58th of Season of Air, 57th year of the 32nd imperial era

The fact that Newt would be a slave was one thing. He could live with that, sort of. But the one percent annual interest rate sounded like a blatant robbery. One percent per year, and he would need two thousand third realm crystals and more than a decade to advance — that was two hundred crystals just in interest.

The clan could never afford this. Instead of sleeping, Newt tossed and turned in his bed, thinking about how he was ruining himself. Just as sleep got within reach, another thought struck him. They will charge me for every potion and every lesson and I can bet they will charge me even for the fancy robes the likes of which Everlast and the rest are wearing. That's insane! I'll never get out of debt! Would they charge for room and board? Is there a limit to their greed?

The sun, like a giant golden coin, rose from the east, heralding the end of Newt's restless night. He didn't taste the premier breakfast, but a thought struck him, and he waited for the Lady Valiant to leave the table to settle the bill before whispering at the Everfrost Order's mageknights.

"Does this meal go towards your debt?" What about interest? Do you have to pay interest for breakfast?

In response, Pearl burst into laughter.

"You were right Everlast, he is funny!" Then she looked at Newt. "No, this is Master treating us. And since she is a slave, technically her treating us is added to her debt."

Newt was trying to figure out whether the woman was joking, as the other three were giving him amused looks.

In the end, Lady Frostgrave came to his aid unknowingly, and called them to leave. The youngsters followed her voice like the obedient little raptors that they were and headed into the street.

Various thoughts, mostly those of manarium and compound interest, weighed heavily on Newt's mind. So much so that he walked through a city of wonders like a sleepwalker, hardly noticing the sights other than the immediate surroundings to ensure he didn't bump into anyone. Had he been paying closer attention, he would have noticed them reaching a walled off city center which was nearly a hundred square miles of the palatial complex, its enchanted outer wall as tall as the rest of the city's buildings.

The group followed the major boulevard, circling around the forbidden area, reaching the port late in the afternoon.

"We're here." Lady Frostgrave stopped before a building very similar to the Pleasant Night inn.

Roused from his stupor, Newt noticed the smell of salt and found himself surprised at how far the celestial golden coin had already traveled.

Lady Frostgrave opened the door and entered, followed by Pearl and the rest, with Newt bringing up the rear. Much like the previous establishment, the Fortunate Sailor had more than half its tables empty, with the crowd present preferring corners. Unlike the rest, a solitary, petite woman sat at the center of the room, a tall glass of wine standing before her.

She wore green and yellow clothes, patterned so she would merge with the forest's shadows. The yellow was pale, the green deep, distinctly different from the much better balanced colors of the imperial servants who wore emerald and gold.

"Lady Alabaster, long time no see," Lady Frostgrave greeted the woman, who was suddenly no longer sitting but standing.

"Lady Frostgrave, it is a pleasure, one I must admit I had never expected." Lady Alabaster shifted her attention to Newt. "And you must be Newstar. Lady Frostgrave had nothing but praise for you when she insisted she had found me a fantastic ward. Please sit, have a drink or some delicacies, the raw fish canape is quite decent."

Newt's stomach rebelled at the idea of eating raw fish, but Lady Frostgrave ordered a large plate as well as wines and juices for those present. With the formalities out of the way, Lady Alabaster graced Newt with her undivided attention. The pressure of her gaze was physical, his skin tingling from mana stabbing into him like billions of tiny needles.

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"Eighth tier dual core or above." Lady Alabaster nodded in satisfaction as the invasive mana disappeared. She looked at Frostgrave. "So why call me? Your order can make good use of a man with such high natural talent."

"Several reasons, first we wouldn't have anyone to teach him properly, so even with enough resources he wouldn't amount to much, which is quite the waste of talent."

