Chapter 928 Negotiations and Rank Up
Once Marcus and Mrazivý had finished spending time with Boreas, Gwyneira, and their new daughter Safir, the two of them left the castle and headed towards the head branch of the adventurers guild within Borealia.
When they arrived a member of the guild's staff was already waiting for them, and immediately led them to a private meeting room.
'Looks like Valerius really wants us for something. He must have been tracking our movements to already be ready for our arrival.' Mrazivý said to Marcus through telepathy.
And it was just as she said. Neither of them had given any word of their return, but Valerius was already to meet with them. He was clearly extremely desperate to have them participate in some sort of mission for the guild.
Within the large meeting room, Valerius sat completely alone. Not even the guild master was with him.
'He certainly looks relieved to see us.' Marcus thought.
Despite Valerius' poker face, the man's expression shifted slightly when he saw Marcus and Mrazivý. Giving away his true feelings.
"It is a pleasure to see you both again. I am glad to see that the two of you are in good health and have become substantially stronger than the last time we met." Valerius said, his eyes appraising Marcus and Mrazivý without the use of any skill other than his long years of experience.
With but a glance he could tell that both of them were truly powerful and just the individuals he was looking for.
"Yes, we are overjoyed with meeting with you again, Grand Master Valerius." Mrazivý said with her polite princess façade on full display.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Marcus and Mrazivý sat down across from Valerius and waited for him to begin the discussion.
"As promised, I have prepared a few unique skill orbs for the both of you to choose from for accepting the promotion to mithril rank. All you need to do is sign this contract to be officially promoted."
Out of his item box, Valerius retrieved two identical forms and handed them over to Marcus and Mrazivý.
Of course, neither of them went ahead and signed without reading it first. You could never be too careful when signing a magical contract.
'Looks to be exactly as expected from the information we gathered. Other than having to respond to emergency summons for things like monster of beast outbreaks, there are no negatives. The resources we will be getting access to far outweigh the single downside.' Marcus thought as he read through the contract.
Everything looked on the up and up, but before going any further, Marcus wanted at least an inkling about what Valerius wanted from them.
"There does not appear to be anything wrong about the contracts, but before we become mithril rank adventurers and truly official members of the guild, I would like to know what you are planning for us. It is obvious that you are desperate to get us ranked up for some reason."
"I cannot tell you any details until you officially become mithril ranks, but I can give you a broad overview." Valerius said. "The guild has made a new discovery and is gathering members for an expedition. It is a joint effort that each quadrant is sending members to participate in. As I told you both in the past, our Northern Quadrant is currently lacking in highly talented individuals. Frankly, without the two of you, those that I can send as representatives are lacking."
Hearing this, it became clear why Valerius had been desperate to get them onboard. If it was just an internal matter within the northern quadrant of the guild, he would not need to worry as much. But since this expedition was a joint venture between each of the quadrants, Valerius' reputation was on the line.
If he sent weaker representatives than the other quadrants did, it would look poorly on him. Hence why he wanted Marcus and Mrazivý who were far above the curve for their levels.
'I don't sense any lies or attempt at deceit. He seems to be genuinely concerned about receiving ridicule from his peers.' Marcus thought as he studied Valerius tone and body language.
"So, if we do agree to this rank up, we will be forced to go on this expedition no matter what?" Mrazivý asked.
In response, Valerius shook his head. Though he did look distressed that Mrazivý might refuse.
"No, this is not considered an emergency situation, so I cannot order you to participate. But I can assure you that the rewards for this mission will be great and your standing within the guild will greatly improve. I'll even owe you a personal favor." Valerius said, looking desperate.
His demeanor this time was far more submissive than when they had last met him. Obviously, he knew that trying to strongarm them would get nowhere and was being as sincere as possible.
"If you are offering a personal favor, then I am in. There is something I want that only you can do." Mrazivý said.
Valerius looked concerned by what Mrazivý wanted of him, but he told her that if it was feasible, he would do it.
"Call off the search for my master. I can understand that you are upset that he killed your righthand man in a battle, but it was a duel that they both agreed on. Surely you can realize that it makes no sense to hunt him down when he was not even the aggressor."
Valerius winced when he heard Mrazivý's demands, and a hint of rage flashed on his face before he was able to calm himself down.
"Very well, I will retract the bounty I put on his head. It does not seem that I was going to find him anyway." Valerius said with his fists clenched tightly.
There was no doubt that he still held a great deal of resentment towards the Sword Savant for killing his friend, but he knew holding onto this grudge would only hurt any dealings he would have with Mrazivý.
After receiving his assurance, Mrazivý signed the magic contract and officially accepted the promotion to mithril rank adventurer. With Marcus following quickly behind her.
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