Chương 401: Chapter 390 - Back to Riviera

"So I was tellin' Jeff the other night and—oh, bugger—" the guard cut himself off mid-sentence, shoulders jerking straight as he noticed a cloaked young man before him. His eyes widened as he wondered how the man had gotten so close without him noticing. He was about to panic when his waves caught the silver token, and he exhaled in relief, though he remained careful as he bowed.

"Welcome back, Adventurer," he said respectfully. Alonso gave a nod and a faint smile as he walked past the gates. It had been a little over a week since he left Riviera, and yet it felt far longer. As he crossed the entrance, a directed transmission reached him." How was the trip, lad?" He almost chuckled to himself. How was it indeed…" It was good," he transmitted back." Both Dungeons went smoothly."" Great! So, ready to step up a stage?" Alonso remained silent for a moment." Sure, why not?"" Fantastic.

I'll prepare the letter and contact the branch in Fellbrook to organize a team for you. We don't have enough Silver ranks here, unfortunately. Not the biggest branch around, to be fair."" About the team, no need. I'll go with my own."" … lad, you understand anyone below Silver rank has no place in a mid-tier Dungeon, right?"" I understand."" … well, suit yourself.

Just remember to use the Escape Crystal if things get messy."" I will. Thanks for the reminder."" Alright then. Just pass by the Guild when you and your team are ready to go." Alonso sent a confirmation back and let the transmission fade from his mind. He moved through the streets of Riviera at an easy pace, blending into the afternoon flow. Vendors called out half-hearted offers, carts rattled over stone, and conversations drifted in fragments around him.

The recruitment campaign posters were gone, the boards scraped clean, yet no results had been posted in their place. He thought about whether any of the others had taken the offer, or if they had ignored it like he had. By the time he reached his house, the noise of the main road had dulled behind him. The familiar doorway stood quiet, unchanged, almost detached from the mess of the outside world. He entered the code and stepped inside. The air felt still.

He swept the rooms with his waves and sensed no one present, but something else answered him. A small device sat in the middle of the table, its surface faintly humming as it resonated with his signature and sent a signal back the moment his waves brushed it." Hi Alonso. Use this emitter to send us a wide-range transmission, and we'll be there shortly." Alonso chuckled. It felt oddly like a message left on voicemail. He picked it up with a smile, turning it over in his hand.

The build was crude on the outside, but the internal structure was clever. It piggybacked on the house's security system, amplifying it into a long-range transmitter. He activated it and felt a firm, stable pulse spread outward. With that done, he set his heavy backpack down beside the chair and leaned back, letting the quiet settle around him. It did not take long before footsteps sounded beyond the door, followed by a brief pulse at the threshold.

The door opened and Chiara stepped in first, with Pablo arriving shortly after. Alonso studied them as they approached. There were changes beyond the new gear, something subtle in the way they carried themselves, though he could not immediately place it. They talked while they waited, the conversation light at first, the room slowly filling as the rest began to arrive. When Ayu stepped through the door, he felt it at once.

Something about her had shifted, maybe more than with the others, or maybe he simply knew her too well not to notice. She seemed… lighter somehow. They looked at each other for a second that stretched longer than it should have, and he stepped forward without thinking, pulling her into a hug. The warmth of her body hit him harder than he expected, settling deep in his chest like something he had been holding back without realizing it.

It had not even been that long, yet the memory of thinking he might never see her again was still fresh, still heavy, and that made his arms tighten just a little more before he forced himself to let go. She smiled when they separated, and he felt a faint heat rise to his face as he noticed the looks from the others, but he did not care enough to pull away from the moment. He just gave a small shrug and moved back to his seat. The door opened again not long after. Lukas stepped in last, a casual smile on his face.

He wore a dark wool doublet, fitted but worn from travel, with a long, loose coat over it and a soft felt cap with a folded brim. He gave everyone a relaxed nod before hanging his coat and hat and settling into a chair as if he had been there the whole time.

