I began to rise from the impressively comfortable settee but the guildmaster cut in, "Apologies Vaul, there is one final matter before you get on with your day. Now that Tian Kiên has publicly acknowledged you as a master of your craft, we need to discuss upgrading your guild token."

  "Tian Kiên? That's the quartermaster, right? Wears a blued steel breastplate and dark robes."

  She seemed faintly amused, ringed fingers resting interlocked before her, "Indeed."

  "I think he did refer to me as Master Vaul or something at one point, it didn't really register at the time. Are you sure he wasn't just bein' polite?"

  "Quite sure. Recognising you as a master confers similar standing to that of his nephew, magnifying the magnitude of his offence. That he would refer to you as such in his apology, speaks to Kiên's honour and sincere desire at reconciliation. Many would instead attempt to dismiss their kin's disrespect as a more minor offence."

  "I don't have any grievance with him," I replied honestly. "I don't even really care about his nephew anymore, as long as he and his minders stay out of my workshop."

  "That won't be an issue." She said with confidence.

  I raised an eyebrow. His uncle had no doubt had words with the guy, but I'd only ever seen him double down on his arrogance rather than learn from his mistakes.

  "Tian Kiên ordered his nephew's bodyguards to escort him home. I believe attempting to camp last night will be a formative experience for young Huang."

  "In that typhoon? Tryin' to sleep would be madness. Even if ye managed it, you'd be sick as a dog when you woke. Couldn't they have departed in the morning?"

  She shook her head, "After forcing Kiên to make a formal public apology before Huang accomplished anything noteworthy as adventurer, waiting wasn't worth the risk. Better to send Huang home until the incident has some time to blow over, rather than risk him further sullying the family name."

  "I don't think I'm ever going to understand clan politics."

  Her laugh was rueful, "That's a good thing. Normally you'll be inoculated from it, but on this occasion, you have to consider how you'll respond to word spreading that you're a master."

  "It was just in front of some soldiers and a single - albeit large - party of adventurers, aside from his nephew and bodyguards. Is it really that big a deal?"

  "He's a respected officer in the local military force and member of the clans. Even being from a relatively minor branch family, his acknowledgement bears weight. All the more so, because it doesn't directly benefit his clan."

  I rubbed the bridge of my nose feeling a headache building, "If I don't publicly portray myself as a master it's going to be seen as a snub to him or his clan isn't it? That I don't have memories isn't going to be a good enough excuse, even if I wanted to spread that around."

  "It's not as bad as you think. Dwarven culture does give you an out. You could say you don't wish to claim the title without acknowledgement from the greybeards. It would technically be a snub, but it's minor enough to go largely ignored. That wouldn't go so well if someone higher in the imperial hierarchy acknowledged you, but refusing this acknowledgement would be seen as a sign for most not to do so. Putting someone in a position where they may feel compelled to refute you is just poor politics after all."

  "I'm guessing that's not exactly ideal for selling my work?"

  She waved it off, "It's fine. There's no shame in using the best work of a peak journeyman craftsman unless you're very high in the imperial hierarchy. Should a clan head or member of the imperial household decide to acknowledge you, I would ask that you gracefully accept, but I doubt we'll be getting visitors of that standing anytime soon." She leaned in, "However, I think you should consider accepting Tian Kiên's acknowledgement." Holding up a hand to forestall my interruption she continued, "Firstly, you are a master craftsman, memories or not. The system may not tell us all we wish, but it doesn't lie, and in my experience, nothing stunts growth like pretending to be something you're not. Having said that, while most masters in the empire shout their mastery for all to hear, there is nothing wrong with simply letting word spread as it wills and only confirming it when asked."

  My initial reaction was to say no, as much as I enjoyed my work, for much of it I didn't really know what I was doing, led by instincts. But then the basis of those instincts was likely my class and skills, as well as whatever muscle memory I'd developed over the years. So, it was earned in a sense, I simply didn't remember earning it. Also, as time went on with most of my memories remaining absent, I was beginning to prepare myself for the possibility that I'd just have to live without them. Still, that didn't mean I'd never want to explore my past or those missing years.

  "From what you've said, wouldn't that cause issues with other dwarves down the line?"

  "It would likely cause friction with some of them, yes. There have been dwarven craftspeople in the past who have moved to the empire and announced when they reached the rank of mastery only for other dwarves to refuse to acknowledge them as masters. They still, by and large, were highly successful within the empire and abroad. It would make returning to the holds difficult, but my understanding is that's generally true for most dwarven crafters who leave, particularly those who can work metal."

