With Fiona leading the way, Percy followed her down the hallway.
The headquarters was much larger on the inside than he had expected. Hallways stretched in different directions, doors lined the walls, and every now and then employees passed by carrying stacks of papers or speaking quietly among themselves.
Fiona greeted several of them as they walked.
Most greeted her back. While Some even sighed looking abit jealous.
Percy wasn't sure why that was the case.
"So, this is the administrative section," Fiona said, pointing at a row of offices.
"Most boring place in the building."
"You're saying that while working in administration."
"I never said I enjoyed it."
Percy chuckled.
As they continued walking, he couldn't help but glance at her from time to time.using his tailoring experience he came to an understanding that .
She looked well off. Not luxurious well off but more of a above average , almost rich category . As some parts of her attire were not cheap , while some were something even he could buy if he saved up .
Her uniform looked neat and expensive, and she carried herself with confidence.
Compared to her, Percy was leaning towards looking like her servant or something, with how cheap his own attire looked .
Then again, most people here probably earned more than him.
The thought reminded him of Lyro's salary of twenty Silver Crowns.
Eventually, Fiona stopped in front of a large office.
"Here we are."
She pushed the door open as several people were inside, busy sorting documents and discussing work.
The moment Fiona entered, a few of them greeted her.
The atmosphere here were disciplined unlike Beningham styles. As people seemed to have an aura of seriousness around all of them , a bit suffocating but otherwise professional .
At the far end of the office sat a man. He looked up from his paperwork.
"You brought him here."
"Of course."
His gaze shifted to Percy. For some reason, Percy felt like he was being inspected.
"Father," Fiona said.
Percy blinked.
"Father?"
He looked between the two of them. Now that he paid attention, he could see some resemblance around the eyes.
It was just hard to imagine the cheerful Fiona being related to the stern old man.
The man seemed to have noticed his expression.
"We get that often."
Fiona grinned.
"He was surprised."
"Most people are."
Marco placed his documents down.
"So. You're the new recruit Lyro brought in ?"
Percy nodded.
"Good."
" I'm Marco Cooper , we will eventually work together at some point "
"Now that the introduction is out of the way , let's get your registration sorted." Percy followed him to another desk.
The process was surprisingly normal.
Name.
Age.
Occupation.
Residence.
Family information.
The more questions Marco asked, the more Percy felt like he was applying for an ordinary job rather than joining a secret organization.
After filling out the last document, Marco nodded in satisfaction.
"Done."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Percy stared at the mountain of papers. Somehow he half expected to be tested or something.
But he was greatful nonetheless since he didn't had to bother himself with the hassle .
Marco opened one of the drawers and pulled something out.
A small metal badge. He placed it on the table. The symbol immediately caught Percy's attention.
A strangely bent sword standing between two cups. The same symbol carved into the gates outside.
"The insignia of the Union Law Syndicate," Marco explained.
"Since your Eclipse registration can't be completed yet, you'll receive this first."
Percy picked it up. The metal felt cool in his hand and surprisingly heavy.
"I wonder what's it made of"
For a few seconds he simply stared at it.
"Take good care of it," Marco said.
"It won't be easily replaced."
Percy nodded and carefully placed it into his pocket.
By the time the paperwork was finished and Fiona had shown him a few more parts of the building, the sun was already beginning to set. Eventually she escorted him back to the main entrance.
"That's all for today."
Percy smiled.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Fiona waved.
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Percy."
With that, Percy stepped outside. The cool evening air greeted him immediately. For a moment he stood there, looking at the large headquarters behind him.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the badge. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Not bad."
Percy slipped the badge into his coat pocket, carefully placing it near the revolver.
As he walked down the street, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Wait...
"Does this mean I can legally own a firearm now?"
His hand instinctively touched the pocket where the badge rested. The more he thought about it, the less certain he became.
"No, that can't be right."
"If carrying a Syndicate badge was all it took, then every Syndicate employee would probably be walking around with a gun on their hip."
"And i haven't of that in any gossips or news so that may not be the case ."
"Surely there were more requirements than that. Still, the badge had to count for something."
"Maybe it would help me avoid trouble with the authorities if i ever found myself in a difficult situation."
His thoughts drifted away from the badge as he glanced up at the sky. Both suns were hanging low above the horizon now.
The First Sun was already close to setting.
He quickly reached into another pocket and pulled out his pocket watch.
Engraved on the inside cover were two simple words.
"I'm Ronan."
The familiar words greeted him as the watch clicked open. Percy's eyes moved to the hands.
12:25.
He frowned at the sight.
"That can't be right."
The suns clearly disagreed. Giving the watch a gentle shake, he listened for a moment.
"Sigh..."
"I guess it's broken."
Just as he was about to close it, another thought occurred to him.
"Wait."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small winding pin and carefully wound the watch.
The mechanism immediately came to life.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Percy stared at it for several seconds. Then let out a long breath of relief.
"Phew."
"I just forgot to wind it."
That would have been embarrassing if i had decided to go the clock smith. Carefully putting the watch away, he made a mental note to adjust the time later after checking a clock tower.