The Guild Hall hung in an unusual stillness following Sage's declaration. It was no longer the shocked silence that had preceded it, nor the explosive uproar that erupted after his initial words.
This silence was heavier, more palpable, as if the very air had thickened around them. Hundreds of Adventurers stood frozen in place, their faces turned toward the man seated at the desk, a complex mix of disbelief, reverence, greed, fear, and something far more perilous...hope.
Sage observed them quietly. He noted how some clenched their fists, knuckles turning white as buried ambitions surged to the surface. Others swallowed hard, their eyes flickering with unease as they began to grasp the potential for Noble retaliation.
He recognized gratitude forming among a few, a raw emotion born from the belief that someone had willingly stepped into danger on their behalf.
And he sensed a budding worship in certain gazes, subtle and unspoken yet unmistakably present.
