Modern Weapons Cheat in Fantasy World-Chapter 10: Money and Identification Secured

The carriage rolled past the iron gates, gravel grinding under the wheels before the sound shifted back to stone as they reached the main road. Marcus sat in silence, the sealed letter and check secured inside his inner pocket.

One thousand two hundred gold.

He kept his face neutral, but he felt the weight of it.

Across from him, Leila sat straight, hands folded over her lap. She glanced at him once.

"Will you head to the bank first?" she asked.

"No," Marcus replied. "The guild."

Leila nodded. "Very well. We will return you to the main square."

The carriage moved at a steady pace. The quiet roads near the estates gave way to crowded streets again. Vendors called out prices. A blacksmith hammered metal in a rhythmic pattern. Two children darted between carts, chased by a woman shouting after them.

Fifteen minutes later, the carriage slowed.

Through the narrow window, Marcus saw the familiar plaza. The fountain stood at the center. The guild hall loomed on the northern side, its carved sword and shield visible even from a distance.

The carriage stopped.

Leila stepped out first, then turned toward him.

"We’ve arrived."

Marcus stepped down onto the stone road and adjusted his tunic, making sure the letter and check were still in place.

"Thank you for the escort," he said.

"It was my duty," Leila replied. "I wish you success, Sir Marcus. And thank you for saving my life from that place."

"No worries. We will meet again," Marcus said evenly.

"I hope so," she answered.

Leila returned to the carriage. The driver flicked the reins, and the horses pulled away, disappearing into the traffic of the square.

Marcus turned toward the guild hall.

The doors were open, and the noise carried out into the plaza.

He climbed the stone steps and pushed inside.

Marcus walked straight toward Elaina’s desk.

She looked up as he approached.

Recognition crossed her face.

"You’ve returned, Mr. Marcus," she said.

Marcus reached into his inner pocket and placed the sealed letter on the counter.

"I have a sponsor."

Elaina’s eyes dropped to the wax seal first.

She leaned forward slightly, breaking it cleanly with a small blade from her desk. The parchment unfolded with a soft rustle.

Her eyes moved across the lines.

"I, Ivan of Berm..." she read quietly under her breath.

Her expression shifted from polite curiosity to focused attention. She reached for a small reference ledger at her side and flipped it open, scanning a list of registered merchants.

Her finger stopped.

"Ivan of Berm," she repeated. "Registered merchant. Estate holder. Trade routes in grain and iron."

She looked back at the letter, checking the crest pressed into the wax. Then she compared it with a stamped impression inside the ledger.

The symbols matched.

Elaina set the ledger down and straightened.

"This is valid," she said. "Sir Ivan’s endorsement carries weight within Berm."

Marcus gave a short nod.

"So I’m cleared?"

"For provisional registration, yes."

She pulled a thicker stack of parchment from beneath the counter and slid it toward him.

"Please fill this out. Name, place of origin, any known affiliations, and declared combat specialty."

Marcus picked up the quill.

"Combat specialty?"

"Yes," Elaina replied. "Sword, spear, bow, magic... or otherwise."

He paused for half a second.

"Otherwise," he said, and began writing. "Wait what if I have no place of origin? I kind of have amnesia so I couldn’t answer it. And I don’t have an affiliation."

"Just leave the affiliation blank. As for place of origin, if you cannot recall it, write Berm for now," she said. "Provisional applicants are allowed to declare current residence in place of origin until records are established."

"Okay I’m done," Marcus said as he slid the parchment over the desk.

Elaina read it and nodded. "I have received your application. Now for the written and physical examination, we will schedule it tomorrow since the cut-off for today has already passed. The written examination is conducted at noon. The physical assessment follows immediately after."

Marcus rested his forearms lightly on the counter.

"Tomorrow at noon?"

"Yes. Please arrive at least fifteen minutes early."

"Okay, I will. Also, since there is a written examination, is there a review material I can use? My info about this world is lacking due to this loss of memory," Marcus said with a nervous chuckle.

"Don’t worry, I’ll give you a copy of material," Elaina said as she grabbed something from below the counter.

She placed a thin booklet in front of him. The cover was plain parchment, bound with simple thread along the spine. The guild emblem was stamped in faded ink at the top.

