Seated on the inn's bed, Roland emptied the contents of the spatial ring onto the covers.
Three thousand gold coins, over a dozen rare magical materials exported by the Moon Elves, and two full sets of first-tier enchanted spellcaster attire from their trade line.
As expected of the Moon Elves generous to a fault.
Roland couldn't help but sigh in admiration as he looked over the wealth spread before him.
And that wasn't even counting the ring itself a twenty-cubic-meter spatial ring crafted in elven style, gifted freely. In Xinar, that alone would easily fetch seventy to eighty thousand gold.
After a moment of quiet appreciation, Roland slipped the ring onto the middle finger of his left hand. Leaving out one set of spellcaster attire, he packed the rest of the items back into the ring.
Just as he finished tidying up, the door creaked open. Hela stepped inside, arms wrapped around a large wooden barrel. Using her foot, she nudged the door shut, then carried the barrel into a corner of the room.
Roland joined her. With a flick of his fingers, he cast a simple purification spell to clean the inside of the barrel. Then, he traced a temporary heating rune across its surface with a few strokes of his hand.
While he worked, Hela returned with buckets of cold water, emptying them one by one into the barrel.
With the runes gently heating the water, the temperature quickly rose and stabilized around forty degrees.
Once it was warm enough, Roland uncorked several bottles of alchemical tonic and poured them in. The water turned a dull yellow-green almost immediately.
He dipped his right hand into the mixture and channeled a wisp of magic to inspect the solution. After confirming everything was as it should be, he pulled his hand out and nodded toward Hela.
"It's ready."
Without another word, he walked to the far side of the room and pulled a curtain across, dividing the space in two.
The sound of shifting clothes and splashing water followed. Roland sat cross-legged on the bed, quietly slipping into meditation.
Hela had chosen the first training path physical enhancement through alchemy and martial combat. For that route, medicinal baths were essential.
Barring the days they spent hunting cultists, Hela soaked in a potion bath nearly every day, not only to increase her physical resilience, but to repair the microdamage left behind by daily training.
About twenty minutes later, the sounds of movement resumed.
Having dried off and changed into one of the sets of elven-crafted spellcaster robes, Hela pulled back the curtain slightly.
Seeing that Roland was still meditating, she let it fall again, turned away, and began hauling the now-clouded water out of the room, bucket by bucket. Then, she returned with fresh cold water and refilled the barrel.
It took several trips, but once the barrel was filled again, she returned to Roland's side and stood silently for a while.
When he still hadn't stirred, she reached out and gently tugged the corner of his robe.
Feeling the touch, Roland emerged from his meditative state and opened his eyes.
"I changed the water," Hela said softly, sitting down beside him, her posture calm and obedient.
Roland blinked, then smiled warmly.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
He rose to his feet and walked to the other side of the curtain.
Hela said nothing, simply watching him until he was out of sight. Then she sat cross-legged on the floor and began her own meditation.
Roland stood before the barrel again, adding a fresh round of alchemical reagents.
Though he walked the path of a mage, physical enhancement through alchemy still had its place. A stronger body meant a stronger vessel for the soul.
In this world, most extraordinary paths could be loosely categorized into two types: knights and spellcasters. The former focused on the body, the latter on the soul.
But body and soul were ultimately intertwined. For a spellcaster, a powerful body could help support and stabilize a powerful spirit.
If Roland aimed to become a Seventh-Circle Archmage, then his physical aptitude had to be at least at the Fifth Circle level. So even though he was firmly on the caster's path, he still needed to invest in his physical conditioning.
Once the tonics fully diffused into the hot water, Roland stripped down and stepped into the barrel.
As his skin made contact with the liquid, his entire body felt like it was burning from the inside out. Waves of heat surged through him, the warmth drawing the alchemical energy deep into his muscles and bones.
The potion worked slowly but steadily, enhancing his constitution while soothing his body with its medicinal properties.
After a brief night of rest in Winter hold, Roland and Hela set out toward the second goal of their trip the Spellcasters' Guild.
The Spellcasters' Guild was a subsidiary institution under the Towers of Truth, with branches in nearly every major city throughout the Eastern Territories, Xinar, and the Northern Kingdoms. It served spellcasters and the noble and royal classes of various nations.
Now standing in front of the guild branch in Winter hold, Roland took in the faintly shimmering tower before leading Hela inside.
Though this was their first time visiting the place, the guards stationed out front, upon seeing their elven-style mage attire and sensing the subtle magical aura they both exuded, wisely chose not to question them and simply stepped aside.
Inside, Roland made his way to the front desk with the confidence of someone who'd done this countless times before.
With the exception of a few unique regional branches, most of the Spellcasters' Guild locations followed nearly identical layouts. Roland couldn't count how many times he'd visited them in his previous life. He could find his way around blindfolded.
"Welcome to the Spellcasters' Guild. How may I assist you today?" The receptionist, a young woman who had been daydreaming moments before, quickly stood up and offered a sweet, respectful smile.
"Two new registrations and level assessments."
Roland tapped his fingers on the counter, speaking in a calm, even tone.
"Of course. Do you have a letter of recommendation?"
She nodded, her voice cautious but professional.
Without a word, Roland pulled the elven envoy's sealed letter from his pocket and slid it across the counter.
The receptionist accepted it and placed it on a glowing platform to the side. Pressing a button, she activated the scanning array.
As the runes lit up, a faint pulse of magic swept over the envelope. A moment later, a green light shimmered across the platform.
She let out a quiet sigh of relief, shut off the scanner, and carefully set the letter aside in a secured cabinet.
Then she stood and stepped around the desk, bowing slightly as she said, "Please follow me."
Roland and Hela followed close behind.
By the time they reached the third floor, another staff member took over a robed man with a polished golden badge pinned to his chest, bearing a single silver dot. A mark of a First-Circle Mage.
After the receptionist left with a polite nod, the man turned to them with a composed smile.
"This way, please."
On the fourth floor, Roland placed his hand atop a crystal orb and calmly released a controlled amount of his magic into it.
The orb lit up gradually. At first, the number "1" appeared within its depths. Then, it flickered and was replaced by a "2," which stabilized and glowed steadily.
Roland withdrew his hand.
Beside him, Hela had just finished her own assessment. Her orb showed the number "1."
The First-Circle mage didn't waste any time. Using a key from his belt, he unlocked a cabinet in the room and retrieved two First-Circle mage insignias and one Second-Circle badge.
Roland and Hela accepted them and stowed them away.
After completing their official registration, they had a brief chat with the staff member, purchased a few pieces of information, and then made their way back to the inn.
With their original goals accomplished, they didn't linger in Winter hold.
Soon after, they packed their things, saddled the two chocobos, and quietly departed the city.