out to sell some of the gemstones?" asked Fayrene holding the sketchbook in her arms, seeing Jeanne help Mathias place his bowtie.

"Yea, I will also go out to look for possible places for the workshop and also give an note to the Adventurer Guild for the job we are looking for. You haven't changed your mind on what type of people we should hire, correct?"

"No, it is the same as when we talked. I don't care about experience, since they can always be taught, but if they also know how to tailor it will be splendid."

Nodding his head from where he was sitting, after Jeanne finished arranging his clothes, he gave her a kiss on the lips and turned toward Vek.

"How is it little buddy, do you want to accompany me around Titan?"

"Sure, I got nothing better to do anyway." responded the little kobold, getting up from the coach he was resting.

Without delaying more, he bid his farewell to the girls, and exited the house together with Vek with the intent of visiting the Bank of the Empire, where it was configured that each guild had an space where they could share goods from a distance without using the Auction System that was rather popular in the player's circle.

Looking around himself after exiting Fayrene's house, after distancing away from there, he placed the silver mask, and walked toward the center of Titan taking along Vek with him, as good luck charms.

Exiting Wallmort District, and getting on the main road, he could see that people were still up, with the clock showing 20:12 when he checked for briefly. The main boulevards of Titan had some lamp posts that used oil to illuminate the streets and create a pleasant atmosphere for the citizens that still wanted to continue on with their activities even at night.

The city with an architecture that combined both ancient roman style and renaissance style, was always a delight to Mathias eyes who felt mesmerized even by the apartment buildings that were similar to what the Romans would have built, but around the corner he would always be met by Renaissance architecture.

'Hah, whoever designed this city, sure has some good tastes. I still can't believe how well both styles combine.'

{Indeed, it is quite pleasing to the eye, seeing some buildings that resemble what I would have built in my reign, and the newer concepts of my descendants. At least they didn't sully my Pearl, with dirt, and kept the city in shape.} commented Haycien who could see exactly what Mathias was gazing around, him being pacified by Mathias and the walks they would do around the city when picking up Jeanne from her home.

An old ghost that lived in another age, slowly got used to a newer lifestyle, where people's culture changed along with the time.

It was challenging for Mathias to keep Haycien in check and to explain to him certain things he knew about developing architectures, and all the documentaries and research he done for his Novel, proved useful when holding such discussion with a senior who by no means, should be looked down upon for being from another age.

Vek remained close to Mathias, and with the glances thrown by the people, who saw the masked Mathias for a brief moment, the two arrived in the Inner City and it took Mathias some time to find the building of the Imperial Bank of the Saharan Empire.

However once he got there, he was shocked by how big the building was, it looked rather familiar to him, similar in style to the Bank of England, but containing a more aesthetic look, compared to the real counterpart.

The building itself was guarded by the Imperial Guards, and it was unthinkable how one would actually dare to stage a robbery inside this grand building.

Stepping closer to the building, and walking in the direction of the entrance, the guards noticed him approaching along with Vek, and acted according to some protocol, greeting Mathias, thinking he was some noble from how he clad himself and behaved.

"Good evening, Lord. My apology in advance, but the rule of the Governor is to not allow people's familiars inside the building."

Mathias turned his ruby eyes at the Imperial Guard, a NPC that had a level 175, about the same with his colleagues, and without making a scene, he patted Vek's head, and stepped forward the steps of the Bank, while Vek remained outside, watching the exterior of the building, where the latter heard one of the guards, ask curiously.

"Hey, you. You seem quite the intelligent creature, can you speak?"

Vek placed his attention on the guard, and nodded his head, responding affirmatively, making the Imperial Guards surprised, before not long they started asking some casual questions, which made the kobold feel slightly relieved that they didn't mean harm.

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Meanwhile, on another hand Mathias continued on with his walk toward the building, having one Clerk open the door for him with a respectful bow, before Mathias was welcomed by the large lobby of the building. It was similar to the entrance of a palace, decorated with mosaics and sculptures from ones that looked old or new.

Looking around, one thing beside the architecture that bought him, he saw a large chandelier that was giving off a bright light where when he stepped forward, noticing that the building had two directions he could go, where many others were already conducting business, from the wealthy looking citizens of Titan to the players who were exploring the functions of the Bank inside the game.

Mathias went toward a Clerk of the Bank, where he asked him calmly, not removing his black hat to greet him.

"Can you guide me toward an available official to take on my request?"

"Good evening, Lord. With pleasure. Please follow me." responded the Clerk in a respectful way, taking Mathias toward the left-wing of the building passing some players in the process, who glanced at Mathias and scoffed a bit.

