The Manaverse

Slatewell Safe Zone - Town Hall

Granite City

After Jut had explained his Quests and the group changed their priority from clearing the dungeon to advancing all of their Skills to Stone Rank, they had divided the loot. Everyone had walked away with a few silvers worth of coins, crafting materials and at least two pieces of Stone Rank gear.

Diggy had received all of the Monster Skins, chain mail gloves, and boots. The gear both increased his Strength stat by one each. He was okay with it. They had split the loot up pretty evenly in his eyes.

It was after the girls and Brick had left and Jut and Diggy were hanging out when he realized why he hadn't gotten the same quests Jut had. He hadn't equipped any Skills to his non-combat Skill bar. When he mentioned that to Jut, his friend reacted in an unexpected way. Diggy had expected a condescending look, or for Jut to scold him. Instead, his friend nudged him and said:

"Take your time and find what makes you the happiest. We already have so much to mourn and miss. No need signing up for a job you don't want, you know?"

Diggy left and went back to his own Penthouse after that. His friends encouragement actually made him feel worse, not better. He had stunk it up in the dungeon and he had been very childish. He was surprised the rest of the group hadn't voted to kick him out then and there. It made Diggy feel depressed. So, he did what he always had when he was depressed. He sunk into work. In this case, he worked on his leather working.

It was after failing at making his third chest piece that Diggy decided to give up for the night and he slept. He was tired of feeling like a loser. He didn't even want to be a leather worker. Not really. That is why he hadn't equipped the Skinning Skill or the Leather Working Skill. He would make the armor for people because that was the only profession not covered yet, not because he wanted to.

No, what Daniel Digsby wanted to do was be a merchant. As lame as it made him feel, he missed the grocery store and the life he had lived at the time. Sure, it wasn't glamorous, but he had enjoyed it.

So, the very first thing Diggy did when he woke up was say "fuck it" and equipped his Mercantile Skill and Profit Skill. He read them both over again as he walked to Jut and Brick's penthouse.

Skill: Mercantile

Rank: Normal

Type: Service

Cost: None

Cast Time: None

Cool Down: None

Duration: Passive

Range: Self

Effect: You are granted access to the [Manaeather System Shop] as a Merchant. You may set up a [Mercantile Shop] up to normal rank. You may create and maintain 1 [Merchant Panel] 0/1. You may set sale and purchase prices within your [Shop], or a [Shop] you are working for under the appropriate [Business Contract], at will. This Skill does not grant you permission to open or operate a [Shop] in your area. See local Nobility for the proper permissions.

Skill: Profit

Rank: Normal

Type: Material Gathering

Cost: None

Cast Time: None

Cool Down: None

Duration: Passive

Range: Self

Effect: When you purchase with System Currency, you spend 1% less and the merchant makes their full price. When you sell, you gain an additional 1% System Currency while the buy spends the original amount. This Skill will not work in a [System Shop].

Diggy was unable to try out these Skills in the System Shop provided to the Safe Zone. So, he knew of only one way to do so. He had to open his own shop. However, to show his desire to help Jut make his new Guild great, he wanted to open a Guild Shop instead.

Diggy found Jut on his balcony, swinging his sword at thin air. After Diggy explained his idea, Jut had smiled and forced Diggy to take three hundred Gold pieces then sent him down to the Town Hall to ask Wendy about opening a Shop.

Diggy looked at the many receptionists at the desk until he recognized their new friend and hurried over to her. The line to get to her was seven people deep and was the shortest. He used his time waiting to people watch.

The population flowing past him showed a few trends he was easily able to see.

The age and gender differences were pretty well equal across all boards. However, he noticed very few older people or younger children. It made for a stark reminder how hard the System had been on the people, specifically the young and elderly.

One in three people were Stone Rank and a majority of those who were must have chosen a crafting path as they didn't wear any armor. How many people were able to ascend confused Diggy until he remembered that Derrick had explained it to him.