"Hope I didn't keep you all waiting," he said easily.

"Where were you?" Chiara asked after a moment, arms crossed.

"Haven't seen you in a while."

"Here and there," Lukas replied with a soft, unreadable smile. Chiara pressed her lips, clearly holding back several follow-up questions, then waved a hand.

"How was your journey?" Leonie eventually asked, drawing the attention back to Alonso, their gazes lingering on the heavy backpack.

"It was… productive," Alonso said.

"As long as some details are left out, I'd say it went well and brought a good harvest."

"Details?" Chiara looked at him, curiosity sharpening her gaze.

"Knowing you, that could mean literally anything, from getting buried alive again to running into a daemon." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Alonso blinked and glanced aside.

"Well…"" Alonso, you… encountered a daemon?" Chiara sent through a private pulse." Yes."" Are you serious? How do you know it was a daemon?"" The System had a literal tag on it saying [Daemon]. Also, why are we talking in private, exactly?"" You… you have no idea what daemons are, right? What they mean? About the Church?"" To be fair, I was hoping you guys did some research and could enlighten me on the subject."" This is just… how do you even get into these situations? And how did you get out this time?

I don't know how strong the one you met was, but even the weakest daemon should be around Gold-rank standard."" I killed it."" You… killed… a daemon?"" Yes."" Alright… this is serious, Alonso."" How serious?"" Let's talk about it later, but don't share this with the others just yet."" Huh? Why shouldn't I?"" It's a long story. Just… we'll talk later. And… wait… did you get any gear from it?"" It was meant to be a surprise, but yes, I got a piece of gear. It has a tag that says [Corrupted], though.

Not sure what that means."" … fuck… okay. We'll deal with it. Just… not a word to any native, and don't mention it to the rest until we talk again, alright?"" Alright." Alonso looked at Chiara for a moment after the quick exchange ended, then turned back to the others. He did not know why she was so concerned, but it was clear she knew far more about this than he did.

"Anyway, I brought presents," he said with a grin as he pulled his backpack forward, took out two pouches, and set them on the table.

"Each has a set of six orbs from the special bosses. That should push you all up to 38%."

"Thanks."

"Wow, appreciate it." One by one, the others gave a nod or a word of gratitude as each took their pair of orbs.

"So, how's the financial situation?" Alonso asked.

"I picked up two pieces of Grade 4 gear, but if we have the option, I'd rather not sell them."

"No need," Leonie said calmly.

"Your debt to Gregor and the Guild has been fully cleared." Alonso's eyes widened. He knew the amount had not been small.

"How did you manage that?"

"Dungeon rewards covered part of it," she said.

"Beyond that, we diversified. Guild contracts, independent commissions, and targeted work with higher returns. Imani brought in steady income through smithing. Wang and I were compensated well after the campaign, along with a few other assignments."

"I see… so how was the campaign? Anything notable?"

"It was bloody," she said evenly.

"Operationally successful. Strategically limited. The Baron is competent by local standards, but he holds minor political weight in the broader structure of Brithelm. Useful as an entry point, not as a long-term anchor." She leaned back slightly, her tone steady.

"If we want influence that scales, we should shift toward more central power structures. I've confirmed that exceptional service to the Crown can result in granted nobility. That opens access to information channels, supply networks, and political leverage far beyond what a border Baron can offer."

"Interesting," Alonso said.

"So knighthood and nobility might be one of the main paths to power here, just like it was with the Ajnal and Azcoyatl. But based on what we learned before, is it efficient? Would the effort be better spent just focusing on ourselves, Dungeons, and the Guild?"

"Every path carries trade-offs," Leonie replied.

"From a wealth, logistics, and influence standpoint, the knightly route offers faster structural growth. At the same time, we should not all commit to the same avenue. Role diversification increases our reach. The more of us positioned within different power structures, the greater our ability to respond to whatever this stage becomes, and whoever the final enemy turns out to be."

