"Hahahaha...! Money! Money! Money!" Sage's eyes were blinding with golden light as he looked at the stack of gold coins in front of him. He even rubbed his face with the gold coins and smelled them with an intoxicated look on his face.
"Hah! Now this is what I'm talking about," he exhaled softly as he caressed the gold coins as if he were looking at the most beautiful woman in the world. "Now I won't go hungry again."
Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he reflected on the struggles and hardships he had faced a few days ago. Now, with this money, his situation would improve.
Although it's not much, just 25 gold coins plus the additional 5% from the mission reward once it's successfully completed, he will end up with at least 37 gold coins in his pockets.
It may not seem like much to some, but to him, it feels like a significant amount. With this money, his life will finally become much easier.
"But before that, I need to pay back Mama Arya's money." He gradually calmed and started thinking. Mama Arya is the woman he has been in debt to for the past three days, and he has to pay the money back. He doesn't want to be seen as someone who is ungrateful and leeches off others without paying.
Thinking of this, his eyes glanced at the mission posted on the Mission Board as he fell into deeper thought. Currently, he has successfully secured his first mission; all that remains now is to register an Adventurer who can complete that mission.
Without any Adventurer to complete that mission, it will just be there, and furthermore, he will lose a customer. Not only that, but his faint and flickering 'reputation' might take a hit, and he can't afford that now.
"Hmmm! What do I do now?" Sage's fingers drummed on the desk as countless thoughts raced in his mind. He can't go and complete the mission himself as it's against the system rules, and besides, he doesn't even have the strength to complete that mission either, even if he wanted to. And worst of all, he can't go out and pull people in to come and register as Adventurers.
All he has to do now is wait, but the right time is the only thing he can't afford. Edmund will be staying in Greyvale City until the mission is complete, and if he doesn't see any progress, this will be bad for him.
Also, because he lied, saying that business has been in operation for three months, in Edmund's perspective, that means the Adventurer Guild is doing well and the mission will be completed in no time. Because of this lie, it has also put him in a very difficult situation.
"Sigh! Looks like I dropped a stone on my foot." Sage chuckled bitterly. He had to admit he really didn't think this through when he lied; he was in a hurry to earn money that he forgot about the consequences that come with lying.
"Hello! Is anyone in here!"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted him, pulling him out of his deep thoughts.
Sage's eyes flew open wide; he looked over the receptionist desk as his eyes landed on the entrance where a tall man was clad in crude well-worn segmented armor that covered his vitals: chest plates, leg guards, gauntlets, and a long sheathed sword strapped to his waist. His long green hair was pulled into a ponytail, his green eyes looking around with suspicion.
"Good lord, goodness gracious!" Sage raised his hands up high, his body trembling in excitement. "Is it that today the great goddess of luck has finally found me handsome and decided to bless me?"
Sage's eyes were wet with tears as he looked at the man standing at the entrance as if he were looking at his savior.
He didn't waste a second as he darted out from behind the receptionist desk; his speed was quite blinding for a mortal like him.
"Welcome, Sir, to the Adventurer Guild!" Sage put on his unchanging professional smile as he smiled at the man.
The man was quite taken aback seeing a scrawny kid appear abruptly in front of him; he took a few steps back, his hand immediately resting on the hilt of his sword.
Sage immediately sweated when he saw this; he quickly took a few steps and bowed to the man. "Please, sir, I didn't mean to startle you."
The man scrutinized Sage up and down for a few moments before his grip on his sword relaxed.
Sage heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this. He smiled at the man and said, "Please come and sit down!" He gestured towards the receptionist desk as he pulled the chair for the man to sit down.
The man was not pretentious and sat down, his sharp green eyes were constantly scanning the place for anything suspicious.
Sage sat in his chair, hands clasped, still with his professional smile adorning his lips."Please, sir, how may I address you?"
The man's eyes finally landed on Sage."My name is Gregor... Gregor Windsoul!"
"Well then, Sir Gregor Windsoul, I welcome you to the Adventurer Guild. My name is Sage, and I'm the Guildmaster of the Adventurer Guild. How may I be of service to you? Do you want to be registered as an Adventurer or post a mission?"
Gregor raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is what was written at the entrance true? I can accept missions here, complete them, and earn money?"
"Yes, that's right," Sage nodded and then continued, "As long as you are an Adventurer, you can accept a mission here, and after you have completed it, you will get your reward."
Gregor rubbed his sharp chin and thought for a moment before asking, "Please, Guildmaster Sage, can you elaborate more on what this Adventurer Guild thing is? I've never heard of it in Greyvale before?"
Sage chuckled softly. He had already expected this. "Well, you're not wrong. This Guild is the first of its kind," he said, leaning forward on the desk. "And you, Gregor Windsoul, might just become the very first Adventurer in history."