Chapter 29: The Swordsmen's Guild

Chapter 29: The Swordsman Guild

Ye Tian left the city gates and continued his journey westward toward Labirate. The Guqilong Empire and the Leiden Principality were separated only by a river, barely a few dozen miles apart, and one could see the banners of the opposing city simply by looking up. This made it the hardest place for warfare—too conspicuous. Any unusual movement from either side would be immediately noticed by the city lords, sparing them the need for scouts or spies. Though the Guqilong Empire and Leiden Principality had fought wars throughout history, nothing ever happened between Makai and Labirate. Thus, this area became the most prosperous hub for trade between the two nations.

As for the parchment Victor had given him, it proved unnecessary; the gatekeeper only asked for two gold coins before letting Ye Tian in. Upon entering the Leiden Principality, Ye Tian sensed a different atmosphere.

Here, the people passing by weren’t mercenaries, but another kind of group—adventurers. Like mercenaries, adventurers belonged to their own guild, the Adventurers’ Guild, but their tasks were simpler, mostly treasure hunts, explorations, or reconnaissance. However, the danger was much greater, as they often ventured into unfamiliar places. While adventurers might not match the blood-and-blade skills of mercenaries, their overall abilities far surpassed them.

Ye Tian suddenly remembered he had yet to undergo professional certification. He glanced around to locate the Swordsman Guild in Labirate, intending to get certified for easier future movement. The continent divided professions generally into four main categories: swordsman, archer, mage, and thief. Within swordsmen, there were berserkers, knights, and many other sub-professions; among mages, there were fire mages, lightning mages, and the rare necromancers.

Except for ordinary people, every warrior on the continent required professional certification, akin to a diploma—a necessity for employment, as Gray had reminded him. Each country had its own Swordsman Guild, Mage Guild, and so on, but these were not under any nation’s jurisdiction; they were specialized, non-governmental organizations. Especially among mages, who were extremely rare on the continent, their guilds had the fewest members but the greatest strength.

Besides combat guilds, there were many auxiliary guilds, such as the legendary Alchemist Guild and the equally mysterious Apothecary Guild. Though their combat strength and numbers were lacking, their bizarre methods could even make the Assassin Guild tremble.

The man behind the Swordsman Guild was not very mysterious; a hundred years ago, Nicholas Stegger had become a Sword Saint. But he hadn't appeared in recent decades, leaving management to the vice president, Peter Trapite, himself a Sword Saint.

Ye Tian knew no spells; though he had seen and studied them, he had never managed to use any. He had no interest in archery—carrying a large bow would be troublesome. He knew nothing about thievery and ignored it altogether, so he could only start by choosing swordsman.

Each sizable city hosted a branch of the Swordsman Guild, as did the Mage and Thief Guilds. Ye Tian wandered around but couldn’t find it, and finally, in desperation, asked a roadside vendor who pointed him in the right direction.

Though not an official organization, the Swordsman Guild’s strength was formidable, so every nation treated it respectfully. Ye Tian gazed at the grand entrance hall before him—it was more imposing than any other faction. The three-story-high hall was crafted from two massive blocks of stone. Only upon entering did Ye Tian realize the door itself was merely decorative, impossible to close. But he understood; with fifty percent of warriors being swordsmen, the guild’s numbers were immense—who would dare cause trouble?

Inside, unlike the bustling Mercenaries’ Guild, the Swordsman Guild was somewhat quiet. “Adventurer, is there anything I can assist you with?” As Ye Tian looked around, a beautiful young woman appeared before him.

“Oh, hello. I’d like to get certified as a swordsman,” Ye Tian scratched his face.

“Certainly, this way. By the way, are you a special profession?” she asked. Special professions included unconventional ones like berserkers or sword thieves, akin to Ani.

“No, just a regular swordsman,” Ye Tian replied.

“Very well, please follow me.” She led Ye Tian to the counter, pulled out a form and a quill. “Um, sorry, I can’t read,” Ye Tian admitted, embarrassed—he truly didn’t know the local script.