Non-hunters traded their services for Mana Chips. Even cut off from the outside world and Monsters, with the dungeon, hunters would be flush with the wondrous scraps of magic. Crafters would sell their wears to the Shop and they would use their coins to buy potions and other consumables that hunters would trade for. A hand full of chips for three healing potions? Diggy would do it if they weren't trying to be self sufficient through their crafting skills.

The last trend Diggy noticed was the amount of non-humans there were. It was pretty high, sitting at a third of the Stone Ranked population. He even noticed a few Normal Rankers that must have chosen the Race Change feature from the list.

As humans always seem to do, their was a divide in the groups. Sure, non-humans had a few human friends that hovered around them, but the separation was evident. Many of the humans that held themselves apart would occasionally scowl at a non-human they passed by, or when one walked by them. It made Diggy roll his eyes.

He was in line for about ten minutes before he stepped up to Wendy. She had Ascended recently because pointed ears stuck out of her blonde flowing hair.

"Diggy. Jut said you'd be stopping by in his message. You're here to inquire about Land, a Opening a Shop, and forming our organization, right?" Wendy was straight forward to the point of almost being rude.

Then again, he understood. People were getting requests from the Safe Zone for rewards. Many more people had joined the line leading to Wendy behind him. She had to be getting sick of people being stupid. So, he made it easy for her.

"Yep. What do I need to do?"

"Just touch the panel. I believe you should have everything you need if Jut paid you." Wendy said. She leaned in and whispered to him. "Between you and me? I can't wait to be done with this place. Once we have an office or something, I'll quit this lame ass job." She gave him a wink and stood up straight once more.

Diggy placed his hand to the panel. "I understand that completely. So, maybe later today?" He winked back.

"I doubt it. You'll see." Then she let him focus.

It was the same list he saw last time with a few more options.

Safe Zone Quests

Supply Turn In

Place Request

Lodge Complaint

Land Purchase

Organization Registrations

Business Licensing

Employment Opportunities

The last option on the list made Diggy smile. At least they were trying to do more to help the people. He selected the Organization Registrations Tab.

The list was longer than he expected, and came with a brief introduction at the top.

The Safe Zone is tasked with allowing individuals to create organizations as they see fit. The requirements imposed by the System are few. Organizations have to abide by the lands they reside in's rules and regulations and have at least five members. The Slatewell Safe Zone has chosen to only recognize the following groups:

Hunting Parties

Corporations

Companies

Guilds

When Diggy selected Guilds from this list, another popup appeared.

You are already part of the Radiant Crusaders Hunting Party. You can either cede from this Hunting Party and form a Guild, or convert this Hunting Party into a Guild. Note: Authority Recognized for conversion.

Cede/Convert

Diggy converted the Party and moved to the Business Licensing tab. The System amazed him. It knew Jut wanted the conversion and had given him authority to do it just because of their earlier conversation.

This tab was no different as it had a list of options and an introduction that made Diggy scowl.

Businesses allowed to operate out of Slatewell Safe Zone must register and pay taxes according to what kind of business is registered. Please select the Business type you wish to register:

Food Production

Non-Food Production

Services

Retail

Jut had told Diggy to see if they could open a Shop that did everything. If they couldn't, he was to look into getting each of the licenses and if he couldn't afford a Shop license, or could only afford one of the Shop licenses available, to report back. It turned out to be cheap at one gold piece each, and Diggy could tie each of the licenses to the Radiant Crusaders Guild. The taxes were very low, being less than five percent of their gross profits. Yet, it didn't sit right with Diggy. He didn't see a benefit the Guild would receive for paying taxes past being allowed to exist. He just hoped the Safe Zone wouldn't slowly increase taxes all the time like before the System.

The last option was land. Diggy opened the land option and was disappointed and a little mad at what it told him.

