The Silver Lantern Guild’s top floor was quiet at this hour.
Maren Holt sat behind her desk, a cup of coffee going cold beside a stack of documents she had already read three times. The review notice sat on top. She didn’t need to read it a fourth time to know what it said.
To Tok—
"Come in."
Harlan stepped inside, a thin folder under his arm. Judging from the bags beneath his eyes, he hadn’t slept properly since the hearing either.
"The results came back, Guild Master."
He slid the folder across the desk. Maren flipped it open. From material analysis, energy readings, fragment scans...
Every page said the same thing.
"...Nothing?"
"Nothing."
Harlan shook his head.
"The device does not contain any hidden features that may push it further up in rank."
’It’s nothing special, just a speaker with a few tweaks.’
That was basically what he was trying to say.
Maren pinched her forehead and let out a long breath.
"Has it said anything?"
"Nothing yet. It’s been static for a while now. Nobody knows when it’ll speak again."
Maren closed the folder and leaned back.
’A dud, huh?’
This came as a pretty big blow, considering how many resources were spent trying to get that radio box, and the Guild’s financial situation.
"There’s another matter."
Harlan spoke up once more, prompting Maren to look up.
"...It’s Elliot."
He was their top recruit, and someone that the Guild had placed a lot of hope in.
"What about him?"
"After the hearing, in order to help the Guild with the financial situation, he took it upon himself to follow one of the leads from the box..." Harlan hesitated. "He filed for leave last week, and from what I know he was last seen in Malovia."
"He was tracking one of the voices. A woman named Mara Ellis. His last message came four days ago, saying he’d found where she used to live."
Harlan placed his phone on the desk.
"There’s been nothing since."
Maren stared at the screen.
"Send a team."
"With what license? Field operations are suspended until the review concludes. The moment we send anyone, we’re finished."
"Then we report him missing—"
"And the entire world will come to learn of our failures. Guild Master, our situation is already quite bad. If the world knows of what happened, then we might be forced to sell off the Guild."
Harlan’s jaw tightened, his gaze focused right at Maren.
She stared back without saying a single word, her clear blue eyes remaining still.
Eventually, her eyes drifted to the wall, to the photographs of people standing on cliffs and beaches, lanterns in hand.
A rescue Guild that wasn’t allowed to search.
’.....’
Her gaze fell to the corner of the desk, where her phone lay face down.
There was a profile on it.
’Seth Thorne.’
A Paragon. Although he was currently facing trouble, he was still one of the hottest Paragons in the world. Furthermore, he even came from Malovia.
Maren picked up the phone.
"Harlan. Tell him we’ve agreed to sell."
"...Sell it? Now?"
"No."
She unlocked the screen.
"We’re giving it to him."
Harlan frowned.
"Tell him to help us with the investigation. See if he’s interested."
Harlan didn’t say much more and directly sent him a message. He had his doubts, but it was worth a shot.
[The Guild has agreed to the sale. When would be convenient for you to visit?]
***
Ding!
’It’s about time they contacted me.’
I stared at the message on my phone for a good minute before putting my phone back into my pocket. The message was regarding the radio box that I wanted to buy.
It took a bit, but they had finally decided to sell it.
"...They probably tested it quite well, but after finding nothing, they finally gave in and decided to sell it to me."
This was good.
Looking up, I was already there.
The Silver Lantern Guild was located on the eastern edge of the Guild District.
Compared to Royal Chambers, the building was modest. Six stories of plain concrete, with a navy banner hanging above the entrance. On it was the same lantern emblem I had seen on the card.
’Not bad, but not great either.’
For a Guild that had been so imposing back then, I had expected a little more. Then again, this was the Guild District. Anything that wasn’t the Big Five or the Oak Circle was bound to look small here.
I had come alone. Bringing the whole team would’ve just given me a headache. Especially since I was here to buy the radio, and not much else.
The moment I stepped inside, the receptionist shot up from her seat.
"Mr. Thorne. We’ve been expecting you. Please, this way."
I was led to the elevator without any waiting. Standing inside was a familiar face. The middle-aged man from the hearing, still wearing his navy suit.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice."
He bowed slightly as the doors closed.
"Harlan. I serve as the Guild’s deputy."
"Seth Thorne."
"I know."
A faint, tired smile crossed his face.
"The Guild Master is waiting upstairs."
The elevator hummed as it climbed.
