36: Chapter 36 The Request to Find a Person

"The year I left the Smelting Mountains, I was exactly seventy-two years old."

Baron's voice suddenly dropped, no longer at the bragging volume he'd used a moment ago, but he kept on chattering incessantly.

"Seventy-two is just adulthood for a dwarf; my beard had only just reached my chest."

"I was supposed to inherit my dad's smithy. I'd even carved the sign, using granite I'd mined myself from the East Mining District."

"Baron Steelbeard's Legendary Smithy... Just listen to that. What a grand name."

"But in the end, I scurried off to the human city-states and opened this dump of a shop instead. The sign is just a pine board painted white that peels whenever it rains. Do you know why?"

Richard shook his head.

Baron stared at the glass in his hand, then slammed it onto the wooden crate, splashing beer everywhere: "Because of a woman!"

Richard blinked, his curiosity burning with gossip.

"Don't ask me her name."

Baron held up a short, thick finger and pointed it at Richard's nose, the smell of alcohol hitting him in the face.

"And don't ask me what she looks like or what she does. I won't say a single word. She was an Elf, and it was true love, you understand?!"

"I understand..."

Richard raised his glass to clink with his, thinking: I never would have guessed, old Baron. You actually fell in love with a female Elf?

"Good, as long as you understand." Baron nodded with satisfaction, downed the rest of his drink, and then stared at the bottom of his glass for a long time.

"Let me tell you, kid, dragon scales are nothing, meteor iron is nothing, and quenching a battle axe in dragon blood is no big deal."

He tapped his left chest, right under his blacksmith apron.

"For her... I was willing to abandon all my family's wealth, travel far across the sea, and come to this archipelago of yours. I just want to see her one more time..."

Richard held his glass, watching the chatty old dwarf ramble on about his love life, finding it unbelievable.

He felt those five gold coins were well spent.

A week later, in the morning, Baron brought the finished Petrified Lizard leather armor out from the workshop.

The torso of the leather armor had been hardened, making the surface smooth and solid while retaining the natural texture of the lizard scales, which shimmered with a deep, grayish-green hue in the sunlight.

The pauldrons, breastplate, greaves, and leather boots were a complete set. The layering of the scales had been meticulously processed to remain tough without being overly heavy.

The surface of the leather boots matched the color of the armor, and reinforced iron plates were embedded in the soles.

Richard put it on and moved his joints around; it fit perfectly and didn't hinder any movement.

"Petrified Lizard hide has a natural resistance to petrification magic." Baron patted Richard's breastplate, his metal gloves producing a dull thud against the leather surface.

"Of course, it's not total immunity, just a delay. It's enough to give you an extra dozen seconds before you're turned into stone. You can do a lot in a dozen seconds."

Richard paid the remaining balance, shouldered his freshly maintained halberd and battle axe, slung his pack filled with supplies, and said goodbye to the dwarf blacksmith Baron.

"I'll come back to learn forging from you next time!"

"Forget it, kid! Just make sure you don't go dying out there!"

Cecilia had spent this time in the library. Since returning, she seemed even quieter and more composed than before.

She said she hadn't found much information, but she did find some records regarding the combat abilities of high-level Vampires.

Vampires could transform into bats, turn into mist to pass through walls, use hypnotic gazes, and summon swarms of nocturnal creatures; their potential upper limits were far beyond what she had imagined.

However, at this stage, she was still far from meeting the combat standards of those true bloodkin. She needed time, practice, and some kind of trigger condition.

Richard followed Cecilia to the Adventurers Guild hall to meet up with the other teammates.

Morpheus, Jinbao, and the Black Cat were already sitting at their usual spot in the corner of the hall, and judging by their expressions, something seemed to have happened.

Morpheus saw Richard walk in wearing a brand-new set of grayish-green leather armor and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That Petrified Lizard leather armor of yours looks quite grand; even I want to get one." Morpheus said, smiling as he raised his glass.

"By the way, a private request has come in, and we were just waiting for the two of you."

Just then, a servant wearing a dark gray uniform robe walked quickly toward them.

The collar of his uniform was embroidered with a gold-stamped merchant guild mark, indicating he was from the Black Silk Chamber of Commerce, one of the largest commercial guilds in Blackwater City.

"Mr. Richard, Ms. Lia?" The servant's tone was polite but clearly rushed, with a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.

"My employer has a task to commission. The reward is high, but you must first sign a non-disclosure agreement."

"Please, everyone, follow me. The guild has already approved the use of a private consultation room."

The private consultation room was on the second floor, a stone-walled chamber treated with soundproofing magic.

A confidentiality contract sealed with wax was already laid out on a long table. The content was concise and clear: neither the task information nor the client's identity could be disclosed to any third party, and any breach of contract would be jointly pursued by the Adventurers Guild and the Black Silk Chamber of Commerce.

Everyone signed it one by one, and then a middle-aged merchant wearing a dark purple silk robe walked in from a side door.

His face was well-kept, but he had heavy bags under his eyes, clearly having not slept well for several days.

"My name is Griffin. My seventeen-year-old daughter, Haiwei, has eloped with a guard from our household—that damned little scoundrel!"

"My daughter also took her mother's jewelry and a large sum of money. I need you to find her and bring her back safely."

He clasped his hands on the table, his knuckles slightly white from the force, but his tone carried the calm typical of a merchant: "This matter cannot be spread. Do not alert the city guards; I do not want outsiders to know about this scandal."

"The total reward is two hundred gold coins, plus membership in the Black Silk Chamber of Commerce. In the future, you will receive discounts when buying or selling items at any business under the Black Silk Chamber of Commerce."

"I chose you on the recommendation of my good friend, Old Brandon. You killed the Petrified Lizard and helped recover his youngest son's remains, so I trust in your abilities."

While the merchant was speaking, Morpheus had already quietly produced his divination cards from his sleeve, his fingertips gently feeling the edges of the cards.

When Griffin finished, he looked up, his tone confident and light: "Based on my tracking magic, your daughter most likely left by water."

"There have only been two passenger ship routes departing from Blackwater City in the past few days. One goes south to the island resort—Golden Island—and the other goes north to Nost Port."

"The possibility of her heading south is far higher than north, because the north is a mining industrial zone. Eloping to a place like that to suffer likely doesn't fit your daughter's character."

Griffin's eyebrows twitched; clearly, this analysis basically matched the clues he had found himself over the past few days.

"So, can you take the job?"

"We are willing to accept this mission."

Richard and the others felt the reward was very generous, and since it was a relatively safe missing person request, there was nothing to hesitate about.