"A major figure?"

Roland raised his brow slightly. After taking the coin pouch and weighing it in his hand, he casually handed it to Teresa behind him.

"Then may I ask why this major figure wants to see me?"

Including his experiences in Blackwater Territory, Roland had already dealt with the Adventurer's Guild many times.

Yet the more contact he had with them, the more curious he became about how this organization operated.

On the surface, the Adventurer's Guild was mainly responsible for issuing commissions and paying mercenaries or adventurers according to the details of each mission.

But Roland had noticed that aside from trivial tasks such as escorting and item searches commissioned by merchants and commoners, for which the guild charged intermediary fees, most monster subjugation commissions were issued at the Adventurer's Guild's own expense.

No matter how he thought about it, that did not make sense.

Roland did not believe the Adventurer's Guild was some charity organization dedicated to "maintaining world peace."

So after careful thought, he had arrived at two possibilities.

The first was that the people behind the Adventurer's Guild could obtain special benefits from monster subjugation.

But what was strange was that proof of subjugation usually required only a certain body part from the monster.

A Goblin's ear, a Lizardman's scale, a Serpentman's tail tip, and even the Bugbear head they had just handed over.

Roland had carefully examined these trophies before, but he had never discovered any hidden value in them.

Based on that analysis, the Adventurer's Guild's main economic source was very likely the second possibility.

That was funding provided by the upper levels of various countries or organizations that cooperated with it.

After arriving at this conclusion, Roland grew curious about this major figure behind the scenes.

Hearing Roland's question, Larry shook his head and gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Roland. I am only an ordinary receptionist, so I truly do not know the specific reason that lord invited you. However..."

As the handsome young man spoke, his finger tapped the counter twice, then pointed toward the second floor above them.

"That lord is waiting upstairs right now. If you are willing, you may ask her directly for the details. Of course..."

Larry revealed a mild smile at the right time to avoid causing any misunderstanding.

"This depends entirely on your schedule. That lord said she will remain here for several days, and you may visit at any time."

"I understand."

Roland nodded calmly, feeling no anxiety despite Larry's evasive words.

During this period, he had accepted commissions to exterminate monsters, and even his accomplishment of killing Bugbears had objectively added to the Adventurer's Guild's reputation.

Moreover, since coming to the River Kingdoms, he had never made enemies with anyone.

Therefore, this invitation was most likely a reward or an attempt to win him over. There should be no malice.

Even so, Roland did not relax his vigilance.

In this world filled with Transcendent power, he was accustomed to treating the unknown with the greatest caution.

So after a brief thought, he smiled and said, "Larry, I have time to meet this lord now. However..."

He turned and gestured behind him.

The Elf girl was openly leaning forward to eavesdrop, while the silver-haired woman beside her remained silent but had clearly pricked up her ears.

"I would like to bring my two teammates to the meeting. After all, the credit for exterminating the Bugbears belongs to all of us."

"This..."

Hesitation crossed Larry's face.

But in the next instant, almost as though he had received some kind of message, his expression relaxed.

"Of course, Mr. Roland."

"Very well..."

Roland caught the change in the receptionist's expression, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to lead the way."

"Of course. Please follow me."

Larry nodded in agreement. After giving a few quiet instructions to another receptionist beside the counter, he stepped out from behind it and bowed to guide them.

"This way, please."

He made an elegant gesture and led the three toward the stairs.

Entirely different from the noisy first-floor hall, the second floor of the Adventurer's Guild seemed covered by some invisible barrier. It was so quiet that only the dull echoes of their leather boots stepping across the wooden floor could be heard.

Knock, knock, knock!

Larry's knocking sounded especially abrupt in the silence.

Even before the door opened, the receptionist had assumed an extremely respectful posture, and even his voice dropped.

"Miss von Braun... Mr. Roland has arrived."

His voice was dry and tense, revealing his awe without concealment.

Only after a moment of silence did a lazy, dreamlike reply come from inside the room.

"Come in."

Larry let out a long breath as though granted amnesty. After carefully pushing open the door, he bowed to Roland and the others, then quietly withdrew.

Watching him leave, Roland exchanged glances with Teresa and Avril before stepping into the room first.

