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CHAPTER START---
"Wow," Oberon mutters as he enters a luxurious corporate office. "This is amazing."
Directly in front of him is a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, here on the top floor of the building, perfectly positioned to get a full view of Castle Mercurius in the middle of the city.
"Thank you," the old man sitting at the far end of the room, behind a large, solid dark-wood desk, said, drawing Oberon's attention to him. "Managing a branch of The Brokerage has its perks."
The man gets up as Oberon walks over, and extends his hand to the boy.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Oberon says, shaking his hand. "I'm Oberon Alkwan."
The man gestures to the comfortable leather chair in front of his desk, and Oberon sits, all while the man carefully observes him.
Wearing simple black boots and matching long pants, a white t-shirt, and a black and white jacket.
With a head of void-black hair littered with almost glowing white strands, like stars in the night sky.
The man glances at the issue of Sorcerer Weekly on his desk as he sits, then discreetly places it into the drawer beside him.
"Now, this Job is time sensitive, as I'm sure Master Makarov has explained."
"He told me what an Open Job means."
"Yes, and the usual stipulations for working with us will continue regardless, stressing confidentiality. You've worked with us a handful of times before, and I've yet to hear anything but praise from my staff. Succeed in this endeavor, and even more opportunities shall open."
"And the Gate Key?"
"It is part of your reward. Something we know you'd want to encourage your participation. However," the man writes a number on a piece of paper and slides it over to Oberon. "Jewels are also included."
Oberon glances at the number, then his gaze shifts back to the man. "What kind of key is it?"
'Seriously?' the man wonders. 'They told me he never negotiates Jewels, only items, but this is absurd. He doesn't bat an eye at such an absurdly high number…'
"Silver. But we also have a Gravity Magic Grimoire at a sister branch that I'd be happy to retrieve for you."
"Okay. What's the Job, and why did you request me? I'm sure you have access to more powerful Wizards."
"Right, I assumed you'd ask as much," the manager says. "The item you'll be seeking is a stone tablet. A Magic Artifact, but inert for now. We already have many pieces, but the final few are still missing.
By now, the dig site has likely been abandoned by the archaeologists who discovered it, as many factions are after it or have occupied it, driven by the prospect of treasure. The tablet can't be removed without this…"
The man places a set of stone prayer beads with strange glyphs carved into them.
"This will also help you find them. They glow brighter the closer you are."
"Use the beads to find the tablet, then fight some people and bring it back here, simple enough. But this doesn't say why me."
"Because you are a member of Fairy Tail," the manager says. "And one of the factions we are sure will get involved, is Wizard Saint Aven's Monastery."
Oberon quirks a brow at the man.
"Wizard Saints Aven and Makarov are friends, which in itself is rare among the Wizard Saints. Aside from Makarov Dreyar, the only other Wizard Saint with a Guild is Wizard Saint Jose's Phantom Lord.
But we have reasons not to trust them again. Using anyone else would have a Wizard Saint pressuring them and us to hand over the tablet, and we can't let that happen."
"I see. Since I'm from Fairy Tail, if he shows up, he'll just let me go because he's friends with my Master. Anyone else, he might just crush, so they would have quit the moment you mentioned this.
Plus, if they did complete the job, he could pressure their Guild into saying who the client is, which would destroy their Guild by violating their Guild Charter. But Fairy Tail has a Wizard Saint, so we can tell him to stop bothering us and that'll be the end of it.
You could have hired a lot of people for this if you didn't use the official Guild system. But you used it to get protection from him with Master Makarov as your shield…"
"And everyone knows Makarov Dreyar values his Guild above all else. He will protect our confidentiality, even from a fellow Wizard Saint. And because of our connection to the crown, Aven can't simply bully us without absolute proof."
"Okay, I get it. So, where am I going?"
"Minstrel. We have a private boat in Morgate waiting for you. They will take you to Minstrel, where you will get directions to the general area of the artifact. Everything beyond that is up to you," he hands Oberon the beads.
"And about the other people hunting this. Do they have these beads too?"
"Some do. But you don't get any bonus for fighting, only for the item being returned to this building. Whatever means you use is none of our concern. We have a Magicmobile waiting out front for you."
"Great," Oberon hops out of his chair and turns to leave, but the man speaks, drawing his attention back to him.
"You aren't what I was expecting."
Oberon frowns. "Everyone says that."
"No, not that. I knew you were a child, and I saw your pictures in Sorcerer Weekly. But, the focus you have on Magic itself, that's exactly the kind of thing that will get you far in this life, especially in a relationship with this company."
"I hope so. You guys have lots of cool stuff."
"Yes. But first, you must prove what Sorcerer Weekly claims to be true. 'The greatest magical talent of the age', 'The prodigy', such bold claims. But we would reward such a person greatly for certain tasks in the future."
Oberon smiles. "Then I won't disappoint…"
A minute later, the man stands at his one-way glass wall and looks down as the luxurious high-performance Magicmobile drives off with Oberon as a passenger.
With a wave of his hand, he activates his Archive Magic, and a holographic screen appears in front of him.
He does a quick search, perusing their entire collection of Magic Items and artifacts, held in this branch and its hidden vaults across the country.
He then refines his search, focusing on 'Light Magic', 'Gravity Magic', 'Cosmic Magic', and 'Celestial Spirit Magic', instantly finding dozens of items, but none for 'Cosmic Magic'.
This piques his curiosity, and with a thought, he saves this list and labels it 'Oberon's Potential Rewards', for future use.
He then uses his Telepathy to call his assistant into his office, and not a moment later, the young man enters the room.
"I sense a commotion downstairs. What's going on?" he asks without looking away from Castle Mercurius in the distance.
"I was just about to inform you, sir. We have news regarding Wizard Saint Aven."
He turns around to face his assistant.
"He's been confirmed to be exploring an ancient ruined city to the north, he won't be involved in Minstrel."
"Really? That's surprising. A stroke of luck, perhaps."
"There is still the problem of his apprentice. We got word that Jura Neekis has been spotted sourcing transport to Minstrel, with three monks accompanying him."
"Hmm. Iron Rock Jura. Dangerous. Not to mention the Treasure Hunters, other Wizard Guilds, Mercenary Guilds, and Dark Guilds, too. There could very well be a war in that desert over this tablet."
"Should I inform the driver or the boat captain to update Oberon?"
"No. Everyone may be impressed by him, but he is still a child. Not even 10 years old yet. This could scare him off, and he's our only chance at getting the tablet without a Wizard Saint leaning on us to hand them over."
"It's impossible for him to know about those, sir."
"Anything is possible in this vast, magical world," the manager says. "Keep Oberon in the dark about this Jura situation. Encountering Aven is safe because the man is so much stronger, but Jura isn't someone we know enough about."
"I see. So, there may be a fight if they meet."
"Gildarts, then Jura. Two Wizards praised for exceptional power, but I don't recall anyone calling them the greatest of the age. So let's see how Oberon does against one of the previous monsters."
"Understand."
"Also," the manager waves his hand in front of the screen and transfers the new list to his assistant's mind. "Contact the other branches, get me anything related to those Magics, and bring the relevant items from our bunkers here."
The man holds his head for a moment as the information processes, then blinks away the headache. "Shouldn't we wait until he's completed the task, sir?"
The man smiles and shakes his head. "You don't get to where I am if you've ever put money on the wrong horse, so just have some faith in the cosmic wonder…"
CHAPTER END---
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