Chapter 93: Silence.

Therick and Granuel led the way as I walked behind in my full mythril armor. People subtly made way for us on the sidewalk, and I wondered if that was just because of my armor while my friends were dressed in formal attire, or if they could somehow feel the power emanating from my every movement. It wasn’t an unreasonable thing to happen too, as the mana that I leaked could be felt; if I were to actually leak any anyway. As it stood, I had dumped all of my stock in our basement before I went out, and I had more blood than my mass to fill before it could leak out again.Wagons rode, gigantic people walked, and some ran insanely fast along the streets. The traffic here was certainly worse than how it was back in my day when I was a wee child. Maybe it was time I held a cane and yelled at them about the good ol’ days.

“Mind sharing the joy?” Therick asked when he noticed me giggling to myself.

That… a test, so I only grunted in response. My eyes were hard-set in a glare, my armor clanked noisily, and my every move was made to be intimidating. I would never reveal my secrets if I didn’t speak at all!

This was the persona that I’d painstakingly created with Elfrafim and my parents. The former had some level of experience in acting as the elves sometimes organized plays of varying sorts. Latarus had some too, and my parents had watched some every now and again. I wished I’d attended more in the past, while I could still be seen out in public without being all covered up.

We arrived at the warehouse, and it was newly stocked with new materials from our recent excursion. Berry was already there, organizing some of the crates and materials we had in stock. She waved at me with her claw, and I only nodded in response.

“It’s a persona. Spy shit. I’m hidinnnggg.” I had to say to her, because Berry looked sad when she thought I was ignoring her.

“Oh! I mean, Carry on… soldier…?”

I snorted and took my place behind Granuel as he carefully inspected everything with a critical eye. Eventually, he sat down on a desk near the entrance and looked over some documents, while I did my best impression of a statue.

“Hey Berry,” I lasted all of five minutes. I decided to talk to her to pass the time. “What’s up?”

“What?” She looked up at me. “Aren't you supposed to be… acting right now?”

“Bah! It’s just us here. It’s fine.”

“Oh. Well. Things are good?”

“That’s nice. So do you work here? I thought before that you didn’t take Granuel up on his offer?”

“I didn’t. Well, I guess I help out sometimes, and Granuel make sure to pay me for it. But if I’m going out to be an adventurer anyway, then why bother?”

“That makes sense. I wouldn’t make more work for myself if it isn’t fun.”

“Exactly! I’d rather just hang out with whatever you guys are doing.”

I chuckled. “You’re doing a fine damn job of that.”

Berry often came to visit my home, and I found out that she did that for everyone in our friend group. She had an apartment of her own, but I didn’t know how much she even used it anymore, since she would frequently just sleep over at one of our places. I knew she got lonely easily, and she'd confided in me once that she gets really… and depressed if left alone with her own thoughts for too long. I would suggest she go to a therapist, but our closest equivalents were the churches, and I didn’t think anything good would come out of that.

It wasn’t a problem to host her at least. She was welcome anytime.

We chatted for a while longer until someone else entered the building. Berry scurried off towards the back of the warehouse, and I did my own self-imposed job of standing menacingly behind my friends.

A well-dressed man walked through the entrance, followed by a level 20 human and a kobold of the same milestone.

I scoffed internally, but knew that things wouldn’t escalate into a fight. And I be hoping for it. Why was this my first thought first thing in the morning??

The negotiations that ensued, however, only justified my earlier desire for violence.

“This is the fur of a vladmonke,” Granule said, a couple of minutes into the discussions. “Of course it’s expensive.”

“There are parts missing, and some are even damaged.”

“That’s a natural consequence of fighting the monster. You don’t expect us to just take the fur of a level 40 monster without damaging it, do you?”

“But that’s your job. The more you damage it, the lower the price.” The merchant’s voice was lecturing and patronizing.

“This is a fair, and even slightly lower price than what you’ll get for something similarly damaged.”.

“That’s where you’re wrong. While you've been out only in the nearby forest doing whatever it is that you do, I’ve been working hard to keep track of the market across the whole of the Slothorian Rainforest, and I’ve seen a level 40 vladmonke fur go for less than that.”

