Chapter Six: Finding a Guide

"Eight hundred gold coins!" EeDeChi stared at the spatial ring in her right hand, as if she could hear the coins inside rolling like a small mountain. Despite considering herself composed, she couldn't help but feel a hint of joy.

After dealing with the bandit group and with the endorsement of Captain Aaron of the Cavalry, along with the on-site investigation by Montell City officials in the forest, confirming that EeDeChi single-handedly took down the "Black Scorpion" bandit group, the lord of Montell City generously paid the reward for the "Black Scorpion" to EeDeChi, totaling eight hundred gold coins.

At the same time, in gratitude for eliminating a threat to the empire, the lord also took off the spatial ring on his finger and gave it to EeDeChi.

The "Black Scorpion" bandit group had killed nearly twenty knights under the lord's command, and now the lord could finally sleep peacefully at night.

Amidst the envy and admiration of others, EeDeChi walked out of the Adventurer's Guild hall in Montell City. The metal badge symbolizing her adventurer prowess on her chest had changed from bright silver to a dazzling golden color. "Mithril" had become "Orichalcum."

Although wiping out the "Black Scorpion" bandits was not a mission issued by the Adventurer's Guild, based on EeDeChi's performance in this battle, the guild upgraded her rank from "Mithril" to "Orichalcum."

"Orichalcum" was second only to the highest rank of "Adamantite," and even in the entire Baharuth Empire, adventurers with a "Orichalcum" badge were rare.

Seeing his lifesaver walk out of the red pine door of the Adventurer's Guild, Aaron hurriedly greeted her. He now felt genuine gratitude and admiration for EeDeChi.

Seeing the "Orichalcum" badge on EeDeChi's chest, Aaron couldn't help but exclaim, "You're actually Orichalcum rank! It's the first time I've seen a Orichalcum-ranked adventurer... But in my opinion, only a 'Adamantite' rank is worthy of your strength! You will definitely become a 'Adamantite' rank adventurer in the future, a living legend!"

"Is that so?" EeDeChi replied casually.

She had no interest in what achievements she could make in this world; she only cared about whether she could deal with Ainz Ooal Gown, a person whose name she only knew for now.

"Have you heard of the Sorcerer Kingdom? There are rumors that the emperor of the Baharuth Empire has signed an agreement to voluntarily become a vassal of the Sorcerer Kingdom," EeDeChi abruptly interrupted Aaron's continuous praise, wanting to inquire about some information regarding Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Well..." Aaron felt a bit awkward. After all, he was a knight of the Baharuth Empire, and EeDeChi's direct inquiry was somewhat offensive, but he didn't mind too much.

In his many years of dealing with adventurers, those with extraordinary strength, like powerful mages, often had unique personalities and behaviors.

Aaron racked his brain for information and scratched his head, saying, "We're not very clear about this. You know, in border towns like ours, which are not military strongholds, transportation is poor, and information is scarce.

"To be honest, our salaries take four or five months to reach us from the capital, so we are always worried about our wages being deducted by those noble checkpoints.

"As for the Sorcerer Kingdom, I've heard some rumors, just like you. But I hope it's not true, otherwise, in the future, our knight oath will have to be changed to swear allegiance to that Sorcerer King, hahaha."

Aaron chuckled and added, "There used to be a veteran who quit the Imperial Knight Order, left us for the City Alliance, and I chatted with him a few times.

"That guy said that the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown, an undead magic caster, used some kind of big magic to summon several mountain-sized black monsters and wiped out over a hundred thousand soldiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

"And then the emperor and the nobles were terrified and quickly announced their submission to the Sorcerer Kingdom.

"Haha, that old soldier said it so confidently, as if it were true. But I've fought battles before; even if a mage is strong, they can only hold off a three or four thousand-strong army. A mage wiping out over a hundred thousand people?"

Aaron shook his head and continued, "It's ridiculous! If he really wiped out over a hundred thousand soldiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom, our empire's cavalry would have already swept through the kingdom's capital and captured the Golden Princess, hahaha.

"That old soldier's mind is not quite right, like he's been through a big shock, so no one pays attention to him. He abandoned his position as a High-tier knight and ran to the other side of the national border to the City Alliance as if fleeing. It's a waste of the empire's gold coins to train him every year."

