The group toured around the city, asking passersby for directions whenever necessary (which was frequent). After a lot of walking, they finally found the city’s main plaza where the headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild was located.

The building was majestically constructed, with arches sustaining its four stories, stone gargoyles watching from above and many alcoves containing statues of heroic looking figures. Ben felt like the whole thing looked more like a church than an administrative building.

The inside of the guild was similar to that of its branches, the difference being that everything was high-class and in a bigger scale. The notice boards on the right and the office desks at the end of the room were both made of marble stone. The social area on the left side had large mahogany tables and comfy chairs. Despite all its grandeur, there was very little activity going on inside.

After Liza talked with the clerk, she was guided to a private room on the second floor. This room wasn’t much different in substance from the ones she used to sell information before too, but the opulence of the chamber made her feel out of place and dirty when compared to her surroundings. It wasn’t a nice feeling.

Sitting in front of them was a middle-aged woman that was going to be responsible for the deal. She served everyone a cup of tea and some biscuits before asking what they wanted to know. Boro, of course, was not included.

“Okay my dears, I’ve been told you’re here to buy information. What are you after?”

Liza opened her gambeson and grabbed a silver brooch from an inner pocket, putting it on the table. The brooch was exquisitely crafted in the form of a stylized tree.

“I was told that this is the symbol of an elven tribe or society. I need to know where they live or how I can find them.”

The broker held the brooch in her hand and rotated it a few times.

“Peculiar. I’ll have to look into it. Elves are secretive and it’s always a hassle to learn things about them. I’ll have you know that the fee starts at a hundred gold coins and has no upper limit. Your guild rank might have to be considered too. Are you ready to make the investment?”

Liza opened her leather pouch and stacked nineteen large gold coins on the table. These were known as royal gold coins and each was worth ten normal gold coins. To most people that was an astronomical amount of money.

“Decisive, I like that. Your request has been taken. Come back in five days and we shall talk again. Perhaps I’ll have good news for you then.”

They left the guild, but not before turning in all those goblin ears and the orc’s tusk. The amount they received as compensation was a pittance compared to the sum of money they’d left on the table in that room on the second floor.

The real reward was that Liza had finally completed enough tasks to earn herself the rank of Novice. A necklace representing the new rank would be ready for her in a few days, this time casted in iron.

“You’re now a Novice, huh? What are the benefits?” asked Ben.

“Access to harder but more profitable tasks and information. It’s the last level you can reach by work alone. Every rank after that you’ll need to have obtained some sort of strength development too.”

“And how one does that?”

“Mostly by buying an elixir from alchemists. They’re usually refined from monster parts that contain a lot of mana and other ingredients. A good elixir will increase your body’s capacity to absorb and store mana, which is a boost to your overall strength.”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean that every rich brat could be super strong?”

“In theory, yes. However, the elixirs are not that easy to handle. Consuming one brings large amounts of pain and there is always a risk your body won’t be able to handle it. If you were a rich noble with all the power in your hands already, would you take the risk and go through all that pain?”

“Probably not. That’s kind of disappointing still. They’ll always have the option to grow stronger with no effort involved. I was hoping one could only get stronger by defeating monsters.”

“That’s a sure way to get stronger. By fighting a lot you’ll gain experience and that’s invaluable. You could also hunt down the ingredients for the elixir by yourself and bring them to an alchemist, making it more affordable. Most important of all, someone who works hard will get more benefit from the elixir than those that only take it to brag about.”

“I know, combat experience. You just said that.”

“I’m not talking about experience in this case. Mana improves our bodies in the same way our bodies improve themselves, just to a much higher degree. That means that someone that sits around all day doing nothing will only benefit slightly from drinking an elixir. They’ll be healthier and have a mild gain in body strength, but that’s it. A swordsman on the other hand will have his power brought to another level. His attacks will have more force, his speed will increase, and his reflexes will be faster.”

“That’s good then! The thought of someone buying levels with gold was really pissing me off! Fuck those pay to win mechanics!”

