Hiring?
Adam hadn't expected Leinas' sudden question. After a brief pause, he shook his head.
He carried too many secrets. Joining the Adventurer's Guild was merely for convenience.
"Sorry, no plans to recruit." Adam declined.
"I see." Leinas replied, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. She bit her lip. "About the reward…"
"Three thousand… no, two thousand gold coins." Adam said, his eyes lighting up, though he lowered the figure slightly.
He was strapped for cash. Besides gold, Leinas likely had little else to offer that would interest him.
And how much could a disowned noble, wandering aimlessly, possibly carry?
"Two thousand gold coins?" Leinas' voice rose, as if struck by the sum. She placed her right arm on her left shoulder and bowed deeply to Adam.
"The reward was decided long ago." She said.
With that, Leinas hefted her black lance and walked away.
"What does that mean?" Adam blinked, puzzled by her intent.
She just… left?
So… no two thousand gold coins, then?
…
Under Fire Month, August 31st.
By the time Adam returned to the Imperial Capital, the end of August had arrived.
He and Leinas had left the capital on August 24th, and seven days had passed.
This time, Adam returned alone. Leinas had vanished after her inexplicable departure.
Noble District, Residence.
First-floor hall.
"You're finally back, alchemist." Imina said, arms crossed, her tone icy.
"Sorry, it took longer than expected." Adam replied with a wry smile, petting the small wraith dog nuzzling his leg. "What happened while I was gone?"
"The Herb Guild sent someone to invite you the day after you left." Imina began, counting on her slender fingers. "Then the Adventurer's Guild. Some workers and adventurer teams came, wanting your regeneration potions for injuries. And, of course, some nobles."
"I turned them all down, per your instructions. Said you were researching new potions and that the troll's blood supply was too low to make more regeneration potions."
"Those aren't the real issue." Imina added, pulling a refined invitation from her pocket and flicking it toward Adam, her tone grave. "This is."
Adam caught the invitation, opened it, and activated "Decipher Magic" To read its contents.
"Osko?" The name sparked a vague familiarity, but he couldn't place it.
"The capital's biggest merchant, the arena's organizer." Imina prompted.
"The banquet was held two days ago at the empire's finest inn. Don't worry, you missed it."
"Congratulations, you've offended one of the capital's untouchables." Imina said, her face expressionless.
Adam chuckled inwardly, unperturbed.
A merchant with connections, nothing more. He had no intention of settling in the Baharuth Empire.
With his current strength, even without revealing his full arsenal, "Angel Summoning" alone would rank him as an Orichalcum-tier adventurer.
Just a step below the elite Adamantite tier.
In the entire Baharuth Empire, only two Adamantite teams existed, both relying on numbers and complementary roles.
Adamantite status wasn't just prestige, it was raw power, worth far more than any merchant.
That said, the Baharuth Empire outmatched the Re-Estize Kingdom in overall might but lagged in top-tier combatants.
"Anyone from the palace?" Adam asked, his real concern.
He'd secured the Cursed Knight class, but the Sage class remained elusive.
Unlike with Leinas, with Fluder, Adam could only wait passively.
He'd been in the empire a month already. He couldn't afford to waste more time on uncertainty.
"The palace?" Imina glanced at him, surprised, then shook her head. "No one."
Adam's face fell.
He'd caused a stir, even healing noble injuries. Emperor Jircniv, the Bloody Emperor, couldn't have missed it.
Yet, no response.
"Hey, you should be worrying about something else." Imina said, her amber eyes serious. "After word spread that troll blood was scarce and regeneration potions were halted, a noble brought a captured troll here."
"Hm?" Adam scanned the courtyard, seeing only the bound, weakened troll from before.
"Don't bother. They turned back halfway." Imina said, flicking her purple ponytail.
"Osko's doing?" Adam's eyes narrowed, brow furrowing.
"More precisely, Martial Lord Go Gin." Imina replied, her face showing respect and gravity.
Martial Lord Go Gin was arguably the Baharuth Empire's most famous figure. A demi-human who rose to prominence through unmatched strength, he was a symbol of the empire.
For Imina, a half-elf, his legend resonated deeply.
Martial Lord Go Gin?
Adam's expression grew serious. He hadn't expected Go Gin to care about a common troll.
Among the empire's notable figures, Go Gin was a standout.
He'd reached the Realm of Heroes, likely above level 30. As a demi-human, his racial traits gave him an edge over humans of the same level.
Even Guu, the Giant of the East, one of the Great Forest of Tob's three rulers, paled beside Go Gin.
In Ainz's words, it was the difference between a wild boar and a fattened pig!
"Rumor has it you stopped selling troll-blood potions because of Go Gin." Imina said, biting her lip in frustration. She knew the real reason, but the rumor held more weight to outsiders.
Emperor Jircniv, the Bloody Emperor, was Go Gin's biggest backer, a fact no one in the capital could ignore.
Once such rumors spread, true or not, even those eager to befriend Adam, the genius alchemist, would hesitate.
"Damn it!" Imina snapped. "The troll shortage lately is probably their doing too."
---
Hi guys, I want to let you know that I'm currently working on a new project. If you're curious to check it out, don't hesitate to give it a read!
[Tensura: The Multiverse Planeswalker]
Reincarnating into a fantasy world is truly extraordinary, especially one set in a universe of Heroes and Demon Lords; a perfect recipe for an exhilarating and incredible adventure.
That's what Damien is experiencing right now, reincarnating into the Tensuraverse.
But the first thing that crossed his mind after reincarnating wasn't whether he was part of the grand battle between Hero and Demon Lord, but whether he had reincarnated as one of the weakest creatures in the entire world… a Slime?
Fortunately, he didn't suffer such an unfortunate fate. But as the saying goes, if you're too lucky for no reason, misfortune will be the price you pay. Although he didn't reincarnate as a slime, he reincarnated as a Hybrid Majin-Human instead.
To make matters worse, he was reincarnated in a region that follows the anti-monster doctrine of a certain Demon Lord's church, a perfect setup for discrimination and ostracism against him.
But luckily, it seems the Voice of the World took pity on him for enduring such a fate and granted him [Planeswalker].
A Unique Skill that allows him to freely explore other worlds.
Incredible, right?
But that's not all. In addition to this skill, he was given a skill that makes him stronger with every powerful familiar he possesses.
No doubt about it, with these two skills, his future is bright…
Servants, Pokémon, Majin, Beasts, and all the powerful fictional characters he once admired… it seems that building his own kingdom composed entirely of his familiars is the surefire path to becoming the strongest!
[Tensura] [Pokémon] [Nasuverse] [Konosuba] [Highschool DxD] [Kumo desu ga Nani ka?] [Soul Land] [Dungeon Fighter Online] [No Game No Life] [Mondaiji-tachi]... and others.