Dream's Abnormality
Loren nodded and continued, "The Dream magic is said to be abnormal."
"The magic of Dream has long been considered abnormal.
In the ancient textbooks that detail the creation of the fourteen Veilstrands or Magics, Dream is listed as the last to be created. But strangely, in the same set of textbooks describing the properties of each magic, the section for Dream is entirely empty, as if it does not exist at all. That's why no one knows the authority of Dream.
Confused by this, many experts attempted to find the Rune Stones of Dream within the Material Realm, yet all efforts ended in failure.
Eventually, the five official churches took notice of this growing uncertainty. In response, they released a new textbook that specifically addressed Dream magic. According to this version, the Rune Stones of Dream exist only within dreams themselves, inaccessible through ordinary means, hoping that would stop people from searching.
But those skilled in dreamwalking, experts who could enter and navigate the dream domain, quickly challenged this claim. Many spent decades searching every corner of the dreamscape, but not a single Rune Stone was ever found.
After countless failed attempts, they declared that the Rune Stones of Dream were not hidden in the dream domain at all, but instead lost somewhere within the Spirit Realm.
This began another era of searching.
Spiritwalkers and scholars who could traverse the Spirit Realm devoted years to finding the lost Rune Stones. They questioned spirits using the ancient spirit tongue and scoured the furthest reaches of that ethereal world. But the spirits themselves denied knowing anything—their answers always the same: they had never seen the Rune Stones of Dream.
Eventually, the search was abandoned altogether. To this day, the location of the Rune Stones of Dream remains unknown, a quiet mystery, hidden beneath the layers of false teachings and lost history.
It is important to note that all official textbooks on Mystic Theory, including those that discuss the Rune Stones and the Veilstrands, are strictly controlled by the five official churches. These records are never shared with the public. Only those who have become Runebound or those who have swallowed a Rune Stone, are permitted to access this forbidden knowledge.
There are also claims that the Divine Rune Stone of Dream was never shattered into seven forms to begin with, and that the stone is simply wandering somewhere in the world. But I suppose that claim is already false, considering you just swallowed the Rune Stone of Dream."
Perhaps only you can find the other parts… and become the first human to ascend into godhood."
Loren smiled at Seyla, who was listening attentively, and added, "Can you imagine? A person who's swallowed a Rune Stone doesn't need to worry about others fighting over the same one—it's already yours. But for you… well, having the rarest magic of all? That's a problem of its own. You won't just be hunted… they'll want to experiment on you, tear you apart, all for answers. Haha… lucky you."
Haha… lucky me… damn you! You just gave me a damn new problem! Seyla cursed in his mind, shocked.
Noticing the silence and the shocked expression on Seyla's face, Loren spoke with a smile, "If I were you, it's better if you keep this a secret. If anyone finds out, your life will be in danger. Don't worry about me— as a Seer, I have my own spiritual perception, and I can forget everything that we discussed. It's one of my abilities. Do you want me to forget everything we talked about?"
Seyla shook his head and said, "No, I trust you, Captain. Just don't tell any of my colleagues about this. And I will be careful from now on."
Loren smiled and nodded, then said, "Understood. So your job will be as an undercover police officer… or you can choose to be a sheriff under the L'oreal East Police Station.
If you want to be an undercover police officer, your salary will be five Crown Notes and ten Silver Marks every two weeks, but we have to take twenty percent of your salary for taxes. Also, you'll always need to be on standby at this station in any circumstance.
But if you choose to become a sheriff under our police station, everything your clients pay you will be yours. You'll have your freedom, the police station won't stop you, but if you do anything illegal, you will be called in and punished. We won't give you a salary, but the police station will protect you from anything that happens while you do your work.
Either way, you'll work under me. So… what's your decision?"
Seyla nodded and asked, "May I know the currency of this kingdom first?"
"Sure. There's a book on the bookshelf about the currency of the Caelwyn Kingdom. Look for yourself, I'll wait here," Loren replied.
