Although Franz only had to register three artifacts, it took quite a long time. Isabel had to check the rest as well, and only after an hour did she place a stack of papers in front of Franz.
"Here." She muttered discontentedly. "And I swear, Franz, if you come to my shift with this kind of work again, I'll rip off that mustache you've been working so hard to grow!"
With a smirk, Franz looked at the documents, nodded, and rolled them into a tube on his belt.
"Alright, just a moment, dear." Franz turned to Garet and tossed him a two-streak coin. "Here's your payment. It's a pleasure doing business with you, young man."
Garet caught the coin. Now he had two, and it seemed that with 200 coins he could secure a good life for himself, at least in the Pit, but soon he would learn how cruel the economy of a big city could be.
Then, Franz leaned over, not shy about looking at Isabel's impressive chest.
"How about a date? I'll be free tomorrow and I'm planning to stay in the Iron Gate for a while."
'That was a big mistake,' Garet thought, expecting Isabel's response to be harsh and possibly even hurtful to Franz.
Isabel waved her hair. "Pfffft, do you really think you have a chance? I may not be Awakened, but I am a damn chief agent!"
However, as soon as Franz whispered something in her ear, Isabel's face turned red as a tomato.
She lowered her gaze. "F-Fine, just... do that thing... and... GET OUT!"
"Alright, alright!"
Franz stepped back, not wanting to risk angering her further. Either way, he got what he wanted.
"Tomorrow at eight. You know where to find me."
He turned around and put his hand on Garet's back, guiding him forward.
"Come on, man, we have a lot to discuss."
Thus, they left the Thornspire, Franz with the documents for the artifacts, Garet with two rewards, and Isabel with a menacing look that barely concealed her hidden desires.
"So, Garet, I understand you haven't found a place to live here yet, right?"
Garet didn't expect such a question, but he nodded weakly. "Yeah, not that I've had time for that. Right now I have 200 coins. I think that will be enough."
Franz smiled bitterly, shaking his head.
"Well, I think you'll be disappointed with the prices, especially at night. I don't recommend trying to sleep on the street at this time of night, you'll end up without your money and without your sword. Hahaha!"
He pulled a purple card with gold edging from the inside pocket of his thick robe.
"Here, if you can't find anything better, go to the Purple Lantern. Give them my card and tell them I sent you."
"Purple Lantern?" Garet asked, looking around.
"Hahaha, it's a tavern on the first level, where we are now. Just head towards the western peak and you'll find it, I assure you."
Garet nodded in gratitude.
"Mr. Franz, the job you mentioned..."
"No, just Franz, soon we will be partners, so less formality, more productivity!"
"So, what about the job? Judging by everything, it's something more serious than helping with documents."
Franz waved his hand. "About that tomorrow. I may look energetic, but look at the moon, it's late at night."
Thus, Franz left, heading for one of the four tall buildings located throughout the first floor. Many bridges extended from the towers, as they were the main means by which people could move from one floor to another, although there were several bridges in other places as well.
Garet remained in the middle of the road with mixed feelings.
So many incredible things had happened to him in one day, but where had he ended up?
How was he different from the hundreds of people and dozens of Awakened walking the streets with him?
"No." Garet shook his head, getting rid of the intrusive thoughts. "I shouldn't compare myself to others. Maybe I don't have much money, I've only completed one mission, and I'm a newbie, but at least I'm alive and I have many opportunities ahead of me!"
Garet was not wrong about that. The fact that he had become an Awakened did not mean that he would immediately become king of the world and gain all the riches and power.
Many ordinary people had achieved great heights despite not having superpowers. Franz, Melisa, or Isabel were among the many examples.
After all, while the Awakened hunted and fought for influence with each other, attacked and defended, someone had to take care of the economy, city management, or simply put missions on the Thorn Board.
But no one doubted that only the Awakened could achieve true greatness.
Garet looked up at the three peaks of the great Thornspire on which this city depended.
No matter how strong the economy was or how many people lived in the city, even its geographical location could be meaningless in the face of a threat.
If somehow the Thornspire disappeared tomorrow, and with it all the Awakened, it would not be a week before the Iron Gate fell, either under the weight of monsters or other cities that would certainly take advantage of such an opportunity to expand their influence.
Obviously, this was not meant to happen, at least not while the three peaks towered over the Iron Gate.
Garet's gaze filled with sadness.
'A few Second Manifest Monsters were the reason why my city fell, but the same Monster Wave will be nothing more than a few extra missions on the Thorn Board for the Iron Gate.'
No matter how much of a hole the Pit was, no one liked knowing that their home had been destroyed.
All Garet could do was move on.
"Alright!" He clenched his fist with two coins, looking at the tavern in the distance. "First food, then work!"
The world was changing every second, but it was impossible to keep up with everything. The least Garet could do was take care of himself. Hungry and exhausted, he would not be able to complete Franz's assignment, which promised to be his next big mission.