224 Meeting The Guild Master
"It goes without saying that there are more than 100 people here, so to make things fair, I'll hold a test, those who score within the top 100 will receive a spot."
"As for what the test will be, well you'll all find out in the coming week, so just go home and prepare yourselves fully. That's all I've got to say, so good luck."
With the Guild Master's finishing remarks, the congested hall immediately cleared out, everyone rushing home to prepare themselves for the mystery test in the coming week.
Minos had originally come here to meet the Guild Master and talk about his project along the way, but with the news of this realm, he decided to put that on the backburner for the moment.
However it was still important to meet the Guild Master, so after waiting for the room to clear slightly, he made his way up front.
The Guild Master was an older looking man, but it seemed his cultivation kept his appearance young despite his graying hair.
Before Minos could even say hello, the Guild Master beat him to it, having clearly recognized him from the letters.
"You must be Minos. Jebron has told me a lot about you, apparently you are something of a genius, though with your appearance alone, I'd think you were more of a genius in combat rather than talisman's." The Guild Master said, taking a look at Minos's height.
"Jebron is exaggerating." Minos smiled.
"No need to act humble, if you're a genius, say it proudly! Anywho, how about that mission I gave you, any luck?"
"Not quite, but I think with a little more study, I might be able to come up with something."
"Really now? Mind telling me what you have so far?" The Guild Master asked curiously, wanting to understand Minos's thought process a little.
After thinking for a moment, Minos began explaining what he understood so far, as well as a few plans he had on how to fix the Nux Gathering Talisman.
He had yet to implement any of his ideas due to the short notice, but they were all quite inspiring, causing the Guild Master's eyes to shine.
"Mimicking the nature of the human body in order to deduce a Nux Gathering response? Why didn't I think of that! Come, follow me, I have something I'd like to show you." The Guild Master suddenly said.
Dismissing his followers, the Guild Master took Minos to his office on the very top floor, revealing walls filled with plans and ideas.
"Ignore those, they are beyond your current level, but this should interest you." The Guild Master said, pulling a large book from his drawer.
Slamming the book on the table, the Guild Master opened it, revealing hundreds of pages dedicated solely to the Nux Gathering Talisman.
"These are all the ideas I've had in the past, but I could never quite get to the heart of the problem, but I think you have real potential, so I'd like you to have this, it may be helpful." The Guild Master said, handing the large book to Minos.
Thanking him, Minos was about to give the book a quick read, but before he could, a knock came to the door.
"Guild Master, the meeting is about to begin."
"Well I won't bother you anymore. Thank you for the book, it should be very helpful." Minos said, tucking it away into his spatial ring before dismissing himself.
"Hold on a second. Normally meetings are reserved for Five-Moons and above, but given your talent, it's only a matter of time before you reach such a level, so why not join us in advance?"
"Is that appropriate?"
"It's fine, I'm sure the others would understand." The Guild Master said with a smile, before leading Minos to the meeting room.
Entering the room, two dozen or so people were already gathered, all clearly waiting for the Guild Master to arrive.
"Sorry for making you all wait."
"It's no problem Guild Master, we know you're busy making your announcement." Someone replied.
"Well I won't waste anymore time, let's get right to the point. How exactly should we test the guild members?" The Guild Master asked, while taking a seat on his chair at the front of the room.
Minos found a seat at random, a few people looking at his new face with curiosity, but with him coming with the Guild Master, everyone decided to keep quiet.
Meanwhile Jebron looked at Minos with a big smile, secretly sending him a thumbs up before turning back to the Guild Master.
"Guild Master, I think we should stick to the basics and make the test one of talisman skills." One skinny man to his left said, his chest pocket studded with seven large moons, his status obvious.
"Left President, we're heading to an unknown realm, so rather than talisman skills, I think combat ability and strength is more important." The man to the right of the Guild Master said.
"I agree with the Right President, strength is far more important given the current situation."
"I also agree."
"Me as well."
Almost immediately, a few more figures jumped out in support for the Right President, causing a smirk to form on his face.
But just like he had supporters, so did the Left President, so it didn't take long before someone threw a wrench in his joy.
"While I agree with the Right President on a surface value, I still think that strength is only one part of the problem, experience and intuition are ultimately more valuable, and in my opinion, one's talisman skills are most reflective of those two traits."
"Seconded."
"Agreed."
"Well said!"
Just like that, the supporters of the Left President fought back, equalizing the playing field and bringing things back to square one.
While Minos was new to this environment, he could immediately make out three groups from the way people responded.
There were those who supported the Left President, those who supported the Right, and finally, those who were neutral.
Given the Guild Master still seemed far from death, most people were still neutral, clearly not willing to take a side so early in the fight.
The Guild Master was also aware of the two's squabble, but this was natural and expected, after all there could only be one Guild Master once he left, so the sooner they built up their strength, the better.
Of course it was still annoying to deal with this every time, so after giving the two a couple minutes to perform, he cleared his throat, instantly reducing the room to silence.
"Well it seems we're about fifty fifty when it comes to what to do. Anyone else have any other ideas?" The Guild Master asked, but no one spoke, instead just looking around.
Seeing that no one was speaking, the Guild Master looked around the room for a bit before his eyes suddenly paused on Minos.
"Minos you're new here, and it's also good to get a fresh perspective, so what do you think we should do?"
With the Guild Master's words, everyone froze for a moment before turning to Minos, having never expected that the Guild Master would choose the newbie to perform.
One has to realize that everything the Guild Master did was critical, and even the person he chose to speak at random was oftentimes reflective of his own heart.
That's why he seldom chose between the Left or Right President, not wanting to tilt the favor too heavily towards any side and instead preferring the neutral voices.
Minos as a new face represented the unknown, so everyone could help but think internally, wondering what exactly it was about Minos that the Guild Master liked.
Despite the entire room staring straight at him, Minos didn't feel nervous, instead dedicating his thoughts to coming up with a solution.
"I think it's impossible to truly know what's within the realm, so it's best we don't put all our eggs in one basket."
"Rather than just holding one test, we should instead split the test into five separate categories."
"The first will be a test of talisman skills, which will simultaneously test one's ability to perform under pressure."
"The second will naturally be strength since power is always important regardless of where one goes."
"The third will be a test of willpower/courage in order to find those who are willing to take risks, and tread the paths other's may avoid."
"Fourth will be a test of wilderness experience which goes without saying."
"Finally, I think we should dedicate a test to medical skills, because while our Talisman Guild doesn't major in this, this realm is bound to be dangerous, so it's important we have those who are capable of healing."
With his short speech done, Minos sat back in his seat, causing everyone to look around at each with a little shock.
Who would have expected that some random person that they had never seen before would have such deep insight?
"Hahaha, brilliantly put Minos! This is the best of both worlds, covering all grounds and assuring that we have no weak spots." The Guild Master said happily, clearly satisfied with Minos's input.
