Chris wore a blue shirt, gray pants, black suit, and black robe that reached near his foot. In the current era, robes have become a fashion trend, often combined with the prominent fashion of the old era, like suits.

After looking at a perfect holographic projection of himself, he checked his comb hair before walking out of his apartment. Knowing this was an important meeting, Chris went to the Warp Portal to arrive at his destination.

In an instant, he arrived at the Central Arcane Bank. And at 10 AM sharp, someone called him for his meeting.

“Mr. Tiu,” said a man from the Somalia Region. After shaking hands with Chris, he continued. “You can call me Hassan.”

“Mr. Hassan, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Hassan indicated for Chris to sit down before doing the same.

“You’re an old fashion gentleman, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Most people born in the new era prefer to do almost everything online. But people born before the age of magic are more traditional.”

“I tried to adapt to the new era. But sometimes, I just slip into old habits,” replied Chris.

“At least you are trying. One of the most difficult things is dealing with the older generations that only complain about how the world is not what it used to be,” added Hassan as a holographic computer appeared before him. After partaking in a small chat with Chris, he went into business mode.

“Mr. Chris, you are applying for Arcane Merit. According to our policy, we have thoroughly investigated your background, including criminal records, education, family, achievements, etc.

“Then, we had an Artificial Intelligence take into account all the information gathered to determine the amount of merit the bank is willing to loan. And here is the number we came up with.”

“Only 150 Merit,” commented Chris as he looked at the scream. This amount was nothing compared to the amount needed for even a Level 1 Dragon Potion.

“This is a significant amount.”

“Yes, but not enough.”

“You should have expected. With your portfolio, the bank would be willing to loan you any amount of Arcane Coin. However, merit is entirely different.”

“I thought the situation would be different with the recent War Preparation Announcement.”

Hassan shook his head. “The merit system was created for two purposes: to motivate people to develop and contribute to the Empire and to lure powerful Arcanists from hoarding their research results and share it for valuable and rare resources strictly controlled by the government.

“However, at its core, the system is flawed. It mostly benefits Scholar Arcanists, scientists, and engineers. When it comes to fields like lawyers, politicians, historians, writers, or ‘people who do not contribute to the development of civilization,’ its flaws began to show.”

Hassan placed these words in air quotes because this was an argument often used by certain people to argue for the flaw in this system.

“We live in a society that worships knowledge and innovation. So, it makes sense,” nodded Chris.

“Yes. But knowledge and innovations are not enough to support the growth of a civilization. And the government knows this, hence why they passed laws like the Good Citizen Act that granted everyone merits for having good attendance and performance at their normal job. Or the recent Artist Appreciation Clause.”

Chris had read about the Artist Appreciation Clause that the Council passed about three years ago. Before that, writers, filmmakers, video game designers, and others of that category could receive certain merits if someone turned an idea from their creations into reality. It could be a spell used by a character in a book or even an entirely new concept invented from the mind of a fantasy author.

But now, the Artist Appreciation Clause has raised the amount they get paid for their ideas, encouraging people to create and innovate. Moreover, as long as the idea is new, these creators will receive some merit even before their concept is turned into an invention.

“From what I hear, new laws will be passed in a few months that will make it easier for non-research-related people to acquire merit.”

“Oh, could you elaborate?”

“I don’t know much. But the bills will be targeted at people like you. For example, if a legislator creates a bill that positively impacts the Empire, they will receive Arcane Merit. They will receive merit if they solve a problem or find a flaw in the Empire’s laws or the place they have jurisdiction over.”

“This is great for the Empire in the long run. As long as the merit system does not fall to corruption, this kind of law will have a lasting effect,” commented Chris.

“Indeed. As for the corruption of the system, only time can tell.”

Chris did not continue on the subject and talked for a few minutes with Hassan before leaving. He took the train to work, but everyone could tell he was not in the best mood.

After work, he finally could not control his emotions, allowing the disappointment of today to overcome him. The 150 Arcane Merit only reduced the time he needed to save from 63 years to 58. If Chris counted the recent announcement that the potion’s price was reduced, he would only need to save for 46 years.

However, he cannot count that the discount will remain for long since the news has made it obvious it is only because of the possible upcoming chaos of the galaxy that could lead to large-scale war.

After taking a shower, Chris did not immediately go to exercise and practice. Instead, he took out the Bulkkoch Soju he bought and drank. It was a special alcohol made by a family in the South Korea Region targeting Aura Master.

It had unique ingredients that would use the Aura inside a person’s body as fuel to generate a chemical that would make people drunk. The item was popular because it had no rank to drink. As long as someone had Aura in their bodies, it would work.

Chris thought of his future while drinking. For some reason, he felt his future was bleak, with no prospect in sight. He wanted to improve his life, but he did not know how.

“Master, your vitals have indicated you are intoxicated,” said Angela.

“I know.”

“I recommend detoxing before working out. If not, please go to sleep. It is not recommended to do high-intensity activities in your current state.”

Chris did not answer, and Angela did not pester him; she went to do other tasks while monitoring his vitals to ensure he was not in danger. Meanwhile, Chris suddenly remembered the call from a few days ago and called the person again.

“Alright, I’ll meet you at the diner.”

The next day, he took the train to the Japanese Region, and it only took him thirty minutes to arrive. After entering the diner, Chris immediately observed many things.

This place seems to be in the style of the old era. There was no technology, robots, or magic: it was a simple café you would see in the old age. He took a seat, and a young Japanese lady came to ask him for his order.

Chris noticed she spoke to him in Japanese instead of the Arcane Tongue. Luckily, it was one of the languages he knew, and he did not have to use a translator.

“I’m waiting for someone,” he told her, and she promised to return and take their orders. Half an hour later, another middle-aged man entered the cafe and sat before Chris.

“Cruz, how have you been?”

“Same old, same old.”

“What happened to you? After the Empire was established, you lost contact. I thought something had happened to you.”

The two used to be closed when they were young. However, after the Dementor Invasion and the establishment of the Arcane Empire, Cruz disappeared, and Chris only heard about him many years later. But by then, their relationship was no longer the same. They never had a long conversation besides the ones a few days ago.

“Many things happened. I was trying to find myself in this changing world, trying to adapt and survive. Enough about me. Have you thought about my proposition?”

Chris frowned but no longer focused on the detail. “Tell me about this race.”