In sharp contrast to the bright, open hall on the first floor, the room was dim and hazy.

Heavy curtains were tightly closed, and only a few flickering candles provided illumination.

Under the wavering candlelight, the room's outline appeared and disappeared.

The furnishings were plain and simple, without any unnecessary decoration, like the most ordinary inn room.

Beside the fireplace, a graceful figure was curled on a recliner.

Only after the three of them fully entered did that person stretch her arms, lazily extend her body, and sit upright.

In the dancing candlelight, her violet hair carried a strange flowing halo, and her slender yet curvaceous figure seemed draped in a mysterious veil.

When she turned around, she revealed a face impossible to forget after a single glance.

Her skin was honey-toned, and she carried a mature charm.

Her almond eyes tilted slightly upward, naturally alluring as her gaze moved, yet deep within them was a stillness like a deep pool, carrying age and experience that did not match her beautiful appearance.

She stood there, both seductive and calm, radiant and detached.

Contradictory qualities merged within her, making it difficult to look away yet making one hesitate to approach.

And the instant Roland saw her, surprise stirred faintly in his eyes.

It was not because of her outstanding appearance, but because of her unusual height.

With the support of multiple occupation attributes, Roland estimated that he was around six foot three, though he had not measured it precisely.

Yet the lady before him needed only to lift her eyes to meet his gaze.

This meant she was at least around five foot eleven.

Such a height was rare among women, but it did not diminish her charm at all. Instead, combined with that exquisite face and graceful figure, it created a unique, misty beauty.

But what drew even more attention was...

Roland's right hand moved to the sword hilt at his waist, and his eyes narrowed.

Thanks to the affinity for the fire element granted by [Furnace Heart], he keenly caught the almost imperceptible mana fluctuations emanating from her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Roland..."

Just as Roland quietly raised his guard, the woman's lazy voice broke the silence.

She bowed gracefully, her violet hair swaying softly with the movement.

"And of course, Miss Teresa, as well as..."

Her gaze flowed and briefly lingered on the Elf girl.

"Miss Avril. Thank you all for accepting my invitation."

Candlelight cast wavering shadows across her delicate collarbone.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lilith von Braun..."

After a meaningful pause, the corner of her lips curled in a faint arc.

"I am the current governor of the River Kingdoms Adventurer's Guild, responsible for all affairs in this region."

Noticing Lilith's probing gaze, Avril wrinkled her nose. Although Teresa's face remained indifferent, her tense body revealed the unease in her heart.

Roland met the other party's timeworn gaze and merely raised his brow, his hand never leaving the sword hilt at his waist.

"Greetings, Lady Lilith..."

His voice was low and steady.

"May I ask what important matter led you to invite us here?"

"An important matter? No, hehe..."

Lilith laughed softly and stepped forward with elegant ease.

"I merely wished to get to know all of you."

Her violet eyes shimmered beneath the candlelight.

"After all, for only four people to consecutively slay Bugbears, that strength..."

She leaned forward, her gaze ignoring the two young women behind him and locking onto Roland.

"Even across the entire continent, very few mercenary squads or adventurer groups are capable of such a feat."

As the distance between them shortened, a faint, dark orchid fragrance quietly lingered at Roland's nose.

After smelling it, he calmly took half a step back, maintaining exactly the right distance.

"Thank you for the praise. However... you did not specially invite us here just to exchange polite words, did you?"

Seeing that Roland's gaze did not waver at all, Lilith's brow creased for a heartbeat. Then she adjusted.

She straightened, her slender fingers covering her red lips.

"Mr. Roland is indeed refreshingly direct. In that case..."

The silver chain sliding from her sleeve refracted tiny specks of light beneath the candle flame.

"I will speak plainly."

Lilith restrained her previous languid manner, looked directly at Roland, and spoke without further preamble.

"According to Adventurer's Guild regulations, every year we rate each mercenary or adventurer and their team based on the number and difficulty of the commissions they have completed."

She turned gracefully, her tall, slender figure casting a lovely silhouette in the candlelight.

Her long fingers picked up a fresh sheet of parchment from the table and handed it to Roland.