  "Damn, I don't suppose you know what my family situation was like back there? it seems a bit reckless to make a decision without knowing."

  "I'm afraid I don't. As I said, the first I knew of you was when you appeared in my brother's retinue while he was returning from a trade negotiation in the dwarven holds. I've only ever known you as Vaul, so I don't even know what hold specifically you hail from."

  "From how you're talking about it, I'm guessing that's pretty irregular?"

  "While dwarves are respected for their crafting, the conventional wisdom for high-ranking clan members has been to sponsor craftspeople with very focused classes. Better to have multiple specialists who can produce the highest quality in each of their specialisms than generalists whose broad skills become less relevant in greater numbers. Add to that how touchy the dwarves can get about their craftspeople leaving, particularly those who can forge steel, and it appeared a huge risk to the trade agreements for very little gain."

  "So why did your brother take a chance on me at all? From the description I sure wouldn't."

  She leaned back in the settee with a rueful grin, her thumb idly playing with one of her rings. "Like I said, the man has an eye for talent. I'm not sure how you met, or what you said, though I picked up since then that you were having issues being forced to do a lot of grunt work for a lot of different crafters, and struggling to be accepted as a journeyman in your own right. Whatever you did, it clearly convinced him. I still remember him getting back saying 'You don't understand Su, the guy has a passion for it all; even the bits he still kinda sucks at. I bet he makes master sometime in the next decade'."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Well, he wasn't wrong."

  She winced performatively, "And he'll no doubt be unbearably smug about it. I've written to him and his response should fill in some of the blanks about your past, but I doubt I'll receive a reply in a timescale relevant to our current discussion."

  Damn, back to the problem of what to do? Thoughts were swirling around in my head as I tried to consider all the angles, much though part of me just wanted to reject everything. Why'd he have to out me as a master now? Actually...

  "How did the quartermaster guy know I was a master craftsman? I never told him."

  "He probably knew from your appraisals, but I expect your anger confirmed it."

  "My anger? Whaddaya mean? I was angry because they wouldn't leave my workshop. It had nothing to do with how good a craftsman I was, and everything to do with the fact it was my workspace."

  She raised her palms, "I should have explained that better. You are aware that qi users like myself typically utilise some form of meditation to cultivate qi?"

  "Yes...?" I responded, caught off guard by the non sequitur.

  "It has a secondary benefit of fostering greater emotional control. We've spoken of flexing cultivation and killer intent, the foundation of those techniques involves resonating your cultivation with an extreme emotion."

  "You think I use qi for my abilities?" I asked breathless.

  "No. I'm now confident you do not." casually crushing my dreams of speeding around my workshop darting from project to project, possibly with a cool golden glow. "These skills utilise small amounts of spirit but are only effective for classes that heavily utilise qi as the development of one's cultivation provides most of the strength behind the technique."

  "So, I use spirit then?"

  "Doubtful."

  "Then why-?"

  "Because regardless of class or skills, the aspects and resources they produce are still present. In fact, all living things have qi, and there is strong evidence that classes and skills themselves are formed of experience."

  "So everyone can actually do everything?"

  "No, though it might be that everyone has the potential to do anything. Resources grow through use, which is greatly aided by classes and skills. Trying to replicate an effect having not cultivated the appropriate resource and lacking a relevant class or skill, would be like trying to bake a loaf of bread with only a pinch of flour and no oven."

  "Impossible then." .

  "A grandmaster once did so for the sages. She immediately gained a skill and condemned the result as not worth the time and effort."

  "Damn, that sucks. So, what does all that have to do with the quartermaster knowing my class?"

  "While you can't manifest killing intent, extreme emotions still make class quality easier to perceive."

  "Are you saying everyone who was there could tell I was a master?"

  She shook her head, "No, they would still need a related skill."

  "But the quartermaster has some sort of evaluation skill," I muttered with dawning realisation, "that's how he knows some loot is valuable without knowing why. Wait. Does that mean he looked at me and saw me as valuable?"

