After the meeting with the goddess, I went back to the rest of the gang, and after the gates opened, we continued on our journey too Baoshi.

Some while after exiting the gates, we arrived at our destination. The city wasn't so different from Velantas, with the town being surrounded by walls and the buildings being similar to middle-age Europe, except for the rooftops being of the same style as those traditional Chinese buildings back on Earth. Kinda like a fusion of East and West middle-age.

But the real clincher is all the gemstones that are used. There are lamppost lookalikes all over the city, each decorated with a massive gem where the light bulb should be. I needed to bind Mira with my threads so that she wouldn't try to pry one of them off. The fine she almost got from the police killed any other ideas she may have had.

"Hurry up already! This city's too cool!" - Lily

"Wait with the sightseeing till we have finished the formalities. First off is the Adventurers Guild." - Garami

After checking in at the inn that we had been recommended by the panda-guy from the bridge-branch of the Guild, we left imminently to explore the city for real, but there's some stuff I wanna take care of at once. As the Adventurers Guild was the closest of them all according to the map, we went there first. Levi came along as well. The roads in this city are generously large enough for a dragon or five to walk around.

"...Woooaaaa..." 

When we arrived, we couldn't stop ourselves from letting out a stupid sound. I heard that Baoshi was the home for the Adventurers Guild's headquarters. but nobody told me the building was on the level of a small palace. They even have guards in uniform at the entrance.

"...This is the right place, right?" - Garami

"Yes..., but no matter how many times I see this place, I still turn speechless." - Mira

Phew, I thought we had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Good thing that Mira's been here before. I entered the Guild without hesitation, something the other three had in spares. 

Entering the place made me realize the size of it even better. Several different counters, at least five times more than in the Guild in Velantas, were lined up to serve whatever adventurer or client that came to the Guild. Even so, the adventurers that wished for service was in so excess that they needed to form lines.

Luck was on our side, as the counter for registering new adventurers were empty. I dragged Marc over to the said counter. The Guild at the bridge didn't have the devices needed to accept new members, such as the Guild Card creator-thingy.

"Excuse me, this guy wanted to register," I said while pointing at Marc. 

"I see. Then, place your hand on this crystal here. Shall I register him as a member of Ignis Fatuus, miss Garami?" - Receptionist

"...How did you know?" - Garami

"We were informed by the Zhū Què Bridge branch thanks to the communication Magitechs. We have not only the Guild Card ready for mister Marcus Pollen, but we have also prepared the dismantling facilities ready for use." - Receptionist

"I don't remember saying anything about needing the dismantling facilities?" - Garami

"We figured you had some large game that the dismantling facilities at Velantas and the Zhū Què Bridge could not handle. Was that wrong of us?" - Receptionist

"No, no. I was exactly what I wanted, thanks. But give Marc here his card first." - Garami

"With pleasure. However, the Guild Master, Luo Renmei, wants to see the prey that is to be dismantled." - Receptionist

...I hope they aren't gonna refuse the free dismantling.

---

"Ni hao, everyone from Ignis Fatuus. Welcome to Baoshi, the home of gems and adventure! I am the Guild Master, Luo Renmei. Glad to meet you." - Luo Renmei

After Marc got his Adventurer Card, we were guided to the warehouse that was used to dismantle "Dreadnought-class" monsters, as they called it. The one who welcomed us was a panda therianthrope lady dressed in a cheongsam that showed her legs and had an opening in the chest area. It felt more like cosplay than anything. 

"Guild Master? Not Grand Master?" - Mira

"You think those muscle-brains could handle all the paperwork that the headquarters of the whole organization on this continent?" - Ling Renmei

Yeah. If the other Grand Masters are like Bermuda, then they would probably rather destroy the monsters' ecosystems rather than doing deskwork.

After getting that outta the way, I retrieved the corpse of Glavras from its fancy chest and placed it on the covered floor of the warehouse.

The Guild Master and the dismantler-guys just stood there with their mouths agape. Can't blame 'em. It's Glavras after all. Rank A, dragon, Disaster of Water, etc.

