When they descended through the stairs, Robert saw the area was fully changed. Instead of minimal decorations and stuff inside the underground basement, it was fully polished.
The table which was once at the corner of the room was now placed in the centre with a designed cloth laying on top of it neatly, and several papers were on it. He also saw the walls which once were empty now contained a huge board which can be used for sticking papers and doing investigations.
As he examined the room, he saw that there were many bookshelves with books and parchments.
"It was reformed for the new group that is about to be established." Edward said upon noticing Robert examining the area.
"I can see that," Robert replied.
As they both reached the room, Robert's eyes widened as he saw that there were many people gathered there, including those two attackers with red and brown hair. One's face was handsome, and the other's looked like he just robbed a bank.
On the other side, he saw the man with neat clothes and a hat; Robert had no doubt that he was Hans. Beside Hans was Raven, the man with the flashy clothes.
After some discussion, Raven saw Robert, and he walked towards him as he confirmed, "Very well, the last member completed."
He continued as he walked towards the centre of the room and leaned on the table, "You all are selected for working under Lucius Tan, the count of Cosford; however, you all will be no ordinary force; you'll work under my wing as the group will advance on researching anomalies in Cosford and Hereford, sometimes Banbury."
"But for that you all will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement."
Edwards, without saying anything, guided Robert to a seat. As Robert sat down, Raven looked at the other three and asked, "Bother to sit?"
The other three nod as they are also seated on the clothed table, then a paper is placed in front of each of them along with a pen on a thin wooden board by Edward.
What is this?
"And about our airship model?" Matthew asked.
"Will be mass-produced in one year; till then, think of this team as a loyalty to your business with Mister Lucius," Edward answered.
Hans had already signed the document as it was placed in front of him. Robert looked at the document and read it closely as he also signed the documents. After a while of whispering and discussing, Matthew and Arthur picked up their pens and signed the papers.
"Very nice, you will be presented with another employment letter of a bond of 1 year to M.P., which you will not be able to cancel, but before that let me tell you details about the job."
"You all will not be able to leave Cosford without permission; you all will have modest accommodation, which you will be able to renovate according to your personal preferences."
"Your job will include a risk of death and risk of an insanitanious loop of stray dimensions if you're not careful...and the missions which will be given to you will mostly be of investigations, so the risk of death is lower than working as a security force in the police force of Cosford."
"You will all have to report to me about your findings after the mission; the salaries will be the ones we discussed privately. Now, if you agree, then we will present you with a personal office and two bookshelves for you."
Edward smirked and said, "The perks are higher than the cons."
Raven looked at Edward and said, "Not now," as he continued, "Now that all the things have been listed, we would ask you to sign these 10 pages of documents."
Arthur interrupted as he asked, "In a hypothetical situation, if we somehow died, who will take care of our families?"
Raven looked at Arthur and said, "We have picked only specific individuals with no family to come inside and sign the non-disclosure documents."
Hans commented, "So you can refrain from giving pensions?"
Raven looked at Hans and smirked, "Precisely yes and no; people with connections with family often refrain or hesitate to go on missions which include the risk of fatality."
Hans replied, "I see."
Raven then looked at the others. "Any other questions?"
After some time of pause, Raven looked at Edward and said, "Papers."
Edward nodded and placed 10 papers on each of the person's wooden clipboards on the desk.
Robert knew that to survive financially in this city of Cosford, he needed a much bigger salary hike, but he didn't have skills to apply for a regular job, and if he had skills, the visions of Cosford burning would have refrained him from sitting still. He wanted to escape to Astrid, but he didn't know how society worked there and what language they used.
With a sigh, Robert picked up the pen and read each page and signed the documents. When he looked up after signing the papers, he saw the other members had also signed their papers.
"Very well." Edward picked up each's papers and went inside a room that was connected to the central room.
Robert looked at Raven as he awaited his response. "Very well, a projection of myself will show you your office and personal room," Raven said.
Matthew asked, "How?"
"Exception of clones, bestowed to me from the Head Priest of Yurela upon the guidance of Goddess Yurela, Goddess of Dreams, Prophecy and Madness." Raven explained.
Upon watching the clueless reactions from Robert and Matthew, Raven confirmed, "It seems like we don't have many religious people here. Well, let me clear up: there exist only seven real deities."
"Solaris, the God of the sun and dominion, it is said that he was once beloved and worshipped on the western and northern continents, but after some...events, only the people of nobility worship him."
"Luna, Goddess of Cycles and Silence, is a successor of an unknown deity; thus, she is the only exception among the 6 original deities. We know that she is worshipped in high churches and the Moonlands on the eastern continents."
"Vireos, God of Lies, Masks and Deception, is worshipped by tricksters, illusionists, and some other small groups; he is the god with the least influence, but his worshippers are often the smartest. He is believed to be the one who taught mortals 'the art of narrative' and illusions so powerful that even gods can be tricked."
"Thavros, God of Flame, War, and Will, is worshipped by soldiers, professional fighters, and Blacksmiths; his worshippers are often the strongest among them all. He is said to have burnt an ancient god for challenging mortal free will."
"Eonellle, Goddess of River, memory and lost things, is often worshipped by travellers and elves; her worshippers are often the ones who know the most about the world. She is said to guide lost souls, not to the afterlife but to where they were meant to be."
"Seravyn, God of Mercy, Death, and Final Choices, worshipped by monks, executioners, and some assassins, grants 'one kind death' to those who have suffered long. The most feared and most prayed to in silence.
"Yurela, Goddess of Dreams, Madness, and Futures, is worshipped by seers, mad prophets, and the diseased; she is said to whisper the future to those whose minds are already breaking. Closely tied to dimensional events.
Matthew scratched his head and said, "Uhh...."
Edward replies, "Expected."
Raven nods, "These will all be written on the parchments in your designated offices, which my projections will lead you to."