68 Benefits

With Ei, Eula, and Ghislaine following close behind, Paul headed toward the center of Sharia, the location of the Adventurer's Guild, a number of Magical Tool shops, and several other high-profile businesses.

Though he was somewhat interested in checking out the clothing stores with the girls, Paul reasoned there would be plenty of time for dates later. For now, he needed to meet up with his 'informant' and have Ei, Eula, and Ghislaine registered with the Guild.

As could be expected from a Guild located in such a populous city, the Adventurer's Guild of Sharia was extremely busy and filled with people from various races. The building was five stories tall, the first floor serving as a tavern and general gathering hub, while the second and beyond were restricted to Adventurers of a certain Rank.

Seeing Paul enter alongside a bevy of beautiful women, a lot of gruff-looking Adventurers immediately shifted their attention over. Paul was half-tempted to teach everyone in the hall a lesson, but, as powerful as he had become, he doubted he could best nearly a hundred Adventurers in such confined quarters. Ei could presumably pull it off, but that would invariably result in the deaths of everyone present.

Fortunately, while Adventurers weren't exactly saints outside the Guild Halls, they knew better than to cause trouble inside. The Guild had a no-nonsense policy in regards to rule breakers. If someone was found to be in breach of the Guild's Code of Conduct, not only would they have their license stripped away, but everyone in their Party would have their Rank reduced or reset to F-Rank.

With promotion from F-Rank to A-Rank taking anywhere between 60 and 600 jobs, nobody wanted to have to claw their way up from the bottom a second time. Thus, at least while they were inside the Guild Hall, Paul and the others didn't have to worry about anyone going out of their way to try and harass them. Once their reputation grew beyond a certain point, most people 'should' just let them be...

Looking around the Guild Hall, specifically at the Receptionists standing behind the counters, Paul briefly considered asking for assistance when a deep and feminine voice sounded out from the second floor, saying, "Up here, darlings. We have a private room prepared for you in the back."

In response to the sultry voice, the first-floor tavern area became eerily silent as nearly everyone, not just Paul and Party, raised their heads to find a voluptuous woman with brown hair and emerald green eyes leaning over the second floor's hand railing with an innately seductive smile on her face.

Voicing the thought that had crossed Paul's mind, one of the Adventurers nearby muttered, "It's Mistress Lisa...who could she be talking to?" in an audibly enchanted, equally covetous tone.

Making it clear precisely who Lisa was addressing, Paul adopted a wry smile as he raised his hand and said, "We'll be right up."

Realizing that the person their Goddess had called out to was the man they had previously been eyeing with envy, the gazes directed at Paul became a lot more hate-filled than before.

With few exceptions, nearly every male Adventurer in Sharia had tried to seduce or ask Lisa out at some point. A few had even attempted more forceful methods, but, without exception, they had all been turned down or left in a near-death state after being electrocuted. Lisa was one of the most playfully seductive women they had ever met, but there wasn't even a rumor of her having a relationship outside of work.

Following Paul's group as they made their way up to the second floor, the tensions on the first increased to a near-palpable level. There was even a fair amount of bloodlust mixed in, prompting Ei to squint her eyes and ask, "Master...shall I cut these fools down...?"

Shaking his head, Paul answered, "It's one thing to cut people down bandits and Slavers outside of town. Killing the middle of the Guild will just have us labeled as criminals..."

"Mmm...I see..."

Since she couldn't kill them, Ei directed her electric purple eyes to one of the groups glaring at Paul. When she did, their complexions immediately paled, as, even compared to someone like Sword God Gal, Ei's bloodlust was on a level of its own.

Drawn to the sounds of people falling from their chairs, many within the Guild's tavern area looked over to find the group Ei had glared at on the ground and with their eyes rolled toward the backs of their heads. A few were even frothing at the mouth as a very prominent aroma of urine and feces filled the area...

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After guiding Paul and the rest to one of the conference rooms reserved for discussing private commissions, Lisa couldn't help issuing an amused giggle as she noted, "Master Paul has become even more charming since our last encounter...I get the feeling I won't be able to tease you without consequence any longer..."

Shaking his head, Paul adopted a wry smile as he countered, "I'm not that much of a pervert. I mean, I am, but I would never force someone against their will..."

Adopting a somewhat scary smile, Lisa left Paul feeling at a loss for words as she mused, "Have I ever implied that I was unwilling?" Then, as if to set the kindling within his heart aflame, she leaned forward in a way that emphasized her ample assets as she appended, "This room has amazing soundproofing..."

Voicing his thoughts aloud, Paul softly replied, "You're playing with fire..." before leaning forward to stare directly into Lisa's emerald green eyes as he added, "I would destroy you..." in a heated tone.

Enflaming Paul's passions even further, Lisa 'trembled' in response to his words, her arms wrapping around her body as a glaze developed across her eyes. Paul was pretty sure she was acting, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to pounce across the table and push the overtly seductive woman down...

Confirming Paul's suspicions, a teasing smile developed across Lisa's face as she remarked, "It seems you've to abandon your self-control entirely..."

