The young woman ran back to her friend with incredible speed. Forgetting to rest, she stood against a brick wall not far away from the stall where Father Hatheway was currently dealing with a customer. She began to breathe heavily, her lungs filling to max capacity before exhaling, and as she caught her breath, she ran up to Father, who had just sent off the customer.
"Father!" She said, taking a deep breath. "I have exciting news!" She exclaimed.
"What is it, young one?" He said in a rather neutral tone.
She locked eyes with him, glancing at the five coins he had just gained from the customer.
"The Moonwine!" She turned, laying her head on the brick wall of a house. "Phew. It can be sold for three gold a liter… Oh my lord, I ran too much, I need to stand here for a second."
"What about i-" Father choked on his words, and his face that seemed to be previously filled with despair, transferred to unimaginable hope. "If that's true. Then we need to buy as many one-liter pots as we are able. Durable ones. We don't want customers asking for their money back if the pot cracks and spills."
"Okay! Just…" She inhaled slowly, her breathing starting to calm. "Just one second."
"Take your time. Here." Father handed over ten silver coins, which should cover any expenses.
After a few moments of respite, she ran towards a store and received four one-liter pots.
She soon returned, setting them down beside their stall, and began to pour some into the four pots.
"After I fill this up, I'm going to carry it and try to sell it."
"Okay, young one! Thank you."
She stood up, carrying the pot with a leather strap, and walked down the street. Out of the corner of her eye, standing at the entrance to an alleyway, there was a man. He was a tall man with a black bowler hat, black suit, black tie, and a wooden cane with a piece of white rubber at the bottom. The man turned around, and Anemone called out.
"Hello, sir, we are selling authentic Moonwine, and if you would like to buy some, it will be three gold a liter."
He glared toward her with disgust filling his eyes, as if she were lying and trying to make him fall into a trap, and she could tell that he thought she was lying.
"That's a low price for you to be claiming that it is 'authentic.' If you want me to buy some, let me try it."
She then pulled out the pot, popping off the small cork that covered the bottom.
"I have it right here." She said delightfully.
"I won't just buy it straight from you. Show me your store, your stall, whatever."
"Okay, follow me, sir."
Anemone soon returned to the cart with the elderly man, and as she reached it, she saw him pull out an animal horn which could be used as a cup. It happened to be common practice with the wealthy or anyone claiming to be extravagant, but she had never actually seen it, causing her to be pleasantly surprised.
Father Hatheway seemed to understand what was happening, and he himself brought out the large clay vessel filled with the luxurious liquid. "Would you like some Moonwine, sir?" He questioned, acting as honorably as he was able.
"Yes, please, sir." The man responded in a rather elegant tone. "I would like to try a sample before buying a full pint, my good sir." He then put his hand out, in which he was grasping the horn.
Father soon began to pour the Moonwine into it. It was a purple shimmering liquid that could only be described as the moon itself in liquid form. It was dazzling, sparkling, shiny liquid that cast a faint glow, lighting up the inside of the horn. The dark purple liquid had what looked like stars floating within, small white specs that scattered all the light it came in contact with. They seemed to pulse rhythmically as he retrieved the horn, examining the liquid.
He began to swirl the horn around and then put his nose in the entrance to the horn, tilting it back slightly to inhale the sweet aroma. He inhaled deeply once more, then began to drink from it.
The man's cheeks flushed pink within an instant, and a grin slowly appeared on his face.
'I know it has hallucinogenic effects, but it shouldn't act that quickly,' she thought.
Her thoughts were right; it wasn't the possible effect already taking its course, it was just that he was pleasantly surprised.
"This is the first REAL Moonwine I have had in ages. Three gold is for that watered-down shit, don't charge three gold, no, no, no, charge six. Now give me a full liter!"
Father had a pleasant smile on his face as Anemone handed over the liter she had been carrying, the man tossed eight gold coins onto the small wooden area that held their stock, and Father quickly noticed, but the man soon called out. "Keep the change. Thank you for blessing me with this young man."
'It's nice to be called young for once.' Father thought.
The man soon disappeared, drinking from his horn slowly, and as the day ended, Anemone was rushing to put up signs around the street, promoting the selling of authentic Moonwine. They each said, 'Authentic Moonwine, 6 gold per liter!' It also stated the prices of their other merchandise, such as apples, grapes, bread, etc. The two had been worried they might not sell much more, as true Moonwine was extremely rare, but to their surprise, they had sold two more liters in just a few hours.
They noticed that they sold more as the sun began to disappear over the horizon, when the Moonwine was able to show off that it had the effect. This was what proved it to be real, drawing in more customers. Noticing the increase in sales as the darkness swept over the city, the two decided to keep their shop open, and by the end of the day, they had made twenty gold in profit.
The pair eventually made their way to an inn to sleep. Though it was late, they had bought some food, and they enjoyed it alongside a casual conversation, one that was filled with smiles.
"I was worried about expenses, young one, so thank you, thank you for finding out the price of that drink so early. It will help us immensely; we no longer need to worry. Prepare yourself, as in two days you will leave and apply for the application test in hopes of being able to take the actual ranking test." He spoke in a calm manner, smiling gently as if all worries had ceased to exist.
She smiled in response, "I will, Father. I will make sure to do well on every test I need to take. So don't worry about me, though you should put ten gold away, hidden, just in case."
The pair finished their hearty meals and headed to their own separate rooms, and Anemone was smiling brightly as Father gave her a gift, five shiny gold coins that sparkled in her hand.