The Safe Zone owns everything within 25 Kilometers of the Town Hall. The Mana regulated section known as the Safe Zone is everything within 5 Kilometers of the Town Hall. Everything past the 5 Kilometer mark is for sale to the general public on a first come first serve basis. Restrictions:

Individuals may own one 800 Meter plot

Organizations may own two 1600 Meter plots.

Each option produced a "Plot Token", or a large metal coin the size of Diggy's fist and each one cost one hundred and fifty gold. With Jut's money he purchased the two Plot Tokens designated for Organizations. He purchased another one for himself too, reducing his personal Gold to drop below twenty.

Holding one of the Tokens, he examined it.

Item: Plot Token

Type: Land Purchase Node

Location: Slatewell Safe Zone Territory

Size: 800 M

Duration: Permanent

Rank: Normal

Durability: 100%

Rarity: Rare

Description Place on the ground and activate this Token to acquire land from the Safe Zone through the System. Once used, the land will become Soul Bound to the Owner. Individuals in the Slatewell Safe Zone is limited to 1 Plot.

These Tokens had to be limited and they cost so much. Based on the sale prices Diggy saw in the shop, an average person was not likely to reach a hundred and fifty gold in a year, maybe not even two. They only had as much as they did because of the Safe Zone's generosity and Quests from the System. Then again, there was also the land past the twenty-five kilometer range. Could they purchase more out there later and for cheaper? Either way, most normal people were likely to be homeless once the expanded space inside the Residential Towers faded so something needed to happen between now and then.

Diggy turned away from the concern and turned to Wendy. "Thanks for your time. We'll catch up later. You got this." He gave her a thumbs up.

She waved back at him. "Did you get it all?"

He nodded and got out of the way. Wendy smiled at the next person in line and directed them to the panel.

As Diggy was making his way back to Jut's Penthouse to pass along the the tokens he'd just picked up, his guide's chat window opened. His Spirit Guide was some uncle that was actually younger than him before they had past away. Diggy had never even met them before. His name was Kennedy, but chose to go by Ken.

Yo, cuz. You should get that Jut guy to make you the Tablet Panel you need. I'm sure he'd do it.

That's a good idea, man. I'll ask him about it.

You still bummed about that meeting yesterday? Bro, let it go past ya and do like we planned. Next time you run the dungeon with the group, you take the back side and make the other guys work around you. It will be perfect for that first hallway and allow you to let absolutely loose on those beasties. Man...I wish I had made it there...

Me too, dude. Me too.

They went back and forth, talking about the fights they had been through again. Then it came back around to the promise. Always with the stupid promise.

You'll not waste any resources on me, right? I know I am useful, but...

Yeah, yeah. Look. I know you'll be given something good if I don't keep you past Stone Rank. I'm sure by then, I'll be able to regulate the System messages just fine.

The reason Diggy, and every other Ascendant Being, was not being constantly bombarded with Lore Windows when they saw everyday things was because their Guides were actively closing them as they gathered Lore. If Ken hadn't been there, Diggy would have had to do it and it was beneficial for the Guides in some way because they all insisted it was their main job.

Diggy had Ken stop doing it once and every thing in Diggy's Penthouse suddenly gained a pop up window. The chairs said "chair" and the tables said "table" and so on. It took him a mild effort to keep the information at bay, but he could do it. It seemed the System was not keen on filtering for them but found a way to elevate the stress of it on newly integrated planets.

Think you'll survive the PT Jut is enforcing?

Probably not. Diggy sighed. He didn't want to remember that. Both Brick and Jut were adamant that they exercise at least four days a week and their first morning was the next day. Only he had been reluctant. Joy and Isabelle were determined.

Diggy didn't mind working out, but he wasn't looking to spend their last days in lock down tired and burnt out. However, the idea of running seemed to make him excited. At least, it did now. Before his Race Change, he had hated running. He contemplated on that thought for a while until he reached the Penthouse. He wondered if he would start to like mazes now too.