Newt just sat there, watching the two women talk about him as if he wasn't there. Knights initiate barely registered in the eyes of knights valiant. He knew that, but experiencing it was quite an unpleasant experience. Newt recalled how Dandelion had once mentioned that calling non-awakened commoners was just disrespectful and made them sound like less than people. After being on the receiving end of such treatment, Newt reevaluated his stance on the naming convention. But his discomfort was just starting.

"The only thing our order could use him for is the breeding program," Lady Frostgrave said, and two seconds later, Newt blushed, realizing the implication. "But again, even the program would yield better results if he reached a higher realm. Our order's environment would suppress his growth, ultimately leading to a miserable and mediocre fate."

The petite Lady Alabaster listened with her arms crossed, only speaking when Lady Frostgrave stopped talking. "And?"

"And I owe him and his friend a favor. They found a natural treasure I can use to advance, so abusing his naivete would leave a bitter taste, possibly adding to my regrets and pushing them over the edge." Lady Frostgrave shifted her gaze towards Newt. "We are having this discussion like this, openly, for your benefit. You are too young and naive. Yes, orders do need talents, but powerful individuals within orders need powerful heirs and children. Once someone rises high enough within their organization, they often focus on personal benefits over those of the group."

Lady Frostgrave hesitated for a split second so short Newt was certain no non-awakened could notice it before she continued.

"Dandelion insisted you wouldn't make a wrong decision, and he seems to trust you, but you aren't even seventeen yet. You have no clue how the world works. Few orders care entirely about morality, and many gray areas exist. You may see them or you may not, but they exist in all larger gatherings of people, since everyone has a personal goal, not just the collective one. So you must understand, without power, without a powerful backing, you are just a commodity." As she said that, Lady Frostgrave's heavy gaze kept Newt frozen in place before she sighed. "You are lucky I found you."

As dread gripped Newt's heart, Lady Frostgrave motioned towards Lady Alabaster. "Leucaena is an honorable person. More importantly, she is alone, meaning she doesn't come from a large family background and wouldn't compromise her own honor for her family's needs."

"Well, thanks for making this needlessly awkward." Lady Alabaster said flatly, spearing Lady Frostgrave with her gaze. "Now that we have determined that you are a valuable stud and that I have no intention of using you myself, we can move on to more important topics. Do you know anything about Explorer's Gate, our purpose, creed, and legacy?"

"Lady Frostgrave mentioned you exploring the wealds and secret realms."

For that, Lady Frostgrave got another flat look.

"Yes, unlike all other orders and noble families who don't move from their own headquarters, we explore the wealds and secret realms because nobody ever had that idea." Lady Alabaster snorted. "In all seriousness, everyone tries to gather as many resources as possible. Manarium and natural treasures are the backbone of every order. No, what is unique about us is that we accept students with all affinities and have no real legacy regarding realm advancement. That isn't to say our upper echelon isn't interested in teaching and passing on what they had learned, quite the opposite, we wish to see our paths and philosophies prosper, but we don't force anyone into following in our steps."

Newt nodded, quite liking nobody forcing them into imitating them.

"Explorer's Gate is a place the founding members envisioned as a gate through which all their future generations would pass to explore and find themselves. The lack of legacies is a blessing and a curse at the same time. It is a blessing because the fact that even if nobody exemplary rises to follow in the Exalt's footsteps, another Exalt with a different path may rise to lead us. The curse is that nobody had walked your path for you. You are blazing your own. You don't have to, if you don't want to. You can follow someone if you so choose, but followers rarely reach anything worthy of note, at best copying their predecessors and peaking at the same realm as they did."

The waiter brought food and drinks, placing a glass of wine in front of Newt, who couldn't help but glance at the slices of raw fish spread on bread along with some dips and salads.

"As for selective breeding and all that," Lady Alabaster continued, "who and what you do is up to you. You are a free man in a manner of speaking. But enough about that, what can you do, Newstar? Why do you think you are a good fit for my order?"

Newt gulped, not really sure what to say, but advertising his strengths seemed like a good place to start.

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