“Huh… what?”

“Never mind that, I just didn’t like the idea of gold buying power.”

“Gold does buy power though.”

“… true.”

As they were walking around searching for a place to stay, they noticed a commotion brewing. The people that were scattered everywhere on the street moved to the sides, shoving each other in the process. Soon, a large avenue opened for some folks to pass. The whole thing felt like a parade.

Ben was careful to always speak with his own voice, both to practice and to not draw attention, but upon entering the city he decided to have the ring on full time. This way he could still talk normally while making sure he always grasped perfectly what other people were saying, like was the case now.

“Wow look at that! Aren’t they showing off?” whispered someone begrudgingly.

“Most of the guards seem to be from house Melis. Richard is trying really hard today. Look at all those packages! Are they all gifts?”

“Oh, how I wished someone cherished me so!” exclaimed a young lady.

“Look at Albek, so handsome! What do I care if he’s only the third in line for house Esin? I’d be happy just to be gazed upon by those sharp eyes!” said another woman.

The whispers were growing nearer. Liza, Ben and Eliot copied the others and moved to the side to make away. Whoever the big shots passing by were, they would be able to see them soon.

A squad of guards were escorting two men and a woman. One of the men was fawning over the lady, with many attendants at his side carrying gifts. The other youth kept more of a distance and his demeanour was calm and polite, which differed from his hawk like eyes.

The woman was on a class of her own. She had green eyes that made for a stark contrast with her long undulated red hair. Her white one-piece silk dress accentuated her thick curves and made a faint rustling sound whenever she walked with her swaying motion.

To Ben, she was possibly the most beautiful and sexy woman he’d ever seen. Bear in mind that he’d access to the amazing vault that was the internet in the past! He was caught so off-guard that his inner thoughts surfaced without resistance.

“She’s beautiful!” a loud ethereal voice exclaimed.

The entire crowd went silent and those near Ben moved away. They were also talking about them only a moment before, true, but they were whispering. Nobody had the courage to say what they were thinking aloud in the presence of nobility.

The trio stopped. Fang Chu was already used to the catcalling. It happened constantly ever since she arrived in the capital. She’d mostly ignored the mild ones, but she would beat up whoever was crass and crossed the line.

Yet, this time was different. The comment was simple and she could tell it was not charged with any jeering. It was almost like someone was surprised and ended up letting slip what was on his mind, making her feel at loss of how to respond.

“You dare talk about lady Fang Chu? Guards, capture and beat up this lowlife!”

Ben was still staring straight at Fang Chu, unaware of how bad the situation was turning. Eliot frowned and Boro let out low growls from inside his clothes. Liza looked up to the skies and felt like crying.

[Why does this keep happening to me!] she thought in exasperation.

“Let him be, Richard. Look at this poor fellow, he’s completely smitten. It was probably a slip of tongue. This alone speaks about lady Fang Chu’s grace. Since he wasn’t disrespectful, how about we let him go? What do you say my lady?” asked the sharp-eyed youth.

“Albek, are you saying we should let a commoner address lady Fang Chu however he pleases?”

“Stop, Richard. Thank you for looking after me, but that’s enough,” said Fang Chu turning around to look at Ben. She wanted to see how the fool who almost lost his life by complimenting her in front of a jealous noble brat looked like.

She almost laughed at Ben’s surprised face, with his mouth hanged open and glazed eyes. Fang Chu was always confident in her looks, but it was nice to see a reaction like this from time to time. Much better than drooling bastards with sleazy eyes like Richard Melis.

As she regarded his average looks, Fang Chu unconsciously probed for the amount of mana on Ben’s body. She was instantly dumbstruck. The amount of mana he’d was less than that of a new-born baby!

[How could this be possible? How is he still alive? This is unbelievable! He’s the one! If I can train a grown man who has only a shred of mana in his body into a proficient martial artist, no one will be able to say a thing! I’ll show those old fools! Let’s see who has no value apart from forming an alliance through matrimony!]