Chương 27: Chapter 26: Returning To Greltheaven

Lawyer Lv. 3 The fork stopped near my mouth as the words flashed before me; it stayed there for more than a second before I took the bite. A knowing look flashed between my guards as they saw me suddenly stopping, but I did not care. I am happy. I'm not surprised—it's one of the reasons I chose to apply for the legal adviser position in the first place. So I would be able to advance in my class. I have brought my guards to the restaurant, treating them for what they did for me.

Although I paid them to protect me—and they did—I am still grateful. Without their help, I would have died. Soon, we finished our dinner, and I returned to my room. I would have liked to see the fortress more, but they had limited access at night, and I had already seen what I could earlier. Even if restricted areas were open, I wouldn't have gone there. I had to leave the fort soon, and I wanted to be in my room when the vice guild head sent someone to call me. It is also the reason why I am not practicing today.

Knock Knock I was engrossed in my book when a knock echoed at my door. Closing it, I rose and walked over, opening the door.

"Mister Remus, vice-guild head Arryn is ready to leave," said the blond-haired man in his late twenties.

"Ok," I said. Without me saying anything, my guards, who were standing by the door, came inside and picked up my bags, and we began to follow the man Arryn had sent. Hun! I had thought he would take me to the suite of the vice guild head, but I was wrong; we were going down. Soon, we left the lodge and reached where a long luxury carriage with around twenty guards was waiting.

"Mister Remus," said the guard before opening the carriage door. I nodded and stepped inside the carriage, immediately feeling glad to see no sign of my uncle. I expected him to weasel his way in to make this journey hell for me. He would have—if not for the important business that brought him here, a business he chose to keep entirely to himself.

"Vice guildmaster," I greeted as I entered inside and sat opposite him. A second after that, the carriage began to move.

"Young Remus, with you joining, the journey wouldn't be very boring," he said. To that, I smiled. We are not alone in the carriage; there are three other people, including the middle-aged man, who is likely his lawyer, a man in his mid-thirties, his assistant, and the maid I had seen earlier.

"You have helped me a lot there, Remus. If you work like this, the guild will benefit tremendously," he said, sounding quite happy.

"I am glad I could help, vice-guild master," I replied; he nodded before his expression turned serious.

"With the letter of recommendation from the head of your house and my backing, it nearly guaranteed you have the job,""But I must say, Remus, it is a difficult job; usually, lawyers with the favor of leadership get this job," he said. He is right. Most who get the jobs are people loyal to people in the leadership.

"It will be hard to manage the job and your business," he added. Indirectly asking me to think carefully without stating it aloud.

"I know, but I'm young and believe I can handle it. If I ever feel that I'm failing the guild, I'll step down on my own," I replied.

"If you were able to do what you have done today, there is no way you will be letting down the guild," he said.

"Though I have to warn you, there will be quite a lot of work for you."

"The guilds are establishing contracts with the many cities of Meldhorn and the Empire. In just a few months, hundreds, even thousands of intraguild contracts will be signed," he added.

"I expect nothing less," I replied with a smile. This is another reason I applied for the position within days of the inauguration. I could have waited, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity. The work will be tremendous, especially with my business, but the benefits it will bring me will also be immense. I will be in the guild's inner circle, able to make connections quickly and get valuable information to help me with my business.

The carriage stopped at the gates only for a few seconds before passing through them and then picking up the pace. It is an enchanted carriage; every enchantment laid out in it is for the maximum comfort of the people inside. The carriage glided smoothly, enhanced by enchantments and the skill of a driver who was undoubtedly level 20 or higher. It wasn't just the comfort that impressed me—the speed was remarkable, and it was only increasing.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. If everything goes well, we could reach Greltheaven by afternoon or before. I talked with the older man for a while before we stopped; he began to read through the documents and discuss something with his people, which I could not hear due to privacy skills. I also picked up the book and began reading. An hour and a half later, I closed the book, reclined my seat as the old man had done, and closed my eyes to sleep.

The carriage was so comfortable that I fell asleep within a minute.... [Sautner Merchant Level 6] I woke as the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, but my attention was fixed elsewhere. The words appeared in front of me, informing me that I had leveled up in my base class, and it couldn't help but surprise me. Something good must have happened in the establishment for this to happen. Now, I am more excited to reach the establishment and learn what had happened to make me level up.

