27: He was a ruthless adventurer.

On the way back to the Adventurers Guild, Ronan thought for a long time.

As for the organization this three-person team belonged to, it was very likely the Arcane Arts Society, which had a friendly relationship with the Adventurers Guild.

Rare alternative magic, special enhancement methods, and the blood-red crystals that could force people into a specific space... this series of manifestations, so different from the mainstream, seemed to be a vast system of its own.

To describe it as 'arcane arts' was not an exaggeration at all.

Looking at them and then at himself, Ronan's desire to hide away and study magic became even more urgent.

Knowing only one spell was too unbalanced; a mage had to develop comprehensively.

Take the Gargoyle, for example; its physical resistance could drive classes like Berserkers and Assassins—who relied purely on physical output in the early stages—to despair.

But for a mage, as long as they mastered magic that could exploit its weaknesses, the threat of a Gargoyle was much smaller.

This also indirectly illustrated the importance of team composition.

Moonless City, the Adventurers Guild hall.

"Lord White Night, it is a pleasure to serve you."

When Alice smiled without her glasses, Ronan found her quite pleasant to look at.

Of course, when she put on her glasses and transformed into a salesperson, it was a completely different feeling.

"Are you here to purchase information?"

Seeing her seemingly about to take out her glasses and put them on, Ronan quickly shook his head. "I'm here to turn in a quest."

"Lord White Night, personally, you are the most efficient Adventurer I have ever seen," Alice said with a smile.

Ronan took the Gargoyle's core out of his bag and placed it in front of her.

"Just good luck. I want to submit the 'Clear the Abandoned Castle Gargoyles' quest."

"Please wait a moment..."

Alice took the core and placed it on a platform, where light scanned back and forth across it.

This must be some kind of appraisal device, Ronan guessed.

"Material verification complete. Confirmed as a Gargoyle core from the abandoned castle. Quest conditions met." After confirming, Alice performed a series of operations on a small monitor in front of her.

"Lord White Night, here is your reward." She took out three Silver Wolves and pushed them toward Ronan. "The points have been added to your personal total."

"Alright." Ronan happily tucked away the silver coins; three hundred thousand was in hand.

"Lord White Night, do you require any other services?" Alice asked.

She really wanted to promote the information purchase service again, but Ronan didn't seem interested.

"Lord White Night?"

Alice saw Ronan sitting still, his eyes fixed on the Gargoyle core he had just handed over.

After a flash of light, the core vanished instantly.

Ronan was full of surprise; this device could not only appraise but also had a teleportation function.

As the core was teleported away, a notification popped up on his panel:

[wish power Reserve +1]

Finally, the notification appeared. Completing quests indeed increased wish power.

Ronan glanced at the panel with joy; his wish power reserve had now recovered to 6 points.

"That's all. Thank you, Alice."

He stood up and bid farewell to the sweet-looking clerk.

Ronan actually didn't have much need for wish power right now.

He didn't dare make a wish, and he didn't know how much wish power would be needed to repair the divinity next time. No matter how much wish power he had, it didn't seem to have much use.

Simply put, wish power wasn't as appealing as Silver Wolves right now.

He walked into a human-style inn, planning to find a place to stay first.

"What kind of room costs 1 silver wolf a night?!"

Just as he entered the inn, a ragged Halfling was leaning over the front desk screaming, his palms slapping the counter.

Halflings were also called Gnomes; they were generally shorter than Dwarves and looked like children with mature faces.

"Sir, this establishment is a high-end inn in Moonless City. Our service and quality are guaranteed, providing absolute value for your money."

An elegant human man at the front desk explained warmly, his emotions unaffected by external factors.

"What kind of service costs 1 silver wolf?" The Halfling narrowed his eyes. "Even *that* kind of service isn't as expensive as you!"

"You must be joking, sir. This establishment strictly forbids any illegal private services," the man said calmly.

"There's a legal version of that?" The Grey Elf was stunned. "I don't want any service. Just give me two of your cheapest rooms."

He reached into his pocket, fumbling for a copper eagle with a larger denomination.

To his surprise, the man at the front desk said something shocking. "I'm sorry, sir, but that is the cheapest price."

Hearing this, Ronan, who had just walked in, almost turned and ran.

"Are you messing with me?" The Halfling's gaze turned unfriendly. "Aren't you afraid my big brother will come and smash your shop?"

"He's a heinous Adventurer, a tough guy who survived two beast tides!"

"Sir, please don't do that." The elegant man reached for a button under the counter. "This establishment has strong security and can call for backup in the shortest time possible. Please do not be impulsive."

The elegant man looked down at him from above. "I'm afraid our establishment's emergency measures won't be timely enough."

"You!" Seeing that the man was unyielding and that his neck was getting sore from looking up at him, the Halfling simply left.

Ronan turned around, wanting to secretly follow him to see who his big brother was.

He also knew a 'tough guy who survived two beast tides,' but he didn't know if it was the same person.

To his surprise, just as he turned, an extremely intimate inquiry came from behind him.

"My lord, please forgive my lack of a proper welcome."

Ronan looked left and right, realizing the man was talking to him. "Me?"

"Your presence brings light to our humble establishment." The elegant man smiled obsequiously. "It just so happens that we are running a promotion today to give back to our guests. The best room is only 1 copper eagle per night. Shall I reserve a room for you?"

Wait, the difference between before and after is way too big.

"Uh... I have things to do. I'll come back if I have the chance."

Ronan didn't care if his magic robe was invisibly showing off his noble status, or if this shop was racially discriminatory and looked down on people... though the other party wasn't tall to begin with.

He hurried out, looking around for the Halfling.

The elegant man behind him chased him out, bowing and shouting, "My lord, you are welcome to visit anytime! We will forever reserve a high-end room for you, along with legal..."

This shout instantly attracted the attention of the pedestrians passing by on the street.

Everyone looked in the direction the man was bowing, but they didn't see anyone special there.

Amidst the confused crowd on the street, Ronan successfully blended in with the onlookers by adopting a 'this guy is crazy' expression.

Scanning the crowd, he finally spotted the back of the Halfling.

He immediately pulled away and followed silently.

The Halfling clearly didn't expect anyone to follow him in Moonless City.

He wandered around the streets for a long time before finally entering a tavern.

Ronan waited a moment before stepping inside.

The tavern's clamor didn't pause for a moment upon his arrival. The hall was packed with drinkers of various races, though humans were the majority.

Ronan found a table near the door and sat down, carefully searching.

Before long, he indeed saw two familiar figures surrounded by a group of people.

One was the Halfling he had been following, and beside him was a hooded Dwarf with two axes on his back.

Facing the encirclement, the Dwarf slammed a fist onto the table, yet his voice was unusually calm.

"Aren't you afraid my captain will come and smash your shop?"

"He's a heinous Adventurer, a tough guy who killed two Bear Goblins single-handedly!"