Entrustment

Ye Chuan responded casually to the man's greeting before turning his attention back to the quest board. If possible, he wanted to take on higher-difficulty missions—not only would the rewards be better, but it would also speed up his advancement as a registered adventurer. Tasks like cleaning or unclogging drains held no appeal for him.

The man didn’t seem surprised by Ye Chuan’s indifference. After all, in his experience, mages were generally hard to approach.

"I’d like to commission a Gold-rank or higher adventurer to escort our young lady to the territory of Count Kangong," the man said.

"Gold-rank or higher, is it?" Eisien replied. "Certainly. Our guild currently has sixteen registered Gold-rank adventurers, but they’re all out on assignments at the moment. If you post the quest, we should have a response within a week."

"A week?" The man frowned slightly before turning to the silver-haired young woman behind him. "My lady, if it takes a week, I’m afraid we won’t make it in time..."

"My apologies," Eisien said with a regretful expression, though her gaze subtly shifted toward Ye Chuan, who was still browsing the quest board. "Gold-rank adventurers are rare, after all. If the matter is urgent, perhaps..." She trailed off before adding, "If you’re interested, you could inquire with that gentleman over there—Sir Ye Chuan."

At her gesture, both the man and the silver-haired woman turned to look.

"Is he... a Gold-rank adventurer?" the man asked, recalling Ye Chuan’s earlier display of skill.

"Silver-rank," Eisien clarified.

Hearing this, the man’s expression dimmed slightly. Most Silver-rank adventurers were only at the second or third tier—not weak, but hardly sufficient for their needs.

"However," Eisien continued, "Sir Ye Chuan recently hunted a mutated Glowspider Queen."

"A mutated Glowspider Queen?" The man’s eyes widened in surprise. "Shouldn’t that require a Gold-rank party?"

"Indeed," Eisien nodded, her tone implying much about Ye Chuan’s strength. "He only registered as an adventurer last night and has only completed that one mission so far."

The man immediately grasped her meaning. After a brief hesitation, he turned to the young woman for her opinion.

"Torres, go ask him," the girl said from beneath her hood, her voice clear and melodious.

"My lady, his background is still unclear..."

"Go."

"As you wish."

Just then, Ye Chuan plucked a quest slip for hunting a slime swarm from the board—only for the man who had greeted him earlier to approach once more.

"Sir Mage," the man said, placing a fist over his chest in a gesture Ye Chuan didn’t recognize, "I am Torres, a paladin."

"What can I do for you?" Ye Chuan asked, wary.

Had he changed his mind?

Did he want his money back?

Torres didn’t seem bothered by Ye Chuan’s cold tone—typical for a mage, he supposed—and instead bowed slightly. "I’d like to formally invite you to accept my commission."

For a moment, Ye Chuan just stared before breaking into a grin. "Now we’re talking."

As long as it wasn’t about taking money back, he was all for it. Better yet, if it meant more money.

Torres blinked at the sudden shift in Ye Chuan’s demeanor. What just happened?

"Shall we discuss this seated?"

"Sure."

The adventurer’s guild doubled as a tavern, with plenty of tables for conversation. Once seated, Torres remained standing—a towering figure at nearly two meters tall, his short hair and sharp features giving off an air of reliability.

Instead, the silver-haired girl took the seat across from Ye Chuan, while Torres stood respectfully at her side.

Ye Chuan guessed she was young from the glimpse of her hands beneath her sleeves—pale, slender, and delicate. Even with her face hidden, he could imagine her beauty.

"Isabella," she said.

"Hm?"

"My name."

"Miss Yi, then."

"Miss... Yi?" She paused, then dismissed the odd address. Adventurers were eccentric by nature, after all.

"I’d like you to escort me to the territory of Count Kangong."

"An escort mission? No problem." Still, Ye Chuan asked, "How far is it?"

"About three days’ journey," Torres answered.

"Three days?"

That was manageable. As long as it wasn’t too long, he could handle it.

"Fine. What’s the pay?"

"One hundred gold coins."

"One hundred gold..." Ye Chuan wasn’t entirely sure of the conversion rate between gold and silver, so he asked outright, "How many silver coins equal one gold?"

Even Isabella seemed taken aback by the question.

"Under the current exchange rate in the Hill Empire, one gold coin is roughly a thousand silver," Torres explained.

"Ten thousand succubus visits?" Ye Chuan muttered, finally grasping the amount.

"Succubus?"

"When do we leave?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight? Alright." Ye Chuan stood. "I’ll meet you back here at the tavern by evening. See you then."

With that, he strode off without another word, as if he had urgent business elsewhere.

Once he was gone, Torres knelt on one knee and spoke in a hushed tone. "My lady, that mage... he’s suspicious."

"Not only did he just register last night, but he doesn’t even know the exchange rate between silver and gold."

"I suspect—"

Before he could finish, Isabella cut him off. "Torres, strange as he may be, what matters is his strength."

"He’s powerful."

"Gold-rank adventurers are generally at least fourth-tier," Torres argued.

Isabella gazed out the window, her eyes following Ye Chuan’s retreating figure. "No. He’s likely far beyond that."

"When the earth dragon went berserk earlier, I sensed his mana."

She lowered her lashes, her voice soft but certain. "His power... is like an abyss. Unfathomable."

Torres stiffened. Was she serious?

"How is that possible? He looks so young... Could he be a disguised archmage?"

"No. He truly is young."

"Then..."