"Hmph, stupid NPC, you are showing differential treatment right there."

The Clerk continues on guiding Mathias, even being annoyed by the comments of the players.

"Lord, since the apparition of the outlanders, my life has turned hard. Having to answer to their stupid requests, questions and so on, as if I am an all-knowing or His Excellency the Governor."

The players heard the Clerk remark that, and went on to push him, but before they could touch the Clerk guiding Mathias, the crimson-haired noble-like person who gave off a charming, mysterious atmosphere to him, grabbed the hand of that player, and using his smooth footwork, he tripped the player down.

"Know your place before acting up into an institution of the Imperial House."

The Clerk was taken aback by Mathias who reacted to defend him from the impulses of the player who felt that he got offended by the treatment, and he called the Imperial Guards stationed to keep the peace inside the Bank, yet it was Mathias who dissuaded this, waving his hand at the Clerk.

"You people, after being allowed by the Governor, and given so much respect from the ones in power, you still behave like some animals. I see that you will never return here."

"Now, now, sir. This is just a small incident that doesn't require such punishments. Let's say we never took to mind that push."

"Understood, Lord." answered the Clerk, before turning his attention on the player who got countered by Mathias in a casual way, remarking coldly.

"You should thank this Lord, for being lenient and not minding your transgression. However, I will not forget this incident. Now, after me, Lord." ended the Clerk saying in a respectful way, unlike the first part that was full of hatred, as if he got into a nasty incident with some players that it marked him.

The players could only see Mathias depart, and the one who got countered by Mathias remarked with shock about the hit he received from just that trip.

"I got hit by 98 dmg from the hand block, and 479 from the leg attack. That crimson haired NPC, even though we can't see his name, is probably a super graded NPC."

"Man, don't screw us, since we want to take a loan from the Bank and buy some items. You should stick your pride and arrogance apart for now, especially in this heavily protected area. Luckly that NPC didn't seem to be bothered by your stupid act, and just tripped you down."

"Fuck, sorry, my hot-headedness again starts acting up. My apologies Guild Leader." remarked the player as he bowed his head to a guy who had his hair dyed in ink-black hair color, having black robes of a magician, who still gazed at the back of the crimson-haired man.

"Stay put for once, and let me discuss with the official." remarked the Guild Leader, a player whose level information wasn't disclosed, only the name, [Tanatos].

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Continuing his walk toward an opened bank office where it seemed to be an hand to hand approach where the official was separated by a glass barrier that had an opening for allowing paper or objects to freely pass.

"Lord, we don't have to wait for more. I will take my leave, if you wish for further assistance, I will be at the junction of the looby."

Mathias took some gold coins from his inventory that he gave the Clerk, who was even more pleased by the treatment Mathias showed him, and the notification window he received from the system, was enough to tell him so.

[Your affinity with Clerk Jerald has increased by 10 points]

{Son, I really can't recognize you when you put that mask on your face, and put on that suit. You also controlled well your Red Energy into your block and trip on that foolish idiot.}

'Yea, now I understand what you mean by infusing your muscles with energy, to increase your agility and strength. For someone of that level to be hit so cleanly by me, even after I didn't go to hunt and progress in level for about one month.'

{Child, what do you mean we didn't progress? We have done a lot this month since we arrived here. Your spear is much better than in the past, the dagger fighting, the sword fighting also improved a lot, and to not forget, the body techniques. Even if you didn't understand my Dark Heaven and Earth Technique, the fundamentals of body training are there.}

'Hmm, if you say so. Now, quiet for a bit, since I have to talk with the Bank Official.'

Walking to the counter where Mathias could see a middle-aged man with a monocle on his right eye, wearing something akin to a banker, and with a respectful greeting from Mathias, the official inquired what business he wanted to do with the Bank.

"I want to open the Guild Storage and add some items there, if possible."

The official nodded his head, and confirmed Mathias he had to pay a fee of 2 gold coins which was quite a lot in the early stages of the game where most players barely collected the amount of 50 gold coins at level 20, but for his pockets it was an acceptable price.

Once he paid the price, in front of his eyes, a new interface opened showing something akin to an inventory bag, that was stylized, made fancy for the players, the equivalent of the amount of money one had to pay to get to this interface.

{Wow, so this is what it feels to be an outlander, but it's quite easy to get accommodated with it. Maybe this is the reason your little doll was able to get used.}

'QUIET. We don't talk about that outside.' shouted Mathas inside his mind, from fear the systems would hear the inner conversation inside his mind using the head-gear of the capsule.

