In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

Chapter 106 Good Karma

The Adventurers' Guild is very efficient.

The next day, Wang Yan received a message from the association saying that his commission had been accepted by someone else and that he should go to the Adventurers' Association to discuss the details with them.

After giving the child who had come to deliver the message a Mora as a reward, Wang Yan went directly to the Adventurers' Guild.

When Wang Yan entered the Adventurers' Guild, perhaps because it was too early, there were fewer people in the hall than yesterday.

He went straight to the counter, where Catherine was smiling as she greeted another adventurer.

Upon seeing Wang Yan, she nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

After the previous adventurer left, Catherine spoke up, "Mr. Wang Yan, your quest to find a caravan traveling along the same route back to Liyue has been accepted. The accepting party is a representative of the Liyue Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, who is currently in the waiting area."

She gestured to a relatively quiet corner on one side of the hall.

Wang Yan looked in the direction and saw a young man dressed in Liyue-style clothing sitting on a wooden chair.

The man was about twenty or thirty years old, wearing an indigo blue long gown with a light gray short jacket over it, and a dark belt around his waist. His attire was neat yet elegant.

He sat upright, and the teacup beside him had already cooled down, indicating that he had been waiting for a while.

As Wang Yan walked over, the other person noticed him, immediately stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said in a standard and natural manner: "My name is Yun Gui, and I am honored to serve as the manager of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce."

Wang Yan subconsciously raised his hand in return, saying, "Wang Yan, I'll trouble you with this task."

Yun Gui's expression was gentle, and her tone was polite: "Mr. Wang Yan, you are too kind. During my time in Sumeru City, I have heard a lot about your deeds. We are both from Liyue, so it is only right that we look out for each other."

After a polite remark, he continued, "Miss Catherine has briefly explained your request: to arrive in Liyue Harbor before the Lantern Festival and to travel with a reliable caravan."

"As it happens, our guild has a shipment of goods to transport back to Liyue. The fleet will depart from Skypiea in three days, making a brief stop at Ormos Harbor before heading straight to Liyue Harbor. If all goes well, the voyage will take about eight to ten days, and we should be able to arrive before the Lantern Festival."

He paused briefly, then continued, "There are still cabins available on board. If Mr. Wang doesn't mind, he can travel with us. The merchant guild's ships regularly travel between Sumeru and Liyue; they are sturdy and equipped with guards, so you can rest assured of their safety. As for the compensation—"

At this moment, Catherine approached and spoke up, "You two can discuss the details of the mission yourselves. Once you've finished negotiating, please call me, and I will draw up a formal contract for you both as proof."

Yun Gui quickly waved her hand: "No, no, no, I meant to say that we can forget about the reward. The Chamber of Commerce doesn't lack that little bit of money. Just consider it a favor for us on the way."

He looked at Wang Yan: "Mr. Wang Yan, you just need to settle the commission fees with the Adventurers' Guild."

"No reward?" Catherine nodded slightly. "The association will take one percent of the three thousand Mora as a cut, and the remaining two thousand nine hundred and seventy Mora will be returned."

The Adventurers' Guild takes a cut of the commissions it issues, though it's not much, just one percent. This is one of the sources of funding for the Adventurers' Guild's operations.

As for other sources of funding, the majority comes from the headquarters of Zhidong.

"This... isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Wang Yan refused. "The price is what it should be; there's no reason not to take the money."

Yun Gui smiled and said, "Mr. Wang Yan, don't worry, this is not an exception. You should know Qi Shan, right? She also rides our boat and doesn't have to pay either."

"Is the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce doing charity work?" Wang Yan remarked with some emotion.

"It's not really a good deed, just a way to build good karma," Yun Gui said with a smile. She then explained to Wang Yan, "If it were ordinary merchants traveling by boat, the Chamber of Commerce would charge them for the ticket, but since you and Qi Shan are scholars who have joined the Academy of Teachings, we won't charge you."

"It's not easy for Liyue people to get into the Order of the Liyue Academy, so it's a great investment to make a good connection with them."

Yun Gui didn't say anything fancy; she simply told Wang Yan plainly that this was investment.

Ultimately, the Order of the Netherworld has the final say on Sumeru. There aren't many scholars from Liyue who have entered the Order of the Netherworld, so they definitely need to manage their relationships well.

Even if only one of these scholars eventually becomes a scholar at the level of "Word-like Tea", it will be a pure profit for the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce.

In Xumi, business matters are often difficult to explain. However, if someone like [Ci Ban Cha] speaks up for you, the matter may be resolved.

Compared to the potential future benefits, what is the cost of the ticket?

Besides, even if the entire army is wiped out, not a single scholar will become a [Hebancha]. Does the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce not have the ability to lose this small investment?

For the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce, it's all about casting a wide net; if they catch something, they'll make a profit, and if they don't, it doesn't matter.

Wang Yan ultimately did not refuse this kindness, after all, one of his identities is that of a Liyue person, and it would be abnormal to keep refusing.

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation."

"Haha, no problem, no problem. The Chamber of Commerce has other matters to attend to." Yun Gui stood up. "Then see you at Tianbi Pool in three days."

"Alright, Manager Yun, take care."

After watching the manager of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce leave, Wang Yan followed Catherine to the counter to process the refund. Then, after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Catherine, can the association help deliver the letter?"

"Of course, delivering letters is part of an adventurer's job," Catherine said with a smile. "However, international letters are not cheap. If there are goods accompanying the letter, we suggest you find a caravan to help deliver it, or directly place an escort order."

Clearly, someone had used the guise of delivering mail to send goods before, which is why Catherine gave this warning.

"If there are no goods, then a letter. I will send it to Desia of the Blazing Beast Hunter."

Wang Yan took out a letter he had written yesterday after returning home. It asked Dixia if she would like to be the protagonist in his storybook, and included a short adventure story.

The story is simple: Desia and her friends go on an adventure, encounter monsters, and then use their wits to defeat them and obtain treasure.

The monster in the story is a super fire slime, and the wisdom of Desia and her friends is to extinguish the flames with water.

(This might be too childish for a child, but it's just right for a scholar like Wang Yan from the Imperial Academy.)

"Dishia of the Blazing Beast Hunter—" Catherine nodded slightly, "According to the association's intelligence, the Blazing Beast Hunter is still active in the desert area recently. If you want to send a letter there, it will cost 500 Mora. You can ask an adventurer who is going the same way to take it. If you can wait for Dishia to return to Sumeru City and hand over the letter, then it will only cost 100 Mora."

If it's just for delivering mail, 500 Mora definitely won't be enough, but it's much cheaper if it's along the way.

However, Wang Yan was not in a hurry. Besides, what if he sent the letter only to find that Dixia had already returned to Sumeru City? Wouldn't that be a joke?

He remembered that the camp there was almost finished being built, and Dixia should be returning to Sumeru City soon.

"Then let's give her 100 Mora. We'll give her the letter when she gets back." Wang Yan took out 100 Mora from the refunded amount and handed it to Catherine.

Catherine took Mora from him and registered the quest: "If there is a reply later, and you are already in Liyue, we will send it to the Liyue Adventurers' Guild. After you return to Liyue, if you have a fixed residence, it would be better to leave your information at the Liyue branch, which will make things more convenient."

The Adventurers' Guild has a very sophisticated information transmission system.

So travelers can receive letters from friends no matter where they are.

Wang Yan nodded: "Okay, I got it. Goodbye."

Goodbye, thank you for choosing the Adventurers' Guild.

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