You've passed the document screening.

  Standing absentmindedly by the roadside, Sibonen suddenly remembered the envelope he received at the interview.

  "Right... they said it included a small reimbursement."

  He tore it open — and almost dropped it.

  "A gold coin?!"

  Surely there had been some administrative mistake.

  There was no way they meant to give him such a rge sum.

  But he needed the money now more than anything else.

  Without hesitation, he rushed to the inn and paid for a month’s lodging.

  If they ter cimed it was a mistake? Well... he'd py dumb and cling to every st coin.

  Two days passed after the interview.

  Still no letters, no messages.

  "Maybe I failed..."

  But clinging to hope, he told himself:

  "Maybe the letter went to my old house instead?"

  If this opportunity slipped away, he'd have nothing left but the life of a beggar — or worse, a fugitive.

  When Sibonen went downstairs to the inn’s lobby, the clerk hurried over.

  "Excuse me, are you Mr. Sibonen Headwicker?"

  Sibonen stiffened instantly.

  The clerk flinched at his reaction.

  "A letter arrived for you yesterday... Sorry, I forgot to mention it."

  After all the disasters he'd suffered tely, even hearing his name called was enough to jolt him.

  Trembling slightly, he accepted the letter.

  The seal on it made his heart race — it was from the Orin Merchant Guild.

  He tore it open.

  Thank you for participating in our recruitment process.

  After careful deliberation, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted.

  He could hardly believe it.

  At st, somewhere wanted him.

  He didn't even care about the conditions.

  He had a job!

  "This feels better than when I first got scouted by the Grand Duchy!“

  On the first day of work, Sibonen put on his best clothes and shaved carefully, trying to make himself look presentable.

  The Orin Merchant Guild was located in the commercial district — a rather upscale area, which lifted his hopes even more.

  He didn’t know much about this guild.

  He had applied to every big name he could think of, desperate for any opening.

  "Still, it should be fine. Probably."

  When he reached the front entrance, he saw a familiar figure waiting.

  "Hello, Sibonen! Remember me? I'm Isrin from the Field Division of Orin Guild, part of Pte."

  She was a small woman, with translucent pale skin and long red hair tied back.

  Her delicate features reminded him painfully of his ex-fiancée.

  Sibonen bowed politely.

  "It's good to see you again. Sibonen Headwicker, at your service."

  Isrin smiled.

  "I'm here to escort you today."

  As Sibonen approached the door, she blocked his path with a hand.

  "Hold on."

  She pressed her hand against the door and spoke softly.

  "Password: Thirteen... Thicket... Fifth Cart."

  With that strange phrase, the door clicked open.

  "They have passwords? Just to enter?"

  Inside, a young man greeted him.

  "Welcome, Mr. Sibonen. I'm Giro from Whisper, the guild master's personal secretary division."

  Isrin handed Sibonen over to Giro and left.

  As Giro led him upstairs, Sibonen gnced around.

  "Strange... The building didn’t look this big from the outside."

  "Here we are," Giro said, gesturing toward a heavy door.

  Sibonen pushed it open and entered.

  Inside, at the end of a long table, sat four people sipping tea.

  "Those must be the guild's masters."

  "Come in. Sit," an elderly man beckoned him forward.

  Sibonen bowed respectfully and took a seat.

  The old man turned to the younger man sitting at the far end.

  "Our guild master wishes to speak with you."

  Sibonen looked at him:

  bck hair, brown eyes — a striking mix of Eastern and Imperial features.

  His presence alone was commanding.

  "Welcome to the Orin Merchant Guild," the man said.

  "I am Orin."

  Sibonen bowed again.

  "Thank you for this opportunity. I promise to serve the guild faithfully."

  Orin smiled slightly.

  "Good. Now, tell me — what role would you like to take?"

  Sibonen stiffened.

  "Another interview...?"

  "I'll work wherever I'm needed," Sibonen replied carefully. "But in the Grand Duchy of Bern, I mainly handled administration and finance."

  He decided he had to sell himself — hard.

  "I'm willing to contribute wherever the guild needs support, sir."

  Orin gnced at his right-hand man.

  "What do you think?"

  The man bowed.

  "I suggest rotating him through various divisions and assigning him where he fits best."

  The old man snorted.

  "Nonsense, Hui. I recruited this man."

  The woman next to Hui smmed the table.

  "Enough, Repl. Let Orin make the decision."

  The woman, a tall and athletic figure in her te twenties, gave off the aura of a warrior.

  Orin raised a hand, and everyone fell silent.

  "He's an important addition. Let him rotate through Pte, Dish, and Whisper to find his best fit. Repl, is that acceptable?"

  The old man, Repl, nodded grudgingly.

  After the meeting, Repl led Sibonen upstairs again.

  Sibonen noticed something odd — when Repl opened the doors, he spoke strange phrases, simir to Isrin's password.

  Some hidden mechanism, no doubt.

  In a small lounge, Repl sank into a deep chair and gestured at the seat opposite.

  "I am Repl Kaishus, head of Pte.

  You'll be reporting to Isrin for now."

  Sibonen sat stiffly, trying to put on his best 'enthusiastic and obedient' face.

  Repl continued zily.

  "Your sary will be as requested — five gold coins a month.

  Every other Sunday is a day off.

  The rest, you work for the guild."

  Sibonen blinked.

  He hadn't expected them to accept his outrageous demand so easily.

  The sary was comparable to that of a mid-level administrator in a noble domain!

  "Follow Isrin closely.

  She’s a talented member of Pte."

  Repl closed his eyes briefly, then spoke again without looking.

  "I know you're capable.

  But there are many capable people here.

  If you want to survive and thrive, prove yourself."

  Finally, Repl dismissed him.

  Isrin arrived to escort him again.

  "Follow me," she said with a smile.

  She led him through another set of coded doors into a cozy reception room.

  "Feeling overwhelmed?" she asked cheerfully. "Here’s the new recruit manual.

  You’ll need it."

  She expined that the guild was divided into three main branches:

  Pte (Field Division)

  Whisper (Secretary Division)

  Dish (Security Division)

  "Our field division mainly handles real-world operations based on Whisper's pnning.

  Language skills are especially valuable."

  Sibonen nodded.

  The Orin Guild was far more intricate than he had imagined — almost like a small country unto itself.

  Isrin, it seemed, was a veteran here.

  And for now, she was his only lifeline.