Around noon, EeDechi, who had been invited by Princess Renner to the palace to discuss matters, finally returned. As soon as she stepped through the door, Barrett eagerly asked, "What did Princess Renner want to talk to you about?"
"In two days, she's leaving the capital to provide relief to the poor. Some nobles might be plotting against her in secret, so she hopes I'll go with her. Get ready—in two days, our the Last Defender of the Way team sets out." EeDechi replied absentmindedly, as if they were just heading out for a casual stroll in the countryside.
"Hurry up and make some soup; I haven't had lunch yet," EeDechi commanded. "Make a bowl of parsnip soup, like last time. Dice the onions fine, slice the meat thin, and add half a bottle of gray mountain goat milk."
Barrett shook his head helplessly and got up to head to the kitchen. Ever since EeDechi had tasted his stewed soup, she couldn't get enough of it, and as a result, most of the cooking on their adventure journeys fell to him.
Barrett pointed to a gift box crafted from boxwood on the table and suggested, "You could eat a few of the chocolates on the table first; those are from Brain."
EeDechi walked over to the table, yanked off the blue satin ribbon tied in a bow shape on the gift box, flipped open the wooden lid, grabbed a handful of chocolates, and stuffed them into her mouth, chomping away. She picked up another chocolate ball and tossed it at Barrett. "Pretty tasty—you try one."
Barrett spun around and caught the incoming "hidden weapon." Even though he skillfully grabbed the chocolate hurtling toward his face, his palm still stung from the hit. He stared at the black chocolate ball in his hand for a moment, then popped it into his mouth.
Not long after, Sean and Stella returned as well. Stella had a cute heart-shaped agate hair ornament dangling from her hair. As soon as she entered the room, her eyes landed on the bouquet of pure white tulips on the table.
"Who sent this bouquet of tulips?" the young cleric asked curiously. "I remember in our Baharuth, white tulips represent..."
"From Brain. Here, take these flowers." EeDechi said, picking up the bouquet of tulips and tossing it toward Stella. Stella didn't catch it in time and got smacked in the face with the tulips. Sean quickly pulled the large bunch of tulips off her head; the young cleric's bewildered face was still dotted with several pure white petals.
"Giving them to me... isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Stella held the now scattered tulips in her hands, looking a bit flustered.
"What's wrong with that? Don't all girls like flowers and such?" EeDechi said generously.
She then picked up the box of chocolates on the table and beckoned to the two of them. "Come on, try some of the chocolates Brain sent. These are dark chocolates with a unique Re-Estize flavor, filled with hazelnuts and toffee."
Sean and Stella sat down as told and began tasting the gift that a certain renowned swordsman had carefully prepared for EeDechi.
Sean swallowed a chocolate and said, "Captain, when we passed by the Adventurer's Guild, we saw a new notice posted on the door. It says that tomorrow night, the Adventurer's Guild guildmaster will hold a high-tier adventurer meeting at the Golden Harbor tavern. There's something particularly important to discuss, and all adventurers in the capital at mithril-level and above are invited. You and Barrett can go."
Barrett emerged from the kitchen in a woven apron, his hands sheathed in thick cotton gloves as he carried a pot of steaming, milky-white soup, its warm aroma wafting through the room.
"A high-tier adventurer meeting?" Barrett looked puzzled. "This is a big deal."
...
In various countries, adventurer ranks from low to high are divided into: copper, iron, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, orichalcum, adamantite.
The mithril-level is where most seasoned adventurers with deep combat prowess and rich experience reside. The orichalcum-level is usually achieved by a team of elite adventurers who form a well-coordinated group after years of honing their skills together—it's as rare as hen's teeth.
The highest tier, adamantite-level, is even rarer than gold coins in a slum. In the entire Re-Estize, there are only three adamantite-level adventurer teams, and in the vast Baharuth, there are merely two adamantite-level adventurer squads.
In Barrett's memory, he had only attended three high-tier adventurer meetings.
The first was because an adult red dragon attacked a knight's castle. The second was to exterminate an illithid tribe, and the third was because the local Adventurer's Guild guildmaster got drunk and wanted to test just how much authority he really had...
The Adventurer's Guild is actually a loose organization, or rather, a loose system. This system builds a bridge for communication between employers and adventurers, and then charges a small toll.
Every large town has an Adventurer's Guild, and each guild has a guildmaster, so a guildmaster actually doesn't have much power. As long as there are unbound dangerous monsters surviving in the world, no one can bind the naturally free-spirited adventurers.
Of course, the Adventurer's Guild in big cities bears more responsibilities. For example, the Adventurer's Guild in the capital city of Re-Estize acts as a simple central hub, responsible for contacting other Guilds in various towns across the kingdom and handling more miscellaneous affairs. Accordingly, the guildmaster's power is slightly enhanced.
The setting sun, like a shy maiden, had already ducked below the horizon. The sky had darkened, and the night spread like ink slowly dyeing the canvas. EeDechi and Barrett rode in a four-wheeled carriage, weaving through the streets, with the Golden Harbor tavern not far ahead. The three-story tavern was brightly lit, faint colorful magical lights reflecting on the windows.
Just from the rather poetic name "Golden Harbor," you could tell it wasn't a tavern run by the Adventurer's Guild, but a high-end spot in the capital.
Most taverns catering to adventurers had names completely lacking in poetry. After all, fancy words didn't hold a candle to tacky ones like "Baskets Full of Gold" or "Luck on Your Side," which really appealed to adventurers who lived on the edge, tasting blood on their blades.
If an adventurer tavern had a name like "Marina" or "Maggie Ivy," something with a feminine, elegant vibe, you'd ask around, and nine times out of ten, it turned out to be the stage name of some local stunner who'd turn heads and empires, but who only sold her body and not her talents.
Most adventurers wouldn't set foot in the Golden Harbor tavern. For one, they didn't have the gold coins to spare; for another, their rough edges just didn't fit with the place—it was where nobles and rich merchants liked to hang out.
But tonight, the Golden Harbor tavern had been booked out by the guildmaster just for the adventurers to hold the high-tier adventurer meeting, which showed how serious the guildmaster was.
The carriage eased to a stop, and EeDechi and Barrett got out. In front of the Golden Harbor tavern stood a polite waiter in white, with two burly giants behind him—tall and beefy, long swords at their waists, faces like snarling fiends.
EeDechi and Barrett each flashed their orichalcum and mithril adventurer rank badges, handing them over for the waiter to inspect closely. Once he confirmed they were the real deal, the white-clad waiter gave a slight bow and led them inside the tavern.
The elegant tavern that once catered to the upper crust was now total pandemonium. Adventurers in all sorts of gear milled about, yelling and chattering, downing drinks and swapping stories, even throwing punches—it was noisier than a bustling marketplace.
Barrett hadn't taken more than a few steps when, out of some dingy corner, a guy waving a wand popped up.
"Hey! Barrett, my old buddy! What are you doing here? Long time no see!" The goatee-wearing mage gripped his wand, its pointed tip jabbing Barrett's chest, his face beaming with a grin.