Elwyrn gave the party directions on how to return to the shore they first arrived at. They were now walking through inside the forest again.

"So, what did they do with the monster's body anyway? If other people see that it's dead, they might think it's safe again to loiter around this island."

Brittanya looked at Leonze, who was walking beside her.

"I heard they buried it somewhere near their village. They had the same thought as you."

Leonze smiled at Brittanya.

"Have you already called for that boatman?"

Jaegar was walking ahead of everybody. He called out toward Leonze without looking back at him.

"Not yet. We'll wait until it gets a little darker, then he'll be here in the middle of the night. We can get back to Siyetekos while everyone else is still asleep. Much fewer prying eyes that way."

Leonze answered him.

Meanwhile, Kryllo held his new bow in front of him and stared at it intently with a serious face.

"What's the matter, Kryllo?"

Syrenne was walking beside Kryllo so she noticed him.

"I'm just… happy…"

There was no smile in Kryllo's face.

"I see… T-That's good for you, then."

Syrenne forced a smile and laughed lightly.

The party then arrived at an area near the shore, but still inside the dense forest. They made camp to wait until it started to get dark. The location they chose had a clear view of the shore.

After the night sky started to appear, Leonze let out the small blue bird from its box. The bird flew immediately toward the direction of the city.

---

They waited for a while around the small campfire they made. Everyone sat on short pieces of logs which were temporary chairs.  Syrenne prepared a simple dish made of beans and some stock. While waiting, Leonze looked toward the shore from time to time. He noticed that it took a lot longer than when they first arrived at the island.

"Something's wrong… He's taking too long. He should have been here a long time ago."

Leonze gritted his teeth as he stared at the shore.

"Maybe he got lost?"

Brittanya also looked at the shore as she chewed food in her mouth.

"Or he… got sunk…?"

Kryllo offered his opinion as he continued to eat.

"A-are there monsters in the sea, as well? What if he was attacked?"

Syrenne gripped her wooden spoon as she looked at both Brittanya and Kryllo.

"Do you guys want to get back or not?! Stop all that negative thinking!"

Leonze stomped his foot as he glared at everyone.

"But you're right. That boatman is taking too long. Maybe we should start to think of another way—"

Just as Jaegar was talking, all of them heard a loud splash by the shore. Then, the sound of wood scraping against the sand echoed. They all looked at what made the noise. The boatman with the white bandana was dragging his boat ashore.

Everyone looked at each other, and then hurriedly packed their things, put out the fire and scattered the wood they made for their camp. They then quickly walked toward the boatman.

"What took you so long?!"

Leonze shouted as he pointed at the boatman.

"Y-you guys are really still alive…"

The boatman couldn't hide his surprise as he stared at the party eyes widened and slack-jawed.

"Of course, we are! We even sent out the little birdie like you said!"

Brittanya frowned as she glared at the boatman.

"I honestly thought that the bird just got out of the box by accident… I didn’t think it would even be alive since I believed you were all already dead…"

The boatman scratched his temple.

"Why would you think that?!"

Brittanya stepped closer toward the boatman.

"Eh… almost all of the people I help get here don't come back alive… Only a handful, and ones that looked well-prepared for battle. When I first saw your party, I didn't think there was anyone particularly strong among you… I just wanted a quick buck, okay?"

The boatman had to step back away from the encroaching Brittanya.

"So why did you decide to go out here, then?"

Jaegar had his hands on his waist as he stared at the flustered boatman.

"I really wasn't planning to… But I remembered that a few days ago, someone was asking around the docks about a party that resembled yours… I just thought maybe you guys were somehow important and I could charge you more—"

Leonze then took out a short knife and held its blade between his fingers, as if checking the sharpness.

"You made us wait longer than it should have been, and now you want to charge us some more…? I don't see anything stopping us from taking your boat and leaving you here. All alone."

Leonze smirked as he watched the boatman's face grimace and sweat profusely.

"I-I was just talking about possibilities! I didn't actually mean to do that!"

The boatman raised his hands and closed his eyes.

"I knew you were a reasonable man! I was right to get you as our way of transport. Let's get going, shall we?"

Leonze smiled and hid the knife in its sheath on his waist. He also tapped the shoulder of the boatman as he walked toward the boat.

"That scammer is really dangerous to deal with."

Jaegar shook his head as he let out a sigh.

---

Hidden in the forest was the cloaked person that saw the minotaur's dead body. That person was watching the party get on the boat until they sailed away back to Siyetekos.

"Hmm. Were they really the one to kill that monster? Or are they still alive because the monster was already dead?"

The cloaked person pondered for a while before moving away from their spot.

---

The party arrived in Siyetekos past midnight. They decided to go to the Merchant Union later in the morning. After they paid the boatman, they went to an inn and rented rooms. Jaegar and Kryllo were together in one room while Syrenne and Brittanya were together in a separate room. Leonze didn’t rent a room and said that he would just meet up with them at the Merchant Union later.

They all rested and slept in their beds until the sun was up and people on the streets started making all sorts of noise. There were people barking aloud to check their products, while others dragged their carts around.

Once the four of them got up and finished eating their breakfast, they went outside of the inn. The party then went straight to the Merchant Union Headquarters. Leonze was already waiting by the entrance. He stood there while leaning against the wall near the door.

Everyone went inside. Syrenne then stood in front of the receptionist desk while Leonze stood beside her. She informed the receptionist that she had something that could be considered a rare item, and that she hoped to be accepted in the Merchant Union by bringing them this item.

Syrenne's hands were trembling all the while. She was already holding a small piece of Diamede in her hands. She then glanced toward Leonze. He smiled and nodded.

The party was then invited to a separate room inside the headquarters. Inside the room, there was a table and two chairs on each side. An elderly male with a moustache, who wore a slick suit and had his hair combed back, already sat on one chair.

Syrenne sat down on the other vacant chair, facing the elderly man. She swallowed hard while staring at the imposing person before her. Everyone else just stood behind her and watched silently.

"So… I heard you have something for us that you claim is a rare item? I hope you realize that if we do not share the same… evaluation, then you will never be accepted into the Merchant Union. Ever. Because we cannot allow our members to have poor judgement on various matters."

The man leaned closer toward Syrenne. He then quickly glanced toward Leonze's direction, but then immediately went to stare at Syrenne again.

The elderly man's gaze at Syrenne made her freeze for a moment. She then gripped tightly the mineral in her hands. The thought of her parents getting a better life if she got accepted into the Merchant Union rushed into her mind. The risk of this moment being her last chance to give her parents an improved chance as merchants was too heavy for her. If she failed, then that was it. She would never have another chance. For her family, and more importantly, for herself.

Syrenne slowly turned around to look at everyone. They all smiled at her. She felt relieved. She was grateful for even getting the chance. It was all thanks to them. It was now her turn to do her part.

She then placed the Diamede on top of the table. It sparkled as light from the window hit it. The elderly man was momentarily blinded so he covered his eyes. When he was able to gather himself, he stared at the mineral. The longer he looked, the wider his eyes opened.

"T-this… this is… Diamede! H-how did you get this?!"

The elderly man got up from his seat and slammed the table with both hands.