Seyla smiled and nodded, then turned to the bookshelf and found a small book titled "The New Currency of Caelwyn Kingdom."
Seyla opened the book and started reading.
It began with the sentence:
"The new currency of Caelwyn Kingdom was established by the Sixth Emperor in the year 1019."
If the new currency was made in 1019 and right now is 1100, then the current emperor is the eighth or ninth… Seyla silently muttered, then continued reading.
"The Third Emperor introduced paper currency called 'Crown Notes,' reasoning that 'he was tired of carrying a pouch full of coins, and because it was too heavy to carry,' so he invented the 'Crown Notes.'
The Crown Notes are divided into eight denominations: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 1000. One Crown Note is equivalent to one Gold Mark."
The Marks were the old currency. The kingdom has Bronze Marks, Silver Marks, and Gold Marks.
Mostly, the Bronze Mark is used for small trades, the Silver Mark for standard trades, while Gold Marks are used in large trades.
Here's a short summary:
1 Bronze Mark = Basic unit for small trade
1 Silver Mark = 10 Bronze Marks, for standard trade
1 Gold Mark = 20 Silver Marks = 200 Bronze Marks, for large trade
1 Crown Note = 1 Gold Mark = 20 Silver Marks = 200 Bronze Marks
5 Crown Notes = 5 Gold Marks
10 Crown Notes = 10 Gold Marks
20 Crown Notes = 20 Gold Marks
50 Crown Notes = 50 Gold Marks
100 Crown Notes = 100 Gold Marks
200 Crown Notes = 200 Gold Marks
1000 Crown Notes = 1000 Gold Marks
It seems like the currency of this kingdom isn't too complicated… Seyla thought. If I choose to become an undercover officer, the salary tax won't be a problem… but my freedom… If I choose to be a sheriff, I'll have freedom, but my earnings depend on luck… Seyla muttered to himself.
For a second, Seyla heard a knock at the door. It opened, and the beautiful Nicole entered, holding two cups of coffee and a bowl of biscuits. She placed them on the small glass table near the couch, then quietly left.
Alright… I'll choose to become a sheriff… Seyla decided. He returned the book to the bookshelf and walked to the couch where Loren was sitting.
Loren took a cup of coffee from the table and took a sip. Noticing Seyla approaching, he returned the cup to the table and said, "Have you finally decided? Come, take a coffee and join me. There's still plenty of time."
Seyla nodded, smiled, and sat beside Loren. "I've decided to become a sheriff," he said as he picked up a cup of coffee and sipped it. Black coffee… he muttered.
Loren smiled at Seyla, stood up, and went to his desk. He opened a lower drawer and pulled out a goatskin parchment and a pen. Returning to the couch, he placed them on the table and said, "We'll form a pact."
Seyla nodded. Loren continued, "Alright, let's sign a pact. A pact works like a contract—everything written on the parchment must be followed. We'll both sign it and offer a drop of blood. That way, if either of us breaks the agreement, we die. Of course, if one of us dies naturally, the pact is broken. Or, it simply disappears when the agreement's time runs out."
Loren signed the parchment and pricked his finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the paper. The blood disappeared upon contact. He smiled, handing the parchment to Seyla.
Seyla's eyes skimmed over the parchment, quietly reading the key points to himself:
"Legal clearance to carry restricted weapons… Right to a lawyer if things go south… Three-year term of service… Authority to detain suspects within city limits… Protection under the Law of Shield—anyone who harms me gets punished as if they attacked the city itself… Immediate dismissal for corruption or breaking the law… It really is better being a named sheriff than a wild sheriff…"
With a quiet sigh, he picked up the pen and signed his name at the bottom. Without hesitation, he took a knife, made a small cut on his finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the parchment.
The moment the blood touched the paper, it lifted gently into the air. Faint embers sparked along its edges, and within seconds, the entire parchment ignited in pale blue flame. It burned to nothing, vanishing without a trace.