"This is the standard preparatory material for first-time applicants," Elaina said. "It covers guild laws, basic monster classifications, rankings, and others..."

Marcus picked it up and flipped through the pages. Short paragraphs. Simple diagrams. Sketches of common monsters.

"This is your provisional identification card, once passed, you can convert it to an official adventurer’s guild license. Though that card you can use for official business," Elaina said, giving him an ID card.

"Thank you. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Miss Elaina."

"We will. Good luck on your exam tomorrow," she said with a smile.

With that, Marcus left and went to the bank next.

The Berm Commercial Bank stood two blocks from the square. Thick columns framed the entrance. Iron bars covered the lower windows. Two guards in dark uniforms stood at either side of the doors, hands resting near the hilts of their short swords.

Marcus walked up the steps without slowing.

One of the guards looked at him, then at the building behind him. His gaze lingered on Marcus’s clothing for a second before he stepped aside.

Marcus pushed the door open.

The interior was wide and orderly. A long counter stretched across the room, divided by wooden partitions. Behind it, clerks worked with ledgers stacked in careful piles. Shelves lined the walls, filled with bound books. A heavy iron door at the back marked the vault corridor.

A few customers stood in line. A merchant counted silver coins into stacks. An older man argued quietly with a clerk over figures written in a ledger.

Marcus joined the line and waited.

When his turn came, the clerk looked up. Middle-aged. Thin spectacles resting low on his nose.

"Yes, sir?" the clerk asked.

Marcus took the folded check from his inner pocket and placed it on the counter.

"I’d like to encash this."

The clerk unfolded the parchment and adjusted his spectacles. His eyes scanned the signature first, then the amount.

His brows lifted slightly.

"One thousand two hundred gold," he repeated.

"Yes."

The clerk looked at Marcus more carefully this time.

"Please wait a moment."

He carried the check to a senior clerk seated farther down the counter. The two exchanged a few quiet words. The senior clerk inspected the seal, then nodded.

The check returned to Marcus’s counter.

"Sir Ivan’s signature and seal are valid," the clerk said. "The amount is available."

Marcus waited.

However, the clerk did not immediately reach for coin trays.

Instead, he folded his hands on the counter.

"May I ask, sir—do you intend to withdraw the entire amount in gold today?"

"Yes," Marcus replied.

The clerk paused.

"That is... a significant sum."

"I’m aware."

"One thousand two hundred gold coins weigh considerably. More importantly, it would be dangerous to carry such an amount through the city. We strongly advise clients receiving large transfers to open an account with us. You may deposit the full amount under your name and withdraw smaller sums as needed."

Marcus leaned one forearm on the counter.

"What’s required to open an account?"

"An identification card would do," the clerk said.

Marcus reached into his inner pocket again and pulled out the provisional identification card from the Adventurer’s Guild.

He placed it on the counter.

"This will work?" he asked.

The clerk picked up the card carefully. His eyes scanned the surface, reading the name and the provisional mark stamped near the bottom.

"This is acceptable."

He turned the card over briefly, checking the seal pressed into the corner, then handed it back.

"Please sign here to establish your account."

He slid a large ledger across the counter and turned it so Marcus could see the blank line prepared for him.

Marcus picked up the quill and signed his name in steady strokes.

The clerk dusted the ink with fine sand, then blew lightly to clear the excess. He closed the ledger and wrote a short entry in a smaller book beside him.

"Your account has been created," the clerk said. "The full amount of one thousand two hundred gold will be deposited under your name."

Marcus nodded.

"I don’t need gold right now. Convert some into kinah. Silver coins."

"How much would you like to withdraw?" the clerk asked.

"One thousand kinah," Marcus replied.

The clerk paused for a fraction of a second, calculating.

"One thousand kinah," he repeated. "Very well."

He stood and walked toward the iron door at the back. A guard unlocked it for him, and he disappeared into the vault corridor.

Marcus waited, hands resting lightly on the counter.

After several minutes, the clerk returned carrying a medium-sized leather pouch.

He set it on the counter and untied the cord.

Inside were stacked silver coins, each stamped with the kingdom’s crest. The metal caught the light from the tall windows.

"One thousand kinah," the clerk said. "Counted and verified."

"Thank you!"

With that, he left the bank.

Money and identification secured. Tomorrow would be the test.