Weapon Refining Union Badge

Taking the silver card, the old lady called the young man at the front line to follow her into a separate room.

The two entered the room and soon exited, with Minos being curious as to what exactly happened behind the door.

However, as the young man walked past him, he noticed the difference on his card. Before he entered, his badge just had words, but now it also had a picture of his face.

Minos was slightly shocked as he noticed the difference. He had no idea how they managed to create such a realistic photo of his face in such a short time.

However with his turn coming, the answer was close to being revealed. Handing over his I.D card, the old lady quickly printed out a badge before calling Minos towards the same room.

The two of them soon entered the dim room, Minos immediately noticing the large strange machine at the front of the room.

The machine had a small crystal lens at the front, connected to a much more intricate machine that as usual, left Minos with more questions than answers.

"Stand still, look at the crystal, and let out a big smile. I'll take the picture on three. One, Two, Three!"

Minos did as commanded, smiling as he looked at the crystal. As the old lady called out three, a bright flash was released from the strange device, blinding Minos for a moment.

As vision came back to him, the old lady came out from behind the curtain of the strange device, handing Minos's badge over to him.

Looking at the badge that had a smiling picture of him, he couldn't help but be further amazed by some of the technologies of this world.

"Well done young man, and remember to not lose that badge, it's valuable." The old lady said with a smile as she guided Minos back out of the room.

Minos thanked the old lady as he left the room, joining the people who had already gotten their badges.

It didn't take much time for everyone to get their badges, and with the final person receiving it, the old man spoke out.

"Now that you've received your badges, let me tell you about its benefits. Naturally the most obvious is that you can now sell One-Moon weapons, not only to auction houses, but also to us."

"Beyond that, you can receive commissions from the Weapon Refining Union in exchange for Union Points, which can be spent on all sorts of things."

"Don't think Union Points are worthless, they are critical to getting anything done within the union, and in a way, are much more valuable here then Nux Stones are."

"Union points can not only be used to buy materials that you would otherwise have no access to, but you can also buy information, treasures, and pretty much anything you may have your eye on."

"They are essential to receiving promotions. If two people of equal skill apply for the same position, then whoever has more union points will almost always be chosen, so keep that in mind as well."

"That's pretty much it. The Weapon Refining Union is an open organization, so you can come and go as you please, however if you want to excel here, then remember to put in the time and work."

"I won't waste anymore of your time. Once again, welcome, and good luck in the union." The old man finished with a smile, letting the crowd disperse.

Minos began walking out with Zatiana, but before he could leave, the old man suddenly called out to him, catching him off guard.

"Minos, is it? I'd like to talk to you privately for a moment."

"Of course." Minos replied, as he gave a slight nod to Zatiana, signaling her to leave without him.

While she was curious why the old man stopped Minos in specific, she knew it wasn't her place to intervene, so with a nod, she left.

Meanwhile, the young man who had the best results before Minos couldn't help but have a dark vein bulge on his forehead.

Had Minos not stolen his spotlight, then the old man who had likely talked to him instead, giving him a chance to coddle up to the Weapon Refining Union's top players, making his future far easier.

With Minos here however, he became a back thought, not even being acknowledged before being dismissed.

The anger and envy further built up in his heart, but as a descendant of wealth, he was no fool, so he surpassed his anger as he left the room.

Minos noticed his spike in negative emotions and decided to remember that young man's face. With feelings like those, it was only a matter of time before he acted against Minos, so it was better to raise his guard now.

As the young man left, the room only had Minos, the old man, and the old lady. The old man didn't seem concerned about the old lady, and began speaking.

"As I said before, your results are some of the best I've seen in your class. How long have you been refining weapons for?" The old man asked.

Minos was suddenly caught in an awkward position with that question. On one hand, if he was truthful he'd likely receive far better treatment, but there was also the risk they may turn against him.

On the other hand, lying would give him no advantages, but would be far safer. Minos thought a while before deciding to tell the truth.

Being safe was good, but safe was also slow, and Minos didn't have that time to waste. He needed to utilize that talent he did have to leverage him the most benefit he could get.

Unlike the Green Barrel Sect that was a waste land with little law for the handyman disciples, the Weapon Refining Union was far more organized and disciplined, so his fears from his Green Barrel Sect days didn't apply here.

Besides, by looking at the aura of the old man and woman, Minos knew they were mostly good people. Also geniuses always existed, so why couldn't Minos be one of them?

"I've been refining weapons for about three months now." Minos said.

"Three years, amazing! To think you could reach such a level in only three years. With talent like that, as long as you work hard, you'll go far." The old man said as he twirled his beard in satisfaction.

"Not three years, three months." Minos corrected.

"Thr-three months!?" The old man said with astonishment, nearly tearing his own beard off as he jerked back in shock.

"Boy, don't make a fool of me, it won't do you any good." The old man said as he calmed down, realizing Minos was likely lying.

"I wouldn't fool someone in your position, it would do me no good either." Minos said genuinely.

"Three months, do you know what that means young man?" The old lady said, suddenly interjecting between the two.

"See this old man beside me, it took him about 5 years to reach your level, and he was well known as a genius, and not a genius by this rural town's standard, but a real genius." She said, making things clear for Minos.

"I understand, but again, I'm telling the truth." Minos replied, standing firm.

The old man and lady turned to each other, as if communicating with their eyes. After a few moments, they turned back to Minos, the old man clearing his throat before speaking.

"If what you said is true, I'm willing to teach you everything I know. Not only that, but as long as you reach my requirements, I'll recommend you to the headquarters, giving you a chance to see a much broader world."

"However if you've lied, I'll immediately remove your badge and you will be permanently banned from the Weapon Refining Union. Do we have a deal?" The old man said as he glared deeply into Minos's eyes, as if to see any deceit.

But Minos's abyss-black eyes were as still as water, not faltering at all in the face of the old man's oppressive aura.

"Deal." Minos said with a smile, reaching out his hand for a shake.

Seeing Minos so confident, the old man couldn't help but let out a thunderous laugh. Grabbing Minos firmly by the hand, the two shook under the old lady's observation.

She couldn't help but smile, feeling happy for the old man. While she naturally couldn't see the future, she felt an odd sensation in her heart, instinctively feeling that the old man had finally turned his fortune after all these years.

"Boy, I still haven't told you my name. I'm Okrum, and this is my wife Minda."

"It's nice to meet you two." Minos said with a formal bow.

Okrum and Minda smiled at each other, accepting Minos's bow. Only when Minos straightened back up, did Okrum speak.

"Before we do anything else, I plan on testing you to see if you've been telling the truth. I'm giving you one more chance to back off if you don't think you're capable." Okrum said, giving Minos leeway.

"No need to think, I'm confident in my abilities." Minos said, not even pausing for a moment.

"Good!" Okrum said with a laugh, happy at Minos's confidence.

He was already quite certain Minos was being honest from his confidence alone, but the test still needed to be done to confirm it.

"The test is quite simple. This is a manual on how to refine a Plion Sword. This weapon is about the same grade as the Wood-Shift Dagger you refined early, so three months should be enough time to create a Plion Sword at the same quality as your Wood-Shift Dagger."