Haycien quickly remembered something from a previous talk with Mathias, inside the Isolation Spell, and shut his mouth, looking vigilantly around himself inside the inner dimension of the ring, where he managed to make a coach using the mana he accumulated from Mathias.

{I forgot about it. My bad.}

Not pursuing this subject, since he also understood from where old Haycien was coming, someone trapped inside one place for hundreds of years, tortured by boredom and sadness of not seeing your aspirations completed.

In time, with the Guild Storage window opened, he could see that it was blank, no one even bothering to fill it up with items for other guild members.

Thus, opening his own inventory, he began by filling it with 10 cheap fabric poaches that were filled with 5 gemstones for each. Occupying 10 sockets of the storage room, before he placed the gear items he picked from his hunts, from the items that dropped from all the monsters he hunted and kept in his inventory without selling or trading them with the Kobolds.

There was also the boots he received from Iljnoks, that he placed on the last page of the storage room.

'All done now. Let's notify the others, and afterwards, I'll see if I can meet the Governor and do some business with him.'

{That was rather fast knowing how slow and meticulous you are}

'Haha, are you jabbing at me for being slow?' asked Mathias sarcastically, to which the old man simply released a hearty laugh.

Still, with the Guild Storage opened, he notified the rest of the guild members, who reacted as if Christmas arrived faster, and not giving more details then he previously did, he privately messaged Malakai.

@Mathias: Bro, on the last page of the Storage Room, I've left you the Boots from Iljnoks that I mentioned could fit you. I don't need new gear until level 100 or so, so see how it does for you. It boosts critical, agility and movement speed. So enjoy it.

@Malakai: BINE BOSS! I thought you forgot about my pleas for donating those boots to me, I'll pick them up immediately since I am in town.

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Seeing Vlad react so excited, he smiled behind the mask, and closed the guild chat and the guild storage, returning his focus on the official.

"Sir, is the Bank by chance buying gemstones or items in general?"

"We get that question quite often with the arrival of the outlanders, this news might have reached your ears too. The answer for that question depends on what items we are talking about here. Gemstones and gold will always be bought by the Imperial Bank, but the criteria for items has been settled down by the Governor."

"The bank will only transact for jewels, precious weapons, chainmails, artifacts, and other small varieties of goods that are rare. Apart from this the Imperial Bank will not conduct any other transactions. So what would it be, Lord?"

With the question being passed by the official on the field net, his ruby eyes gestured some emotion, before responding to the official calmly.

"I am looking to sell some gemstones."

Along with the response, he placed a deluxe leather bag that give the impression he was a real deal, who wanted to sell his gemstones for some quick money for various reasons, and when the official opened the leather bag, he placed back on the counter the bag, and looked with big eyes at Mathias, as if a ghost arrived.

{Hahaha, it feels as if he eat some shit. Poor guy, he probably never saw so much gemstones in his life.}

'I don't blame him, even my face dropped a bit when I saw Elder Morkl take out that box filled with precious gemstones.'

{Bah, you did fine, you kept your composure all the time, and even tried to reject the gemstones. Most people would be filled by greed and take outright the loot, but you are different. Money doesn't control you, it is otherwise it seems. From what I could observe, you try to invest a majority of your money into that workshop your wife intends to build. Which is something I salute for.} remarked old Haycien after Mathias tried to don't make this into a big deal.

Besides this talk with Haycien, Mathias saw the official try to return to normal, and after some minutes, he heard him say.

"Your Excellency, I am not authorized to decide on such a transaction, I have to notify the governor."

The official used a magic device to call someone, and not long after, the voice of a man was heard by Mathias, inquiring into a serious voice.

"Canute, if you are calling me for no reason without any serious problem, I will cut your salary for the expenses of the magic device, since it only works 20 times before turning useless."

"No, Master Hadrian, I have an important customer who wants to sell some gemstones, and as per your instructions when it comes to amounts that overwhelm me I should always notify you."

"Sigh, at least you know the procedures. But really now when I have such an important guest with me?"

Mathias could hear a woman's voice from the magical device that the Official Canute was using, a mature, sexy voice, remarking.

"Hadrian, I don't mind it. If it comes to gemstones, it might interest me and maybe I will compete with you."

"Marie we should continue our talk. … Fine. Canute, bring the customer to my office." told the one called Hadrian before the magical device got closed.

With the official returning his full attention to Mathias he bowed respectfully to him, apologizing for the delay in response, and was relieved when Mathias didn't even bother himself to remark a thought, maintaining his cool behind the mask, only his ruby eyes and crimson hair being visible.