I calmed my excited mind and opened the interface. Class: Souteneur Merchant Lv. 6 Lawyer Lv. 3 Warrior Lv. 1 Charisma: 10 Intelligence: 8 Vitality: 6 Strength 5 Skills: 1. Trusty Presence 2. Worthy Goods 3. Contract 4. Shop Open 5. Quick Steps 6. Consecutive Strikes Attribute Points: 1 I immediately looked at the attribute point that appeared as my base class had leveled up, and I desperately wanted to add it to my strength. I need strength to deal with any threat, but it is not the only thing I have to deal with.

Once I return to the city, there will be a lot of work, and intelligence will help me with that. The days ahead will demand sharp mental attributes, especially since most of my skills rely on them. Conventional wisdom suggests that intelligence should be 20% to 30% lower than charisma, but I plan to keep them at similar levels. This is not because I disagree with the standard approach but because pushing intelligence to the capstone of ten points will immediately grant a significant power boost.

Which in turn will increase the power of my skills. After it reaches ten, I will let it rest for a while and focus on the other attributes. So, with my mind made up, I immediately dumped the attribute point into intelligence and felt the change immediately. Class: Souteneur Merchant Lv. 6 Lawyer Lv. 3 Warrior Lv. 1 Charisma: 10 Intelligence: 9 Vitality: 6 Strength 5 Skills: 1. Trusty Presence 2. Worthy Goods 3. Contract 4. Shop Open 5. Quick Steps 6.

Consecutive Strikes Attribute Points: 0 The intelligence attribute reached nine; I need one more to reach ten. I could already feel the effect of a single point. The world had begun to look much clearer to me; I perceived things with greater clarity. I opened the window and looked around. Arryn, his lawyer, and the maid were still sleeping. His assistant, however, had woken up. I nodded and looked outside, watching the sky, which had brightened up a little more.

Half an hour later, everyone had woken up, and we took a break. We traveled without stopping and needed a break to relieve ourselves and stretch our legs. The horses, too, needed to rest before they could continue. They could be pushed, but it would be straining, so it is better they rest a little. We have relieved ourselves, stretched, and freshened up before eating breakfast. It was much better than my family had given me; even the guards' breakfast was much better.

"We should be able to reach Greltheaven by early afternoon," I said, sitting on the tree stump, "Sooner," replied Arryn with a smile. We crossed a considerable distance through the night; I was quite surprised when I looked at the map. Soon, breakfast was finished, and we entered the carriage again. It began to move, and within a few minutes, it had picked up a speed even greater than the night's.

'No wonder the old man said we might be able to reach the Greltheaven sooner,' I said as I looked at the passing wasteland before returning to my book.

"Vice guild-head, if you don't mind me asking, what is the empire's response in this thawing of ties with merchant city-states?" I asked the older man, who looked up from the papers he was reading. It is a simple question; I am not asking about the opinion of common people but about elites, whose opinions really matter. Once upon a time, they were vehemently opposed to it, especially the nobles and church, while the merchants always favored it.

"The nobles are in favor now, especially those powerful ones of the frontier regions, so are the common people, and us merchants are always in favor of trade," he said. His expressions have become a little hesitant.

"Some princes and nobles are still opposed to it, especially those who are closely aligned with the Church of the God of War," he added,"No surprise there," I replied, and the old man smiled. The Church of the God of War has always opposed anyone who does not let them proselyte and impose taxes, and merchant city-states did. It's also true that merchant city-state churches are among the continent's wealthiest. Despite the challenges, every religion seeks to establish a foothold there.

Hours passed, and the city's silhouette finally emerged on the horizon. Soon, the Trollmouth River came into view, and we reached its banks half an hour later. I thought we would have to exit the carriage and enter a boat across the river as we did a few days ago, but to my surprise, we did not have to. The carriage had directly entered the big barge and was already waiting for it. Soon, the boat began to cross the river. It made me sigh. Money and power could make things quite comfortable.

One day, I will have it; I have already taken a step toward it with my business, and my position in the guild will be the second step. Soon, the boat crossed the river and began to move through the port, which seemed more crowded than before, making us both happy.

"If the city isn't destroyed within the next decade, no one will be able to stop it from becoming a powerhouse," I predicted, and the smile on the old man's face grew brighter.

"You have read my mind, Remus; it is risky here, but if we survive long enough, then we will earn a fortune that would not be possible anywhere else in the whole empire," replied the old man.

"Let it become true," I said, "It will, young Remus, it will," replied the old man. Twenty minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of the gates of my house.

"Thank you, vice guild master; without you, it would have been a long, uncomfortable journey for me," I thanked.

"It is the least I could do after the help you have provided me," replied the old man.

"Still, thank you," I said before leaving the carriage.