As Mayor Ross sat across from us, it surprised me to see how young he looked. Despite being the Mayor Of Fayhelm for several decades, he still looked as if he was in his early 30s. It was difficult to ignore his manly beard and impressive armor, as his armor was predominantly made out of Quatinum. As Wilhelm left the room to get refreshments, the dignified man spoke with us.

"Before we begin our discussion about the Demon Cultists, I would like to personally thank you for saving my daughter. When Sophia returned to the Manor, she happily detailed your efforts to save her. I also confirmed the information with Wilhelm, so I appreciate your bravery to intervene. The Northeast road is not used by a majority of our adventurers, so it was truly a blessing that you arrived in time," Ross said.

"No problem! As a fellow Merchant hero, I'm sure you would do the same in that situation," I said.

"Ha! I'm surprised people still remember after all these years! It’s been a few decades since I retired from being a Merchant Hero. Being a hero was nice, but the coin was fantastic! It's a shame that it ended in the way that it did. But being the Mayor of this fantastic city has filled the void for me!" Ross said happily.

“Interesting. I have catalogued this information,” Ronan said.

"Who is this? A friend of yours?" Ross asked.

"This is Ronan. He’s an advanced Golem from my homeland. You can trust him,” I said

"I don’t doubt your judgement, Owen. It’s just that...he seems to be a little intimidating,” Mayor Ross joked.

“That’s exactly what I said! Great minds think alike!” Justine said proudly.

“Good to see you again, Goddess Justine. How is Goddess Themy these days?” Mayor Ross said.

“I see your memory is as accurate as ever, old man. Did Ledos tell you to build that statue of himself, or is that your doing?” Justine said.

“You guys know each other?” I asked.

"I'll let Justine explain that later. In the meantime, I’ll add Mr. Ronan to Fayhelm’s whitelist," Ross said.

"You're a lot nicer than I expected you to be. With a daughter like Sophia, I expected you to be an overprotective father," I said.

"That's because I am," Ross said.

"What?" I said.

Ross quickly cleared his throat before continuing. "On that note, Wilhelm told me you were a little...close to Sophia on the ride to Fayhelm. Would you mind elaborating?" Ross said sternly.

"Relax, Ross! Do you really think I would let him do something to Sophia?" Justine joked.

"Hm. I suppose you have a point, Justine. Consider yourself lucky, Merchant. I shall trust in Justine's judgement. If Sophia is the destination, then Wilhelm and I are the gatekeepers. You can imagine how many men have tried to pursue Sophia in the past...and how many of those men are now 'missing'. But I'll tell you what. Since Sophia put in a pleasant word for you, I'm willing to offer you a mission. The coin is good and the mission would suit you and Justine very well," Ross said.

"I'm interested if it means you'll tell me how to be a Merchant. What's your offer?" I said.

"If what Padlock told me is true, the perfect job for a Champion like yourself," Ross said grinning.

CautiousTitan

Next chapter, Owen gains a vacant store and officially begins his adventures as a Merchant Hero! Potentially more Merchant focused next chapter, as it focuses on the store.