Mira was holding her grounds, but being face-to-face with the creature whose sole presence was enough for her to freak out the previous time was enough for her to turn deathly pale. I'll treat her to something good later. Lily, on the other hand, was using Mira as covers. No dessert for her. And then, it was Marc... who had fainted while standing. Let's leave him be.

"Um, is there anything wrong?" - Garami

"Well, you pushed on us something that we didn't even imagine to come after all." said the dwarven dismantler who looked like the boss of the warehouse.

"But we should be able to dismantle this thing if we use the Mithril blades. Processing a dragon is delicate work, as we must take care of not allowing even a single drop of the blood to go to waste, but we should finish it in just a day. However..." - Dwarven dismantler

"However?" - Garami

"Would you mind if we studied this beast? This is the first time a creature of this species has been delivered to the Guild, so we want to know how it does its stuff for future reference." - Dwarven dismantler

"Sure, as long as the thing doesn't spoil, and I'm getting paid for the delay. How long will it take?" - Garami

"Hmm, three, no, four days, considering how big this guy is. And as for the payment, hey, Guild Master." - Dwarven dismantler

"Huh? Oh, right! Ehm, how about 40 golds as payment for the research?" - Luo Renmei

Sold!

---

-is what I thought when I first heard the price, but I managed to crank the price up to 44 golds. It may sound little, but each of those coins is worth 10.000 Sol after all. Not to mention the tons of dragon materials we will get when the dismantling is finished after five days.

According to old man Orius, the dismantler chief dwarf, a dragon's corpse was a literal treasure chest. The blood could be used to create elixirs of the type that increases your lifespan, but its liver is several times better. Even more when said dragon is partly Purification-attribute, which is a Life/Light composition attribute. Like the Pure Lake Dragon that Glavras was. And let's not start with the rest of the organs. Especially the dragon's heart.

The fangs and claws can be used to create weapons of a quality higher than the Mithril blades the dismantler team is gonna use, that is, if we ever find someone that can process them. Likewise, the scales can be used for goddamn solid armor. It was only thanks to the Emperor's poison that I could pierce through them when I fought Glavras. Yikes...

The eyeballs are useful for magical ritual stuff, and the skeleton will also catch a good price. The fin-like appendages on it can be used to create capes and mantels with special effects like my Mirage Mantle. Maybe it's time for it to get an upgrade? Where're all the god-tier crafters when you need them?

'And more gold's planned to fill my pockets now', was my thought when I entered the Merchant Guild along with Marc, who needed some serious calming herbal tea from the Guild before he could move again.  Mira and Lily were chilling at the Guild, looking for the local 'attractions' that an adventurer fancied. They were also on the lookout for that mine-Dungeon Alvatria talked about.

After entering the Guild, we went straight to the counter to ask for help getting Marc registered as the salesman for the party. After telling that he was doubling as an adventurer as well, we got recommended to register him as an Iron rank merchant, meaning someone that's like a traveling merchant, or someone with a food stand. Sounds good enough for me.

The registration fee was 5 silvers, and we had to pay annual fees and taxes each year to the Merchant Guild. Harsh, but we could also pay in advance, so we made good use of the gold we got in advance for the research of Glavras and are now safe for two years.

"Here you go mister Pollen. We are happy to have you with us." said the reception lady while handing Marc his Merchant Card.

"Thank you very much. If I may ask, could I sell some of my merchandise to the Guild at once?" - Marc

"Why yes, depending on the goods." - Reception lady

"Why yes. Garami?," said Marc while gesturing to me to take out the stables of paper that we had bought with the [Dimension Merchant]. Showing people that the scrawny guy was the one with the goods would be the same as asking for a robbery after all. 

