Magnus looked at the representatives of the five major factions that ruled Berlin standing outside his shack in awe .
All plans of him flying under the radar till he was ready for a public appearance was lost the moment he awoke his powers , worse he had awoken three elemental abilities, he might even lose his life if he doesn't play his card right.
" Hello son , may the blessings of the Lord be upon you." The priest said, making a sign of the cross.
" And may the peace of God be upon you too ." Magnus replied, reciprocating the sign of the cross . He had grown up Catholic so he was no stranger to religion and their rituals.
" I will not be at around the bush , God has given you great abilities as we have seen, why don't you use your abilities to serve God and become his instrument?" The priest said.
Before Magnus could reply, he was cut off by a very refined looking man in a brown coat .
"Cut it out father , don't try to bypass us.+ The man said to the priest before turning to Magnus, " young man I am a representative of the Cromwell family , they are from the Modrich , Heimler and Black Lion families and clan respectively and you have met the priest from the church.
We have come to recruit you , we are also equal in power so we will be able to offer you similar things but know this your accomodations, feeding is guaranteed if you join any of us . Your monetary gains is also guaranteed but it's increase is dependent on your power and the gains that you provide. It is the same for all of us , maybe with minor alterations."
Magnus could see the representatives nodding their heads in agreement but he did not decide immediately.
" What are the main rules of the families and the sect and also will any of my freedoms be affected?" Magnus asked.
This was the first time a slum rat asked questions before recruitment, most of them practically ran to either of the clans to beg for a position. So even without Magnus trying he was already setting himself apart for being different than the others.
The representatives thought that at the mention of accomodations and food, Magnus would rush up to offer himself but the had been proven wrong .
Magnus listened with apt attention as the representatives explained the rules of their organization and the responsibilities that were expected from the members.
In the end he ended up choosing the black lion clan. The church according to what he could gather virtually owned him and he was expected to accept everything that was imposed on him with grace . As for the families, there was little hope of advancement as the young masters of the families which were the direct descendants of the family would always be above him , no matter what he brings to the table . All his efforts would still be to serve the young masters .
As for the Black Lion clan , anyone could rise to the top , there was a heirachy based on points and not by birth . Here your rank and your strength determined your position. Also there was room to leave if you are not able to cope although it was hard.
Magnus had made his decision much to the disappointment of the church and the other three families.
Immediately Magnus was led away by the Black Lion representative with nothing other than the clothes on his back and the worn out shoes on his feet.
They boarded a carriage that took them out of the slums and carried them into the main city of Berlin.
This was much more different from the ambience of the slums . It was in one word beautiful.
As there was no concept of nation or state any more , the architecture in the city was a mixture from different cultures and regions giving it a unique look .
The roads were paved with some kind of flat rock and was built sturdy and wide enough for four carriages to move side by side . The ingenuity of the road construction was amazing.
For maybe three or four hours, Magnus quietly took in the sights, at the same time he was also studying the area and people's interactions with each other. It was nessesary for him to assimilate into this society without suspicion, he didn't know what would happen if he was found out to be a transmigrator but based on what he had seen so far , he didn't want to find out .
From Magnus' observation , the city seemed to be evenly divided into four regions, the central region belonged to the church, the eastern region belonged to the Cromwell family, the southern region belonged to the Heimler family, the western region belonged to the Modrich family and finally the northern region belonged to the Black Lion clan.
In their respective regions, each organization controls everything , they collected taxes and offered protection and maintained order within their region and ruled as they pleased.
The heads of these organizations also form a conclave to handle matters that affected the whole city . There was also infighting amongst them but it rarely resulted in full blown conflict, rather they settled issues through a competition where they would call forth a champion to fight on their behalf. The winner is declared right in the dispute.
There was also the yearly tournament, the winning organization of the said tournament could claim anything they want from the losers and the individual champion would have his or her name etched in the minds of the public for a very long time.
Magnus just assimilated these information as they traveled and soon they arrived in a large four storey apartment complex. This was the recruit accomodations, it was nothing much just a bedroom, bathroom and a kitchen. The recruits can gain better accomodations either by gaining them as prizes or buying them with money.
" Rest up , new clothes and an allowance would be provided for you in a moment now I officially welcome you , mage Magnus to the Black Lion clan."