After the words of the level 105 alien, the group of 43 people descended the Motionless Tips and reached the part where Armhands' headquarters were actually located.
There was a large wall around the organization's headquarters, which was strange considering that they were already at the top of a floating island that this organization completely dominated.
Why would they have a wall inside their own territory? Getting there would be impossible for anyone who didn't use the path Minos and his people had used. What's more, there were powerful guards on the outskirts of this floating neighborhood, which was enough to ward off malicious people who had nothing to do with the Armhands.
However, this 15-meter-high, 8-meter-thick wall was not enough to prevent people from entering this headquarters!
"What's this for?" asked a level 99 Gorgon, one of the two remaining Gorgons in Minos' group.
One of the two robots still in the group muttered. "Isn't it obvious? This wall is to prevent the weaker members of the Armhands from leaving..."
That was true. Even those who passed the guild entrance exam had no freedom until they reached certain requirements and hierarchy in the organization. Until they became actual contributing members, people like them lived there as if they were in prison!
"Shit..." One of Minos' companions muttered at the thought that their situation was far from improving.
"Let's not think about it too much right now," Minos said to his companions. "Let's understand this place and figure out how to get out of here."
The rest of his staff agreed, and they soon fell silent until the group reached one of the entrances to the wall.
There, the selectors soon gained access to the group, and they passed through those walls without leaving the area for long.
All 43 individuals observed their surroundings, especially the passage they had entered, aware that they were now stuck in that place.
Meanwhile, one of the examiners introduced them to the place. "This is the common entrance to the guild. The weakest members of the Armhands usually live and work here.
The guild is divided into three sections: the Outer Sect, the Inner Sect, and the Council. In short, external members are not free to leave these walls without special permission and are merely subordinates of the internal members.
Internal members are free to come and go; they have groups under their command but only follow the rules of the strongest in the organization. These are the board members, the real bosses of our organization, the ones who can do whatever they want, who have all the privileges, and who are closest to our goals.
As of today, you will be an external member. If you're lucky in the final test of this selection, you might have a better position from the start. That might make it easier for you to become internal members.
But I warn you that cultivation isn't everything. Some outer members are stronger than this black-haired guy." The foreigner pointed in Maximilian's direction. "Being an inner member is not just a sign of higher cultivation than the outer members. It's a sign of contribution. It's a sign of your value to the group.
Outer members are easily replaced. They are discarded. But inner members have value. There are reports of council members acting to avenge the defeats of internal members, but no one has ever bothered to avenge the defeats of external members."
The staff heard this and said nothing, already expecting that things wouldn't be easy when they started in this place. And how would it be different? That was an organization that forced people to join them!
"Anyway, everything you'll need as an external member is in this area. It's not wrong to think of the headquarters of our force as a city, but the neighborhoods of this small place are very different and controlled.
As long as you are an external member, you won't be able to access the inner part of the city, let alone its core, where the Council is located. Each part of the city is independent of the other, so you will have little access to many people who are higher up than you. But that doesn't mean that you are all equal here."
They started walking again, soon leaving the side of the wall and arriving at an area where they could easily see the three levels of this capital city.
At the highest part, where the most noble and refined buildings were, was the core of the city, a place surrounded by a river where some bridges connected it to the inner part of the city, a much larger but less refined place.
The city's inner area was a simpler border with the outer area, separated by metal fences and several sorting stations.
The outer area was quite large, with most of it on the side where Minos and his people now stood.
As much as the members of the Armhands used the outer and inner nomenclature, the positions in this city didn't follow it to the letter. This headquarters had an elliptical shape, with the city's core and the inner area at one of the ellipse foci, while most of the outer area was around the other foci of the ellipse.
Then, as the group entered this outer area of the city, another alien soon changed the subject and said. "You will learn more about the divisions of our guild. For now, don't forget what we have already told you. Now it's time to complete your entry into Armhands."
They led the group into a building on a busy street in the area, where they would register as members of the organization.
"Is this the new recruit group?" A level 105 female alien asked the leader of the screening group.
"Hmmm, they're going through the talent and aptitude analysis."
That was the last phase of the selection test, which was usually eliminatory, but it wouldn't be on this day.
"But they'll all be joining us. More aliens than we expected died in the first test... So I'm going to accept them all." Said the level 105 alien who had talked to Minos earlier.
"Are you sure about that? They'll be under your care from today on." The alien woman at the registration desk warned her friend. "This will go on your record."
The brown-furred man smiled and said. "I have confidence in this group. They won't be an embarrassment to my record."
"I hope you're right... Anyway, if that's what you want, we'll do it the way you suggested." She walked through the entrance hall of this building and soon faced the people from the group of candidates.
"Come with me. I'll sign you in, and we'll finish this selection."
