Chapter 4: The City is Full of Tricks

For instance, the first leather goods shop you went to, if you intended to work there, you would be required to hold a practicing license issued by the Leighton Leatherworkers' Guild. Otherwise, any shopkeeper who hired you for leather processing would be in violation of guild regulations, and once discovered, you would be in deep trouble, Javier Yangbo said gravely.

Upon hearing this explanation, Joanne finally understood why he had been unable to find a job in the city.

For a fresh-faced newcomer just arrived from the countryside like himself, rushing rashly into a leather shop to negotiate a partnership with the owner was simply asking to be ignored. Being directly chased out the door was the only natural outcome.

Yet, come to think of it, why on earth did finding a job in the city require the guild's consent? If one possessed the craft of leather enchantment, what did it matter whether one had a leatherworker's license or not?

Mr. Javier, isn't a guild just an association of peers? A private commercial organization, how can it have the power to enact regulations? Joanne asked in puzzlement. There were no such troublesome matters back in Deerwood; the big city was certainly far more complicated.

My boy, that is a long story. Let us find a place to sit down and talk about it leisurely.

Mr. Javier led Joanne and Callander up to the second floor of the trading house, invited the two of them to take a seat in his office, and personally brewed a cup of black tea to hand to Joanne.

Joanne, since you have just arrived in the city, you probably do not understand the situation here very well. Javier Yangbo sat on the sofa opposite Joanne, holding his teacup as he began from the very beginning. Although Port Leighton is officially designated as the capital of the Alfheim Colony and the residence of the Governor, in truth, neither the Governor nor the Yassan Empire government can fully control this city.

The Governor's authority is checked by the Port Leighton Council, particularly in sensitive areas involving money such as financial taxation and commercial trade. Decrees issued by the Governor must be debated and passed by the Council before they acquire legal validity; otherwise, they are merely scraps of paper and utterly unenforceable.

Port Leighton was the kind of commercial metropolis unique to the New World, heavily steeped in self-governance. The municipal council held supreme power over the city's industry, commerce, and finance, but who exactly were the council members who controlled it?

Javier Yangbo bluntly exposed the essence of Port Leighton's council politics:

The vast majority of the municipal council's seats are divided among the city's noble elites and guild leaders. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why the major industrial and commercial guilds of Port Leighton possess such pivotal privileges.

A professional guild is essentially a monopolistic institution for that trade, bound to protect the vested interests of seasoned local practitioners while suppressing newcomers trying to enter the field and competitors from other places. Without guild permission, outside artisans are forbidden from opening businesses in the city, and once discovered, they are dragged to court and subjected to imprisonment.

Joanne, a young man from out of town like yourself, if you wish to engage in a highly technical trade such as weapon forging, cabinetmaking, or leather processing, you must either produce a large sum of money to pay the so-called admission fee—to put it bluntly, bribing the heads of the guild—or obediently apprentice yourself to a recognized, highly respected master of the trade, serving a full seven-year apprenticeship before earning the qualification to open an independent business.

Joanne felt his heart turn ice-cold as he listened.

Since he had neither the capital to bribe the guild leaders nor the time and energy to serve a seven-year apprenticeship for someone else, did that mean he would be unable to find work in the city from now on?

Sensing his inner concerns through the changes in his expression, Javier softened his tone and comforted him: Actually, apart from the two conventional paths mentioned above, there is another route much better suited to you. Only, prior to that, you need to acquire something first.

Acquire what? Joanne asked urgently.

The graduation certificate from the Arcane Division of Leighton Academy. Javier smiled slightly, then explained to the bewildered young mage: As everyone knows, Leighton Academy is the highest institution of learning in the Alfheim Colony. Throughout the entire New World, Leighton Academy's prestige is second only to Midgard University. A graduation certificate from Leighton Academy is like a gold-plated signboard. Once you complete your studies and receive the diploma awarded by the headmaster, you will be qualified to join the local Arcane Association. The Arcane Association is effectively the alumni association of Leighton Academy and ranks as one of the most influential private societies in the city. Once you have the backing of the Arcane Association, along with numerous classmates, mentors, and alumni, you can open your own shop and conduct enchanting business without a single guild in the city daring to cause you trouble.

So that is how it is! Joanne first breathed a sigh of relief, then fell into secret anxiety. But unfortunately, I only just enrolled this school year and have to complete five years of studies before I can get my graduation certificate.

The main reason Joanne wanted to work was to earn living expenses during his studies, yet the reality was that he would only be qualified to work after graduation. Distant water could not quench immediate thirst, leaving him trapped in a dead end.

Hearing him voice his plight, Mr. Javier said sympathetically: If you are not afraid of hardship, there is actually another way: look for odd jobs that are neither controlled by the guilds nor require a practicing license. For instance, jobs like clearing sewers, sweeping chimneys, cleaning pigsties, or special tasks such as finding lost pets, investigating cheating spouses, driving away beasts in the forest, and tracking down fugitives. If you do not mind the trouble and are not afraid of danger, you might as well give them a try. Not a single guild in the city has any interest in monopolizing such dirty and exhausting work.

I am not afraid of dirt, hardship, trouble, or danger, but how can I obtain this kind of work that is not restricted by the guilds? Joanne asked eagerly.

There are many taverns down by the docks. Take some time to visit them and observe the bounty notices posted on the tavern bulletin boards. If you feel capable of handling the tasks, follow the addresses provided on the notices to find the issuers and inquire about the work details. By the way, I recommend you inquire about such matters at a tavern called the Red Tomato. It is the most famous tavern in the city and the best place for adventurers and bounty hunters to gather intelligence. The slightest whisper in the city reaches the Red Tomato Tavern almost immediately, Javier said with a smile.

Joanne carefully memorized the address of the Red Tomato Tavern, resolving to drop by for a look as soon as he finished his registration tomorrow.

Javier took a sip of tea, stared thoughtfully at Joanne's eyepatch for a long time, and finally could not resist asking about what had happened to his right eye.

I remember when you entered the city last winter, both of your eyes were perfectly fine.

Yes, Joanne, I have been meaning to ask for a long time, what happened to your right eye? Doctor Callander was also intensely curious.

Although Joanne desperately wished not to lie to his two caring mentors, thinking of the instructions left by Mimir, the Wise Old Man, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and repeat the fabrication he had told countless times: attributing the blindness of his right eye to the cowardly sneak attack of a soul-stealer.