"Fair enough," Alonso said with a nod. It was clear she had given this serious thought, and her past experience showed in the way she framed things.

"So I take it you plan to follow that path yourself?"

"I do," Leonie replied.

"Wang, myself, and several others from my team have agreed to shift our focus toward it."

"Does that conflict with the Adventurer path? Can you keep your Guild license, or not?"

"Any rank below Knight can still operate as an Adventurer," she explained.

"Beyond that, you are required to swear loyalty to your lord and step away from other formal duties. For reference, an official Knight is roughly equivalent to a Silver-rank Adventurer in strength, though they tend to have better equipment and resources."

"That loyalty pledge sounds like a hassle," Alonso admitted.

"Still, I'm sure you'll handle it." He turned to the others.

"What about the rest of you? I don't know why, but you all look a bit… different. Can't quite put my finger on it." His gaze lingered a moment longer on Ayu. She simply smiled back at him and said nothing, which, knowing her, probably meant she was definitely keeping something to herself. Maybe to surprise him later. He simply returned the smile.

"I'll stay with the Adventurers for now," Chiara said.

"All the other stuff sounds like a headache."

"So you're not joining The Scholars?" Pablo asked.

"No. Not for now," she replied.

"The Scholars? What's that about?" Alonso asked, intrigued.

"It's a collective of researchers and erudites with significant reach in this world," Pablo said, leaning forward slightly.

"They're considered a neutral power. They avoid political and religious conflicts and focus entirely on expanding knowledge."

"Sounds exactly like your thing," Alonso said with a grin.

"It is," Pablo admitted.

"A small detachment passed through Riviera a couple of days back, and we made contact. They don't have a branch here, but I received a referral as a potential candidate, provided I travel to their institution in Greywick Moor."

"Nice," Alonso nodded. He glanced at Chiara, curious why she had not jumped at that opportunity too, but chose not to press.

"As for me, I plan to remain an Adventurer for now," Imani said calmly.

"That said, my smithing instructor recommended I join a Crafter's Association branch if I want to progress beyond Grade 4 tempering."

"Grade 4? How good are you now?" Alonso asked.

"I can temper up to Grade 3 gear," Imani replied.

"Bloody hell, that's impressive," Alonso said with a whistle.

"An association sounds like a smart move then. Tempering Grade 4 already costs a fortune. I don't even want to imagine the prices beyond that."

"What about you, Lukas? What's your plan?" Chiara asked, her gaze narrowing.

"I'll see how things go," he said casually.

"So you'll remain an Adventurer for now?"

"Yes." Alonso finally turned to the last one, Ayu, but she only shrugged.

"Same as Lukas."

"Alright… anyway, I got a pulse from Gregor as soon as I arrived in Riviera," he said.

"The Guild Master is really pushing for me to start mid-tier Dungeons, so I told him we were ready. What do you think? Now with 38% SP and better gear, we should have a solid chance."

"Well… there's more to it than SP and gear," Lukas mused. Alonso frowned.

"More to it… wait. How did the Will training go? You all made a breakthrough?" They exchanged glances and smiled. Alonso could not read everyone, but Ayu's face alone gave him a very clear answer.

"Alright, keep your secrets," he said with a shrug, though part of him was already curious about how each of their Wills would manifest.

"So I'll take that as a yes. If that's the case, we take a few hours to prepare and head straight in. Everyone's free right now, yeah? No obligations?"

"All of us are," Leonie said.

"We've been waiting for you for this, like we planned."

"Perfect."

"Then let's wrap up our pending tasks and meet at the Guild in three hours," Leonie proposed. They all agreed and, one by one, headed out. Alonso considered pulling Ayu aside to try to get her to spill the beans, but the weight of another matter held him back. They just shared a quick kiss and agreed to meet shortly after, while he stayed behind with Chiara.

"So… what was that all about?"