The standard offers

The mayor pointed to the chairs. "Gentlemen."

Liam huffed and rushed to the chair first. Glitch and the others followed with no delay.

The mayor placed down his spoon and took out a golden bottle from a storage pouch. Glitch noticed that all the nobles were staring at the bottle with wide eyes.

Not caring about others, the mayor poured a rare white wine into an ornate silver glass, the rich fruity aroma filling the entire hall.

Glitch shook his head and stared at the glass with wide eyes. He noticed even the most powerful nobles eyed it with greed.

He could see even General Marvic was staring at the glass like others. It was clear it was not some basic, expensive wine. It was something that even the Rown royalty would rarely have.

If there was something these noblemen were great at, it was wasting money on useless things, and wine was a top-tier product for them.

He glanced around and saw that both Liam and Rizzler had the same reaction, while Raul remained stoic, showing no reaction on his face.

The way Raul was trying hard not to offend anyone, it was clear either this guy was acting or it was his first time in the game.

Glitch focused back on the mayor, who was sipping the wine with no care. This move certainly made a statement about who had more money in this entire city.

Soon, the noblemen recovered from the shock, and a few of them took out bottles of famous wine, which they shared with everyone.

This looked like harmonious children playing, where everyone was trying to show off their lunch boxes.

The mayor rose slowly, swirling the glass in his hand as if savoring the power it symbolized. His gaze swept over the rulers. He said it with a smile on his face, but the words were cold. "Gentlemen, as the mayor of this city, it is my duty to protect my city and kingdom from outside threats. I hope you understand my position."

Glitch saw all the noblemen on this side of the table turn in their chairs, including the adventurer guild branch master. Two staff members rushed in with another chair, which they placed just two meters ahead of him.

The mayor sat cross-legged in the chair and continued, "We, the people of the Rown Kingdom, welcome all the rulers to our kingdom. We would also love to help you on your journey. What are your thoughts on that?"

Glitch stared at the uninterested mayor, who was swirling the wine in his hand. This must have been some mandatory offer the mayor needed to give. He didn't think much of it and shook his head, and the other three did the same.

There was no surprise on the faces of the mayor or the noblemen. Well, they must have known that most of the rulers on their planet were part of organizations that wouldn't join a kingdom like this.

Not caring much about his earlier offer, the mayor looked at each of the rulers. "In that case, you must know how hard-working the common men of our kingdom are. If you want to stay in the kingdom, you must contribute to its growth like the rest of us."

It wasn't hard to understand that the mayor wanted the rulers to do some free work for the kingdom in the name of contribution.

It was kind of like paying taxes to the place where you stay. Well, Glitch could avoid this by continuing to move from one kingdom to another. But at some point, he'd have to settle somewhere, and this free labor would start.

Even though this was a standard question, the situation made it special. Now, if the rulers accepted the condition, it meant they would stay here for a long time. While those who refused would have to leave the city and the nearby area.

Without the city, a ruler couldn't earn much, so leaving meant either joining another city in the kingdom or leaving the kingdom altogether.

Glitch knew that for rulers, their base of operations was secret, and answering in the presence of other rulers was akin to leaking that information to each other.

The four rulers remained silent for a while, which the noblemen seemed to enjoy.

The first to break the silence was Liam, who asked from the side, "What do I need to pay to stay here?"

At this, Glitch wasted no time and said, "Or is there any task I can do to pay the tax? I'm willing to do any task as long as it's within my capacity to complete."

He glanced in Liam's direction and saw him also staring at him. Neither of them said anything, but their intentions were clear: they would either cooperate or clash. There was no middle ground.

Rizzler smirked. "I don't have time for this child's play. Bigger plans await me elsewhere. I'll be out of your way in a day or two." He glanced at the other rulers as if daring them to take action against him in these two days.

Glitch looked down and controlled himself, not showing any expression. At least he was sure Rizzler was also heading toward the central area.

Normally, a ruler in a remote area was lucky since they could develop with little interference from others. The only exception was that this time, most of the rulers in these areas seemed to be moving from the start.

He looked up and saw a few noblemen at the other end of the table frowning, while those at the front seemed to understand Rizzler's answer. It seemed these guys also knew something about why rulers were being summoned to the central area. Well, that was good news to him.

He now understood why Rizzler was so carefree at the start. After all, if this guy wanted to leave, why should he entertain the town mayor?

The mayor said to Rizzler, "In that case, I hope you enjoy Ckiukuji town's hospitality."

Rizzler said nothing, and now everyone looked at Raul.

Raul spoke in a panic, "I will leave! I will also leave the town."

The mayor nodded his head. "Well, good luck to you." He turned to the nearby staff and said, "Take Sir Rizzler and Raul to the dining hall. Make sure they have their fill before dropping them back at the office."

The staff members nodded and moved toward the two rulers.

Rizzler started laughing. "Well, too bad. I wanted to know more about the other two friends. Whatever." He walked out of the hall, whistling.

Raul, on the other hand, stared at the mayor for a few seconds before following him out.

As Rizzler and Raul left, Glitch couldn't help but notice the slight smirk on Raul's face, as if the man had gained something from the meeting.

He stopped caring about them and turned to Liam, who was staring at General Marvic. The proper game, it seemed, was just beginning.

Once both of them had left, Glitch sensed that the atmosphere inside the hall had become more friendly.

The mayor stood up, his voice smooth but sharp. "Sir Liam, Sir Glitch, join us. I think it's time we discuss how rulers like yourselves might contribute to our kingdom. After all, Ckiuji town is no place for freeloaders."

Glitch raised his eyebrows. This guy had just sent the other two to who knows which dining hall.

He glanced at Liam, who had come in with so many dark lines on his face like he would start fighting in the hall. But now he was matching the mayor's smile.

Well, at least Glitch couldn't say anything when he was doing the same.

He walked over to the two empty chairs that the staff had placed next to the mayor's seat.

Before him, Liam rushed to sit next to General Marvic. Glitch was a little confused, but then saw the general nod to Liam as a greeting.

He sat on the right side and looked in the adventurer guild master's direction, but the pig had once again started stuffing food into his mouth and didn't even look at him.

He had the urge to take out his adventurer card and smack it on the guy's head, but then he remembered he was only an F-rank adventurer. If anything, it would only make the other party laugh at him.

Well, whatever. He didn't care about any manners and pulled out a large slab from the roasted Brownberry bears. As soon as he ate his first bite, his eyes went wide. The meat was so soft it melted in his mouth.

The meat was a little sweet, like some berries. Glitch had never had much of a chance to eat good food in real life, but this surpassed even the best thing he had ever eaten, even in the game world.

Now he understood why the branch manager was eating like a pig. Still, Glitch stopped after a few bites. No matter how good the food was, the matter they were going to discuss was more important to him.

After that first question, he was at least sure this kingdom didn't follow a rigid system of supporting rulers from only one organization.

Maybe they used to follow that, but not this time. Whatever. He looked in Liam's direction and saw that he wasn't interested in the food but more in talking with General Marvic.

Glitch clicked his tongue in annoyance as he realized this guy probably had mana as his source of power.

'Fck, I can't even eat without new shocks.' He stopped eating altogether and looked toward the mayor, waiting for him to start.