Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

The staff on the other side were startled when they saw such a large number of gnoll ears.

Did they massacre the gnoll camp?

The guild also has powerful adventurers I don't recognize?

Thinking to himself, he quietly sized up the person who came down.

He suddenly froze on the spot, then a fawning smile appeared on his face: "Mr. Rhodes, is that right?"

"Yes, it's me."

Rhodes was somewhat surprised.

Did the lobby manager, Orion, give you a heads-up?

wrong.

Orion has no reason to treat himself this way.

He immediately thought of his conversation with Stanley that day. Could it be the chairman?

Why is he so good to me?

The staff member said a few words to the person next to him, then politely addressed Rhodes:

"Dear Mr. Rhodes, a gnoll ear costs one silver coin."

He counted them briefly: "There are twenty-three here in total. I'll round it up for you, so it's twenty-five silver coins in total."

Rhodes took the silver coin, weighed it in his hand, and put it in his pocket.

"No, didn't you say the gnoll ears didn't try to lower our price?"

"Why is it that he gets one silver coin while we get 75 copper coins?"

The male adventurer panicked upon seeing this.

He loudly questioned the staff member opposite him.

The staff member rolled their eyes inwardly.

He thought to himself that this was an adventurer specially taken care of by the guild leader.

Acquisitions naturally come with a premium.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the stairs.

The elderly Orion came up to the second floor and affectionately patted Rhodes on the shoulder:

"Rhodes, did you come to the guild just to sell things?"

Rhodes smiled and nodded.

Otherwise, I'd like to become your alchemist?

Orion's smile remained unchanged: "How's the recent mission investigation going?"

"Come on, let's go to my office and talk. I'll let you try my Yawan black tea."

As they disappeared down the stairs, the staff member finally answered the two adventurers' question:

"See that?"

"If you can get personally received by Director Orion every time you come, the purchase price will be one silver coin."

......

Inside Orion's office.

Two steaming, exquisite teacups were placed in front of the two, with a teapot and a small bowl of rock sugar in the middle.

The teacup contains pure, clear amber-colored black tea, exuding a delicate and fresh aroma.

Although Rhodes didn't particularly enjoy tea, he could still taste the expensive flavor in its rich and mellow taste.

"What findings have you made in your recent investigation into petrification disease?"

Orion spoke with a chuckle.

Rhodes clicked his tongue and shook his head, saying, "Nothing much was gained. We visited Mr. Nathan, but unfortunately, we didn't get any useful clues."

"Ha." Orion's attitude turned somewhat hostile upon hearing this name.

"Nathan, that old guy, was very arrogant back in the guild, always looking down on everyone just because he was a mid-level alchemist."

"Now that they've aligned themselves with the town mayor, they don't respect us guilds at all."

Rhodes had a sudden thought: "What kind of person is the mayor?"

"Mayor," Orion began, taking a sip of his red tea.

"Thirty years ago, both the current mayor, Phoenix, and the current president of the Adventurers' Guild, Stanley, were outstanding adventurers under the old president."

"In those days, as other races attacked and harassed Phil Town more and more frequently, they followed the old guild leader to fight everywhere."

"The old guild master is undoubtedly a hero of Phil Town, and they are the two most popular and strongest adventurers under him."

When he said this, Rhodes sensed a deep respect in Orion's tone.

At a time when humanity was abandoned by the gods, and most powerful adventurers chose to seek refuge in the three major cities.

The old guild master resolutely chose to gather adventurers to defend the remote town of Phil and his hometown.

Rhodes was not without a touch of emotion at Orion's expression.

"Until twenty years ago, the old chairman stepped down and left the town of Phil, and Stanley was elected as the new chairman. Five years later, the old mayor stepped down, and Phoenix became the new mayor."

"Please wait a moment," Rhodes interrupted.

"Is Phil Town the old chairman's hometown? Why did he leave after stepping down?"

Orion sighed deeply.

"The old chairman's biggest regret in life was being forced to give up half of the town to establish the sunrise and sunset zones."

"We all know that this is a last resort to protect the remaining humans in the face of pressure from the combined forces of various races."

"No one has ever blamed him for this."

"But the former president doesn't think so."

He said, "Since it's humankind's homeland that was given up in half to a foreign race, then what kind of town hero am I?"

Orion paused, then used the tea to calm the emotions welling up inside him.

So, twenty years ago.

"On the day he stepped down, he disappeared into the night alone."

"No one ever saw him again..."

Rhodes sensed the atmosphere.

Without saying anything, he silently picked up his black tea and took a sip.

I was just trying to find out about the town mayor, but I ended up learning about the heroic deeds of the former chairman.

Every era has its heroes with such passionate spirit.

The manager of Orion also fell silent.

Only when the pot of black tea was emptied and the staff tactfully refilled it did Orion continue speaking:

"Later, Phoenix became the mayor of the town."

"As time went by, the passionate young man who once charged into battle was gone."

"He gradually became obsessed with money and had a falling out with Stanley."

"In the end, he even stopped caring about many things in the town, leaving all the burdens on Chairman Stanley's shoulders."

Rhodes's impression of the mayor deepened even further.

People always change.

Can understand.

But will he become a ruthless person for his own selfish desires?

Rhodes thought of the petrification disease and then of Nathan's attitude that day.

If all of this was done by the two of them, what role did Nathan play in it?

"Manager, manager!"

Just as the two were talking, a guild staff member rushed in in a panic.

"What happened?" Orion asked.

"The mayor of Phoenix is ​​here, saying he's here to cause you trouble..."

The staff member started speaking, but then lowered his voice when he saw there were still customers.

Where is he?

"I'm right here."

An arrogant voice came from the doorway.

The newcomer was dressed in a luxurious, fitted robe with a deep purple silk collar, embroidered with vine-like patterns in gold thread. He held a magnificent silver cane with a jewel-encrusted top.

A strong sense of luxury permeates the air.

The mayor, with the same arrogance as Nathan, glanced at Orion:

"Olion, why haven't the materials Nathan asked for arrived yet?"

"Don't you know who he works for?"

Orion gave a simple bow and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Nathan needs an enormous amount of alchemical materials, and the guild needs time to prepare them."

"snort."

Phoenix let out a disdainful sound from his nose.

"The guild these days is really not what it used to be. They can't even handle something this simple. What's wrong with Stanley?"

Seeing that no one spoke, he looked around and spotted Rhodes in the reception room.

"And who are you?"

Rhodes rose and bowed: "Rhodes of the Adventurers' Guild."

"Oh, I've heard of you." Phoenix maintained his condescending gaze, which lingered on Rhodes and Orion.

"It seems Stanley values ​​you highly."

"I thought he was some kind of talent, but he's just a half-baked mage who hasn't even been ranked yet."

"That's why I say the Adventurers' Guild is not what it used to be."