Upon waking up, Marcus and Mrazivy found that Jed had brought up a large selection of formal clothing common in Aezam and left it in the living area of their room.
"I suppose that since we are meeting with some of the higher ups in this nation that we should wear clothing that fits their culture." Marcus mumbled.
Originally, they had figured that they could just wear what they had brought from Borealia, but Jed had apparently thought ahead.
If they actually had worn clothing from their home it would have likely given away where they were from, which both Marcus and Mrazivy we trying to keep under wraps.
"This dress is very light. Nothing like the ones in Borealia." Mrazivy said.
Nodding his head Marcus found that his choice of clothing was also lacking in fabric compared to what was common in Borealia.
Along with that the colors were mostly light, being white, cream, tan, or yellow. Likely due to how hot the climate was.
Eventually the two of them picked out which outfits they liked the most and put them on.
For Marcus he had picked a robe and pair of pants that were light blue while Mrazivy picked out a yellow dress that had a floral pattern on it.
Not long after they had finished getting ready, Jed arrived and told them that it was almost time for their meeting.
"The building that the Eazim Clan wishes for us to come to is about fifteen minutes away from here. And for this occasion I already booked a carriage since it would be improper for you to arrive on foot." Jed said, acting the model servant.
"I know you said that we should leave making all of the arrangements to you, but are you sure that you do not need us to do anything ourselves?" Marcus asked. Feeling a bit bad about all the work Jed was doing while they relaxed.
"It is no problem. My masters and the captain have instructed me to attend to your every need while I am here. Once you leave this city for your true destination, I will not be able to help you anymore. Thus I must do my best during this time when I am here to assist you both."
"We understand. Your loyalty to you masters is commendable. We thank you for all you have done for us." Mrazivy said.
After that exchange the three of them exited the hotel and boarded the carriage waiting for them.
"I am surprised they are not using horses." Marcus said leaning out the window and looking at the beasts moving their carriage.
Instead, the creature was something that looked like a smaller and stouter rhinoceros with two horns instead of just one.
When he appraised it, he found that its name was dualhorn and that it was level elven with high strength and vitality stats. Albeit, lacking a bit in agility.
However, in the cramped city bustling with people, speed was not much of an issue and this beast was likely used for its stamina and ability to endure the harsh heat.
In just under fifteen minutes their carriage had arrived in front of an impressive building near the middle of the city.
With just one look it was clear that this was a government office of some kind and standing outside were four imposing guards.
"Please wait a moment. I will hand over the letter my masters gave me to one of the guards." Jed said, as he was leaving the carriage.
He then walked over to one of the guards and spoke to him for a few seconds before handing over the letter.
The guard after checking things over nodded his head and Jed came back to get Marcus and Mrazivy.
"The guard said that we are expected and that the Eazim Clan's representative is waiting for us."
Things having gone smoothly, Marcus and Mrazivy left the carriage and followed Jed inside the building.
Once inside an employ along with three guards that were between level twenty-five and thirty escorted Marcus and Mrazivy to the room where their meeting would be occurring.
'Oh, she is pretty young.' Marcus thought seeing the representative.
He had been expecting some wizened elder, but instead they were greeted with a young woman who looked like she was barely an adult.
Standing behind her was a guard that easily stood two meters tall and had an ornate top tier mithril glaive resting against him. Clearly this man was her personal guard and a fairly strong one at that.
Without using his appraisal skill just in case Marcus gauged the man to be somewhere between level forty to forty-five.
Though while Marcus and Mrazivy were trying not to be rude by using their appraisal abilities the young woman's personal guard showed no such hesitation.
'Well, he does not look happy.' Marcus thought, seeing the guard's shirt in demeanor from calm to tense.
Marcus currently had his level set at its actual value, only having his race and skills changed up by his False Status unique skill, and Mrazivy still had on an item that prevented her from being read by the appraisal skill. Even if it was max level.
Only those with a unique skill or more powerful magical item could see her status.
