Chapter 44: The Ten Gold Gambit

Chapter 44: The Ten Gold Gambit

Sage leaned forward, his voice calm yet enigmatic. "Now, Pax, I have a proposition for you."

Pax blinked in confusion, his brows furrowing as he straightened in his chair. "A proposition?" he echoed, scratching the side of his head. "What kind of deal are you talking about?"

His tone was cautious yet intrigued, the demeanor of someone who had heard too many outlandish claims from drunken merchants and opportunistic gamblers, and who expected this to be just another odd twist in his day.

Taking a slow breath to collect his thoughts, Sage knew he had to tread carefully. If he was too vague, Pax would lose interest; if he was too direct, the system’s restrictions might trip him up again.

He steepled his fingers and said, "You understand what the Adventurer Guild is, right? A place where people can post missions and get them completed?"

Pax nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. That part isn’t hard to understand." He leaned forward slightly but remained puzzled. "But what about it?"

Sage’s golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he asked almost casually, "Then tell me... do you know who Cassian Thaumas is?"

At the mention of that name, Pax’s entire demeanor shifted. His back straightened; his eyes widened and eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline.

"Cassian... Thaumas?" he repeated slowly as if Sage had just named a royal figure. "You mean the Cassian Thaumas? Adept Rank Alchemist? One of only three Adept Alchemists in this entire region? That Cassian Thaumas?"

Sage nodded with amusement at how electrifying the name could be for a grown man.

Pax let out a low whistle, shaking his head in disbelief. "Of course I know him! Anyone with any influence in Greyvale City knows him. The nobles respect him; merchants fawn over him; even powerful Warriors tread carefully around him! An Adept Rank Alchemist doesn’t just stroll through the streets, his time is worth more than gold."

He paused for a moment to gauge Sage’s expression before a realization struck him like lightning. Leaning in closer, he asked urgently, "Wait... why are you bringing him up? What does Cassian Thaumas have to do with your deal?"

Sage listened quietly as a soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He relished watching Pax piece together this puzzle and anticipated the moment of realization that would hit him like a meteor.

Once Pax finished speaking, Sage exhaled calmly and said without hesitation, "Cassian Thaumas came here."

Pax’s eyes went wide with shock.

"...came... here?" Pax echoed faintly while pointing slowly at the cracked reception desk and dusty marble floor beneath them. "Here? You mean this place? This small, humble, slightly rundown, establishment?"

Sage felt a twitch in his smile as he processed Pax’s words. Internally, he thought, "What do you mean small and rundown? Does this place look rundown to you? You really want to say that in front of me?"

Maintaining his outward composure, Sage replied with a deadpan expression, "Yes... here."

Realizing he had misspoken, Pax scratched his head, the awkwardness practically radiating off him. "Ah...sorry about that... I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just... unexpected."

"It’s fine," Sage said with a casual wave of his hand, letting the jab roll off him. "And yes, Cassian Thaumas came by a few hours ago to post a mission."

Pax’s reaction was nothing short of explosive. The shock on his face transformed into one of disbelief as if Sage had just revealed that the king himself had appeared in commoner clothes to buy bread.

"Are you serious?! Cassian Thaumas...the Cassian Thaumas...came here? To this place? To post a mission?"

Sage nodded again and pointed nonchalantly at the pouch resting on the desk, the one filled with ingredients Mina had gathered.

"See that pouch? Those three ingredients were what he needed. He came to post a Retrieval-type mission, and the little girl who just left was the one who completed it."

Pax followed Sage’s gesture with wide eyes, staring at the pouch as though it contained ancient treasures rather than just some rare fruits and herbs.

His mind raced as he processed this information; his mouth opened and closed several times before he finally inhaled deeply to steady himself.

"You..." he began slowly, almost accusatorily. "You are a very lucky man. First, you come up with this brilliant idea, a place where people can post missions and get them done. Honestly, it’s genius! And now... for Cassian Thaumas to come here and post a mission? Do you even realize how significant that is?"

Sage raised an eyebrow as Pax took another deep breath, clearly trying to contain his excitement.

"It means," Pax continued, his voice trembling slightly with enthusiasm, "that if word gets out, if even just a rumor spreads that someone like Cassian Thaumas visited your Guild, posted a mission, and got it completed in what... less than two hours?!, then this place will explode with popularity! People will flock here!

Everyone with an issue will rush to post missions! People will line up outside your door! You won’t have to lift a finger; all you need is a little push, a tiny spark in the rumor mill, and this place will become an established hotspot for mission posting!"

Sage listened intently while suppressing an amused smile; inwardly he thought about how useful Pax truly was. Not only did he understand exactly what Sage needed but also knew how to achieve it.

He leaned back, folded his arms, and nodded slightly. He had made up his mind: Pax was going to be his advertising manager.

Clearing his throat lightly, Sage said, "That’s the deal I want to make with you."

Pax blinked at him in confusion. "Deal...? You want me to do something?"

Sage nodded. "Yes. I need you to spread the word that Cassian Thaumas came here and posted a mission."

Pax pointed at himself, still trying to grasp what was happening. "M...Me? You want me to do that?"

"Exactly." Sage leaned forward, his voice firm and confident. "You’ve lived in Greyvale City nearly your entire life. You know the backstreets, the taverns, the markets, you know where rumors spread fastest. You’re familiar with who talks too much and who listens too closely. Your connections span different backgrounds, jobs, and circles. You’re perfect for this."

Pax swallowed hard, still stunned and unsure if he was dreaming or not. "But... how much will I be paid for spreading such news?"

Sage smirked. "Ten gold coins."

Silence followed as Pax’s mind struggled to process it.

"T–Ten... g–gold... coins?!" Pax stammered in disbelief. "For just spreading information?!"

"To clarify," Sage added with a raised finger, "you’ll receive that payment once a hundred people come to post missions because of what you share."

But Pax barely registered the second part; his mind had already latched onto the first.

Ten gold coins, an astronomical sum for him! After losing his retainer job and scraping by on odd jobs while sometimes going hungry because even bread was expensive, this could carry him through months if he budgeted carefully.

It meant breathing room, stability, food security, even a chance to save instead of losing money every day.

He stood up so abruptly that his chair scraped loudly against the floor as determination lit up his eyes.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ll take it! I’ll do it! I’ll spread the news everywhere, I’ll make sure everyone in the city knows about it!"

Sage leaned back in satisfaction. "Great! Just exaggerate it a bit, make it dramatic and memorable enough that it becomes one of the top ten trending topics in town."

Pax frowned in confusion. "One of the what?"

"Damn,...I forgot I’m in a new world," Sage thought inwardly before waving him off dismissively. "Never mind that! Just make it something everyone is talking about."

Pax nodded vigorously as he gripped the edge of the desk before making a sharp turn toward the entrance.

"Hey... where are you going?" Sage called out, startled.

"To do my job!" Pax shouted back enthusiastically as he raised a hand.

Sage slapped his forehead in exasperation. "You don’t have to start now! It’s getting dark, you do it tomorrow."

Without missing a beat, Pax shouted, "I hear you! I’m heading home to come up with the best rumors!"

Before Sage could respond, Pax bolted out the door like he was on a mission.

For a few moments, Sage sat in silence, then gradually, a broad, satisfied grin spread across his face.

"Go ahead, my advertising manager," he said softly, almost chuckling. "Go and share the gospel. I have high hopes for you."