Arad stood, "I will go get money from the monsters' corpses." Aella stood with him.
Alcott smiled, "After that, I will show you to a diviner. We have to start early." he then looked toward the bath of dried wolfbane the alchemist left for Arad. "Or you can try that. It won't hurt anyone,"
"I will consider it." Arad walked toward the door, opening it as Aella stood behind him.
"Shouldn't you rest a bit?" She asked, touching his shoulder.
Arad turned back toward her, "I want to take a nap, but I need to get some money first."
At the guild desk, Nina awaited them with a smile, "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"I'm feeling better. But a bit sleepy." He yawned, "I have some monster carcasses from the cave. Would you mind taking a look at them?" He asked.
"Since you might need money. And since it was the mistake of our S-rank adventurer to take you with him on an unregistered quest, the guild decided to give you a temporary pass of some rules till you get cured."
Aella looked at her, "You know the spell failed?"
"Of course, those old wizards walked out all gloomy. It was obvious." She replied, pulling a paper and presenting it to Arad. She then explained the new rules.
"You are free to sell as many carcasses as possible, up to a tenth of the guild's daily payout. That will be a maximum of thirteen gold coins per day." Nina pointed toward the west window, "You can drop the carcasses in the guild's butcher, and he will decide on the price based on the market."
The adventurers in the back growled, "That's not fair," one of them mumbled.
Nina glared at them, "Stop being childish. He needs to find a cure for a curse. The guild won't risk losing a talented adventurer."
"How about us?" They looked back at her.
"You aren't cursed or talented, do better." She pulled a stack of papers from under her desk, "Adventurers from B-rank and lower barely bring ten silver a day. What can you do with a thirteen gold coins cap?"
"Come on, Nina, what about me?" Amber, who sat in the back, drinking, called her with a sad face, "I work hard, you know?"
"It's indeed true. You bring about fifty silver coins daily and sometimes reach one gold." Nina said, looking at Nina's registry.
"See?" Amber said, dowing her mug. "I'm different,"
"But you spend most of that on drinking, leaving yourself with barely ten silver coins a day. Fix your habits. You could have climbed to A-rank." Nina sighed. Looking at Arad.
"The guild will provide you with a magic guide to help you improve and free access to the guild's library without the forbidden section." She smiled, handing the papers to Arad.
"All of those?" Aella took the paper in her hand, "Isn't this a bit too much?"
"No investment is too much for a potential S-rank. Their number and power give the kingdom strength." Nina smiled, Handing Arad the last paper, an invitation from the capital's guild to live there. "The high priest left this for you."
Arad looked at the paper and then put it back on the desk, "I would have to refuse. I prefer to work from here, at least for now." He smiled.
^I don't want to associate me with anyone without telling Mom. That greybeard even said it bluntly, they want to experiment on me.^ Arad felt a shiver down his spine, ^All I want is a mate,^ He then looked at Aella.
"Why are you looking at me ?" Aella noticed his gaze, so she smiled. "I could cook you something if you're hungry. I might not look like it, but I'm a decent cook."
Arad smiled at her, stealing glances at her melon chest, "You will make a great mother, you know?"
Aella was taken aback for a moment, but she then laughed it off, "Of course, I can cook, but no meat."
"Cooking alone doesn't make a decent mother," Nina added with a smile.
"Can you even cook?" Arad stared at her.
"I sadly only know how to roast meat," She looked at the table, "But I'm good at it." She smiled.
"You two are right. You don't cook to feed a baby." Arad stood, taking the papers with him, "Then I will head to the butcher, call me if something happens."
"Wait a moment, what about your guides?" Nina stood, stopping Arad from leaving.
"Ah! About that, do you have any recommendations?" Arad asked, wishing to get an experienced mage.
"Me! Me!" Amber approached them, barely walking after her day drinking round. "I can teach him magic!"
Nina smiled, "She might be a drunkard sometimes. But you have first-hand experience with her skills."
Arad nodded with a smile. He remembered that she taught him his first three spells. "She is skillful indeed."
"But I have a condition!" Amber lifted her arm, "Raise my limit to five gold coins a day."
Nina sighed, "I know you would say that. Two gold coins, take it or leave it."
"That's too cheap. Make it four, or at least three, with access to the library." Amber frowned with a sad face.
Nina thought about it for a moment, "Fine, three gold coins limit a day and access to the library."
"HOORAY!" Amber leaped with a happy smile, flames gushing from beneath her feet and the tips of her hair.
"Can you make that decision?" Aella asked, looking at Nina.
Nina smiled, handing the contract to Amber to sign it.
Amber immediately signed it, "Look at this. I can get more money now!" she showed it to Arad with a smile.
As the two were talking, Nina waved her hand to Aella, "Come here."
Aella walked behind the counter and looked underneath Nina's desk.
Inside the drawer, there was a paper listing that Arad has limited access to 13 gold coins a day, but the guild is willing to pay him more if possible.
The paper also said that Arad could take two guides. They have a limit of seven gold coins a day. The lower deal, the better.
Aella looked at them with her mouth open, "I see,"
Nina smiled, "This is between us. But you can always reach out to me to sell things,"
"Aella, let's go," Arad said with a smile, Amber standing beside him with a fire on her palm. "Let's see what you have. Where are you keeping the corpses?" She smiled.
Aella walked out with them, looking back at Nina as they headed toward the guild's butcher.
Before they could leave the guild hall, Amber looked toward Arad, "Did you buy any spell books? Or do we need to work for them?"
It was then that Arad remembered. Putting his hand inside his bag, he pulled out a book. "I found this in the dungeon. It could help us." He handed the spellbook at Amber, who smiled.
"This has a loot of spells. What a great find. I will teach you how to decifer those words." She almost shouted, with a grin on her face.
On the guild's corner, a girl with a hood over her head and a thin blade longer than her, glared at them. "That spellbook, Jeremy."