The Adventurer's Mission Log

Chapter 5 Dragon's Den and Tiger's Lair

A wizard, clad in a star-studded robe and with graying hair, hurried out of the gate, surrounded by soldiers. His azure eyes gazed into the darkness of the outer city, his tone tinged with anger:

"Titus, take your men to Whitewater Street and investigate. Teach those unruly outsiders a lesson in manners."

The sergeant who was called responded with "Yes," and led a large number of fully armed legion soldiers to set off.

Tenor didn't know how this wizard classified the demon cult, but he figured the matter must have been resolved.

You can do whatever you want in the outer city, but there are legions stationed in the inner city.

In this situation, how dare he possess a soldier in an attempt to stop Tenor—does he completely look down on the professionals in the inner city? Does he not consider the mages here to be human?

If it were Tenor, she would be furious too.

The wizard turned to Tenor and comforted him:

"I'm sorry to have dragged you into this trouble. In Hermes' name, we will bring those thugs to justice."

Hermes's assurances sounded unconvincing, and Tenor knew that this deity was not only a god of magic but also the protector of thieves and speculators.

"I hope so..." Tenor thought he was about to be interrogated and was trying to come up with a way to exonerate himself.

But the wizard directly removed him from the incident by portraying him as a victim: "Those villains won't let this go. If you haven't lived enough, then get out of the city as soon as possible."

The wizard took out a silver badge from his pocket, which was engraved with six concentric rings.

He continued after careful consideration, not giving Ternor a chance to interrupt:

"...But you still need a safe place tonight, otherwise you'll be nothing but a corpse tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that the dark creature from earlier was after you."

Customs will not allow you to linger; I will send someone to take you to Lord Julian's tavern.

Judging from your appearance, you're from out of town. Have you heard of the reputation of "Amethyst Wine House"? It's the best tavern in the West.

"I can guarantee it's the safest place besides Laghetti Castle." A faint smile appeared on the wizard's stern face, seemingly as an expression of goodwill, but Tenor found it utterly baffling.

Unless the wizard recognizes him as a professional, there's no need for him to be so attentive.

Is his identity as a professional obvious? Well, some abnormal characteristics cannot be hidden, and perhaps the wizard noticed the abnormality in his body.

Since they had offered their goodwill, Tenor saw no reason to refuse; knowing a wizard was indeed beneficial.

Moreover, he needed a safe place to stay to escape the pursuit of the demon worshippers.

The Amethyst Wine House is run by local military aristocrats and is a frequent gathering place for soldiers or retired officers. It's the kind of place where a robber would be subdued on the spot by a dozen or so customers if he rushed in.

“Yes, sir, I often hear merchants in Lecaron say that the wines at the Lagateia Amethyst Wine House are among the best in the entire Empire, but the price…” Tenor feigned a hint of unease on his face, “If you could help, it would be my pleasure to stay there for the night.”

"Just call me Anthony." Anthony stroked his goatee, gestured for Tenor to enter, and led him to a carriage. He handed Tenor the silver badge. "Show this badge to the receptionist, and you will be received."

Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you; customs requires closer supervision.

"My student—" The wizard tapped the coachman waiting beside the horse with his staff. She was a young woman with chestnut hair. "Apprentice Dolly will take care of everything. Don't worry."

"If we have the chance, we'll meet again tomorrow." Anthony's words ended with a hint of deeper meaning before he hurriedly urged the carriage to set off, presumably eager to resolve the trouble caused by the demon worshippers.

Tenor guessed that Anthony had discovered his identity and was therefore planning to use him to complete a certain task, which was why he was being so kind.

This is normal; those who offer unsolicited favors are either up to no good or are thieves.

Anyway, he's an adventurer who makes a living by completing missions. As long as it's not a job that crosses his bottom line, he'll take it if the price is right.

The specific tasks will be discussed tomorrow; tonight, just relax at the Amethyst Wine House.

If it weren't for Anthony's care, he would probably be detained at customs tonight, getting into trouble because of his different bloodline, and wouldn't be able to get out of prison for three to five days—if he were really locked up, he would have to try to escape and leave the city.

The carriage slowly started moving. Tenor waved goodbye to Anthony. The old man talked too much and too fast, not giving him a chance to interrupt. Right now, Tenor had a bellyful of questions but nowhere to ask them.

The female apprentice driving the carriage was, to some extent, a mage, and should possess some knowledge, Tenor tentatively asked:

"Ms. Dolly, I've heard things haven't been peaceful in town lately."

While driving, the apprentice Dolly answered absentmindedly, "Yes, sir. The Emerald Order used to operate frequently in the Kingdom of Ronan, but recently they have been causing trouble in Laghettia."

It is said that they have summoned a divine messenger and are also raising many monsters.

Rumors of many merchant ships being attacked by monsters reached Laghettia on the waves of the River Flowing Gold.

The governor therefore closed the port and announced that no more sacrifices would be made until the monster in the river was dealt with.

"But I still feel that Lord Clothos is like a cat whose tail has been stepped on..." Dolly subtly indicated the folly and impulsiveness of the governor's policies.

