Chương 20: XX. Phoenix Agent - Eveline Marigold

The red and gold carpets were finer than most of the carpets at the academy, and the golden talon imprinted in the center had no stains. The wooden chairs against the wall all had cushions, but they were also perfectly lined up. The people sitting on them were all stiff; a woman held onto the edge of her chair and scratched. The clock on the wall ticked, and even the breathing and awkward coughing broke the stillness. A guard handed us a ticket, #11, and pointed towards some of the chairs.

Jasmine opened her mouth, but the guard immediately raised his finger to his lips. Her blue eyes wavered, and she quickly turned away. We took a seat and Jasmine began to swing her legs. The woman couldn't stay still, and I didn't bring a book to read. A small buzz broke the silence from the left, and a door swung open. A family hustled outside and a woman from inside called next. Her voice was familiar, and I saw the notes on the frost growing around me.

It trailed upwards, against the wall, snaking up the red and gold carpet, and then the wooden benches. One of the [Collectors] dropped a mug in the path, and the trail of snow engulfed it; steam becoming muted in the motion. It continued to trail upwards until it had touched the clock. The hands began to weave together in music, the long hand bleeding into the white. The white was nothing more than snow, and the numbers were destinations on the unending path. She was there.

In the moment between snowfall, in the agonizing sensation as the gears whirred and another second had passed. It was an ending, and a possibility; a river that could only exist in one way. She existed. The snow-covered field had twelve orients, though that was not where I was. I could go any way, but as I turned, I was always facing straight. But I could turn, and yet it was still straight. Do you understand? That voice wasn't mine this time. It wasn't mine. It was too cold, too ancient, too lov–"Ashley!"

Jasmine's warm breath heated my cool skin. She quickly jerked her hand away, shaking it out and breathing on it.

"Wow, you're cold…" The clock ticked onwards, five minutes ahead. The steam from the mug continued to waft, and the woman staring at me had eyes that were appreciative. I jerked backwards, rattling the chair.

"A Preferred Class," the woman said, her voice from a moment ago. I had heard it, and I rubbed my head.

"Come with me, let's get you sorted." My ticket said #11, and I glanced at Jasmine. She frowned, but stood up and grabbed my shoulder. One of the people sitting beside me glanced at their own ticket. They scrunched it between their fingers, and didn't even turn to look at Jasmine or me. I turned my head, and followed the pair towards the office. She had a solid wooden desk, though that was the extent of my knowledge on trees. It could have been oak? Definitely not birch, it looked sturdy.

"Ashley!" Jasmine said, straight into my ear. I pulled back from her, and she was holding a golden gearbird.

"Ah-ah, put that back," the woman said.

"That's a gift from the Duke himself, and I will not have you break it." Jasmine pouted, and put the gearbird back onto its mechanical roost. A small rod appeared from the gold branch and connected underneath, twirling counterclockwise. The gearbird spread its wings, and began to chirp…. The Empyrean Anthem. The woman tapped the top of the gearbird, and it stopped chirping – only after the part of 'Amaril save the queen!' Her black nail polish was neat and tidy, and the golden bangles clacked against each other.

She raised her hand to her glasses and readjusted them, and her gray eyes stared back at me. Order. Her Symphony was discrete notes played in scale, raising in pitch but never mixing in tone. The Phoenix Flame warmed my skin, and its plume was long and ornate. The song that escaped from its beak was long and practised, each note generational. The flames reborn; daughter from father, father from mother, mother from mother, and finally from the progeny of the great Phoenix herself.

"You're a [Sorcerer]?" I said. She lowered her head, and her dark-rimmed glass caught the light. The corner of her lip turned upright before she opened her mouth.

"Interesting. For an [Initiate] you are very good at feeling the Symphony, even more advanced than most [Wizards]. As expected from a Daughter of Nyla." Jasmine shifted in place, gulping and pushing back into the plush of her chair. The [Sorcerer] regarded her for a moment, before her eyes shifted back to me.

"So what can I do for you?" I broke eye contact and dropped my head. Her table had many things; the gearbird, papers, a quill that scribed on its own! And she had a name tag carved in oakwood – Agent Eveline Marigold, Phoenix Collector, 3rd Class.

"Is third class high or low?"

"Middle. First class is high, fifth is a recruit." Agent Marigold said. I nodded, and looked at Jasmine.

"So… we're trying to start a guild, and Addy said you had a [Guild Writ] for me?"

"Addy?" Agent Marigold said.

"Oh, you mean the Sacrum-Inquisitor of Oakheart, Lord Skye." Though, the way she said it sounded like she was correcting me. On how to refer to Addy, of all people.

"Sure?" I said.

"We're trying to sell carro–""And you don't even have the hick accent! The education system works, Praise the Immortal Queen," she said.

"Yes, he mentioned he had a friend coming for something trivial like that, but he didn't mention that the friend was a Daughter of Nyla. And this is your entourage I assume?"

"Entourage?" I said, turning to Jasmine.

"Err, no, she's – ""I'm Jasmine!" she said, extending her hand to Agent Marigold. Marigold looked at her hand, and grasped the fingers gently. She gave it a shake that lasted barely a second, and then used the bottle of lotion on her desk. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"--My sister."

"Awh!" Jasmine said, leaning into me and giving me a hug. Her chair pulled in, and I tensed but held on.

"I… see. My sister too is a NP–" she began, but both Jasmine and I glared at her.

"Sorry, the accepted nomenclature now is [Commoner]. I do take care of her, but she hasn't been blessed by my Ancestor's. It's admirable to take a low-class with you, it truly is. Very difficult." Jasmine's fingers clawed into my skin, and her eyes trembled. There were tears there, but I couldn't catch the expression this close. Her brows were furrowed? More importantly, I let her claw into me, but stepped on her foot. Jasmine shook her head, before releasing me.