Taking the gemstone bag from the counter, and returning it magically from the view of the banker, adding another veil of intrigue to himself, he, later on, followed the official reaching the junction where the Clerk Jerald was surprised to see Mathias together with the Bank's Official.

Stepping forward on the stairs, he climbed to the second floor of the building, where the hallway was guarded by four Red Knights, in order of Gyurutan, Rove, Kamiyan, Albert, who instantly sent Mathias on a check with the pressure they released.

'Is the Governor that important to be guarded by 4 Red Knights? I thought the Red Knights only respond to the orders of the Imperial Family.'

{Those armors looked similar to the armor of the Legionnaires. But being more ornate and fancier rather than being practical.}

The knight who seemed to be the leader of this group, Gyuratan noticed the arrival of Mathias and Canute, and without questioning them, he made way with the other three knights for their entry.

'Seems they know about our arrival and didn't do a check.'

Entering inside the office after Canute, he could see an spacious office that was warm, full of decorations and paintings around, where relatively close to the window, the wooden office of the Governor who was resting on his chair, facing the figure of a woman with raven hair cascading like a waterfall over her back.

The dress she was wearing was extravagant, making her appear radiantly like a sun in this room, but she still wasn't facing Mathias to see her entire figure.

"Master Hadrian, this is the customer that I couldn't deal with by myself. Your Majesty, my apologies, even though you had an appointment with the Governor."

The Governor, a middle-aged man with short black hair, with the appearance of a scholar, waved his hand at Canute, giving him the sign to withdraw from the office, a dismissal, leaving only Mathias inside the spacious room, together with the woman who still didn't turn her head, and the middle-aged man, whose position was as Governor of the Imperial Bank.

"I greet both of you, Excellencies. If I knew I was troubling you, I would just make another appointment at another time." greeted Mathias after Canute left the room.

"Don't worry, Lord. You are not disturbing my meeting with the Governor at all, in fact, I heard you have in your possession a small treasure trove." remarked the woman, who raised on her feet, and took the chair from a facing position relative to the middle-aged man, and placed it into a position that she could gaze at Mathias and also Hadrian.

"Take a seat for yourself." told Hadrian, who pointed at another chair not too far from the table, and as he walked toward the chair, turning his back at the mature woman, her eyes turned curious, as she watched Mathias's crimson hair strands.

Only after he returned with the chair, placing it relatively close to the mature woman, he clanced for a bit at her name, and luckily for him, the mask saved a big blunder of his.

[Marie - Lv. ???]

'That face and appearance, that name, it's her, Marie! The biggest puzzle piece of my side quest.'

{Who is she?}

'Fuck me, what now? I've met her too early. I didn't plan to meet her right now whatsoever. I am too weak to even try acting on her. Gramps, you are asking who she is? She is the current Empress of your Empire, Marie von Helsen.' (A/N: She still has her lady family name, since she is only Juander's concubine, nonetheless, she's still the Empress regardless. Also, if I am not mistaken, noblewomen back in history, didn't change their names to take on their husband's family name when they were marrying.)

{So what? What's to be scared about this doll? You can't act on her? Bah, you want something from her, right? Use your assets, and try painting the first part of this story. You have plenty of charms, and also are a good boy, who might make this cougar interested.}

"Lord, did something happen?" asked Marie, whose expression turned slightly worried, a fake worry, nonetheless, it looked real on the outside.

"My apology, Empress. I am ashamed to remark that I didn't recognize you at first, and only after glancing at your beauty, I remembered."

Marie's expression when hearing Mathias' calm, warm voice, which even had some hint of charm, was perplexed at how she couldn't remember having met a crimson haired noble before, especially with ruby eyes that had a stronger color palette than Juander's, her husband. She thought about ordering Mathias to unmask, but she dropped the idea, feeling enticed to see what the crimson-haired man had in store for her or Hadrian.

'Interesting, I can't recollect having met such a noble before, but he isn't scared at all of talking directly with me, which is a plus. Most nobles, except the Dukes, would just cower away, or stare at me with desire, never to approach me directly.' thought Marie, who quickly acted to pacify Mathias telling him in a calm, mature voice.

"Lord, don't worry. How should we address you?" asked Marie, curious to find more about this masked crimson-haired man, who she could see took out from his dark coat pockets a leather bag engraved with details, and also having some ornamental symbols, from the ones belonging to the Order of the Dragon, while gazing at her with his mesmerizing ruby eyes, and responding simply with.

"Octavian."