As we walked out of the Exalted Maple Inn, Justine adjusted her blindfold while Ronan stretched his arms. Meanwhile, I took out the Enchanted Map that we received on our first day, confirming our destination. However, I had an issue to discuss.

"I get that the city is still growing but couldn't they build another bridge to Platinum Helm? If they built a bridge from Fay Harbour to Platinum Helm, it would reduce our walking time to 5 minutes!" I said annoyed.

Justine looked in the distance, comparing their current location to what she saw. "Yeah, you have a point. I think I can see it from here...," Justine said.

Ronan's OLED Helmet showed a neon blue thumbs down.

"Maybe we could fly there. If I'm a Sorcerer Of Light, can I fly?" I asked.

"You're joking, right? Not only do you not know how to fly, but Ronan doesn't even have the ability to! And even if I used my angelic wings to carry us there, people would instantly know that I'm from Quelyn. We might as well enjoy the walk there, Merwen" Justine said.

"Who's Merwen?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? It's you," Justine said.

"When did I become known as Merwen?" I said.

"Alnera told me that couples give each other nicknames! Merwen combines the words 'Owen' and 'Merchant' into one! Pretty clever, right?" Justine said proudly.

"Does that mean you've never dated anyone before?" I asked.

"Is that surprising to you?" Justine asked.

"I would've said yes if I didn't know how you were when I first met you. After all, a beautiful face means nothing without a beautiful heart," I said.

"Ugh. I think I threw up a little. I didn't take you to be a corny person," Justine taunted.

I punched Justine in the arm as she punched me back. Before we could start fighting, Ronan placed a hand on both of our shoulders.

"Don't raise a hand against your allies! Raise a hand against injustice!" Ronan said proudly.

As Justine turned towards me, she took off her blindfold and closed the distance. Her face was now inches away from my own as she stared into my eyes.

"Hm. Despite insulting and punching your own Goddess, Cindra's coveted blessing hasn't left your soul. How does she view an anti-hero like you as being worthy? Unless...," Justine said.

"What are you talking about? Who's Cindra?" I said.

"Oh! Did I talk out loud? Uh...don't worry about it! Let's focus on getting to the guild! Let's go, Ronan!" Justine said nervously.

As Justine let out a nervous chuckle, we began walking towards the Clan District. Justine tried to change the subject away from 'Cindra', but my interest was immense. One way or another, I would learn about this strange woman.

--------

Despite being in Fayhelm for several days, we haven't explored most of the city. Ever since we initially arrived, we've been sticking to the southern districts of Fayhelm. Places like Fay Harbour, Mayor's Manor, and the southern part of Main District were within our daily routine.

However, as we followed the Enchanted Map, we were making our way towards Platinum Helm.

It's the only Guild House in Fayhelm, but also one of the largest. Platinum Helm Guild stands tall thanks to the lobbying of previous Guilds, who wanted a central location for the various guilds in the city. Thanks to this, many quests are available at Platinum Helm.

Even if Asher didn't nudge me to go there, I'm sure other people would have done the same. Mayor Ross, Wilhelm, and Padlock are prime candidates for that fact. Since they already know that I'm the Champion Of Justice, they would find it strange if I didn't go. However, contrary to what you might expect, I wasn't completely opposed to going there. In a popular strategy game on earth, there was a quote that always stuck with me:

"There is no shame in deterrence [since] having a weapon [differs greatly] from actually using it".

By visiting Platinum Helm Guild, I could accomplish a variety of goals. For starters, the strongest deterrence in the rank-based system of Adrios was strength. By knowing the letter grade of your opponent, you could know whether you had a chance against them. The magic, magical aptitude, and individual stats also played a factor. Also, since Fayhelm was a trading hub, Platinum Helm's quests were most likely unique. Luckily, this meant that it was easier to find a quest that suited your group's magic/combat style. Asher wrote most of this information on the back of his letter, which was much appreciated.

However, there was also another reason that was more personal than the others.

Happy spouse, peaceful house.

Our deal, (60% Merchant/40% Hero), was still in effect. As you would expect from the Goddess Of Justice, she was excited to finally start doing quests. And since we spent the last three days cleaning the shop, she expected us to complete more than one quest. However, since I needed to learn the surrounding region, it killed two birds with one stone. Since I can't create organic matter, I still need to source organic ingredients for my shop. Also, if I were to get my hands on some treasure, that would make me a thrilledMerchant. As long as I'm able to run the shop, I don't mind being paid to adventure outside of Fayhelm's walls.

I was pondering over this information as we peacefully walked through the northern part of Fayhelm. From what I could tell, they split Fayhelm into noticeable zones. The northeast part of the main district, along with the Ironwill District, were most likely residential zones. The upper northwest part of the main district seemed to be entirely commercial. Finally, the southeast part of Fayhelm was predominantly a mix of government and office buildings. However, since these were educated guesses, I couldn't confirm it yet.

But as we finally made it to the bridge that would take us to our destination, we noticed something strange. A conflict of some sort was breaking out, as it looked like two men from different clans were arguing. An Elven woman, who seemed to be from yet another clan, was trying to mediate the peace. Her efforts were in vain, as the two men shouted aggressive phrases.

"A Silver Thorn Will Always Hate A Raven!" said the brawny man.

"And A Blood Raven Will Always Hate A Thorn!" said the man with an eyepatch.

The woman, who noticed her attempts at peace had failed, let out an enormous sigh.

"Silver Thorn! Blood Raven! If you're going to fight, can you at least do it in the fighting arena? Isn't that what it's for?" the attractive woman said.

As we walked towards the Elven woman, I could tell that she was...unique.

In more ways than one!

CautiousTitan

Here's Fayhelm's Zoning Guide If You Wanted To Know!