"I… see, Agent Marigold – ""You can call me Eve, Ashley." She didn't turn her head to Jasmine"... Um… Eve?" I said, but it didn't feel right rolling off my tongue.

"So, a Guild – ""Right, whatever thing you need for here. But, I do have your files, Ashley. Apparently, Matthew Hart had called his land underneath a religious exemption which put it under Floran rights, making the Empyrean tax laws not applicable. If you are to make a guild, it would fall under Empyrean Law again, which would mean land use taxes alongside the Duke and Queen's Tithe.

However, neither of those can be present while there's a current lien on the property; and as an NPC– [Commoner], excuse my Martivian – it is capped at 1000 gold pieces, with a minimum paym– do you agrarian types use the Empyrean Calendar or the Floran?"

"Floran, but I know Empyrean," I said"Good, then next month, Serena 1st, will be the first payment required. The minimum is 10% of the total debt now that you've assumed the property, which would be 100 gold. Minted, now that you've become an [Adventurer], though that would be 1000 unminted if you prefer to go that route instead."

"Isn't the interest rate also 10%, Eve?" Jasmine said.

"Agent Marigold," Agent Marigold said.

"And yes, it is. I would highly recommend that you don't just pay the minimum, but as an [Adventurer] and not a [Hero], you are still considered a Non – [Commoner] till you [Ascend]."

"What happens if I [Ascend]?"

"You become taxable like a [Hero]," Agent Marigold said.

"Which means you get the actual land usage tax, actual tithes, convenience fee, gold sorting fee, the counting fee, and a whole lot of extra things."

"And yer debt ain' capped anymore, Ashy. Azadin only protects us ' [Commoners]'," Jasmine said – and her voice was still trembling.

"One minor thing, yes, but a simple [Lair] clear will have that sorted in a no-time. I believe the Sacrum-Inquisitor is trying to set up an [Adventurer's Guild]," Agent Marigold said.

"So… if I don't pay it off before I [Ascend], it becomes what?" Agent Marigold looked at the floating quill which began to write. It scribbled quickly, numbers being added and multiped, before comin—"36, 289 GOLD?!" I said, and Jasmine pushed away, covering her ears.

"Well, you do have 20 Acres, Ashley," Agent Marigold said.

"It's currently registered as Holy Farm Lands, but if you were to make a guild and not pay off the debt beforehand, it would be recategorized as agricultural land. [Corn] is the standard here in Oakheart, and with a [Common] [Corn] being one point five gold each, and at 81, 000 square metres… 120, 000 gold coins every harvest? Of legal tender, mind you. 36, 000 and some change is trivial compared to that."

"No, [Corn] takes 4 square metres! That's only 20, 000 bushels for 35, 000 a harvest!" I said. Apparently, I didn't lower my voice.

"Okay? Then do two harvests? Besides, why does that matter? I had assumed you were planning to join th– Oh! Is your new project for your farmland to compete against the [Farmer's Guild]?"

"Ye-!"

"NO!" Jasmine interrupted. She stared Agent Marigold down, who again, didn't turn to look at her.

"Ashley is making a [Commercial Charter], not an [Agricultural]. She ain' sellin' crops to people primarily."

"I'm not?"

"No, Ashy! We goin' to open up a [Vintnery] so we is mostly plannin' to move services and wine when we get there." Agent Marigold crossed her arms and leaned back on the chair.

"Interesting. Letting your [Commoner] sister dictate the terms of the business. However, that is your right, but is it true, Ashley?"

"If Jazzy says it, it rightly is."

"Do you have the names of people willing to support it? Lord Sky–" I pulled out the piece of paper and pushed it towards her. She looked at the crumpled scrap then looked at us.

"The Hart Stop? Show me it?" A now familiar voice said. I felt the chill of winter, as I made the guild public.

"Fair enough, I'll transfer it to the [Guild Writ]. You can remove the old Guild, it doesn't need to exist." She… repeated? But, that didn't happen yet. But it had? I shook my head, but Agent Marigold was already writing the paperwork.

"Ashley," she said, as she finished the final line.

"Hmm?"

"A Child of Nyla means you studied [Medicine], did you not?"

"... I never completed it," I said, and leaned over to take the paper. Agent Eveline pulled it back.

"The Phoenix Queen is looking for both [Doctors] and [Chirurgeons] for the Frontier Wars. The Great Enemy's [Necromancers] have created weapons that block Divine Healing – and only a daughter of Nyla or a trained physician can undo it. If you are to sign as Lord Skye di–""HE DID WHAT?" Jasmine shouted – but only because she reacted before I did.

"... Yes? He had met The Phoenix Queen herself who implored him, a [Paladin], to join. He was made a lesser noble because of it, and is meant to be in the frontlines so–""DOES MISSY KNOW?" Jasmine said.

"... Who? Oh, that [Commoner] girl he's smitten with? I believe so, but I'm not privy to their Marita—""Thank you for your time, Agent Marigold," I said, and stood up. I grabbed the [Guild Writ] from her and turned to leave – grabbing Jasmine on the way out. She did not resist me at all.

"If you insist. But the Phoenix Empire will pay for your schooling to finish, allow you to continue your hobby, and if you were to die, your sister there would be taken care of for the rest of her life. Consider it, the offer is open. But until then, please remember, the first of every month by the Empyrean Calendar, 10%, at least, of the principal. I do recommend you finish the debt before you [Ascend]." I didn't turn around, and Jasmine and I quickly dashed out the building.

I took a deep breathe, and Jasmine turned towards me.

"Rhyvesta, I hate that bitch," she said.