Translator: CinderTL
Noticing Lilith's probing gaze, Avril instinctively wrinkled her delicate nose. Though Theresa maintained a composed expression, her tense posture betrayed her inner unease.
Roland met Lilith's weathered gaze with a slight lift of his eyebrows, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword.
"Greetings, Lady Lilith," he said, his voice deep and steady. "May I ask what important matter prompted you to invite us here?"
"Important matter? No, hmhm." Lilith chuckled softly, stepping forward with graceful strides. "I simply wished to become acquainted with you all."
Her violet eyes shimmered in the candlelight. "After all, a mere quartet capable of consecutively slaying Bear Goblins... such prowess..."
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze bypassing the two young women behind Roland to focus intently on him. "Even across the entire continent, few mercenary bands or adventurer groups could achieve such a feat."
As she drew closer, a faint, ethereal fragrance of dark blue blossoms drifted to Roland's nostrils. Sensing this, he subtly retreated half a step, maintaining a precisely measured distance.
"Thank you for the compliment, but I doubt you invited me here just for pleasantries."
Seeing no flicker of hesitation in Roland's eyes, Lilith frowned almost imperceptibly, but her expression smoothed out in an instant.
She straightened her posture, her slender fingers lightly covering her crimson lips.
"Mr. Roland, you certainly get straight to the point. Very well..."
The silver chain that slipped from her sleeve refracted tiny sparks of light under the candlelight.
"I'll cut to the chase."
Lilith abandoned her earlier languid demeanor, meeting Roland's gaze directly.
"According to the Adventurer's Guild regulations, each year, every mercenary or adventurer and their team are evaluated based on the number and difficulty of completed commissions."
She turned gracefully, her slender figure casting an elegant silhouette in the candlelight.
Her long, delicate fingers picked up a pristine parchment from the table and extended it toward Roland.
"The higher the rank, the more challenging the commissions you can accept, and naturally, the rewards become far more substantial. Moreover..."
A meaningful smile curved her lips.
"We also provide exclusive, personalized services to high-ranking adventurers and mercenary organizations."
Roland bowed slightly as he accepted the parchment, his fingertips registering the paper's distinctive, delicate texture.
"We have invited you here today to formally inform you that your team has successfully passed the Adventurer's Guild's assessment and now meets the qualifications for an A-Rank Adventurer Team."
"Therefore, we would like to ask whether you are willing to accept the A-Rank Adventurer Team certification."
As Lilith made her announcement, Roland lowered his gaze and carefully examined the contents recorded on the parchment.
Exclusive intelligence privileges
Guild shopping discounts
Priority access to waystations
As his eyes scanned the dozens of exclusive service terms, Roland's brow gradually furrowed.
It wasn't that the conditions were insufficient; rather, he suddenly realized that the Adventurer's Guild's sphere of influence extended far beyond what he had imagined.
Several of the privileges could only be offered through deep collaboration with the upper echelons of certain nations or organizations.
Noticing Roland's grave expression, Lilith seemed to misunderstand his concerns and gently explained, "Of course, even if you accept the A-Rank Adventurer Team certification, the process for accepting commissions will remain the same as before. We will never force you to accept any mission."
Upon hearing these words, Roland nodded almost imperceptibly.
With his current strength and demonstrated talent, he was more than qualified to join any organization.
Even the Shadow Veil Organization, renowned for its elite membership within the Merchant Faction of the River Domain Nations, would likely accept him without hesitation if he simply asked. At most, he might start as a probationary member, similar to Avril.
The fundamental reason Roland had yet to join any organization was his desire to remain free from all constraints.
Compared to the privileges and abundant resources offered by joining such groups, Roland believed that freedom was far more valuable, except in truly exceptional circumstances.
Therefore, after hearing Lilith's words, Roland returned the parchment to her and said slowly, "Thank you for your recognition, Lady Lilith. However..."
He glanced back at Theresa and Avril before continuing with a hint of apology, "I need to discuss this matter thoroughly with my team members before making a decision."
"Of course, that's perfectly understandable," Lilith replied.
Lilith showed no trace of regret, simply retrieving two parchment scrolls from a drawer.
"Mr. Roland, this scroll contains the combat technique the Adventurer's Guild previously promised you."
She handed one scroll to Roland.
Roland hefted the thick scroll containing the combat technique, but instead of examining it immediately, he tucked it into his waist pouch.
Seeing Roland's actions, a flicker of approval flashed in Lilith's eyes as she extended the other parchment scroll.
"And this scroll details a quest suitable for A-Rank Adventurer Teams. It might help you make your decision."
Roland murmured a polite thank you before accepting the quest scroll and carefully reading it.
His brow furrowed as soon as he saw the title:
Explore the Mistland and Eliminate the Wolf King Lurking Within
The quest details included the cause of the Mistland's anomalies and the Wolf King's location.
Most striking was the difficulty rating.
Instead of the usual crimson marker, it was a concise text:
Recommended Level: A-Rank to S-Rank Mercenary Squad or Adventurer Team
Reward: Self-Selected (Provisional)
"My apologies, Lady Lilith."
After carefully reviewing all the details, Roland picked up the parchment with one hand and pointed to the "Self-Selected" entry in the reward section.
"What does 'Self-Selected' mean in this reward?" he asked.
"It's quite simple," Lilith replied, a faint smile playing on her lips as she tapped the table with her fingertip. "As long as your request..." She lowered her voice. "...is something the Adventurer's Guild possesses or can acquire, it can serve as the reward for this commission."
Her gaze turned meaningful. "This includes not only money, Treasure Tools, and rare materials, but also the Knight's Breathing Technique, the ranger's Elemental Affinity Secret Art, the barbarian's Blood Resonance Method, and even the High Tower Wizards' closely guarded meditation techniques—all of these can be offered as rewards for completing this commission."
Roland's breath caught in his throat.
The methods Lilith had just mentioned were all advancement paths for transcendent professionals.
This meant that if he passed the certification and completed such commissions, he could obtain methods to change his transcendent profession!
For someone with a Job Panel like him, this was an absolutely incredible opportunity.
(End of the Chapter)
--------------------------------------------------------------
📖Read (𝗞𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧) on the Site till Ch320. (162 Chapters Ahead)
💡Read upto Ch208 for ABSOLUTELY 𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀! ℕ𝕠 𝕃𝕠𝕘𝕚𝕟
📚15 Novels | 9.5k+ Chapters | 15.8M+ Words [𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺]
--------------------------------------------------------------