“I know that that was the case a few years ago, but the prices of goods have risen in the last few years, especially here in this newly crowned city of Latarus.”

Granuel proceeded to present a detailed review and analysis of exactly what he just mentioned.

“You did a good job here,” the merchant replied like a teacher looking at a child’s drawing. “Very well thought out, and it shows that you’re really putting in the effort.” ”But this is all just theoretical mathematics and speculation. It doesn’t trump the prices established in the real world.”

“I see,” Granuel said and straightened his spine. The man across from him nodded approvingly. “Well then, I suppose this means you won’t be buying the fur. It’s unfortunate, but I wish you well in obtaining it elsewhere.”

I almost snorted, but I kept in character and just continued to glare from underneath my helm. Good luck getting the materials of a level 40 vlandmonke elsewhere, asshole.

“What!? You can’t just dismiss me. I came all this way to do business with you. Please show some professionalism.”

“Sometimes deals just don’t come to pass.” Granuel shrugged. “It happens, and professionals understand this.”

“No. I have been nothing but helpful to you, trying to teach you how this works, and entertaining this crazy experiment of yours.” He turned to Therick. “But Therick, your hire is clearly not up for this position. Please make the decision, and have someone better handle the negotiating next time.”

“No. I trust his judgment. The deal fell through. It happens. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” the stranger said aloud, and almost clasped his mouth upon realizing it. The guard behind him tensed and I glowered at them. The two fell back, intimidated despite my real eyes not showing. How would they react then?

Finally, the merchant sighed. “Fine. This was a disappointing result, but thank you for your time.” He extended out his hand to shake, but Therick just stared at it.

“What?” Our guest said in annoyance. “Do you not know what a handshake is? You are being terribly rude right now.”

“No, I know what it is. I’m just confused right now why you want to shake my hand instead of the person you negotiated with.”

A darker look fell over the merchant’s face for a split second, before he returned to a studiously neutral expression. “I was going to, after shaking yours.”

“Ah, I see.” Therick then shook the stranger’s hands. I could swear his name was mentioned repeatedly, but I just couldn’t remember. I’d bet even a visit to my memory core wouldn’t help. “We’ve just had some terrible experiences with people.”

“I see,” he shook Granuel’s hand after Therick’s. And then he and his lackeys went on their way.

“You know I could’ve killed them all by myself, right?” I said once they were out of the building and out of earshot.

Granuel laughed, and I supposed I joking, but barely. “Oh, I’m sure you can, Haell! But there’s no need for that. It’s just part of the business.”

“Actually, why it a part of business? I thought we don’t do that. The whole bartering and negotiating prices thing.”

Greanuel looked confused for a second, before clapping his hands in realization. “Ah! That’s for selling in a store or a stall. The expectation is that merchants have already decided on a price as not everyone is equipped for that sort of thinking. It’s part of our duties.”

“Well certainly am not equipped for it!” I laughed, then stared at Therick for a few long seconds. “Another thought, and maybe I’m missing something obvious and crucial, but why is he here?”

“Rude,” my friend chortled.

“That’s not what I meant! You don’t have to leave if you so much as simply But people are treating you as the one in charge, and Granuel as some…” a growling breath hissed out of my mouth, but I did not freak out, “sort of oddity.”

“Oh that.” Therick straightened on the chair he was lounging in. “Trust me, I’d rather be elsewhere right now, maybe getting some lessons from Rallem. I don’t actually enjoy this shit. But it’d be worse if I wasn’t here.”

“Sorry…” Granuel mumbled.

“It’s no trouble. Don’t worry. Hanging out is at least fun.” Therick waved him off with the ease of a well-word argument. “My point is that without me here, then they’d just be far more blatant with their ridicule and attempts to walk over Granuel. Which sucks. If things weren’t like that then Granuel would have a much better time, and so would I, but not here listening to all this prattling. I don’t know how he puts up with it.”

I nodded, having understood his point. Maybe it really was for the best that Granuel didn’t get me to sign off on his venture, because I would not have been as patient as Therick. Either I didn’t get myself involved, I killed someone. Acting as the silent guard was already testing my patience.