  "In a literal sense it's likely, though I suspect it was more like how your eyes keep glancing towards my rings." My gaze snapped to hers having been called out. Thankfully, she looked amused, "I don't mind, I know you weren't actively appraising them. But consider that many skills provide a certain amount of information passively. I doubt he was actively evaluating you at the time, though it's possible. I don't know the exact nature of his skills, but just like you can tell my rings are special, I suspect he learned enough in that moment to confirm any suspicions he previously held after seeing your work."

  "Kinda like how I couldn't tell there was an enchantment on the room until you activated the ring?"

  She tilted her head with a smug expression, "You couldn't tell? I must send them a bonus..."

  "I wasn't exactly looking, but it's certainly finely made." Curiosity dragged my gaze to the associated ring again before I pulled it back by force of will. Damn, she noticed, time to change tack. "What would it practically mean to accept his acknowledgement of my mastery? You said I don't have to shout it from the rooftops, but what would actually change? Do I just wait for people to ask if I'm a master craftsman and answer honestly?"

  "For the most part yes. You don't have to change your day to day, in fact your life would probably change more if we were trying to stop word from spreading. What I do wish to do is upgrade your guild token so you have proof should anyone challenge your claim without getting the Tian's or myself involved. It's also a bit of a loophole that will make it harder for any dwarves to complain."

  "I mean, that all sounds good, but I don't really understand how it'll help with other dwarves. Also is this my guild token?"

  I pulled out a small, enchanted wooden disk with 'Vaul' carved in the centre and a long number below. A ring of copper was inset near the periphery of the token and a silver band sat flush inside it. The enchantments (whatever they were), flowed seamlessly through both, like the whole token was a single material. The copper was engraved in elegant looping script with the words, 'affiliate' and 'staff' while the silver was similarly engraved with 'associate' and 'staff'.

  "That's it." Taking the token and pointing to the relevant sections, "Each band represents your progression within the guild. Those with plain tokens are probationary members, copper confirms novice skill in a field, and more importantly, a degree of trust from the guild. Most adventurers you'll see at this branch are at that level, though some are journeyman or veteran adventurers, which is what the silver band represents. Affiliate and associate simply indicate that your membership isn't due to martial prowess and could be removed should sufficient combat ability be displayed."

  "Yeah, I can't see me doing that anytime soon."

  "Nor should you. It would technically give you higher standing within the guild, but that matters less as the ranks increase and is more than counteracted by being a member of staff."

  "Out of curiosity, if most people just announce when their class progresses here, how do you verify it?"

  "Most non-combat classes in the empire announce their progression, for adventurers it's a bit more mixed. Regardless, while people can ask to be evaluated, the guild doesn't upgrade anyone's classification based on their class, instead it's based on the judgement of the master and grandmaster adventurers. Though the various guildmasters usually handle most of that."

  "So someone could have a novice level class but be a veteran adventurer or vice versa."

  "Depending on how well they mesh with a team or the risks they take, certainly. What someone's class says they are capable of, and how much value they actually contribute, don't always correlate."

  "Sounds like there is some potential for abuse if a master has a bias."

  "Yes, but nothing is keeping an aspiring adventurer to a single branch, they can simply gain the recognition from a different master or guildmaster. Some even ventured here assuming since I was more recently installed in my position and starting a new branch in need of capable adventurers, my standards would be lax." I could imagine how poorly that was turning out for them. "This is also why we endeavour to filter the character of our members at an early stage. Much easier to deal with an unscrupulous novice or veteran than a master. Novices and affiliates are mostly decided based on record, but veterans require at least one master or above to evaluate them in action. Attaining the rank of master requires the endorsement of multiple masters or a single grandmaster."

  I figured she might be underestimating the difficulty for adventurers just starting out to just move to another guild branch, presumably skewed by her affluent upbringing. Then again, was it unreasonable to expect adventurers to be able to travel? But there was a more immediate and personal issue.

  "Wouldn't that mean I need more than just the quartermaster vouching for me to be considered a master?"

  "Don't worry about that," the qi restoration pill appearing in her hands for moment before promptly disappearing again, "I can vouch for your skills."

  She was looking at me expectantly. Part of me still just wanted to say no, while another part said I should just defer to her expertise, but that seemed like a cop out. I'd have to live with the consequences, so I had to make the decision or I'd regret it later. I couldn't just knee jerk reject the whole thing or let someone else make it for me.

  "Can I have some time to decide?"

  "Of course. Apologies, I didn't mean to pressure you. This is a decision better made with some exigency, but taking a day to consider shouldn't make much difference."