Legendary Extraction: Kingdom Builder in a Ruined World

After a while, Elias left the Registry Hall with a slight crease in his brows. He had learned quite a lot about Norwyn City from the receptionist.

He already knew the city was under a powerful kingdom, but he hadn't expected it to be a first-rated kingdom—those just a step below the Five Human Empires. No wonder the city was this prosperous, even though it was only a domain.

As for the city's leadership, it was more complicated than he had thought. According to the receptionist, Norwyn was run by a council made up of representatives from twelve major forces. Among them, the most prominent was the envoy of the Celestial Flame Kingdom—the kingdom Norwyn belonged to.

But Elias wasn't naïve. From the way the receptionist listed the powers, it was clear only three held true influence: the envoy from the Celestial Flame Kingdom, the Trade Union, and the Adventurer Guild. The rest were just there to support whichever side they favored. In fact, Elias was already sure that the true control over Norwyn lay between the Trade Union and the Adventurer Guild.

The Celestial Flame Kingdom might be powerful, but compared to the Human Empires, it was still a step below. On the other hand, both the Trade Union and Adventurer Guild were old and massive organizations with reach across the entire human continent. Even the Empires wouldn't dare to provoke them without reason.

The Trade Union controlled trade. They managed supply routes and regulated markets across different cities and kingdoms. Their influence had been built over hundreds of years. Through merchant taxes, warehouse rights, and the merchant guilds operating under them, they had gathered enormous wealth. Wealth that was enough to influence entire nations.

The Adventurer Guild had power in numbers and reach. Anyone who wanted to become an adventurer had to register with them. With members spread across the continent, many rising to become top-tier fighters, the guild's strength couldn't be questioned. Their access to rare resources was unmatched, all thanks to the countless adventurers gathering materials from ruins, dungeons, and beast lands. In terms of resource collection alone, the Adventurer Guild easily surpassed all the forces in this world.

It made perfect sense why Norwyn was so prosperous. With the Trade Union and Adventurer Guild forming part of the city's leadership, no other force would dare to cause trouble. That alone made Norwyn one of the safest and most stable places to live around the region.

But that safety came with a cost. These organizations never did anything for free. Living in Norwyn was sure to be expensive.

Elias sighed.

Power and influence. That was what truly ruled the world. Even a small branch of those two organizations was enough to keep everyone else in check. They didn't need to send their strongest experts here. Just their names were enough to maintain order.

Elias couldn't help but wonder when he would reach that kind of influence.

He turned and glanced around.

"Let's go check out the library," he muttered to himself.

But just before he could take a step, he felt a small tug on his sleeve.

He looked down.

A small boy, about ten years old, stood there. He looked thin and malnourished, with messy blonde hair and a pale face. His clothes were worn out, and his green eyes stared up at Elias with an unexpectedly serious look.

Elias narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hm?"

The boy tilted his head. "Mister, are you new here?"

Elias frowned a bit but nodded. There was no reason to hide it.

The boy also nodded like he had guessed right. "Thought so."

Elias raised a brow. "Do you need something?"

To his surprise, the boy looked offended.

"I'm not a beggar. I don't need anything from you," the boy said, his voice firm.

Elias blinked, caught off guard by the strong reaction. He hadn't expected that.

"Then what is it?" he asked with a slightly furrowed brow.

The boy crossed his arms and spoke seriously. "I work. I don't beg. Since you're new, I can show you around. I know every street and corner in this city. I'll be your guide—for ten copper coins."

Elias gave a small chuckle. "Is that so?"

The boy's green eyes lit up with stubborn confidence. "Yes. And there's no negotiation."

Elias smiled, finding the boy's seriousness amusing. "Alright then."

The boy nodded. "Half now, half when I finish the job."

Elias raised a brow again. "Smart kid."

There was just one problem.

He didn't have any copper coins. Earlier, when he traded with the vendor at the gate, he had only taken gold and silver coins.

After a brief pause, he flipped his hand and revealed a single silver coin, holding it between his fingers and raising it in front of the boy's face.

The boy's eyes lit up instantly. The silver coin shimmered in the light, and his gaze locked onto it like it was the rarest thing in the world.

Elias smiled slightly. "I don't have any copper coins at the moment. So how about this—you hold onto this for now. I'll find some copper later and pay you the full amount once the job's done."

The boy just stood there, stunned. His earlier tough look completely broke.

A silver coin. Just one could feed a normal family for a whole week in Norwyn. Most people never even touched one. For an orphan like him, it felt unreal.

Was this man really handing him a silver coin that casually?

He looked up again at Elias. There was something different about this man. The calm way he stood, the quiet confidence in his eyes—it reminded the boy of the adventurers he saw around the city. The strong ones who walked around like they owned the place.

Was this man an awakened too?

That would explain a lot. Awakened were powerful. They hunted beasts, explored ruins, brought back rare treasures, and walked around with gold and silver like it was nothing.

Then a thought crossed his mind—What if I just ran off with this coin?—but he quickly pushed it away. If this man really was awakened, he wouldn't get far before being caught, and the punishment would be harsh.

Just looking at the man's calm face, it was hard to guess what he might do if angered.

The boy clenched his fists and looked up again.

Maybe, if he did a good job, he might even get a bonus.

That thought alone gave him a fresh wave of motivation.

He quickly reached out and grabbed the coin like it might disappear any second.

"Alright!" he said with a bright grin. "Where do you want to go first?"

Elias looked at him calmly. "No rush. I just want to explore the area for now. Take it slow."

"Got it!" the boy replied with a nod.

Elias stopped him for a moment. "What's your name?"

The boy turned back. "Adrias."

Elias nodded. "Alright then, Adrias. Lead the way."

With that, the two of them started walking.

After a short while, Adrias pointed forward.

"That's the Norwyn marketplace," he said.

Elias looked ahead. A large, busy market stretched out in front of them. Dozens of stalls were lined up in rows. People moved back and forth, shouting prices, bargaining, buying, and selling. The entire area was filled with energy and noise.

Adrias explained, "This place is always packed. Merchants from both inside and outside Norwyn come here every day to sell their stuff."

Elias nodded as he observed the crowd. The amount of trade here was massive.

"But this is just the surface," Adrias added with a grin. "See that big building at the back?" He pointed toward a large fortress-like structure behind the marketplace.

Elias followed his hand and spotted it.

"That's the Trade Union center," Adrias said. "This whole market is under their control. Every vendor here pays a fee to them just to set up a stall."

That made sense to Elias. A place this organized and safe had to be managed by someone powerful.

Adrias continued, "But this area only has the common stuff—normal goods, food, tools. If you want the rare items—like potions, beast cores, enchanted stuff—you'll have to go inside that building."

Elias listened closely.

"Only rich vendors sell inside. The Trade Union charges a lot for a spot in there. Ordinary sellers can't afford it. That's where all the rare and expensive items are."

Elias looked at the building again and narrowed his eyes slightly. He had already planned to visit the Trade Union if Norwyn had one, and now that he knew it did, he would definitely check it out.

"Alright," he said, "what's next?"

Adrias grinned. "There's still plenty to see. Just follow me."

And so, they continued. Elias followed behind the boy, who moved quickly through the crowd, pointing out places and explaining things with enthusiasm.

The boy darted left and right, showing him inns, taverns, training halls, and weapon stores. At each stop, he gave simple but useful explanations.

Elias listened quietly, taking mental notes. The boy's knowledge of the city was impressive.

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[3 super gifts this month = 30 chapters mass Release at the beginning of next month]