The next morning.
Not long after Roland finished breakfast, news arrived from Isaiah saying that the client had arranged to meet at a cafe.
After dressing up a bit, she set out on the road toward the town. Upon arriving at the designated location, she realized she had been to this cafe before.
What kind of person was the eldest daughter of the Westwood family?
Before even meeting the client, this question surfaced in Roland’s mind.
Hopefully, she is someone easy to talk to.
Pushing the door open and stepping into the cafe, Roland looked around. A mysterious woman in a mask and sunglasses sitting in a corner waved at her.
Approaching the corner and looking at the figure wrapped up so tightly, Roland seriously doubted whether this person was actually the client. However, she still asked tentatively, “Miss Leonora?”
Unexpectedly, as soon as the person heard her name, she immediately stood up, covered Roland’s mouth, and let out a loud “Shhh!”
This paranoid, thief-like behavior made Roland even more suspicious.
“Don’t call me by my name! What if someone finds out?”
Roland nodded in agreement, and only then did the other party let go.
“Why are you afraid of being discovered?”
Leonora replied with a touch of narcissism, “Because I want to become a woman like the wind. The wind cannot be caught, so you must call me Miss Bird.”
“…Fine. So, can you tell me the details of the commission?”
“Let me confirm something first. You aren’t a spy sent by my old man, are you?”
“Le… Miss Bird, I don’t even know what your father is called. I only learned about this commission through Father Isaiah.”
“That’s good. Let’s sit down and talk.”
Leonora took off her mask and sunglasses, revealing a lively and pretty fair-skinned face. Next, she took off the hat on her head. Her long, wave-like blue hair broke free from its restraints and spread out, adorned with many sparkling decorations.
She showed a smile and stared at Roland with two gem-like eyes. “First meeting, Miss Roland. The priest has already told me the basic situation. The content of the commission is simple: you will become my partner for the time being and accompany me to explore the Anides Maze. As a reward, I will give you a Great Mage’s handbook.”
“Anides Maze?” Roland had no impression of this unfamiliar location, though she did know about mazes.
“Yes, it’s a new maze near Plains Town. It was only discovered a few years ago. After being surveyed by the Adventurers’ Guild, it was rated as Type II, so the danger coefficient isn’t high.”
Mazes were divided into five levels: I, II, III, IV, and V. The higher the level, the more dangerous it was, and the corresponding rewards would also be richer. Many adventurers who hated commissions would choose to explore mazes. Those with strength could make a name for themselves, and those with good luck might discover treasures and become rich overnight.
The most famous maze was none other than the Aditi Grand Labyrinth, which carried the title of the Great Abyss. Since its discovery two thousand years ago by a magic research team, it had never been conquered. Even among Level V mazes, there were very few with a danger coefficient exceeding it.
Opinions varied regarding the appearance of mazes, but the most credible theory was that the God of Travel and Wandering created the mazes and scattered them across the world, waiting for descendants who craved adventure to discover them.
“So, you want me to be a bodyguard?” Roland asked.
“Pretty much, but I’d prefer if you could be my partner. I’ve always yearned for the free life of adventurers—unrestrained and doing as they please. It can practically be called the best profession on the entire continent.”
If she hadn’t just dealt with a retired adventurer recently, Roland might have felt the same way. She and Vance were old acquaintances, after all.
“I really don’t want to discourage you, but I don’t think being an adventurer is a good profession. Freedom comes with a price. Becoming an adventurer means you have to deal with all kinds of dangerous creatures, sleeping in the wild is common, and you’ll occasionally face the problem of insufficient funds—you might not even be able to afford food. Moreover, you might die.”
Leonora fell silent for a while. She seemed discouraged by Roland’s words, but she did not back down. Instead, she retorted firmly, “I know, and I’ve made psychological preparations. But becoming an adventurer is my dream. It doesn’t matter how high the price is.”
“Since that’s the case, I won’t say more.” Roland changed the subject. “Let’s talk about the reward. Due to certain circumstances, I may need you to pay the reward in advance. Otherwise, I might have to reconsider whether to accept the commission.”
“An advance payment?! What if you run away with the item?”
Leonora’s mistrust was within Roland’s expectations. After all, they were strangers who had just met, not comrades-in-arms who could be entrusted with their lives. Furthermore, backstabbing was a frequent occurrence among adventurers, so it was normal to feel concerned.
Since they were making a deal, it was necessary to explain a few things.
“I understand what you mean, but I have a reason for why I must do this. Duke Edmond is preparing to take back my territory and title in a month. I must quickly improve my strength to prove my ability to him.”
Leonora’s expression was a bit conflicted. She truly hadn’t expected Roland to have such difficulties.
For a noble, the most shameful and painful thing was the loss of title and territory. As a reason for an advance payment, it was plausible.
However, she didn’t dare to trust the other party 100%. What if this was just a made-up reason?
The handbook was something Leonora had stolen from home. There was only one copy, and its importance went without saying. If she didn’t have so little money on her, she wouldn’t have wanted to use this book as a reward.
Suddenly, she seemed to think of something and clapped her hands as she made a proposal. “Then let’s sign a contract! For a period of one month, I will give the handbook to you before the contract is completed, and you will accompany me to conquer the Anides Maze during this time. Once the conquest is complete, the handbook will be yours.”
Roland also felt that this proposal was good, so she agreed. “How do we sign the contract?”
Leonora took a piece of parchment out of a pouch hanging at her waist and said, “This is a contract I bought from a traveling merchant. It was very expensive, but it’s perfect for now.”
“The traveling merchant you mentioned… wouldn’t happen to be named Jasper, would he?”
“Eh? How did you know? Do you know him?”
Roland couldn’t see anything valuable about this contract. Thinking back to how she had almost been treated like a mark to be fleeced, it wasn’t hard to imagine how Leonora had ended up buying it.
“You were probably fleeced by Jasper.”
“How… how are you so sure?”
“Because I’ve been fleeced by him before. He dared to sell me a magic tome worth ten crystal pounds at most for fifty crystal pounds.”
Upon hearing this, Leonora felt like her world was collapsing. Her vision went dark as she slumped onto the table, and tears of resentment slid from the corners of her eyes.
“Sob, sob… my money…”
Roland asked curiously, “Exactly how many crystal pounds did you spend?”
“Five hundred…”
“Five hundred?!”
Five hundred crystal pounds was almost enough to buy several magic tools. It seemed that fellow Jasper really didn’t see Leonora as a person, daring to sell a piece of paper for that much money.
Roland originally wanted to take her to seek justice, but then she remembered that Jasper had left Plains Town not long ago and probably had no idea where he had run off to, so she could only give up on the idea.
“Forget it, it’s just a bit of money. You can earn it back if you work hard.”
Leonora sobbed, “But… but I only brought over two thousand crystal pounds in total. Now there’s only a bit more than a thousand left…”
“Over a thousand crystal pounds? If you live frugally, that’s enough for you to live for more than a decade. Besides the contract, what else did you spend your money on?”
“Let me think… cosmetics, clothes, desserts, watching performances, staying in inns, and going to jewelry stores.”
Roland was speechless. “Are you here to be an adventurer or to go on a tour?”
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