Chapter 12: Jarrosus
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The next day, the party of four arrived at Jarrosus City at noon.
“Felic, this is Jarrosus City.” McGrenn was enthusiastically introducing the bustling city to Lin Li as they walked along the lively streets. “Not far ahead is the Adventurers Guild. I usually spend my time there when there are no quests. If you need any help, you can find me at the Emerald Tavern.”
“Damn! This Jarrosus City is huge…” Being accustomed to the tall buildings in a metropolis, Lin Li felt a wave of novelty as he entered the exotic city. His eyes had not taken any rest at all as he followed behind McGrenn, busy with taking in his surroundings.
Cromwell could not help but frown as he watched Lin Li from behind. What a country bumpkin who had not been exposed to the world…
His emotions were complicated as he was remorseful yet indignant. But, more than that, he felt hatred towards Lin Li.
He had utterly regretted plunging into the Sunset Mountains. He would not have encountered the Leviathan Gorilla if he had not entered the Sunset Mountains, and he would not have fled without taking Ina with him. There were many ways to win Ina’s heart, but he had chosen the most stupid one.
He was completely stunned the moment the Leviathan Gorilla took Ina away. A level-eight magical beast was so powerful that Cromwell could not help but shiver just standing in front of it. He tried to run after Ina, but his legs wouldn’t budge. The confidence from the past had vanished and all that remained was endless fear.
At last, fear had triumphed over reason, and Cromwell chose to escape.
All that followed was simply a nightmare to him.
He had fled in panic back to the cave, but this low-life mage managed to save Ina. Ina’s attitude towards him changed, no longer being polite. There was only disdain now, the kind of disdain that she regarded him as air. Until now, Ina had still not looked him in the eye—not even once.
Cromwell was not dumb and knew what this meant. It meant that he had lost all hope in winning Ina’s heart.
After the initial remorse, Cromwell naturally pinned all the blame on Lin Li. It was because of his arrival that he had lost the opportunity to fight the Wyvern and save both Ina and her father. It was also because of his presence that he had performed badly in front of the Leviathan Gorilla.
He had even come to believe that these were all part of Lin Li’s plan. This damned mage already had the thoughts of competing for Ina, and that was why he had appeared in the Sunset Mountains at that very moment.
Cromwell, caught up with his conspiracy theories, had no time to think what a difficult task communicating with a level-eight magical beast was.
For the zealous mage, Lin Li was the root of all evil. As long as he got rid of him, he could be together with Ina.
Lin Li entered Jarrosus City—this was undoubtedly the best opportunity.
As the heir to the family, Cromwell knew very well just how powerful his family was in Jarrosus. Even the leadership of the Guild of Magic were unable to ignore the suggestions of the Merlin Family. Once Lin Li joined the Guild of Magic, Cromwell would have his own ways to deal with him.
At this thought, there was finally a smile on Cromwell’s gloomy face.
It was probably the reason why Cromwell, who had not spoken a word to Lin Li along the way, took the initiative to ask, “Mage Felic, are you going to report at the Guild of Magic? If you need help, do feel free to ask me. The Merlin Family does have a say in the Jarrosus’ Guild of Magic.”
“Report?” Lin Li was just looking around when he did a double take at the word.
“You don’t know?” Cromwell swore silently at the country bumpkin, but kept the smile on his face. “The Supreme Council has made it clear that all mages above level five must report to the city’s Guild of Magic upon their first arrival.”
“Hold on… What’s the Supreme Council?”
“You don’t even know of the Supreme Council?” Lin Li’s ignorance had been an eye-opener for Cromwell. Feeling his vanity greatly satisfied, he couldn’t help but swear inwardly at the country bumpkin again. “The Supreme Council was established after the Dark Ages, and its full name is the Supreme Council of the Anril Guild of Magic. The purpose of its establishment is better supervision and management of the guild. Of course, the mage families are not included in the management—like the Merlin Family.”
“Oh…” Lin Li nodded, but asked again doubtfully, “So the Guild of Magic is considered a subsidiary of the Supreme Council?”
“Sort of. But the Supreme Council usually isn’t directly involved in management.”
Lin Li did not question further. In his mind, he thought, Anril World is much more complicated than I expected it to be .
Just as he was absorbed in his thoughts, the party had reached the doorstep of the Adventurers Guild.
It was an enormous building, taking up most of the street. The decor was simple and plain, and if seen from the outside, you’d never expect it to be the largest and richest institution in all of Anril. Behind the front door was a spacious hall; according to McGrenn’s introduction, this was where they usually received their quests. The hall was packed with all kinds of adventurers—some were waiting for new tasks while others had already collected them and were preparing to leave. These adventurers covered almost every profession Lin Li knew, from mages to warriors and from archers to thieves. Most of them carried a faint smell of blood on them. Lin Li knew that it was the legacy of years of fighting demons.
“Felic, take a seat here first. Ina and I are going to turn in our quest; we’ll be back soon.”
McGrenn was about to turn and leave when Lin Li stretched out his hand and pulled him back. “Didn’t you fail the quest?”
“We have to turn in failed quests as well, or we won’t be able to receive new ones.”
“Then, do failed quests give you any trouble?”
McGrenn shook his head. “There is no trouble at all, just some loss of money.”
“Wait a second for me here.”
He found a quiet corner and silently opened up the Ring of Endless Storm. From inside the ring he took out half of the Manticore’s hook, which he had nicked off from the dead Manticore he’d encountered when he was out picking wild steelbloom for Andoine.
“Is it alright to turn in this for your quest?” Lin Li handed the half piece of Manticore’s hook to McGrenn.
“You…” The middle-aged adventurer had not expected that the problem he was so worried about could be solved so easily. Thinking of all the help Lin Li had rendered them along the way, the middle-aged man who was bad at words didn’t know what else to say for a long while. He merely repeated, “Thank you, thanks…”
“You’re welcome, I’ve got no use for it anyway…” Lin Li smiled. “I have things to do, so I won’t be going with you anymore. If anything happens to you in the future, you can find me at the Guild of Magic. I should be staying there for some time if nothing else happens.”
“Mr Felic!” Lin Li had just stepped out of the Adventurers Guild when he saw Ina running after him. The long-legged beauty’s blond hair flew in the air; Ina’s pretty face was flushed, her expression one of bashfulness and carrying a hint of reluctance to say goodbye.
“Hm?”
“Mr Felic… I…” Ina’s small, fair hands were clenched as she was cheering for herself mentally. But after a few stammers of “I”, all she said at last was: “Goodbye, Mr Felic.”
“Goodbye, Ina.”
Lin Li smiled and was about to turn around when he suddenly felt a gush of sweet wind. Ina, who was blushing just a moment ago, finally summoned up her courage and stuffed an item into the palm of his hand. “This is for you!”
After passing the item to Lin Li, Ina’s ears had turned red with embarrassment. Without waiting for Lin Li to respond, the long-legged beauty fled back into the Adventurers Guild like a frightened white rabbit.
Lin Li was stunned as he stared at the figure that had just left. He stood at the street for a long time until he finally remembered the item in his hands.
It was a newly-sewed scroll pouch. The craftsmanship was a tad rough, but nevertheless, it was meticulously sewed. He could almost feel Ina’s warmth on the pouch as he held it in his hands…