Name: Haell Zharignan

Species: Demon

—Mutations—

Wrath Heart: Level 24

Demon Brain: Level 22

Demon Skin: Level 21

Evil Eyes: Level 21

Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 21

Demon Arms: Level 21

Demon Hooves: Level 22

Hyperdemon Gland: Level 20

Demon Horns: Level 22

Mana-infused Blood: Level 22

Regen Heart: Level 22

Demon Wings: Level 21

Infernal Heart: Level 16

Memory Core: Level 15

Extradimensional Demon Blood Storage: Level 13

—Soul Feats—

Reincarnator

Progenitor

Imp Progenitor

Progenitor II

Demon Progenitor

Demon Harbinger

I took the opportunity to look at the recent changes to my Status Screen as Granuel continued to have a slew of meetings. My eyes were kept trained in front of me, and people were made uncomfortable by my stare, but I wasn’t even focusing on them. It wasn’t until it was almost noon that I snapped back to attention upon vaguely hearing an argument that pissed me off in a way.

“People would be less willing to do business with you just by having an ishkawtan be your face,” said the woman dressed in a simpler attire, but still probably very expensive. “As such, that lowers the overall value of whatever you’re trying to sell. I’m sorry if that sucks, but it’s just business. I’m willing to work with you for fewer concessions, but it fair for me to pay less than you’ve surmised considering the current state of the market and your place in it. You can’t get a better deal than mine.”

That was cold. It was vile. She didn’t ever share the bigotry present in the kingdom, but she was still more than happy to it to get what she wanted. As if this society was eternal, and her place in it secured forever. But the world around her would fall someday, and her demise could be so much

A raspy breath hissed out of my mouth, but the woman did not even realize the danger she was in. She had no guards, she was alone, and her ignorance was bliss. I bet she would die happy and content, for she would never even realize that she was dead.

I held myself back in the end, Therick gestured for me to stand down. I wasn’t about to start shit that could ruin Granuel’s dream. I was in enough control of myself to not immediately kill this woman. But I was still

The waves of my wrath stirred like a whirlpool in a storm, begging to be released into the wider world where it could do real and lasting damage. The people I had met today had only been terrible, and my building irritation had finally come to a boil. It took a lot of willpower to keep it all contained, until my emotions gradually calmed back down.

The stranger across from me would never know this. She wouldn’t understand it even if she did. These people were mere flies that would one day rot away along with their empire, and that knowledge alone was enough.

The negotiations continued after that, and Granuel agreed in the end to sell a lot of our stock from our most recent excursion to her, much to my silent chagrin. This merchant did offer the best deal that could be found, if barely, so she got the deal. That was just how the world of business worked.

“Why not just open your own store and sell it with a fixed price?” I asked, once the last visit of the day was done and we could finally have lunch.

“That’d take a lot of time to set up. But I do have it in the works, actually. I’m trying to train people in both buying and selling. However, the main reason why that isn’t a priority is that it’s clear most of our revenue is going to come from our own hunts, and we’re going to be hitting the road soon anyway. I’d rather get some practice dealing with people here, and with such high-level goods, because I’d have to sell the product of our kills across many different places once we begin our ultimate caravan tour.”

“Huh. Neat. Well, good luck with that, and go earn me some money!”

I walked back home after that whole experience, shuffling in my heavy armor, dodging a sickly woman running from a guard, and buying tacos from a stall.

I had visited my friend in his workplace today just to get involved and see what it was all about. But I was still left perplexed as to how Granuel could possibly enjoy his job. I did not wish to ever do that again.

Before I knew it, I had arrived back at the foot of our hill. I climbed up, reached the house, knocked, and then smiled as the massive door opened and Moonwash greeted me from the other side. She lived here now, even before we started truly dating. We’d just gotten way too used to living under the same roof, and now we shared the same bed. It was great.

“Haell,” she greeted, “Welcome home. I was waiting for you.”

“Oh? Miss me?” I smirked cheekily.

“I do,” she admitted. “Can you go down to the basement? I need some of your blood. I’m trying to make enchantments with them, and there’s also this experiment I want to do with soaking an object in it long term.”