"?! Please excuse me, but the Guild cannot purchase these at the moment." - Reception lady

"Eh? Is there a problem with the papers?" - Marc

"No, that is not it. It is due to the upcoming 'Crafters Festival'." - Reception lady

"What festival?" - Garami & Marc

"Do you not know? Due to the high amount of crafters in this city, once every year, on the day after the Alchemist exam, there is a competition for who has made the greatest items. It is used for new crafters to show their works to the public, and as it is treated as a festival. merchants all over flock to the city to try to gain some profits along with connections to potential grand crafters.

"There are different categories, such as the Armor Division, the Sword Division, but for the attack-type consumable items, there is held a battle-royale in the Zhandou Arena, where many synthetic monsters are doing battle with each other, while they are riddled with different items, from bombs to potions.

"Adventurers, or the crafters themselves, are standing away from the monsters and throws the different items at the monsters. The audience gets to see how effective the items are, and the creators of the synthetic monsters get to see what their creations are lacking.

"Due to that, merchants are saving their money for eventual golden eggs that debuts in the festival, so high-quality papers like these are ironically not sought after at the moment, so if you tried to sell them now, you would probably gain a loss of profits at 20%. If you have the leisure to do so, then I would recommend saving the papers until after the festival" - Reception lady

"That sounds good and all, but doesn't that mean you guys just lost a chance to score some high-quality paper for a discount." - Garami

This is a little too helpful for someone that makes a living through trade. Marc's thinking the same, seeing how he's nodding along with me.

"Are you an acquaintance with mister Pollen?" - Reception lady

"The party leader, Garami." - Garami

"I see. As for your question, seeing how mister Pollen has managed to obtain such fine goods, it is better to establish a good relationship with him and the Merchant Guild for future sales, rather than sparing a few silvers now." - Reception lady

Oh, smart move. Even if she doesn't know that Marc's the only one in the world that can get this stuff. Probably.

"W-well, if that's the case, how about we continue this conversation after the festival?" - Marc

"With pleasure. If you can acquire more of them, then the Guild Master will gladly buy them off you." - Reception lady

"I'll see what I can do. And is it possible to enter that throwing competition? I'm training in the hope of obtaining the Item Meister class you see..." - Marc

"Oh, in that case, you should see the Alchemist Guild. They are the sponsors for the consumables battle, however..." - Reception lady

However?

"I think that competition may be canceled this year." - Reception lady

---

At the Alchemist Guild

"Why, it's a pleasure doing business with you miss Garami! Honestly, when we had all these problems with gathering enough synthetic mobs lately, I didn't know what to do." - Alchemist Guild sub-master

I was sitting on a couch in the Alchemist Guild after giving the sub-master Jilreg Zhaar, a Lizardman with the Alchemist class, my proposal for his lack-of-mobs troubles: we would provide the Alchemist Guild with tons of Summoning-Tags for Lesser Skeletons, which would be a replacement for the synthetic mobs. 

Summoning-Tags are something that only a Summoner can use, and they call upon a specific type of monster without using the slots for tamed- or summoned creatures. Sounds strong? Not really.

First, the tags don't come with the fail-safe system that brings the summoned creatures back when their HP reaches 0. There's nothing that saves them from going dead anyway. Who would answer such a summoning?

Second, is more of a continuation of the first. The summoning with the tags is a one-way ticket, so after you have summoned the thing, you're stuck with it either way.

Third, the monsters that one can call upon are limited to the quality of the tags. A rank D tag can only bring out a rank G monster, and the tags themselves are damn difficult to make.

For the abovementioned reasons, there ain't many guys that make use of Summoning-Tags. And there's a ton of MP to use for each one, even if there's only trash that gets called in.

So, how are these the solution to the Alchemist Guild's problems? Long story short, we're gonna mass-buy the tags through the [Dimension Merchant] (the Alchemist Guild is gonna sponsor the thing), then it's up to me to add some extra contraptions to them, such as a sigil that activates the tag whenever we want to (with the mana required to activate the tag stored in the sigil) and a special clause for the undeads.