She went on to say:

"If the Emerald Order possesses sufficient power, it is highly likely they will attempt to hold a grand ceremony to summon their god..."

...Of course, the Emerald Order members are always mentally unstable, and no one knows what they're planning to do; perhaps they're just trying to cause trouble.

"A divine messenger?" Tenor wondered. Was this cult an organization of demon worshippers?

Tenor's question seemed to confirm Dolly's suspicions, and she answered with a faint smile.

"A warp entity—sometimes they are called spirits, some call them 'gods,' and others say they are demons."

The powerful were revered as gods, and the weak were called messengers of the gods or elves—ah! Not the forest elves of Orodlin Highlands, of course, but spiritual spirits like the ancestral spirits of the dwarves.

"All gods and demons are like this; there is no difference in essence." Dolly turned slightly and noticed the surprise on Tenor's face.

"Madam, you are truly learned."

"...Do all mage apprentices know this knowledge?" Tenor secretly wondered if something was amiss. Was this kind of knowledge so commonplace?

If the divine messenger refers to a weak demon, then Tenor must have provoked the Emerald Order.

The good news is that their foundation in the Empire is unstable, and it is unlikely that Tenor will be continuously hunted down. With local forces entangled, the Emerald Order does not have many resources to invest in him.

The bad news is that the Emerald Order is a major cult in the Kingdom of Ronan, and it has persisted for hundreds of years.

Dolly smiled sweetly and said:

"I've read a lot of books on the subject of 'Ishir' at the academy, so I know more about it."

"The 'Ishir' domain?" Tenor asked calmly.

"It's hell, or you could call it heaven. Gods and demons both reside in the 'Ishir' realm. 'Warspace' is just another name for it; it's also called the 'Chaos Realm.'"

"Well, that doesn't sound pleasant. I'm more interested in... what kind of impact the Emerald Order will have on me? They seem to have their eyes on me."

"Is that so... I suggest you do not leave the city. Before the Emerald Order is expelled, you should stay in the inner city as much as possible to avoid being harmed."

The Emerald Order has always been persistent in pursuing its goals.

But Anthony advised Tenor to leave the city...

During the conversation, we arrived at the Zijing Wine House.

The street was brightly lit and bustling with people at night, so it was rare to see Tenor dressed in such shabby clothes.

Two openwork copper lamps hung on either side of the tavern's main entrance, and four soldiers stood guard.

A waitress in a dark wool robe stepped aside to let Dolly in. There was no scene of her being looked down upon. The staff dutifully led Tenor to the front desk.

Some officers and civil servants were drinking in the hall; the square decorative cloth on the chest of their cloaks was the most conspicuous feature of imperial officials.

Those without the rank-decorated cloths were simply ordinary wealthy people; they were in private rooms, and no one disturbed the officials' dinner.

You can also tell the difference in rank from the boots. In the empire, civil officials and high-ranking military officers wear standard blue or green shoes, while red boots and purple robes are reserved for the emperor—or those who are courting death.

After showing the silver badge, Tenor was led to a room at the end of the second-floor corridor. Dolly invited him for a drink, but he declined.

After getting Dolly away, he opened the mission panel.

[Mission: Move to the inner city and escape the pursuit of the demon worshippers]

Difficulty: Low

[Reward: Magic Amulet]

Status: Completed

The difficulty level is "low," but high-risk events still occur, suggesting that the difficulty is determined by Tenor's own abilities and external factors.

Before awakening, I wouldn't have been able to get past the ratman level.

For him after awakening, transforming would solve the rat swarm problem, and the demon-possessed soldiers would inevitably attract external interference, making the task indeed easy.

So, what does it mean that he now faces a "dangerous" challenge in leaving the city?

Tenor thought about it and felt a chill run down his spine.

In any case, things are stable for now; at least the Emerald Order won't be chasing us to our rooms.

Choosing to receive it, Tenor focused his mind, and an obsidian pendant engraved with strange symbols appeared out of thin air in his hand.

He seems to be able to specify the location where the reward will be generated within a certain range.

I couldn't see anything special about the pendant no matter how I looked at it; all I knew from the description was that it had some magical resistance.

After all, it's a reward from a low-difficulty task, so I don't expect it to be of much use; it's better than nothing.

All Tenor wants to do right now is get a good night's sleep.

This was the best room he had ever been in since he arrived, but he didn't sleep well.

After the hustle and bustle of the city subsided over time, what followed were heavy breathing and groans, interspersed with occasional cries of pain and sobs.

Around two or three in the morning, everything fell completely silent. Tenor tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Ever since he entered the house, he had been feeling somewhat restless.

He was still uneasy, so he got out of bed and awakened the other side of himself.

Its grotesque crown almost reached the ceiling, and the spikes on its back gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

A primal rage urged him to act quickly, to mercilessly slaughter the races captured by the Chaos Realm, and to completely purify what should not have appeared.

—It has a demonic scent, but it's not pure enough; it might be a gathering of demon worshippers.

Tenor transformed back into human form, cursing under his breath: Damn it! Anthony is definitely up to something!