“That’s a bother,” she muttered quietly.

“What’s wrong?” Just then, another beautiful girl walked over.

“Miss, he wants swordsman certification but can’t read. What should we do?” the first girl said, troubled.

“Silly, just let him tell you and you write it,” the newcomer scoffed.

“Oh, right! Thank you!” Turning to Ye Tian, she said, “Adventurer, just tell me and I’ll write.”

“Sorry, I’ve suffered an injury and lost my memory—I can’t recall anything from before,” Ye Tian replied, lifting his hair to show the scar on his head.

“Oh, that’s quite serious!” The girl was startled, staring at Ye Tian’s scarred scalp. Ye Tian laughed inwardly, pleased at how easily he’d fooled her.

“Well, come with me—I’ll handle your certification,” the beautiful girl suddenly offered.

“Miss, isn’t this improper?” the first girl protested.

“What’s there to fear? It’s not like I’ll hurt him,” the beautiful girl said, her eyes shining as she looked at Ye Tian. Ye Tian shivered, sensing something ominous.

“I’ll certify you without needing the form!” she enticed.

“All right,” Ye Tian agreed, gritting his teeth. Without a professional badge, many things would be restricted. He hesitated, but relented—what was a little fight? Surely he had nothing to fear from this young woman.

Together they entered the training yard. She gestured to the nearby weapons, “Choose whichever you like. By the way, I’m a mid-level swordsman, so don’t worry—I’ll be careful.” Ye Tian’s heart skipped; Gray was only a great swordsman, two levels higher, but this young woman, so young, was already so strong.

Ye Tian searched among the weapons but found nothing to his liking. Helpless, he picked up one at random and faced the girl. She drew her slender sword, its fiery red flash catching his eye.

“Hey, your sword looks pretty formidable!” Ye Tian observed.

“Does it?” She smiled brightly and spun two bursts of sword flowers. “A grown man, fussing so much—not manly at all!” The swordsmen of the guild were indeed fierce, regardless of gender.

“I’m about to attack!” she declared, smiling. A golden aura enveloped her elegant sword, and the blade suddenly extended by a foot.

“Sword Beam!” Ye Tian jumped in surprise; this young woman could manifest a sword beam a foot long! If those old monsters saw this, they’d all jump off a cliff!

Ye Tian dared not slacken, channeling all his inner strength; his sword’s tip extended by a mere inch—his limit.

“Pathetic,” the girl said, seeing Ye Tian’s sword. She withdrew her aura. “No fun, I won’t bother fighting. Looks like you can’t even take a single blow from me.”

“You’re really impressive!” Ye Tian praised. He had seen sword beams a foot long before, but this young woman was so young! “You’re just lousy,” she replied, disappointed. She had hoped for some fun, but Ye Tian’s aura barely reached three centimeters, just qualifying him as a mid-level swordsman.

“Well, with your ability, you’re only a mid-level swordsman. That should suffice, right?” she pouted.

“All right, all right!” Ye Tian nodded. As long as he got the badge, nothing else mattered.

“Come on, I’ll get your badge,” she said, heading off first.

Ye Tian pondered his own weakness, gripping his sword and forcing out a sword beam. Spotting a large stone nearby, he slashed it with a single stroke.

“Well, that’s not too bad,” he thought, feeling much better. He tossed the sword back onto the rack and followed her.

Back at the front, the girl looked at Ye Tian, “Why did you take so long?”

“Sorry,” Ye Tian replied, smiling.

“Here’s your badge. By the way, what’s your name? There’s no name written on it. You’ll have to wait until your skills are strong enough before it can be inscribed!” she said, disdainfully.

“Just call me Gehr,” Ye Tian smiled. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave.”

“Hey, keep practicing. You’re already this old and only a mid-level swordsman. My little brother is stronger than you!” she admonished.

“Yes, yes!” Ye Tian answered, making a quick escape.

“Geez, his skills are mediocre, but his speed isn’t bad,” she remarked.