"The Eazim Clan welcomes both of you. My name is Amira Eazim, forth daughter of the current head of the clan. Any friend of the Chelmer Resort is a friend of ours. My father has instructed me to help you in any way that I can."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Amira. My name is Marcus, and this is my wife Mraz." Marcus said giving a slight bow to Amira.
Now that they had finished their greetings the three of them sat down and got down to business.
"To start I want to confirm that the two of you truly wish to enter the Desolate Desert. I am sure you at least know a bit about the place. It is swarming with undead and not a place for the faint of heart to go. In our nation, only the foolhardy or truly desperate ever try to enter the place. It is a land of death and nothing else."
"Yes we are intent on entering the Desolate Desert, and we have heard at least that much about it. I am sure that you received a detailed report about our reason for entering." Marcus replied.
Frowning Amira did not look all to pleased that they were not backing down. She had been hoping that her words of warning would get them to understand how dangerous of a place they were hoping to enter was.
"Yes, we I did. You two have been hired by a crafter associated with resort to obtain the core of a powerful undead creature known as a mummy lord. And while I am not sure how you heard of it, there is such a creature to be known to reside in the Desolate Desert."
Nodding their heads Marcus and Mrazivy confirmed this as their reasoning. Of course this was just a fabricated story that Daniel had come up with when he uncovered a bit more information about the Desolate Desert.
Among the undead within the place one was more famous than any other and it was a mummy lord that would between one to three years amass an army of undead and try to break through the defenses Aezam had set up around the desert.
To this point the mummy lord had never broken free but it must have been an incredible pain to deal with.
That is why it made for a far more realistic cover story that they wanted this rare monster's core rather than the truth, which was to let Marcus bathe in the font of death within the desert. Had they requested their true goal there was now a they would be let inside and would have had to sneak in without getting any additional support of information.
Now thought by offering to get rid of this mummy lord Marcus and Mrazivy were going to be performing a service for the kingdom. Getting rid of a nuisance that cost the nation numerous resources on a regular basis.
Nevertheless, allowing two foreign individuals into such a dangerous place was not something that could be done lightly.
For a few moments Amira looked at Marcus and Mrazivy contemplatively, before beckoning for her guard.
He then whispered a few words into his lady's ear, and she went wide eyed in shock.
Of course while the her guard had tired to be quite, Marcus and Mrazivy with their hearing being incredibly keen head what he had said.
He had just told his mistress that he could not appraise either of them but that he was certain that both Marcus and Mrazivy were far stronger than he was.
"I see that you are both serious. Unfortunately, the Eazim Clan cannot give you permission to enter the Desolate Desert on our own. The area is under management of the Sulb Clan who rule the southern desert. We have tried to mediate with them to further the request of the Chelmer Resort, but they are not willing to give you permission to enter without first evaluating your abilities. In order to see what you are capable of; they have asked that your both participate in the Muharib Festival." Amira said, an apologetic expression on her face.
She wanted to give them both permission to enter the Desolate Desert since her father highly valued their connection with the Chelmer resort which was an invaluable trade partner that brought their clan a great deal of wealth.
Unfortunately, the Eazim Clan had not been able to convince the Sulb Clan as they had hoped. And as the Sulb clan was renowned for their warriors they wanted to see how Marcus and Mrazivy would do in the Muharib Festival which was basically just a fighting tournament to show off which clan had the greatest fighters.
And while Amira was afraid that this would offend Marcus and Mrazivy, neither of them seemed perturbed by it.
"That sounds fine. Did they tell you what conditions we would need to meet in order to gain their approval? Do we need to win the tournament, come in second place? How far do we need to go to prove ourselves to them?" Mrazivy asked.
"I am afraid I do not know that. The Sulb Clan values strength above all else. All they told us is that you need to show them that you are worthy of the recognition and prove you have the power to do as you claim. In all this time none have ever been able to kill the mummy lord that you are after. Though it has been repulsed every time by the Sulb Clan's famed warriors."
"We understand, it would not be in your or the Sulb Clan's interest to let us go off to our deaths in a dangerous place. We are more than fine with showing what we can do if it gets us closer to our goal." Marcus said. "Now, can you tell us more about his Muharib Festival?"
Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience