As their journey was coming to an end, Everblood suddenly stopped. Following him, the two also stopped. Currently situated on a hill, it was possible to see structures in the distance.

“Is that Mercury City?” Having never seen it before, there was something off about the city. Jessica just couldn’t put her finger on what exactly it was.

The hill wasn’t exactly a straight path to the city. For that reason, there wasn’t anyone else currently residing on the hill. Under the hill and spread out around it were a number of people and parties moving to and fro.

“Yes.” Short and to the point, as he usually was.

To her side, she could see Saleh looking out of the corner of his eye. She could tell from his body language there was something going on. However, she had only just started traveling with them. In terms of knowing. She only barely understood Saleh.

“Oh, you’re finally here.” It was unknown when, but at some point a man’s voice was heard behind them.

Almost by instinct, Jessica whipped around to face this unknown person. Her hand was on her dagger. Ever since she met Leo, it was almost impossible for anyone to sneak up on her.

This wasn’t because Leo was omnipotent. Yet, there had never been anyone too powerful, trying to attack her. Unless they were around Everblood’s level, most people used techniques and mana to suppress their existence.

Because of this, they were rather slow in their approach. Meaning they were spotted before they put her in a situation, she had to be so reactionary.

Even with such quick movement, she didn’t see the person who had spoken. Instead of relief, a sense of dread started to overwhelm her. There was another person’s hand on her own. Sitting on top of the handle of her dagger.

Leo was situated next to her. She could see him motioning with his eyes. Turning to look, she saw Saleh looking with an unfamiliar expression. His face was not exactly cold, however, there was annoyance and a deep frown.

“Hehe, where did you find this one? I like her, she is feisty.” His voice was clearly teasing her. What surprised her was that the voice itself was rather young.

Beneath the unmoving mask, “Enough. Azeban I called you to take them inside. Explain the rules to our new guest. If I left it to Saleh, she might end up turning against the city in the future.” Pausing for a second, he continued, “I almost forgot to mention, she is the daughter of Everwood.”

The hand that was resting on her own suddenly stiffened. Very quickly it was taken back as she heard a sharp thump as the figure behind her jumped back. When she turned around, the first thing she noticed was a mask, before looking down and noticing the ground had a new hole that hadn’t been there before.

“Oh, haha, I was, uhm, just joking…” His voice that was eager and playful sounded a bit forced and extremely awkward.

Only, Jessica wasn’t focused on that. Everything that happened earlier suddenly clicked. The negative feelings she was feeling were wiped away. Everblood called this man Ezaban, she knew who he was. He was rather famous.

Giving the man a once over, unlike Everblood who was wearing the white cloak, this man had a normal set of black clothes on. They were clean, but not worn properly. There were creases clearly showing a level of carelessness that one wouldn’t expect from this type of person. Unfortunately his face was hidden, even though on a second thought, it made perfect sense.

One of the youngest elders in history of the Adventurer’s Guild, outside the original twelve. This wasn’t a reason to be famous. The world had many young geniuses. What made him famous was the way he became an elder.

This went back a few years. It also had to do with the Adventurer’s Guild. Not before, however, now the Adventurer’s Guild was a mysteriously large force. A behemoth that stood slumbering on the surface of the world. A being that was now so large, it was possible to see it wherever you stood on the continent.

While the Adventurer’s Guild Bank had a clause that said they would compensate anyone that had an item stolen from them. This was items handed over to them for save keeping. It wasn’t exactly anything new. While the policy originally was there to build trust. As Adventurer’s Guild gained power, this clause had long since been forgotten. Nobody was dumb enough to try and steal from them.

At least, nobody with sound reason would. Even still, someone really did. Not only did they steal, they did it without leaving a trace. Contrary to what everyone believed to happen. The Adventurer’s Guild wasn’t upset, the elder that came to investigate was actually impressed by the skill.

By this time that elder was old, she didn’t need to parade around or act mysterious. Everyone knew who she was by her voice alone. She was someone that had been a part of the three that ended that royal line. Someone nobody was willing to offend. She was not someone considered evil, nevertheless many people forget that the world was a cold place. The royal line had many young and old that were killed that day.

When she went about searching for the thief, it was clear she wanted to meet him more than catch him. She personally doubled the compensation from her own funds to not just double but four-fold the compensation. Only, the person that had been robbed was an aristocrat, a useless noble.

Having complained, he gave them an ultimatum. As the person in charge, having her decisions questioned, she publically stated that the noble’s account had been terminated. They had two weeks to claim their things, or she would personally give them to the first person that came to claim it.

Like a slap in the face, the world once again was given a topic of discussion. With little choice, having learned his lesson. Still, this noble left behind big words. Stating, he would get them thrown out of the south. However, he was laughed out the door.

With little choice, this noble needed to hire a large guard. The money, items, and compensation totaled to a large amount. Thus, everyone watched him leave. What nobody expected, before this person could take his things home or to another bank, he was robbed for a second time.

Making matters worse, the Elder finally caught the thief. Instead of taking back the things stolen, she didn’t even touch her own money she gave as compensation. What transpired was another slap to that man’s face. She offered him her mask, and Azeban took it becoming one of the youngest, and famous Elder in recent times.