"...I take it the higher-ups approved?"
"Something like that."
He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t push.
I liked not talking to people.
Ding!
The top floor was quiet. A single hallway led to a wooden door, and Harlan knocked twice before opening it.
The office was smaller than I expected. A desk, a few chairs, a wide window overlooking the district. What caught my attention were the walls. Old photographs hung everywhere. Groups of people in rain jackets, standing on rocky shores and mountain trails.
Every one of them held a lantern.
’I guess I now know why it’s got the Latern in the name.’
Behind the desk sat a woman in her fifties, her grey hair tied back, her hands looking pretty rough as well. But what stood out the most to me were her clear blue eyes.
"Mr. Thorne." She rose and extended a hand. Her grip was firm. "Maren Holt. Guild Master of Silver Lantern. Please, sit."
I took the seat across from her. Harlan remained standing by the door.
"You’ll have to forgive the place. We don’t get many visitors with a Paragon rank."
Her eyes moved briefly to the photographs on the wall.
"We’re not exactly a household name."
"I noticed the photos."
"Ah."
She nodded.
"That’s how we started. Forty years ago, on Sabila, not far from here. It was a search and rescue mission. A bunch of fishermen were lost at sea, and we were tasked with finding them. Naturally, the situation was a lot more complicated than it was on the outside. The lanterns turned out to be quite useful for our mission. Kind of stuck."
’A search and rescue Guild, huh.’
"We moved our main office to Sines six years ago. Closer to the hearings, and where most business is located. Or so the thinking went."
Her lips pulled up slightly, albeit I could detect a hint of bitterness in her voice as she spoke.
"We’ve been a Queen-Grade Guild for twelve years now, Mr. Thorne. Twelve.. Every year, we get a little closer to the King Grade, and every year, something pulls us back. In our case, our financial situation isn’t quite good. Due to the recent events in Malovia and Malia, we’ve had to put off several previous expeditions, which cost us a lot."
"Ah."
My heart panged a little.
That was my fault, wasn’t it?
She leaned back in her chair, and for a moment, she simply looked at me.
"I’ll be honest with you. We are in desperate need of selling the radio for a good price. That radio has cost us more than it will ever be worth. The eleven weeks were my decision, not Harlan’s. I approved the delay. I thought if we gathered enough, the Bench would have no choice but to grant us a higher class."
She let out a slow breath.
"You saw how that went."
"...I did."
"The review is set for next month. Depending on how it goes, we may lose our license to petition for the next three years. In the meantime, we’re left holding a Sigil-class item that nobody in their right mind would purchase."
"Except me."
"Except you."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of curiosity flickering within them.
"Do you mind if I ask why?"
"I found it interesting."
"That’s what Harlan told me you said."
She glanced at the deputy, who gave a small shrug.
Her lips pulled further up.
"Then I won’t press further. Everyone’s entitled to their interests."
I appreciated that.
"One thing you should know before we go further." She tapped a finger against the desk. "It hasn’t spoken since the hearing."
My brow raised.
"...Not once?"
"No, nothing. It’s been quiet since the hearing. This tends to happen, and it’s that randomness that is costing us."
That was a bit troublesome, but...
"Even so, I’d still like to have it."
Something about it pushed me to buy it.
I didn’t know why, but I felt like I had to have the item. Especially when I recalled its last words.
"Very well."
She reached into her drawer and pulled out a thin folder, placing it on the desk between us. The transfer documents, most likely.
I tensed a little.
To be honest, I was quite poor at the moment. I already owed Kyle quite a bit of money. I wasn’t super sure that I could afford it.
But still...
I grit my teeth whilst staring at the Guild Master.
"Then let’s talk about the price."
"There isn’t one."
I paused, my eyes blinking rapidly.
"...Excuse me?"
"We’re not going to charge you for it, Mr. Thorne." Maren Holt folded her hands on the desk. "The radio is yours. Free of charge."
’.....’
My eyes squinted into thin slits.
Free.
Nothing in this world was free. Especially not from a Guild that was facing financial difficulties.
My eyes moved from the folder to her face, and for the first time since I entered the room, her expression changed. It wasn’t a smile, and it wasn’t quite a frown either. Something in between.
Something complicated.
She exchanged a brief look with Harlan before turning back to me.
"...But in return, there’s a favor we’d like to ask of you."
Ah, ha!
There it is!