"The higher the rating, the more difficult the commissions one can accept, and naturally, the richer the rewards. Not only that..."

The corner of her lips curved with a meaningful smile.

"We also provide additional exclusive services to highly rated adventurers or mercenary organizations."

Roland bowed slightly and accepted the parchment, his fingertips feeling the paper's delicate texture.

"This invitation is to formally inform you that your team has successfully passed the Adventurer's Guild's assessment and reached the qualification standard for an A-rank adventurer team."

"Therefore, we would like to ask whether you are willing to accept certification as an A-rank adventurer team."

Listening to Lilith's declaration, Roland lowered his gaze and carefully examined the contents recorded on the parchment.

Intelligence access privileges...

Guild purchase discounts...

Priority use of relay stations...

As his gaze swept over the dozens of exclusive service clauses, Roland's expression became more solemn.

It was not that these conditions were not generous enough. It was that he suddenly realized the Adventurer's Guild's influence was far larger than he had imagined.

Some of these privileges would be absolutely impossible to provide without deep cooperation with the upper powers of certain countries or organizations.

Noticing Roland's solemn expression, Lilith seemed to misunderstand his concern and explained softly.

"Of course... even if you accept certification as an A-rank adventurer team, the process for accepting commissions will remain the same as before. We will not force you to accept any mission."

Hearing this, Roland nodded almost imperceptibly.

With his current strength and the talent he had revealed, he was more than qualified to join any organization.

Even Shadow Veil, the merchant faction's elite organization in the River Kingdoms, likely would not refuse if Roland asked to join. At most, he would become a reserve member like Avril.

The fundamental reason Roland still had no intention of joining any organization was that he did not want to be bound by anything.

Compared with the favorable treatment and abundant resources that came with joining an organization, Roland felt nothing was more important than freedom, barring special circumstances.

Therefore, after hearing Lilith's words, Roland handed the parchment back to her and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Lady Lilith. However..."

Roland turned back and glanced at Teresa and Avril, then spoke with a hint of apology.

"I still need to discuss this matter carefully with my squad members before making a decision."

"Of course. That is no problem."

There was no annoyance on Lilith's face. She only took two parchment scrolls from a drawer.

"Mr. Roland, this is the Combat Technique the Adventurer's Guild previously promised you."

She handed one of them to Roland.

Roland weighed the thick scroll recording the Combat Technique in his hand. He did not examine it immediately, instead placing it into his belt pouch.

Seeing Roland's action, appreciation passed through Lilith's eyes. Then she handed over the other parchment.

"And this is a commission that A-rank adventurer teams can accept. Perhaps it can help you make your decision."

Roland thanked her before accepting the commission notice and reading it carefully.

But as soon as he saw the title, his brow furrowed.

[Explore the Misty Lands and eliminate the Wolf King entrenched within]

The commission details included the cause of the abnormal phenomena in the Misty Lands and the Wolf King's location.

The most eye-catching part was the difficulty rating.

It was not the common crimson mark, but a relatively brief line of text.

[Recommended rank: A-S rank mercenary squad or adventurer group]

[Reward: Self-selected (tentative)]

"I'm sorry, Lady Lilith."

After carefully reading the contents, Roland picked up the parchment and pointed at the words "Self-selected" in the reward column.

"What does... 'Self-selected' mean for this reward?"

"Very simple."

Seeing Roland take the initiative to ask, Lilith's lips lifted, and her fingertip tapped the tabletop.

"As long as the request you make..."

She lowered her voice.

"Is something the Adventurer's Guild possesses or can obtain, it can serve as the reward for this commission."

At this point, her gaze became meaningful.

"That not only includes money, treasured artifacts, and precious materials..."

"Even knight breathing methods, Rangers' elemental affinity secret arts, Barbarians' blood resonance methods, or even... meditation methods that the Tower wizards never pass down to outsiders. We can make all of them the reward for this commission."

Hearing these words, Roland's breath caught.

Everything Lilith had just mentioned was an advancement path for Transcendent Professionals.

That meant...

If he passed the certification and completed commissions like this, he could obtain methods for changing to other Transcendent occupations.

For someone like him, who possessed an occupation panel, this was a tremendous surprise.