Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

"That's how you humans are," Avira shook her head.

"Hey, don't be discriminatory. There are still a few young, handsome, and exceptionally talented genius mages among humans."

"Heh." Ivy rolled her eyes.

Paril retorted, "What are you 'hehing' about? Rhodes's rule doesn't apply?"

Thank you, my mouth double.

Rhodes was secretly pleased.

The warrior named Hank had already paid his bill and left sometime earlier, but the discussion about goblins in the tavern did not stop.

The adventurers and soldiers didn't take the matter too seriously; it was the civilians whose faces were filled with worry.

"I heard that over a hundred goblins came last night, and even the southern wall of the town was blown up."

"I've heard about it too, but everything's been fine all these years, so why did war suddenly break out?"

"After all, Mayor Phoenix and Chairman Stanley are gone, so the goblins must be eyeing the town again."

"Sigh, we've only just repelled one wave of goblins. I wonder if other races will continue to attack."

"Let them attack. Anyway, there are no other human towns around, so they can't escape. In the end, they'll just end up being used as slaves and resources."

The common people's perspective was somewhat pessimistic.

But that makes sense. Given the current status of humanity, being able to eat your fill and not be taken away as human resources is already a paradise for ordinary people.

However, the paradise called Phil Town seemed to crumble even faster than they had anticipated.

After the three finished their meal and left the tavern, they found that two of the town mayor's guards were already waiting at the door.

They bowed to Rhodes: "The mayor requests your presence."

Rhodes was somewhat surprised, gave Ivy a look, and then agreed.

Although the new acting mayor was very polite, Rhodes didn't really like him.

I always felt that Sam was more like a shrewd businessman than a small-town manager.

Since she wasn't carrying any weapons, she had Avira settle Paril in before coming over to be on guard.

Rhodes firmly adhered to the principle that one should always be wary of others.

He walked slowly behind the two guards.

The strange feeling of being watched came again, but this time Rhodes didn't do anything; instead, he smiled.

The mayor's workplace is not in the Adventurers' Guild, but in a luxurious office building near the Sunrise District.

He arrived at the office door and waited for the mayor's guard to announce his arrival.

Then a guard rushed out, bowed, and said, "You may go in now."

This office is enormous, almost the size of the entire Griffin Tavern.

The gold-threaded curtains were drawn, but the room was not dark.

A magical glow emanated from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, casting a soft light on the red solid wood tables and cabinets inside.

A huge oil painting hangs next to the table and cabinet.

The oil painting depicts a scene of farmers harvesting a bountiful crop.

Rhodes walked into the office, his boots making almost no sound on the thick, soft carpet.

Acting Mayor Sam sat behind an oversized desk, dressed rather casually.

He handed over a glass of water and said, "Don't misunderstand, these are all Phoenix's assets. Apart from that painting, I personally don't really like these things."

Rhodes glanced at the water but didn't drink it: "I wonder what business the mayor has with me?"

Sam stroked his curly mustache and said, "I'll just get straight to the point. You witnessed the goblins' attack last night."

"The situation in Phil is very dangerous right now."

Rhodes then followed up, "What do you mean?"

Sam continued, "Do you know why Rhodes was able to single-handedly challenge all the alien races surrounding the town when the old chairman was still in office?"

"How was he able to preserve Phil Town in the southern part of the continent, so far away from the three main cities?"

He didn't give Rhodes a chance to speak, and continued, "Because of his strength."

"The strength of a chief-level warrior is terrifying, while the leaders of other alien races near the town are only at the mid-level according to our assessment."

"These races' ceiling is only mid-tier?" Rhodes asked.

"Of course not. These alien races were simply abandoned by the main force and gradually formed camps or tribes over time."

"Their true powerhouses are all in the northern part of the continent."

"Understood," Rhodes replied briefly.

"Now that the old chairman is long gone and two mid-level warriors are dead, our balance has been broken."

"There are only two core members in the entire town, and one of them is away from home."

"If another alien coalition were to attack us again, we would have no chance of resisting."

Sam suddenly became agitated: "We can't just sit here and wait to die any longer."

"I have a plan."

"We'll launch a surprise attack, taking the initiative to assault the goblin camp!"

Rhodes nodded, awaiting further developments.

"The goblin camp has only one mid-level player, their leader Zarido, a mid-level barbarian."

"But we have Vanessa."

"Vanessa led a small team of elite adventurers and my guards in a surprise attack on the goblin camp, and killed Zalido!"

Rhodes listened while considering the feasibility of the plan.

Vanessa's strength is close to that of a chief-level warrior, and with the addition of a group of elite warriors, their chances of winning are not small.

If successful, it would not only reduce a mid-level enemy, but also deter other races with similar ambitions to some extent.

That's a good idea.

Rhodes began, "So you want me to participate too?"

"Yes!" Sam nodded. "You were rated as an elite as soon as you joined the Adventurers' Guild, and you're a mage, making you an indispensable member of the team."

Who else is in the team?

"Vanessa, you, the other two members of the council, and two skilled guards from the town, make a total of six."

"In terms of strength, all of them except Vanessa are elite-level."

"You know, a sneak attack doesn't require a big show of force."

"I agree," Rhodes said after a moment's thought.

This mission doesn't sound difficult, especially with Vanessa as a powerful ally, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

"That's great! If there's anything you can help with, just let me know."

"Well, I do have some," Rhodes immediately chimed in.

Sam was taken aback.

This was just a polite way of saying something, like, "Let's get together again sometime, I'll treat you to dinner another day, definitely next time."

The next sentence was about to send the guest away, but unexpectedly, Rhodes actually had a need, or rather, "some" needs?

"you say."

"Mayor, you know," Rhodes smiled, "I'm just a newbie who recently joined the Adventurers' Guild, and all my equipment is scavenged."

"I would feel guilty if I dragged Lady Vanessa into trouble during the sneak attack."

"Hmm, the guild warehouse can lend you a few decent pieces of equipment." Sam nodded.

They're fairly easy to talk to.

"I also have a staff for sale, for use by a necromancer mage."

"Is it the one the goblin mage had last night?" Sam asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes," Rhodes readily admitted.

If it weren't for the class restriction, this staff might have been of epic quality.

"Okay, bring the staff over, and I'll find a way to sell it." Sam agreed after a slight hesitation.

"Is there anything else?"

"Also, I need intelligence, all the information about the goblin camp."

"That's easy. I'll have someone get you a detailed explanation from the database." Sam paused, then added somewhat uncertainly:

"Is there... anything else?"

"That's all, thank you, Mayor." Rhodes smiled broadly.