The night passed, and the next day also went by smoothly, with another twenty-seven gold made. Four liters of Moonwine were sold, along with all their bread, herbs, and mushrooms, leaving them with just thirteen liters left. To their dismay, the meat had begun to go bad, so they sold it all for just two gold coins and used the gold to buy more one-liter pots.
***
The next few days quickly flowed by, and it was now the day to apply for the application test. Young Anemone woke up around ten in the morning, grabbed her satchel, and made her way down the main road.
It was a long walk, even at a consistent speed. As she walked, a breathtaking castle came into view; it was majestic to say the least. It had four large watchtowers made of stone in the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. They were placed with precision to ensure no area was unguarded. The side closed to her, the south, had a large wooden gate with two stone golems guarding it. In the golems' cores were blue glowing crystals, which she assumed were their source of power.
As she walked up to a building, where she was told to go, she was underwhelmed greatly. It was a small, stone mage tower, with a purple cone-like point as a rood. It had two large windows, one at the top with a red banner underneath it, in which a flame was embroidered. The second window had a design imprinted into it; it was the classic mage hat with a starry pattern.
She walked towards the few steps that led to the entrance, and to the sides of the elderwood door were two large bird baths. Each had moss inside the basins, which were filled with water. One had a pink lotus with some lily pads, while the other had a black lotus, which sat alone in the center.
She arrived at the front door, and it swayed open with an unknown force, with a creaking sound following it.
'Makes sense, looking at where I am, I shouldn't be surprised it can open on its own.'
A bright light emanated from the open door, and it quickly blinded her as she walked inside. The feeling of disappointment she had felt earlier had vanished, replaced with astonishment.
As she entered the decrepit-looking building, the inside turned out to be much larger.
'Space magic. Fascinating.'
The inside was ornate, well-decorated, and beautiful. She looked around to see many people in the library-like place. The inside was so quiet that you could hear the flipping of pages, the sound of someone breathing, and every step. Eventually, after standing at the entrance and receiving weird glances, she began to walk around and explore. The place where she was standing turned out to be a library. At the end of every aisle was a potted plant, each with a glowing pink bulb that sat on a green stem. It also had roses, lilacs, lavender, and other plants growing beside it.
'It's beautiful, and smells delightful due to the flowers.
Anemone, after scouring the building, walked up to the librarian, who was sitting at a large wooden desk. She was an exquisite-looking lady with glasses on the tip of her nose and brunette hair that was in a ponytail. She was currently engrossed in a book, one that Anemone recognized.
'That's the same book that I'm reading!' She thought.
The librarian grabbed the string at the back of the book, slid it down the page, and then shut it gently, not producing a single noise. She then raised her eyes and met the young lady who stood before her.
"Welcome to the Limitless Tower, the center of the world, where all places connect. What could I help you with, miss?" She smiled.
"Yes, I am here for some tests that I must do before applying to be an adventurer. I was told to come here as I am a mage, though I do have a question…"
Before she could even ask her question, the librarian began to speak.
"You do not need to apply for an application test, as a mage, you just take the test here. Whereas if you were not a mage, you would take the test somewhere in the city you came from. The test you will take is designed to give the necessary information to the Adventurers Guild, where you will take the ranking test, such as name, core color, aptitude with meditation, aptitude with the gathering and embracing of external mana, along with many other things." She explained.
"Where do I go for the application test?" She asked.
"Go down the hallway to my right, the second door on the left will lead you to the fourth floor."
'This is the first floor, right? How can it connect straight to the fourth?… oh wait, I forgot where I am.'
She eventually did as the librarian said, walking down a hallway filled with floating candles, and the second door on the left read.
'IV floor.'
She opened the door, and another radiant flash blinded her completely. It didn't hurt, but it overwhelmed her senses, stunning her eyesight, her sense of smell, and her hearing.
The radiance soon went away, and she found herself in a new room, which seemed to be fused with nature.
In the middle of the room stood a large tree that grew past the dome-shaped roof, towering above wherever she was. Surrounding the base of the tree were many benches where people sat comfortably. Lanterns floated in the air, the fire within changing their brightness as people walked under them.
This single space was also comprised of two floors, with many people walking around on each. Each floor was comprised of many, many doors; she counted twenty, but gave up at a certain point.
'So many entrances, I wonder where they lead.' She thought, her jaw dropping in amazement.
She sat on a bench, taking in as much information about the place as she was able. She then heard a deep voice echo in her head.
"Enter door twenty and fill out the papers." It said
She found the door, looking to her right to see many more doors counting up, and she opened it. She instinctively closed her eyes to avoid being blinded, but she wasn't; it was just a normal room.
Inside was an ordinary room with two lanterns hanging by chains from the ceiling. On the largest wall was a painting. A painting of an elderly man, a man with a grey beard down to his chest, sitting professionally while holding a large staff. It was a white wood with a blue glowing jewel at the top. The gem sat in front of where his face should be, though his face was fully blacked out, and at the bottom of the painting, it said 'Malrek Thayne. Water Savant.'
'What is a savant?' She asked herself.
She continued looking around and then noticed what the voice must have been talking about. Pieces of paper sat on a desk that had a single chair in front of it, and a shelf with multiple books behind it. On the desk were the papers and a quill and ink, along with a single lantern shining brightly.
Beside the door she had just entered from, was a chest, which she hadn't noticed before and didn't bother opening now.
Now, the same booming voice entered her head, but now it was more distinct. It was the voice of an authoritative, elderly man who spoke slowly.
"The Seven Savant, the seven most powerful mages. They earn their title through respect, reliability, and strength. It is the dream of many to become a Savant, though only seven hold that title."