Chapter 258: The Bank

The tavern forum had many small rooms, some public and others private, requiring a password to enter.

Helag observed for a moment and thought this feature would be quite useful for remote discussions or meetings.

The cities in the Land of Dawn were spread out, and the polluted areas made travel inconvenient.

With the magic stones, many of these issues were resolved, providing wizards with a lot of convenience.

Using the magic stones to accept tasks was much more efficient than in Moonlight Woodland, as the system integrated magic stones, gold coins, and contribution points. Task rewards could be settled directly through the magic stones.

All of this was backed by the six major wizard organizations.

Unless the six organizations collapsed, the gold coins and magic stones would remain secure.

But if the six organizations did collapse, then gold and magic stones would be worthless anyway.

Helag planned to deposit some magic stones and gold into Seranthiel’s bank. He was quick to adapt to these “new things” and didn’t have many doubts about them.

After all, he had dealt with similar systems in his previous life.

Helag checked the friend interface and searched for Lilian’s magic stone number. Soon, her brief information appeared.

He sent a friend request, waiting for her to accept.

The magic stones used real names, so there were no nicknames or aliases, and the information couldn’t be altered.

Once Lilian saw the message, she would know it was from Helag.

What puzzled Helag was that Lilian already had a magic stone from the Land of Dawn before she arrived.

It seemed that Augustus Academy and Seranthiel had some differences.

The organization behind Augustus Academy in the Land of Dawn was also called Augustus Academy, or rather, this was the true Augustus Academy.

Augustus Academy controlled the northern part of the Central Zone, which was the northernmost region of the Land of Dawn.

That entire northern region belonged to Augustus Academy.

Seranthiel, where Helag was, stood in opposition to Augustus Academy, with the two factions occupying the south and north.

The magic stones in the Land of Dawn had fewer restrictions, allowing for free communication with others.

Although the six major wizard organizations often had conflicts, they generally cooperated and maintained unity.

They all faced the same problems, and only by working together could they hope to deal with the threats from the polluted regions.

The immense external pressure kept their internal conflicts within reasonable limits, preventing all-out war.

“That’s pretty much how it works. Any questions?” the city hall staff asked.

“No, I’m good. Thanks,” Helag replied. He had picked it up quickly and fully understood how to use the magic stones.

The group left the small room, and Pruis said, “I suggest you head to Seranthiel’s bank and deposit some magic stones and gold. It’ll make things easier later.”

“Sure,” Helag agreed. He had been planning to do that anyway.

Seranthiel had banks in every city, even in cities controlled by other wizard organizations.

The bank in Silvermoon City wasn’t far from the city hall, just across the street in the city center.

Seranthiel’s bank was massive, rivaling the size of the city hall, and it was bustling with people.

The security here was clearly much tighter. Helag spotted at least six first-level wizards patrolling the hall in uniform.

Deeper inside the bank, there were undoubtedly even more powerful guards.

Pruis, familiar with the place, quickly found a staff member he knew and helped Helag and his companions open their accounts.

Helag deposited 60,000 magic stones, keeping about 40,000 on hand. Reese and David also deposited some of their magic stones.

He also deposited 100,000 gold coins, which would cover his expenses for a long time.

Helag checked his magic stone, and the balance for both gold coins and magic stones was displayed instantly.

Only the contribution points section remained at zero. Contribution points could only be earned through official tasks issued by Seranthiel.

Alternatively, special contributions or achievements would also earn contribution points.

Participating in conquest wars, for example, would yield a significant amount of contribution points.

Helag’s performance at Base 27 would have earned him quite a few contribution points.

Unfortunately, at the time, he wasn’t a member of Seranthiel, so he couldn’t receive them.

Within Seranthiel, there were many things that couldn’t be bought with money alone; contribution points were also required.

This was one of Seranthiel’s ways of testing its members. Contribution points provided a clear measure of each person’s value.

It wasn’t possible to just coast along and rely on seniority within the organization.

What mattered was how much you contributed, and contribution points were a direct reflection of that.

After completing the paperwork and opening their accounts, Pruis said, “Helag, your current salary is 1,000 magic stones per month, which will be deposited into your account on the first of each month. Any additional rewards will also be credited to your account.”

In the Barrens, 1,000 magic stones a month would have been a substantial income.

But in the Land of Dawn, it didn’t go very far, especially when Helag had to support himself, David, and Reese, all of whom were first-level wizards.

Helag had already learned on the airship that the cost of living in the Land of Dawn was quite high.

Due to the limited amount of usable land, the production of vegetables and fruits was very low.

While wizards used knowledge of potion-making and herbalism to artificially cultivate large quantities of food, it was only enough to ensure that people didn’t starve.

Vegetables and fruits had become luxury items, as they weren’t mass-produced, and their yield was much lower than that of staple crops.

Helag suddenly thought that the ordinary people in the Barrens might be living better than those here.

Resources were distributed from the top down, so the lowest-ranking people here were likely worse off than the common folk in the kingdoms of the Barrens.

At least in the Barrens, ordinary people could afford to eat vegetables and fruits if they wanted to.

But the Land of Dawn ensured a minimum standard of living—no one would starve to death. In the Barrens or on the Corcen Continent, people starving to death was a common occurrence.

Helag thought that, in this era, ensuring that everyone had enough to eat was already a remarkable achievement by the wizards of the Land of Dawn.

“I’ve arranged for you to stay at an inn for half a month, free of charge. After that, you’ll need to sort out your own accommodation, either by renting or buying a house,” Pruis said.

Helag thought for a moment. Since it seemed he would be staying in the Land of Dawn for a long time, it might be better to buy a house rather than rent one.

Of course, that was assuming he could afford it.