Recruiting?
Sakeer hadn't expected Leinas to ask such a question. After a moment of thought, he shook his head.
He carried too many secrets. Joining the Adventurer's Guild was merely for convenience—he had never intended to recruit anyone.
"Sorry, but I'm not looking to hire."
Leinas's expression faltered briefly, a flicker of disappointment flashing in her eyes. She bit her lip slightly before speaking again.
"Then... about the reward."
She hesitated.
"Three thousand... No, two thousand gold coins."
Sakeer's eyes lit up at the mention of money. Without hesitation, he lowered the price.
"Two thousand will do."
Right now, gold coins were his priority—Leinas had little else to offer that could truly interest him. But considering her circumstances...
How much wealth could someone cast out by their family and forced to wander possibly have?
"Two thousand gold coins?"
Leinas's voice rose slightly, as if startled.
Then, as though making a firm decision, she raised her right arm, placed it over her left shoulder, and bowed deeply toward Sakeer.
"The reward has already been decided."
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her black spear, turned around, and walked away.
Sakeer blinked.
"What does that even mean?"
He stood there, watching as Leinas disappeared into the distance.
She just left?
Wait—
So... I don't get the two thousand gold coins?!
August 31 – A Week Later
By the time Sakeer returned to the Imperial Capital, it was already the end of August.
It had been seven days since he and Leinas left on August 24.
Of course, this time, he returned alone.
As for Leinas, after her abrupt departure, she had completely vanished.
Noble District – Sakeer's Residence
Inside the first-floor lobby, Imina stood with her arms crossed, her icy gaze fixed on him.
"You're finally back, Mr. Alchemist."
Her tone was cold and unamused.
Sakeer let out a helpless chuckle, bending down to pet the small Barghest eagerly rubbing against his leg.
"Sorry, I took longer than expected."
Then, he glanced at Imina.
"Did anything happen while I was away?"
Imina raised a delicate hand, casually counting on her fingers as she listed the events of the past week.
"The Herb Guild sent someone to invite you again the day after you left the Imperial Capital."
"Then there's the Adventurer's Guild."
"A bunch of workers and adventurers came looking for your regeneration potion to heal their injuries."
"And, of course, some nobles."
She lowered her hand and met his gaze.
"I turned them all away. As per your instructions, I told them you were busy researching new potions—and that the trolls haven't provided enough blood to make more regeneration potions."
She shrugged.
"None of that was really a hassle, though."
Then, with a flick of her fingers, she pulled out an exquisitely crafted invitation, letting it glide through the air toward Sakeer.
Her tone turned serious.
"This, however, is the real problem."
Sakeer caught the invitation mid-air, opening it as he activated "Translation Magic."
His eyes scanned the content—
Then paused on a particular name.
"Osk?"
A thoughtful look flickered across his face.
The name felt familiar... but he couldn't immediately recall why.
Imina, ever composed, provided the answer.
"The biggest merchant in the Imperial Capital. Also the one who runs the Grand Arena."
Sakeer raised an eyebrow.
"According to the date on that invitation, the banquet was held two days ago."
She smirked slightly, voice laced with sarcasm.
"Rest assured, you missed it."
Then, after a brief pause—
"Congratulations. You've just offended one of the most untouchable people in the entire Imperial Capital."
Her expression remained unreadable.
Sakeer blinked, momentarily stunned.
Then, after a beat—
"Oh."
He really couldn't care less.
Sakeer had no real intention of entangling himself too deeply in the Baharuth Empire.
With his current strength—even without revealing his full power—his "Angel Summoning" alone was enough to be evaluated as a "Orichalcum" class adventurer by the Adventurer's Guild.
Just one step away from the top-tier "Adamantite" adventurers.
To put things into perspective, there were only two adventurer teams in the entire Baharuth Empire that had reached the Adamantite level, and they had only done so by leveraging numerical superiority and complementary professions.
An Adamantite adventurer wasn't just a rank—it was a symbol of strength and prestige, a status that far outweighed even that of a wealthy merchant.
Speaking of power—
While the Baharuth Empire was indeed stronger than the Kingdom of Re-Estize in terms of overall national strength, it was weaker in terms of high-end combat prowess.
"Has anyone from the palace come looking for me?"
Sakeer's voice was calm, but this was the question he truly cared about.
The "Cursed Knight" path had been unlocked, but his "Immortal" profession still showed no signs of progress.
Unlike Leinas, whose situation allowed for some degree of intervention, Fluder's side left Sakeer completely on the receiving end, waiting passively for the next move.
He had already spent a month in the Baharuth Empire—wasting any more time on uncertainty was not an option.
"The Palace?"
Imina cast him a surprised glance before shaking her head.
"No one."
Sakeer frowned slightly, disappointment flickering across his face.
By now, he had caused enough commotion—from his rescue of crippled nobles to his unmatched alchemical prowess.
With the Blood Emperor's intelligence network, there was no way he had gone unnoticed.
Yet, there had been no movement from the palace.
Imina's amber eyes darkened as she reminded him,
"There's something else you should be more concerned about."
Her tone carried a rare seriousness.
"Not long ago, after word spread that the trolls weren't strong enough to produce regeneration potions, a noble arrived—with a captured troll."
Sakeer's gaze sharpened.
"Huh?"
He instinctively glanced around the courtyard, but aside from the weakened trolls already tied up, there was nothing new.
Imina smirked and flicked her purple ponytail.
"No need to look. They turned back before reaching us."
Sakeer narrowed his eyes.
"Was this Osk's doing?"
Imina shook her head slightly, her expression growing more serious.
"Not exactly. It was the work of the 'Martial Lord' Go Gin."
Her voice carried a hint of respect and reverence.
"Martial Lord" Go Gin.
A name that resonated throughout the Baharuth Empire.
A subhuman warrior, Go Gin had used his extraordinary strength to shake the empire to its core, becoming a symbol of power.
For someone like Imina—a half-elf—his rise was even more legendary.
Sakeer's expression turned solemn.
He hadn't expected someone like Go Gin to take an interest in ordinary trolls.
Among the truly noteworthy figures in the Baharuth Empire, Go Gin was definitely one of the most formidable.
Having reached the Hero Realm, his level was estimated to be at least 30 or higher.
And as a subhuman, he had natural attribute bonuses—making him even stronger than a human of the same level.
Even among the three dominant figures of the Great Forest of Tob, the so-called "Eastern Giant" Gu wasn't as powerful as Martial Lord Go Gin.
To borrow the words of the Bone King—
"The difference between a wild boar and a domesticated pig."
Imina clenched her fists in frustration.
"Rumors are already circulating."
Her voice was laced with anger.
"According to them, you stopped selling regeneration potions made from troll blood because of 'Martial Lord' Go Gin."
She gritted her teeth.
She knew the real reason, but this false narrative was far more convincing to outsiders.
The Blood Emperor Jircniv, the most powerful figure in the Imperial Capital, was also Go Gin's greatest supporter—that fact alone made the rumor incredibly dangerous.
Once the rumor spread, it didn't matter if it was true or not.
Even if nobles or influential figures wanted to befriend Sakeer, they would think twice before making a move.
"Damn it!"
Imina's fists clenched tighter.
"No wonder we haven't been able to buy trolls lately...
I'm afraid this group is behind it."
Her voice trembled with fury.
(End of Chapter)