The carriage continued forward through the still-quiet streets of the town.
The two suns had already risen higher in the sky.
And in Soren's mind, one name lingered.
Rusett.
The leader of the Red Foxes… and Audrey's target.
A possible monster, escorted by other monsters.
Soren's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Are you a merchant?" he asked.
"You figured it out," the man replied, stroking his mustache. "Was it the elegance of my attire?" he added with a faint hint of humor.
Soren nodded.
"That—and your cargo. Those purple boxes with gold edges… they look valuable. Being stranded in the poorest part of the city with something like that wouldn't have been ideal."
The merchant let out a brief laugh.
"You're right, boy. You really did save me."
Soren glanced toward the back of the carriage.
"What you're carrying back there… are they singularities?"
The merchant didn't answer immediately.
He briefly looked at the boxes before returning his gaze to the road.
"Some of them are," he finally said. "Unclaimed singularities that seekers sell to the guild… or commissions that certain clients are willing to pay very well for."
He tapped one of the boxes lightly with his knuckles.
"The guild acts as an intermediary. It buys, classifies, and then sells whatever it deems safe for the market."
Soren listened without interrupting.
"Of course," the merchant continued, "the more dangerous or rare ones never make it to the display cases."
Soren didn't ask anything.
But he took note of it.
Grim tilted his head, curious.
The man chuckled softly before adding:
"By the way, boy… I don't think I've introduced myself yet."
He adjusted his coat with ease.
"My name is Arven Dalcross. A merchant affiliated with the Seekers' Guild."
He glanced sideways at Soren.
"And you… if you're registering today, we'll probably meet again."
Soren extended his hand.
The gesture seemed to catch him slightly off guard, but he accepted it.
"My name is Soren. I don't have a surname," he said calmly. "I've been traveling as a seeker apprentice for a long time, and today I'm finally registering as an official seeker."
He gave a slight nod.
"Mr. Arven, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The moment their hands met, Soren felt the connection form.
He blinked faintly.
Then he sensed it.
A clear emotion, close.
Joy.
Not intense—but genuine.
"You're quite polite, boy," Arven said with a smile.
He slipped a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out four silver coins and a small rigid card.
He handed them over.
"We're almost there. I told you I'd pay you three silver coins for helping me get there on time."
He placed the coins in Soren's hand.
"But I can't ignore a good impression."
Then he gestured toward the card.
"Keep this. If you ever need anything, you can find me at this address."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Of course… that's if you manage to become a seeker."
Grim, seated beside Soren, slowly wagged his tail as he looked at the card.
Soren nodded.
The contact felt more valuable than the money.
"I'll keep it in mind, Mr. Arven."
Arven looked at Grim.
"That singularity is quite calm."
He reached out and gave him a couple of gentle pats on the head.
Grim blinked a few times, accepting the gesture.
After a few more blocks, the atmosphere began to change.
There were more people.
The stalls were larger, more elaborate.
The clothing… different.
Soren also began to notice something else.
More seekers.
Some wore armor similar to Audrey's.
Others walked alongside singularities.
Not all of them were small like Grim.
Some had light, almost elegant forms.
Others didn't seem suited to move among people.
And yet, they did.
Without causing trouble.
Soren observed without stopping.
He didn't try to analyze them one by one.
There was no need.
The difference was clear.
Level one… maybe two.
Enough to be there.
His gaze lingered on one of them for a moment longer.
Then moved on.
There were many.
More than he expected.
After a while, the carriage turned onto a wider avenue.
That was when he saw it.
"The Seekers' Guild," Arven said.
Soren remained silent.
The structure rose at the end of the avenue like a small city of stone.
Tall towers. Open balconies. Large windows.
The guild's emblem hung above a monumental entrance where people were constantly coming and going.
Carriages.
Seekers.
Singularities.
Constant movement.
Soren understood it without needing to think.
If someone wanted to become a seeker…
Everything began there.
The carriage veered toward the side of the building.
"Loading area," Arven indicated.
Beside the guild, several carriages were unloading goods while workers—and some seekers—oversaw the process.
The carriage came to a stop.
Arven got down first and looked at the faintly glowing green wheel on the axle.
"I have to admit," he said with a slight laugh, "that singularity of yours saved my day."
Soren stepped down.
Grim jumped beside him and looked around with curiosity.
Two workers in dark blue uniforms approached the carriage.
Without saying much, they began inspecting the cargo.
One opened the back.
The other prepared a platform.
The purple boxes with gold edges began to come down.
Arven barely intervened.
"Well, boy," he finally said, "this is where we part ways."
Soren nodded.
"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Arven."
The merchant raised a hand in farewell.
"And good luck with your registration. If you really do become a seeker… we might do business in the future."
Soren gave a faint smile.
He turned the axle nut.
The green wheel dissolved into particles before disappearing.
The carriage settled once more onto the damaged wheel.
Arven watched the process with interest.
"Truly useful."
Soren didn't reply.
He turned his gaze back to the building.
The guild doors were open.
Seekers came and went without pause.
Soren took a deep breath.
Grim moved to his side.
Soren gave a slight gesture of farewell.
Arven responded with a nod.
Then Soren turned around.
And together with Grim, he began walking toward the entrance of the Seekers' Guild.
That place was filled with seekers…
And each one seemed to carry their own story.