Linden City, Adventurers' Guild.

As a non-governmental organization spanning multiple nations, its operations required immense credibility backing and terrifying financial resources.

The facade of this building naturally needed no introduction - its design, materials, and construction were all meticulously crafted.

Especially for an Adventurers' Guild in a major city.

The blazing sun hung high, yet the seasonal cold winds offered no warmth.

The massive structure of pristine white with natural marble veins towered in Linden City's inner ring, occupying considerable space. Even in land-scarce Linden City, it boasted a garden plaza with a fountain featuring heroic stone statues of legendary adventurers. These valiant male and female sculptures seemed to narrate tales of slaying evil dragons and vanquishing sea monsters, stirring hearts with yearning.

Despite the occasional low-quality adventurers coming and going, staff kept constant watch to maintain cleanliness. The stone-bricked plaza remained immaculate - a world apart from the cramped tenements of Linden City's outer ring.

The most chaotic place in any city was inevitably this spot. Adventurers, information brokers, illegal organizations, even officials all congregated here.

The guild couldn't control activities outside its walls. In a sense, the Adventurers' Guild, as a platform for purely legitimate transactions, ranked among the most aboveboard establishments in the Western Continent.

Li Site's trio moved with extreme discretion, all wearing hats to avoid recognition. Many adventurers doubled as bounty hunters. While their dealings with sheriffs continued, others wouldn't know - recognizing a familiar face might prompt checking bounty posters before drawing blades.

During their journey, Archer had pieced things together, hailing the tiger man as eternally divine - this time Black Sails might truly rise.

Fen came to the guild intending to post a quest, commissioning someone to gather his required spellcasting materials and necromancy research tools. He had other serious matters to attend to and couldn't waste time on errands.

Simply depositing money at the Adventurers' Guild would have idle adventurers pouncing like rabid dogs for such purchasing tasks - no danger, just earning small margins while the guild took minor cuts. Everyone benefited.

All three looked down on these adventurers. Not just them - adventuring was universally considered an unpromising career. As Ren put it, most were charlatans fooling their buddies - essentially incompetent dreamers who might die chasing fantasies any day.

To Li Site, only suckers took those monster-slaying merchant escort missions. If risking lives, make it worthwhile - what could those meager payments cover?

But everyone has their path. If people wanted to earn honorably, that was their business.

Li Site sometimes mused that had he come to this world under normal circumstances rather than being forced to extremes, he might have become an adventurer too.

Novice, Silver, Gold, Honor, Hero, Hall of Fame - the guild classified members into six ranks handling corresponding missions.

But eighty percent forever lingered between Novice and Silver, utterly hopeless.

Only the rare high-ranking adventurers received guild cultivation priorities - all lucrative jobs. Without assignments, they'd still obediently serve nobles as retainers, though requiring at least Gold rank as entry ticket.

"Wasn't Ren in some adventuring group before?"

The trio arrived as Archer started gossiping.

"Yeah, despite that idiot's appearance, his group was quite renowned," Li Site recalled that wheelbarrow night, wondering how Ren reached this point - truly tragic.

"If I remember right, it was called the Starving Wolves, all werewolves - an Honor-ranked group," Fen added. At Honor rank, one became formal guild members, even participating in internal affairs, surpassing ninety-five percent of ragtag teams.

"Honor rank? How didn't I know? That's insane!" Archer's worldview shattered - that joke-spouting Ren was in an Honor-ranked group? An Honor-ranked adventurer?

"Tch, their leader was the real deal. Had Ren been that capable, why pirate?" Li Site mocked - Ren struggled against naval lieutenants while Ox killed with one strike.

"So was Ren kicked out or what?" Archer couldn't comprehend - Honor rank meant success. Why pirate? Sure, more money, but what kind of whorish life was that? Spending only in distant Heaven's Port - fucking miserable.

"Let me clarify - Ren never said this himself. Don't go confirming with him. I inquired separately." Li Site lit a cigarette, blowing smoke. The Western Continent's idlest bastards were adventurers - no proper jobs, just gossip mongers spreading which Hero-rank slept with which woman. How pathetically idle.

"Just spit it out!" Archer gulped liquor - why the suspense?

"You'll blab everywhere. Ten silver coins." Li Site extorted.

"Fucking robbery!" Archer shut up.

But after few steps, Archer couldn't resist, producing ten silvers.

Fen pushed Archer's hand back. Ren carried burdens - not just bounty hunters but other matters too. Moreover, Li Site was somewhat unfair - as the perpetually drunken immortal, Archer was last to know. Sven had investigated everyone's backgrounds before boarding - all knew earlier than him.

"The Starving Wolves' final mission was escorting goods for an Arlan Empire noble with fiefdom. The leader and others all died, leaving only two deputies. One pirates - you know who. The other now serves Blackflame Asura, a VIP in Arlan's Royal Guards. Those goods were birthday gifts for an Arlan minister worth no less than eight thousand gold dragons. Current story claims Ren stole everything and fled overseas. Any inland Adventurers' Guild veteran knows this. What truly happened remains unknown - those goods likely weren't just money but held critical importance." Fen explained.

"Eight... thousand gold dragons?" Archer's jaw nearly dropped - a fucking fortune. Raiding Linden City's Admiralty Castle might not yield that much.

"When I met him, forget eight thousand - he couldn't afford inns. Ultimate scapegoat. Don't ask him directly - he probably doesn't know himself. Even if he has clues, he won't tell you." Li Site added.

"I'll handle guild business. You do yours." Fen plunged into the crowded guild without looking back.

Li Site sought information brokers for Thieves' Guild intel and recruiting reliable Black Sails members.

A freckled newspaper boy around ten sold papers.

"Give me one." Li Site paid a copper coin.

"Any big news?" Archer drank on a bench.

"Fucking huge problem!" Li Site's expression froze completely reading the front page.