Shaking his head, Paul left Lisa at a loss for words next as he refuted her claim, saying, "You're wrong. I just have my priorities in order. Once we're finished talking and getting everyone registered with the Guild, I wouldn't mind giving you a taste of what's to come..."

With a tiny bead of sweat forming on her left cheek, Lisa remarked, "Oh, my..." in an unpretentiously nervous tone. She had bathed with Paul a few times before Ningguang deployed her to the North. He had already been showing signs of his 'immense potential' by the time he was eight, so she had no doubt he had become even more...impressive as an adult.

Shifting her attention to the other girls in the room, Lisa was surprised to Ei and Eula visibly flushing. Before she could say anything or try to tease them, however, Paul interjected, asking, "Where's Fischl? When I received Rosaria's report, she told me the two of you had joined the Guild to gather information on the Triumvirate and the surrounding regions."

Sighing at the mention of Fischl's name, a sad smile developed across Lisa's face as she explained, "This world is too cruel for a girl like Fischl. Before becoming a Surveyor for the Guild, helping to determine the Rank of certain subjugation Quests, she was nearly taken advantage of several times. If not for Lynette and Rosaria shadowing her, I fear the worst might have havened..."

Squinting his eyes, Paul asked, "Are they still alive?" as his hands balled into fists.

Shaking her head, Lisa answered, "Though Fischl petitioned for some of them to be spared, there is no way Rosaria and Lynette would allow such people to continue living. Unfortunately, the people in this world are more superstitious than sensible. Even though she did no wrong, Fischl became a pariah within the Guild, wholly incapable of joining a legitimate Party..."

Exhaling a sigh of his own, Paul rubbed his face and temples as he asked, "Where is she now? Out on a mission for the Guild...?"

Nodding her head in affirmation, Lisa explained, "There is a community of Beast Race people located a few hundred kilometers East of the Dragon's Head Mountains. Since many of their women become pregnant during the Fall, Slave Merchants tend to try and take advantage of them during late Winter, the period where they are most vulnerable. Fischl is there to make sure there are no Adventurers taking part in the hunting..."

"Jesus H. Christ..."

Though he was well aware of the preponderance of slavery in the world of Mushoku Tensei, the notion of Slave Merchants deliberately gathering to take advantage of pregnant women made Paul want to punch a fucking wall.

Shaking the murderous thoughts from his mind, Paul asked, "Why aren't Rosaria and Lynette with her?"

Anticipating Paul's question, Lisa readily explained, "Rosaria just recently returned from an assassination mission in the Basherant Dukedom. As for Lynette, she helps maintain public order within Sharia by moonlighting as a vigilante. The people around here know her as the Hoodwink Killer since she uses illusions and trickery to make her targets experience despair and helplessness before killing them..."

"Mmm...sounds about right..."

Though Lynette was a very reticent girl, she was a famous Assassin even in her previous world. More notably, she and her then-brother had been agents of Varuna, the Hydro Archon and Goddess of Justice. As a result, anyone who touched her bottom line was bound to experience suffering comparable to what they had imposed on others.

"Any idea when Fischl will be returning? I want to be here to greet her when she gets back."

Adopting a sincere smile, Lisa remarked, "I'm sure she would like that. As for when she will be returning...I imagine around the beginning of Spring? It's difficult to say for certain."

Clicking his tongue, Paul sat a little straighter before crossing his arms and asking, "Have you put together a list of Quests we can do to fast-track our promotion? I want to reach at least A-Rank before setting out for the Strife Zone."

Nodding her head in affirmation, Lisa rose to her feet to retrieve a parcel containing dozens of job postings. It was generally frowned upon for the Guild to show favoritism to any particular Party of Adventurers, but Paul's group was a bit of an exception. Not because he was an exiled Noble, but because he was publically viewed as an apprentice to both the Water and Sword Gods. He was also the youngest Sword Saint in history, so it was only natural that the Guild attempted to curry favor with a future S-Rank.

"So long as you can complete higher-ranking Quests consecutively, you could reach A-Rank within six months. The only thing I foresee being an issue is the IOF. I know they're related, but I'm not sure how you receive credit through the IOF for completing Quests with the Guild."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul suggested, "We could try taking one of the job listings into the IOF. Either that or we could just complete one and see if that triggers something. Got any fetch Quests lined up...?"

Pulling out a few E-Rank Job listenings, Lisa explained, "As I'm sure you're aware, most E and F-Rank Jobs involve collecting herbs, hunting ordinary animals, or performing services around town. This year's Winter had been especially harsh on the more underprivileged residents, so there is no end to the demand for wild game and high-quality pelts. With a member of the Beast Race in your Party, you should have no trouble tracking down a few wild boars, bears, and wolves. Just be sure not to ruin the pelts by slicing them into ribbons."

Noticing the Job was listed as repeatable, Paul understood why Lisa had suggested it. If they prepared a wagon and decided to camp out for a few days, they could leap from F to D-Rank in a single go. The reason other Adventurers didn't do the same was because the reward couldn't cover the cost of renting, much less purchasing a wagon. Carrying a 300kg bear several kilometers wasn't something most people were willing or capable of doing, so, while the option existed for everyone, only the wealthy could afford to exploit repeatable hunting quests for rapid advancement...

"Pay to win for the win..."

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