Preparations I

As soon as she entered the shop, she thought to Art, 'You have been very quiet lately, haven't you?'

'I am just astounded by your extreme luck.' He replied. 'You just gained a very powerful sword without even lifting a finger. Perhaps you are extremely blessed by the Goddess of Luck.'

'I don't about luck but I wasn't going to pass on such a good opportunity when it presented itself.' She mentally spoke to the soul inside her. 'This sword will help me level up faster and grow stronger. How could I reject it, even if I felt bad about taking advantage of that poor old man?'

'That is, IF it accepts you.' Art reminded her of the purple pulse of dangerous mana. 'It looks like the sword will need some convincing.'

'We will deal with later. For now, let's get our equipment.' Just as she finished her conversation with her partner, a store employee came to her.

"Welcome back, Miss Einar. Your equipment is ready." The man spoke to the adventurer after a respectful bow.

"Thank you, Jason, but I'm afraid I have some more work for you." Freya pulled out her damaged steel sword and showed it to the man.

He took a look at the blade and then at her before speaking, "Were you practicing your swings on a steel dummy, Miss. This sword is on the verge of breaking, but worry not. I'll have it repaired for you in a day."

Jason then guided her to a nearby counter and pulled out two pieces of gear that she had commissioned.

"Here is the bracelet that you commissioned, as well as the silver dagger." He placed the two objects in front of her. "We have repaired the dagger and even reinforced it with some stronger metal, so it should be a lot more durable than before."

Freya picked up the bracelet and examined it first. It was a collection of beads and stones arranged around a small fang.

[Wolf Fang Bracelet

Rank: Rare

Description: A Bracelet made with the Fang of White Wolf, which is a charm of great luck.

Effect:

+5% chance on favorable results in all situations.]

She was still skeptical of the luck effect but she decided to trust the system. She then took the silver dagger in her hand that had broken in her fight with the bloodborne vampire. It was a valuable weapon against vampire, and an expensive one as well. She didn't want to leave a dagger made of silver behind.

[Silver Dagger

Rank: Uncommon.

Attack Damage: 121

Durability: 250/250

Description: A Silver dagger forged by an amateur blacksmith but reinforced by an intermediate blacksmith with a small amount of steel. It is far more durable than before and is a great weapon against undead.

Effect:

i) +25% damage to the Undead.]

The dagger was just an uncommon rank but it already had an effect that was equal to the Epic ranked 'Demonic Severance'. Of course, unlike the magic sword, this effect had less to do with the nature of the metal used and more with the nature of the undead. Nonetheless, it was a weapon that was invaluable to her.

"Thank you, Jason." She spoke and pulled out the 'Shaman's Wind Staff'. She placed it on the counter, "I would also like to sell this staff. It reduces the mana requirement of Lightning spells. How much can you give me for it?"

Jason took a small magnifying monocle out of his pocket and began to examine the staff. "The craftsmanship is mediocre at best. The magic gem is rare but not so powerful. It should be appropriate for a rookie mage that has awakened the Lightning variant. I would be willing to buy it for 50 silver coins."

"That would be enough. How much do I owe you?"

"Thirty silver coins for the bracelet, forty for the dagger and seventy for the sword. That will bring your total to 140 minus the fifty for the staff, so a total of ninety silver coins." He replied. Freya quickly pulled out a bag of hundred coins and tossed to the employee.

"Here's your payment, plus a little extra for you." With a final nod from Jason, she bid him good bye and began to walk towards the final destination for the night.

It was time to check out the value of the card given to her by Lorcais.

Ten minutes later, Freya was standing in a large tailor shop, which was directly in front of the Adventurers Guild building, the sign had a similar symbol of spider web that was etched onto the black card.

"Welcome to the Spider Silk Tailors. How may I be of help?" a young man greeted as she walked towards him. The walls behind him were filled with silk cloths of a variety of colors. Each more expensive than the first. Freya didn't speak, but simply pulled out the card and placed it in front of him.

His expression immediately changed as he checked the card's authenticity. "Follow me." He led to a secluded corner in the shop and after making sure they were alone, he opened a secret door that was integrated into the wall.

Freya hesitated for a while before following him into the hidden corridor. The man led her down the corridor with a large amount of wooden doors. He opened a single door and led her in. The room had a single wooden table and two chairs.

"Take a seat. Your agent will be with you shortly." The man spoke and then left the room.

Freya didn't need to wait a long time before a familiar face entered the room. Lorcias Edmont gave her a smile before speaking, "You sure took your time coming here, my friend."

He took the seat opposite to her and continued, "I am sure you're wondering where you are, right?"

"Not really." Freya answered, surprising the man in front of her. "I guess this is some kind of shadowy organization."

"Yes! Yes, that true!" Lorcias half shouted with unexpected enthusiasm. "But not just any shadowy organization. Welcome to the Web of Secrets, the most exclusive information guild on the continent. Now do you understand the worth of that card?"

'Preposterous!' Art shouted inside her head. 'First the magic sword and now this. This is just ridiculous. Are you the secret daughter of some powerful god?'

While the ancient mage continued his rant in her mind, she asked Lorcias a question. "And you are an Information agent of this organization."

"Exactly!" The man replied again. "Our ranks are similar to adventurers. A higher rank having access to more knowledge. I am a silver ranked, as you may have guessed by the card I gave you."

"And as a thank you for saving my life, the first question you ask will be for free." Lorcias told her with a proud expression.

Freya went into a deep thought. As evident by Artium's reaction, this was indeed a golden opportunity. She continued to think what she should ask. Then she asked a question that had been plaguing her for almost a decade.

"A group of vampire have been hunting me for the past few years." She asked carefully. "I want to know why? They killed my parents for some unknown reason and are now after me. I want to know who is behind them?"

"You are quite an interesting little creature, aren't you?" Lorcias said. "However, that is a very specific information. It will take us sometime to investigate. Meanwhile, why don't you ask me something else? For example, about your upcoming quest, you could inquire about the group of orcs that are raiding the countryside."

"How do you know about that?" Her eyes grew suspicious, and her hand went towards the dagger attached to her hip.

"No need to get defensive." Lorcais brought up his hands in surrender. "The city is filled with our informants, especially the adventurer's guild and the mayor's office. I just asked some of them to keep an eye on you after we met."

"I have to admit I was not so sure at first, but after goblin quest I grew confident in my decision to choose you." The man continued while leaning back into his seat. "We will have a great relationship in the future, Miss Einar."

[Lorcias Edmont

Level: 8

Job: Information Broker]

Just to be safe, Freya checked him out with her new trait. He was a level 8, higher than normal folks, but still too weak by her standards. She calmed down and sat back into her seat. She took another glance around the room and made sure there were no hidden surprises. After confirming, it was just a normal room, she sighed.

"Very well. Tell me about this group of Orcs and make sure the information is useful" the mage told the broker sitting opposite to her.

"Of course, my lady." The man answered with a devious smile. "Let me start with their leader. He is the most dangerous one of the group after all."