Luke opened the property notification his father had sent and accepted the access permissions. The gate clicked open, followed by a soft chime from the front door.
Luke then added Emma to the resident list before heading up the path, pleased that at least he wouldn’t have to worry about losing his keys.
Inside, sunlight filled a spacious sitting room furnished with a pale sofa, two armchairs, and a low wooden table. An open doorway led to the dining room, and beyond it he could see a kitchen with polished counters and considerably more cupboards than two people needed. The entire place was sparkling clean and luxurious.
Emma immediately went to inspect the kitchen while the driver brought in the luggage. Once the last case was inside, the man bowed and returned to the car. Luke watched it lift away, then closed the door and stood for a moment in the quiet hallway.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he didn’t have to wonder which relative he might run into around the next corner. Nobody was waiting to ask about his training or compare him to his brother.
He could probably walk downstairs in his underwear if he wanted, although Emma might have opinions about that. Upstairs, he found three bedrooms and a study overlooking the garden.
Luke chose the largest bedroom, mostly because the bed looked capable of accommodating him in every possible direction, and told Emma to choose whichever of the others she preferred.
"There’s a room beside the laundry downstairs," she said.
He looked toward the staircase. "Does it have a window?"
"A small one."
"Emma, there are two perfectly good bedrooms right here. Pick one."
She hesitated, then carried her case into the room across the hall. Luke left her to settle in and took his own bag to the study. A broad desk stood beneath the window, with an empty shelf along one wall and a chair that looked comfortable enough to encourage several bad habits.
He sat down and opened his status panel. His luck was still two, and his class was still Unawakened. Staring at either number wouldn’t accomplish much. He had nine days before the treasury visit. It was time to plan the next move.
He had spent three weeks waiting for the ceremony to give him magic. Now that it hadn’t, he needed to take the next steps. It was time to visit a guild. He searched the forums in the system interface’s network tab to finalize his short list.
The system interface had four main tabs. The first one gave his status details. The second one was the market interface. Luke had already searched this one for any item that could help with the awakening.
Almost everything that even remotely suggested a better chance at awakening was a fake. Thanks to the many reviews, he had managed to avoid spending a fortune on glorified vitamin supplements.
One seller claimed his potion could unblock dormant mana channels, but according to a particularly furious customer, the only thing it had unblocked was his bowels. Luke had closed that listing without investigating further.
The third tab was Streams. Awakeners broadcast dungeon raids, craftsmen demonstrated their work, and of course there were the more entertaining streams which he had spent a lot of time on after discovering them.
Luke’s hand hovered over the streams tab, but he decided to leave it for a later time. A couple of minutes later, he came back to it, rubbed one out, and then returned to his guild research. So far, the Titans and the Stormbreakers looked like his best options.
Both guilds had a strong presence in the First Sanctuary, and both maintained branches in his city. If Luke wanted reliable information about getting inside, they seemed like reasonable places to start.
The five sanctuaries were separate worlds filled with mana, monsters, and all sorts of treasures. Awakeners entered them to hunt, level up, and search for opportunities they couldn’t find back home.
Guilds had established strongholds around the entrances, gradually expanding them into settlements with shops, lodging, and facilities for visiting members.
Unfortunately, walls could only protect someone from things that tried to eat them. The mana itself was a problem for ordinary people.
According to the reports Luke had found, prolonged exposure could damage an unawakened body, causing illnesses that were difficult or sometimes impossible to cure. Living comfortably inside a guarded stronghold wouldn’t help if the air was slowly making him sick.
However, Luke had also found accounts of unawakened people entering the First Sanctuary for short periods. Researchers, technicians, and even wealthy tourists had visited with the right protective equipment.
The restrictions were strict, and the costs were considerable, but that was very different from being unable to enter at all.
If the sanctuaries contained even half the opportunities people claimed, he wanted to find out whether any of them could help someone who hadn’t awakened yet. If anything could help him at all, it was probably out there in those magic worlds.
Luke opened the visitor information for both guilds and compared their requirements. The Titans only accepted unawakened visitors sponsored by an existing member, while the Stormbreakers offered supervised visits to their stronghold after a medical assessment.
Neither option was cheap, but at least the second wouldn’t require him to explain his plans to someone who might know his father.
He selected the Stormbreakers’ consultation service. A form appeared asking for his age, class, and reason for requesting entry. Luke considered that last field for a moment before typing that he wanted information about resources available to unawakened visitors.
Announcing that he intended to find a miraculous treasure and fix himself probably wouldn’t encourage them to take him seriously.
[Consultation booked: Today, 2:30 p.m.]
[Location: Stormbreakers Guild, Westbridge Branch.]
Luke checked the time and saved the address. He had a little over an hour, which was enough to eat something and figure out how to get there now that the family driver had left. A search for transport brought up several services willing to collect him from his front door.
A knock interrupted him before he could choose one. "Young master?" Emma stood in the doorway. "What would you like for lunch?"
"Whatever’s easy. I’ve booked an appointment at the Stormbreakers’ branch this afternoon to ask a few questions about the First Sanctuary."
"The Sanctuary?" Emma stepped into the room with a worried look. "But you haven’t awakened."
"I know. That’s one of the things I’ll be mentioning."
Emma didn’t look reassured, so Luke turned his chair toward her. "It’s a consultation at their city branch. I want to find out what my options are."
"But what if they offer to let you enter, young master?"
"Then I’ll ask how they intend to bring me back in one piece." He gestured toward the appointment details. "I’m paying for information today, Emma. Anything more can wait until I’ve thought about it."
She read the notification before looking back at him. "May I come with you?"
"Of course. We can look around the neighbourhood afterwards. I haven’t been outside." Luke said and then quickly added. "I haven’t been outside recently."
"Ok young master, I will book a car for us."
Luke thanked her and then browsed the system interface some more before moving onto watching some interesting streams behind closed doors. Soon it was time to leave and the car arrived outside.
Emma knocked to let him know, and Luke closed the stream before getting up. He found her waiting downstairs in a pale green dress, her hair gathered behind her head. Without the apron and uniform, she looked different enough that he paused on the last step.
"Is something wrong, young master?"
"No. You look very beautiful."
Emma looked a little startled, then lowered her eyes as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Thank you, young master," she said, smoothing the skirt of her dress.
Luke smiled, finding her reaction rather cute, but before he could say anything else, she hurried toward the door and reminded him that the car was waiting.
Luke could only sigh. The previous Luke had been a real dumbass. He’d had a woman this beautiful waiting on him hand and foot every day, yet he had spent his evenings wondering why Charlotte hadn’t replied to his messages. Emma, meanwhile, had needed only a few sincere words to blush all the way to her ears.
He caught up with her at the car and opened the door before she could reach for it. Emma gave him another surprised look, which was beginning to make him wonder just how little effort the previous owner had put into being considerate.
"After you," he said.
She thanked him quietly and climbed inside. Luke followed, deciding that whatever happened at the guild, he would at least make sure she enjoyed their afternoon out.