"I see." EeDeChi thought to herself. Currently, she only knew the name Ainz Ooal Gown, the "Great Tomb of Nazarick," and that he had created a so-called Sorcerer Kingdom. Due to the rushed crossing, she knew nothing else.

"Oh, if you want to inquire about more reliable information, you can go to Golden Sheaf City on the other side of Mistwood—Zhefnav Pradkeer.

"Golden Sheaf City was originally built by elves, with a long and difficult name, so everyone calls it Golden Sheaf City now. For elite adventurers like you, Golden Sheaf or even the capital would be more suitable for you," Aaron sincerely suggested.

EeDeChi nodded slightly in agreement.

Golden Sheaf City was indeed a well-known large town in the Baharuth Empire, and it was only separated from the border town of Montell, where she currently was, by a sparsely populated forest—Mistwood.

However, Mistwood was truly misty, with dense tree canopies blocking the sun, and it was shrouded in white fog all year round. The magical fluctuations in the space were unusually chaotic, and there were countless ferocious monsters lurking within it.

Some monsters had even mutated, becoming more dangerous and aggressive. Almost no ordinary person was willing to enter it, and it was still a chaotic and lawless primeval forest.

Therefore, the earthen road built between Montell and Golden Sheaf had to bypass Mistwood.

So, from Montell City to Golden Sheaf City, even if riding the fastest highland carriage day and night without stopping, it would take twenty days to arrive. But compared to risking one's life crossing Mistwood and losing it, spending several tens of days was obviously more worthwhile.

But EeDeChi was in a hurry; she didn't want to stay in this otherworldly place for too long.

Besides, Montell didn't have precious highland horses or lightweight carriages affordable only by nobles. This meant that it would take nearly a month to reach Golden Sheaf City.

Fortunately, where there were monsters in the world, there were adventurers. The vast and diverse array of monsters in Mistwood often meant that adventurers could sell magical materials for a high price.

For example, the intact scales of a crystal-winged tree lizard could be sold for five gold coins on the market, which was equivalent to several years' worth of harvest for a rural farmer.

Although being an adventurer had the highest mortality and disability rates, people always flocked to register as adventurers. This was one of the main reasons—high risk meant high returns.

As far as EeDeChi knew, adventurers often teamed up to enter Mistwood to collect herbs and hunt monsters for tasks in Montell.

There were even experienced elite adventurers who set off from Montell, crossed Mistwood, collected rare monster skins, bones, and blood along the forest path, and then sold them in Golden Sheaf on the other side of Mistwood.

After parting ways with Aaron, EeDeChi went alone to the "Marina" tavern.

The "Marina" tavern was opened by the local Adventurer's Guild, exclusively for adventurers to rest and relax after tense adventures, exchange task information, and discuss combat experiences and tactics against monsters. Adventurers would also use this place to recruit team members and hire help.

In addition to adventurers from all directions, shrewd black market merchants, Magic Casters looking to buy special magical materials, and even priests and clerics with unspeakable secrets would come to this tavern. It was a gathering place for all sorts of people.

In terms of combat power, EeDeChi could confidently consider herself an elite adventurer, but when it came to exploring paths in Mistwood, finding water sources, and keeping the direction forward without getting lost, EeDeChi had no clue. So, she decided to hire a guide at the "Marina" tavern to lead her through Mistwood.

The "Marina" tavern was not far from the Adventurer's Guild. EeDeChi arrived at the oak door of the tavern, and even before she entered, she could smell the scent of cheap beer and hear some unpleasant vulgar language drifting out.

She looked at the sign of the "Marina" tavern. The golden-painted "Marina" in fancy script was carved on the hard mahogany sign, and on the right side of the sign was engraved with a pointed-eared female elf holding a wine glass and swaying her hips. Under the effect of the Second Tier magic "Everlight," the sign glowed fluorescently in the dark.

"So vulgar, this tavern should be shut down!" EeDeChi felt disgusted from the bottom of her heart, shook her head, and hesitated for a moment before pushing open the creaking oak door and walking in.