"I agree that a fight between the Lesser Skeletons will make a great show, but why would you want the last remaining Skeleton kept alive?" - Jilreg

"Simple. The last Skeleton to be standing will gain the EXP from all the other ones. Why should I miss the chance of getting to tame something like that?" - Garami

"That's one way to see it, but will it agree to join under you then? What if it turns too strong?" - Jilreg

"Then we finish it off. And the extra clause is to limit the summoned Skeletons to only guys that are fine with being a tamed monster after the fight." - Garami

"Oh, you can even do that. That is quite impressive." - Jilreg

"No way, it's only that I've got some lucky combinations of different classes. Not that unique combo either, as Blue Mages could probably do the same." - Garami

"If you say so. Also, how about we count the specialized Summoning-Tags for your practical test?" - Jilreg

"By all means." - Garami

To clear the Alchemist Exam, you need to pass a knowledge test, where you need to show what the class is all about, a practical test, which is showing an item you have made on your own, and a final test where you need to make an item without the use of any Crafting Skills.

The last trial is done through a special Magitech that restricts the use of Crafting Skills, but it can only be used one time a year when the stars and such's positions are correct. Astrology ain't something I'm that good in, but I get that part. 

"And you completed the knowledge test well enough. I just want to ask some more questions..." - Jilreg

I took that test before talking to Jilreg about the Lesser Skeletons, but did I fail the thing? Come on mental skills, give me power!

"First, what is the true purpose of the Alchemist class?" - Jilreg

"...Just that? An Alchemist ain't a class to create items, it's to combine materials and items to create new and improved materials or items. The best way to describe the class would be to call it a material-crafter." - Garami

"Correct! And what are the three main skills an Alchemist uses?" - Jilreg

"Those are [Alchemic Recipe], [Synthesis], and [Alchemy]

"[Alchemic Recipe] registers created items and materials as recipes that can be instantly recreated through MP and the right materials. The quality of the result is depending on the materials used, so they can be worse than the original item if one is not careful.

"[Synthesis] is a skill that uses materials and materials, items and items, or a mix of both, and creates a new item of the same item-type as the stuff used. However, these items will be of a lower quality than compared to the stuff one can make with Crafting Skills that are designed for making those types of items. Even so, [Synthesis] is capable of creating more different items, some that there aren't any associated Crafting skills, such as the creation of synthetic mobs.

"[Alchemy] allows the Alchemist to create a lower- or higher graded version of a material item. It's also called the Matter Conversion skill. One needs to have at least 10 copies of an item to create something of a higher grade, and two or more for creating something of a lower grade. While using materials to make a lower graded one seems stupid at first, one can create dust out of solid metals with this trick, but it all depends on the Alchemist themselves." - Garami

It was this [Alchemy] skill, or rather, the [Water Alchemy] degenerated skill that allowed Glavras to keep on draining the world of its water without going empty of storage space. He only used the water to make a higher-graded, aether-filled fluid instead.

"Also, both of the last two skills have chances to fail, ruining the materials used. A higher skill level is required to lessen the amounts of fails. And using high-ranked materials for the skill will lead to a higher risk of failure." - Garami

"Excellent! Like straight out of a textbook. Now then, the final question: why is there an exam to obtain the Alchemist class?" - Jilreg

"'Cause of reckless synthesis can create some really uncontrollable stuff. The mega-chimera, Tris Clades, is the best and worst example of this." - Garami

"Correct. That is why one needs a recommendation for even taking the test at all. Anyone that is too irresponsible cannot be allowed to obtain this class, as the result can in the worst case be nothing short of catastrophic. The reason why we want you to make an item without any Crafting Skills is to confirm you have great enough mastery of crafting so that there will not be any accidents when you gain the Alchemist class." - Jilreg

No thank you to that. The world's busy with Disasters already. We don't need catastrophes as well, accidental or not.

"And with that, you have completed the knowledge test. Congratulations. We are looking forward to you on the day of the exam." - Jilreg

"Sure. I'll have the tags ready by the day before that though. Come on Marc, we're leaving." - Garami

And while I dragged the fainted Marc (due to hearing that he was forced to participate in an event featuring tons of undeads) and left the Guildhall. Time to make some tags.