Arcane Era-Chapter 75: New Armaments

The Armament Procurement Facility of the Ak’ashi Guild was the most fortified hall within the Grand Palace’s Outer Court.

It was surrounded by guards, had security protocols in place, and was also shrouded in a nigh impenetrable barrier. It was so impressive, in fact, that the Mercenary Crew never got past it during their assault on the Ak’ashi Guild.

It was the last place standing during their invasion, and they were in the process of taking it over when their plan went south and the members of the Zenith showed up to stop them. This showed just how immense the protection was over this place.

And all of it, while grandiose, was not excessive in any way.

This was a reasonable amount of security, considering the kind of items existed within its walls.

—Arcane Instruments.

Both Standard Grade and Regal Grade Armaments existed in the two-storey building, with the former being on the first floor and the latter staying upstairs. The building had a plain white color inside and out, with dashes of gold, allowing the white to pop out a lot more and further accentuate the Armaments on display.

Inside, Arcane Instruments were lined in protective barriers, showcased on crystal-like tables.

Considering the rarity of Armaments, even though this was a procurement facility, the Arcane Instruments in the building did not exceed a hundred. Of course, of the hundred Armaments, almost ninety percent were of the Standard Grade.

The purpose of the Procurement Facility was for the authorized staff to come in and obtain new Armaments, courtesy of the Guild. If they had racked up sufficient merit, they could get free Armaments, the number depending on their rank in the Guild.

They could also swap Armaments or purchase Armaments at discounted prices.

The list went on.

This was also the place for newbie staff to receive their promised reward in the form of new Arcane Instruments. Normally, they would only be restricted to the ground floor, with only the winner of the exams excluded from that condition.

However, since Theo and his teammates had been given special privileges... they were allowed upstairs.

"Interesting..." Theo looked around the room, appreciating the minimalist decor.

It exuded elegance; the cool and unimposing kind.

The hall was large, but sparsely furnished, and its highlight was the nine Regal Grade Armaments that sat on the massive table at the center of the room. Each Armament had its own protective field and layer, and it stood a considerable distance from the others around it.

They felt like the most priceless, ancient exhibits in a museum.

This wasn’t strange.

After all, a Regal Grade Armament was worth at least ten Standard Grade Armaments, and Standard Grade Armaments were already very expensive. The power an Armament had was a factor to consider, but in the current era, merely possessing one gave an individual a higher standing in society.

Even if the power of the Armament was borderline useless, he would still be given the respect of an Armament Wielder. This was why many people sought Sites of Fortune, unable to resist the allure of power and status that Armaments possessed.

Mortals chose to become Adventurers of Nina’el or traveled the world as Mercenaries, choosing the hard life of a vagabond just so they could become lucky one day and stumble upon an Armament.

It almost never happened, but there were cases where individuals were simply fortunate and randomly obtained Armaments from a Site of Fortune. Their lives drastically changed, and from living like commoners, they possessed power equivalent to Nobles.

This possibility alone motivated several people, who preferred to pursue that grand dream than accept their wretched place in reality.

"Okay... it’s time for you to choose." Kamara said, interrupting the thoughts of her team members as she gestured towards the Armaments.

"One Regal Grade Armament each."

The options were limited, but at least there were options.

Most of the time, newbies would be assigned a random Armament and would have to earn the right to swap or choose another. However, right off the jump, Theo and his teammates were promoted to Regal Grade and could even choose their Armament of choice.

It was a big privilege!

’Looks like Lord Shen really has plans for our team...’ Theo’s thoughts trailed as he looked around, his eyes scouring the options.

He didn’t have to look around for long before he noticed a familiar one.

No... two, in fact!

’Isn’t that the stuffed animal Liyah was using back then?’ Theo raised a brow as he noticed the pink teddy bear within the glass-like container.

’I guess it makes sense. Even though she used it back then, it’s still Ak’ashi Guild’s property...’

Right as he thought this, Liyah also noticed the stuffed animal and she made a huge racket, beaming wildly as she pointed at the bear with stars in her eyes.

"This! I want this one!"

Liyah already made her choice, and this was without even bothering to look at her other options.

Theo smiled, walking past her as he took a good look at the other familiar Arcane Instrument he saw. As he carefully observed it, he noticed the others had already picked the Armament they wanted.

"I’ll have this..." Kaycee’s fingers pointed at a seemingly ordinary pouch barely the size of his fist.

It had a description that revealed the Armament type and general information regarding its Arcane Ability.

’It’s a storage-type, and it can store a whole lot of things while reducing the weight by 50 percent to 70 percent... though the higher the percentage chosen, the more Ne’sh will be expended.’ Theo took a quick glance at the description.

He was relatively far from the place, but his incredible vision made it an easy feat.

’The teddy is a miscellaneous-type, and it basically functions as an all-rounder. It is able to do all sorts of things, like attack, defend, etc...’ Theo nodded. ’Good choice, Liyah.’

In his opinion, the teddy bear had to be one of the best options—if not the best—in the room.

"I choose this one." Kaycee selected another stave, not surprising anyone.

The wand was an attack-type, and it had the ability to combust its targets. At least, that was its general description.

To what extent that went... Theo couldn’t tell.

’Seems useful. It could be a great way to counter the weakness of his lightning Armament, and since he already has the clam shell as a defense, I’d say he’s well-balanced.’

"How about you, Theo? Decided yet?" Kamara turned to Theo, interrupting him from his thoughts.

Everyone had already chosen theirs, so they were all staring at him.

"Well, I—"

"Is that what I think it is?" Liyah’s eyes widened as she hurried close to Theo’s side, her gaze focused on the Armament that stood right in front of Theo.

There was no way she wouldn’t recognize it.

"Yeah... the mask of the Mercenary King." Theo responded, returning his stare to the object.

Liyah gave Theo a look of disbelief. "You’re thinking of going with that?"

"Why not?" He shrugged. "It has a pretty useful ability, and it must also be one of the best here, since it was used by that guy."

At this point, Kaycee and Arlet had left their spot. freeweɓnøvel.com

All of them gathered around Theo.

’An observation-type Armament... It’s not the most ideal, since I want to build my strength and protect myself, but since I’m heading to Sarvos—where I need to hide my identity and also watch out for any sign of danger—this is the best choice for me here.’

And so, Theo pointed at the black skull mask that sat a few inches from him and parted his lips.

"I like this one."