“Wait, did you miss me, or did you just want to drain me!” I complained as I followed her inside.

“All three.”

“Three!?”

“Three,” she confirmed.

“Right… can we have lunch first, please?”

She looked at me, and the taco I was eating.

“You haven’t had lunch yet?”

“Nah. This is just my twelfth taco.”

“Ah, so you must be starving then,” she said blandly as her own stomach rumbled.

“Exactly.” I grabbed her hand, and we changed course for the kitchen. “I’m so hungry, I could eat a whole dragon.”

“You know how big they are, right? You literally don’t have the stomach.”

“Watch me.”

The next day, I went out with all of The Harvesters to a place that I had shockingly never visited. It was a large building that looked almost reminiscent of a temple mixed with a medieval office building, but too large for either one. A centaur guard stood beside the door, a booth on the other side manned by a human, and a poorly-hidden grey-skinned belfegor person that hung and watched from the rafters. There was a large sign just below the latter which stated in bold and capital letters: "THE ADVENTURER'S GUILD."

"I think we're here." I couldn't help but joke. I wasn’t doing the whole silent act anymore, at least not entirely. Ignoring everyone else was fine, but I had to at least be able to talk to my friends. I didn’t want to be silent! Latest content publıshed on novelhall.com

"No," Moonwash deadpanned. "It can't be."

The rest snickered and agreed, meanwhile Therick walked up to the receptionist, showed his bronze badge, named us as his party, and then we were all promptly let through.

Once inside, a wave of cool air hit me, followed by a curious sight that made my eyes watch in rapt attention. As weird as it might sound, this was actually my first time actually going to the adventurer's guild despite how much of my life had been spent adjacent to the lifestyle.

This place was a mess.

Not in the sense of things being cluttered and dirty, but in the sense of the design and the vibes of the place being all weird and confusing.

First of all, the main hall was too large. There was a bar, religious iconography, a place for prayers, a library, some sort of training or sparring area, and of course the guild receptionists towards the back. All without a single wall separating any of them!

There were plenty of adventurers in every area, engaging in all the expected activities therein, while also trying to act refined like nobility. I had to admit that their gear looked cool though, being sourced from predominantly monster parts. I had asked Moonwash about making some for me before, and she had made a few pieces, but these sorts of materials were apparently weaker to a vastly varying degree than when a creature was alive, and things like focuses suffered some of the least degradation in general.

Our group walked as one towards the reception, interested in the sights, but not intimidated. We waited in the short line that had formed, and the receptionist called out to us the moment it was our turn.

“Therick, it’s good to see you!” The human man’s eyes passed over Moonwash, and then lingered on me. “How can I help you today?”

“Hello Melo. I’m here to register these three to my party.”

“Three new people? You’re finally opening up The Harvesters? Today must be a blessed day.” He wrote down a few things and then extended her right hand in a ‘gimme’ gesture. “I’ll need your badges please.”

Berry gave her silver badge, and I gave my own of the same rank. It was ridiculous that we were of the same rank, when I had never set foot in a guild building

Luine had prepared all my credentials for me in advance, as the guild examinations might reveal that I was not as I seemed. She mentioned how with this method, I was safe even if my records were shown to be a fake, because I was a Zharignan. People would just assume that it was my grandfather's name that allowed me to cheat my way up the ranks.

That was useful. It was also . I was a veteran of many battles, and I had done more than enough to earn a mere silver!

The receptionist nodded, and then turned to Moonwash. “And her?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh… did you lose it? We can issue a new one for–”

“No. I never had one. I came here to register.”

“Ah. I see.” The man turned to Therick. “To clarify, you want her to join your party?”

“Yes. After she gets registered.”

The receptionist hesitated for a second. “I mean no offense, but is it wise to take a beginner…”

My teeth involuntarily clenched upon his words as my immediate thought was that he was insulting my girlfriend, but I kept myself under control. He had a very fair point, I had to admit. Moonwash was more than capable, I knew that from experience, but she really had no credentials at all as far as the guild was concerned. Maybe she was known for selling some crafts every now and then, but that wasn’t the job of an adventurer.

