Chapter 59: Exclusive Quest
Chapter 59: Exclusive Quest
Gedo Street, Adventurer Group Villa
William and Jason emerged from the room quite satisfied.
Both expressed high approval of their exchange, proposing constructive suggestions and agreeing to maintain a good communication mechanism between them. In simpler terms, both got what they wanted; Jason learned new intelligence about the mastermind behind the scenes, and William received a promise from the Harold family.
Jason also presented William with a diamond VIP card from the Canlight United Chamber of Commerce.
This chamber of commerce, one of the top five in the kingdom and established by various court nobles, is significantly larger than Mora's Goldvine Chamber of Commerce, offering even more.
Holding this diamond VIP card, William would enjoy a 30% discount at the Canlight United Chamber of Commerce, applicable to a wide range of goods, from daily necessities to high-level magic equipment. This discount nearly equates to the chamber of commerce providing services at a loss.
Those with insight could even profit from this card. Jason's sincerity was evident, especially since Mora had only offered William an 8.5% discount in his own guild.
After joining Jason in the living room, William saw Nichole and Elena sitting on the couch, with Nichole holding the little moon spirit leopard quietly, and Elena combing Nichole's lion-like red hair neatly.
William then sat down and took out a book on the characteristics of fire elements and the application of magic runes to study.
His goal now was to consolidate his magic theory and fundamentals for improvement.
Seeing this, Nichole, Jason, and others did not disturb William, opting to begin their day's training outside.
---
As the sun grew stronger and reached its zenith, William set aside his book, intending to prepare a simple meal in the kitchen.
Jason then entered with a middle-aged man dressed in the Mercenary Guild's uniform.
The man approached William with enthusiasm, saying, "This must be Mr. Moriarty, the new member of Nichole's adventure group. Truly outstanding and exceptional!"
William, not one to refuse a handshake, obliged the overly enthusiastic man, asking, "Hello, and you are?"
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself!" the man slapped his forehead, saying, "My name is Mirel, I'm in charge of dispatching tasks at the Mercenary Guild. Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise, pleased to meet you, Mr. Mirel."
After the greetings, William handed off the task of hosting to Jason and went to prepare lunch.
By the time the meal was served, Mirel had already left.
Nichole and Elena had finished their morning training, quietly waiting at the table for William's serving, even Lumbro, absent all morning, was present.
After placing the food on the table, William asked Jason, "Where did Mirel go?"
"He left. He came to notify us that the guild has assigned an exclusive task to our adventure group."
"Oh, an exclusive task?"
As William sat down, everyone began to eat.
Jason tapped on the table, saying, "Now that William is here, let me explain the situation with the guild's exclusive task, and let's see if we want to take it."
As everyone enjoyed the meal, they listened curiously to Jason's explanation, intrigued by the task directly assigned by the Mercenary Guild—a rare and likely complex mission.
It appeared the guild believed this task was beyond the capability of ordinary mercenaries, requiring a specific group for its urgent completion.
Jason organized his thoughts before speaking, "There's a village called Kora, a two-day carriage ride south of Canlight City."
"Recently, the villagers of Kora noticed something strange about the plants near their village; they're growing at an unusually fast pace, with some trees growing over a meter overnight."
"The villagers are panicked as their village is being quickly overrun by the forest. After reporting to their lord, who found no solution, they sought help from the kingdom."
"Since the cause of these anomalies hasn't been identified yet, the Mercenary Guild was tasked by the kingdom to conduct preliminary investigations."
"The guild has classified it as a dungeon exploration task and assigned it to our adventure group. If we accept, we need to register at the guild tomorrow and depart immediately due to the task's urgency."
"Also, according to preliminary explorations by the local lord, there might be traces of undead creatures, which we need to be cautious of."
"What do you think? Should we take on this task?"
After sharing the available information, Jason looked at his teammates gathered around the table.
Nichole was the first to enthusiastically respond, "Let's do it! I've only heard about undead creatures in stories and haven't had the chance to fight one yet!"
William nodded in agreement. In the relatively stable society of the Fis Kingdom, to prevent the transformation of the deceased into undead, all citizens are buried in the Lord of Dawn's cemeteries without any additional fees, a strict regulation applicable even to those living outside the city.
This policy explains the rarity of undead creatures within the kingdom's borders, as the Lord of Dawn's priests maintain and bless the cemeteries, wielding the Lord of Dawn's power, which has a strong effect against undead creatures—a task the Church of War and Wisdom could not accomplish.
Eager to undertake this responsibility, the Lord of Dawn's Church benefits significantly from spreading the faith of the Lord of Dawn in the Fis Kingdom, making it an important stronghold for the Church on the Fanor continent.
Thus, necromancers and similar professions steer clear of the Fis Kingdom, wary of the Lord of Dawn's muscled, hammer-wielding priests proclaiming, "Praise the glorious light of the Lord of Dawn!" before condemning them to hell.
William mused about his previous life's suspicions that the Lord of Dawn might be a muscular deity with a well-defined physique, though the gods worshipped in the various churches are represented by vague statues, obscuring their form and features.
Nevertheless, William felt it best to keep a distance from the Lord of Dawn's intimidating priests.
Elena then added, "If the plants are growing rapidly, it indicates an increase in life force, but it's strange that undead creatures would appear."
"Exactly," Jason nodded, "which is why the Mercenary Guild suspects the emergence of a new dungeon in Kora Village, prompting our assignment to explore."