“I’m sure,” Therick answered. “I know she’s competent, and we work well together.”

The receptionist thought for a moment, before he acquiesced and pulled out the necessary papers. He explained how the ranking system worked to Moonwash, which I also listened in on because probably needed this lesson the most.

Bronze was generally level 10, Silver was 20, Gold 40, and finally there was the Hero rank for 80. I found it amusing how the ranks just abruptly broke its theme when it came to the Hero rank, but it was understandable. Few people ever made it to that level, and I believed it was actually a rank named after my grandfather’s legendary party, The Heroes.

Additionally, it possible to get a higher rank different than the levels typically assigned to them if someone showed competency far beyond the norm. I was sure I could do it… but it was better not to draw attention like that, no matter how I wanted to show off.

Moonwash filled out the forms, proved she could pay the fees, and then we were led to an open space in the backyard for testing. It was basically a formality at this point because the level 40 receptionist was capable of using level sense, and my girlfriend more than qualified for a silver badge, but they couldn’t just break procedures.

An old rugged instructor reconfirmed Moonwash level, and the scary-looking human woman who was actually lower-leveled than the receptionist nodded at what she saw.

Next came the practical examinations. Moonwash had called herself a mage, and so she was asked to show one of her spells. My girlfriend agreed, and she concentrated with her staff for a few long seconds before summoning a massive fireball that crashed against the ground, sending sparks flying and even setting a few of the nearby bushes on fire. The eyes of the watching adventurers nearly popped out from the sight, and soon a bigger crowd had formed. No one here was over level 40, so Moonwash’s spell had really impressed.

“Impressive maximum attack power,” the instructor agreed, “but you cannot channel for that long during live combat.”

“I can.”

“...What? Have you fought before?”

“Yes. My allies will protect me while I prepare myself.”

The old lady laughed. “You’re right. That’s what a party is for. To cover each other’s weaknesses. But I want to see how you’d defend yourself if you were the one being attacked, and what your offensive looks like under pressure.”

“Okay.” Moonwash lifted her tower shield, and clasped her fire staff tighter with the other hand. It was similar to the one she’d made with goeath parts, but even better, so her flames now burned ever hotter.

The instructor grinned and drew a rapier from her belt. “Don’t hold back.”

Her body blurred, and she dodged the wave of fire that came her way with ease, even if the sheer heat of it still managed to cause her discomfort. The older woman curled her path to the side, and Moonwash was just a little bit too slow to react in her full plate armor. The rapier struck her side, and I nearly screamed in worry and rage. My body was tense and coiled like a spring, ready to show that stranger what true strength really was!

I managed to do a very public murder of an important individual, thankfully. I knew intellectually that it was just a test, she had aimed for a very non-vital area, and I could see healers on standby off to the side. Moonwash wasn’t even hurt because the old lady had held back and her armor was very tough.

Still, I seethed silently where I stood. Berry and Granuel noticed, so they began patting my back in support, or to calm me down. Perhaps both. The scenario was just incongruous enough, that I began to laugh.

“Decent movements…” the instructor commented, gathering her thoughts and completely oblivious to our byplay. “But you’re never going to keep up with me in this getup. It also restricts the effectiveness of your sweat.”

“It’s fine,” Moonwash answered. “The purpose of the armor is to buy time for my friends to help me.”

The old lady smirked at my girlfriend’s answer. “Is that so?” She shook her head. “I just think it’s a damn shame because you have gotten a gold-ranked badge if you could move better.”

Moonwash seemed to think that over for a few seconds. “What can I do with a gold-rank badge?”

The stranger shrugged. “Better quests, harder quests, invitations to many functions. And it’d open many other doors for you.”

“I’ll have to think about it,” Moonwash said after another pause. I got the sense that she was actually interested. “Did I pass the test, or is there more?”

“No. You definitely qualify for silver.” She yelled instructions to some of the people on standby. “I’m Kily by the way. Come see me if you ever decide you want to try for gold. I don’t mind giving you some training. Just between you and me, you can just wear lighter armor for the test, and then switch back to whatever you like out there.”

Moonwash thanked Kily for the offer, and the both of them shook hands.