They went in and out like a ghost. The box filled with Aetherium was now inside Khali's room.
"Will you go out again, Joshua?" Khali said.
"Yeah. I need to know more about the magic academy," Joshua said as he put the box in the corner of the room.
Leo and Khali exchanged glances, and Khali said, "you need to know more? Isn't this for lady Aurora?" They both laughed maliciously.
"I'm out."
The night had been tiring, but Joshua had another thing to do, gather information about the magic academy. The only problem was that he had no idea how to start. Joshua knew that Richard was the one who got Aurora inside the academy. He was a retired general from the army, which was how he got her inside. But how would he get information? Joshua was a nobody in the capital. He had no connections, no friends, nothing.
It felt as if it was something impossible to achieve. Joshua walked down the streets of Slyvein without a single clue.
"Are you new around here? I've never seen your face," said a blonde youth who passed by.
Joshua never saw that man once in his life.
"How do you know that?" Joshua said.
The young man had a gold coin in his hands, and he used it to play with, intertwining it between his fingers, and said, "I know people around here, so it's not hard to spot a new face."
"You got a valid point. I'm assuming you know a lot, right?"
"I do. What do you want to know? I'm feeling like helping today."
Joshua felt that the encounter was strange, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.
"You know the magic academy?" Joshua said.
"Who doesn't?"
They both stared at each other, and the youth said, "oh, right. You."
The man stuffed his hand inside his robe and got a thick book. Joshua had no idea how that fit in there.
"Here, take this. This thing has a lot of information about the magic academy, even its origins."
"How much?" Joshua read some of the book's contents, and it seemed legit.
"I don't want money. How about this. You'll owe me a favor."
For Joshua, that was worst than money. What if the man suddenly asked for something way harder than giving a book. But he needed that. The book was too precious for Aurora.
"All right. But don't ask for something crazy the next time we meet," said Joshua.
"Sure." Said the youth, who vanished right after, like a ghost. Joshua felt that the man was mysterious and powerful. He couldn't see any information about his head.
"Now I have the information Aurora needs and met someone strong, which will benefit me. I only hope that his favor is not something crazy," thought Joshua.
~~~~
Joshua returned to his room carrying a thick book. Aurora finished her hot shower a long time ago and was idle on the bed. He explained everything that happened with the blonde youth.
"Isn't it too dangerous? What if he asks you to kill the king?" Aurora said.
"Don't worry about it," Joshua patter her head, "I can handle anything."
Aurora could not hold her anxiety, and she wanted to read the book badly. Joshua took the chance to shower himself. He missed the days when he could bath in a waterfall.
The area with the hot tubs was immense. Joshua headed in with a towel and no more than this. He picked one and went inside it.
"Oh, this is amazing," Joshua thought.
It had been days since he could take his time in the bath. When they were on the run, everything had to be fast, and it was barely enough to stay clean. But now he could stay there all the time he wanted, and it was also hot water.
Joshua thanked the magic for existing in this world. It was the reason behind these hot tubs. He just stood there, enjoying the moment and thinking about what he needed to do. His next step was to check the mercenaries guild and start his career. Joshua would get action, money, and explore the world. It was the best career possible for someone like him.
After taking his time in the bath, Joshua returned to the principal part of the room. Joshua expected to see Aurora reading her newly acquired book, but what he saw made his heart jump.
Aurora had no clothes, and the only thing protecting her nude body from Joshua's eyes was the sheets.
"I'm a little nervous, but I want to do this," Aurora said as she gently took the sheets off, showing her body.
Joshua saw two mountain peaks and a body so well proportioned it seemed like a statue. He could not resist, so he took his clothes off too.
Joshua got closer, kissing her on the lips and neck. He got down, and his tongue started to do the work.
~~~~
It was early in the morning. Last night had been unforgettable for both of them.
"I'll check the mercenaries guild while you get your belongings, okay?" Joshua's lips met hers.
He knew she was sad in parting ways. He was also. But they had no other option at that moment, and he was sure they would see each other again.
"Okay," said Aurora.
Before leaving the inn, Joshua knocked at Khali's room door and grabbed Leo to go with him.
"We will finally become mercenaries and explore this world? I'm so excited." Leo did not stop a moment. He talked, talked, and talked. Joshua thought about how hard it will be to travel with him.
They've walked Slyvein streets for some time, asking for directions to the mercenaries' guildhall. Some people were too busy to answer and ignored them. But a few gave them pointers, and they found the place.
The building was well-designed, and it was clear that the materials used to build it were of high quality. But it was not as big as Joshua thought. Well, it did not have to be anyway. It was just a place for registration and grabbing some missions. Not only that, but all of the sub guildhalls had these missions, so Joshua did not need to come here to get them.
"Let's go," Joshua said, and Leo followed closely behind.
No one came to greet them like in the expensive hotels, but Joshua was okay with that. The insides of it consisted of tables where mercenaries exchanged information. Even though it was early in the morning, some were already there. Not only that, but they could eat for free so that perhaps was the main reason for getting there that early.
A lady stood behind a desk, and Joshua asked her questions.
"Hello, fellow adventurer. Are you here to join the mercenaries guild?" the lady said.
"Hello, and yes, we are."
"Fill out this form, and it will be all done. I'll grab two bronze medals for you two."
She left, and they started to fill out the form. It was basic stuff, like a name for identification, current level, and class. Joshua gave them his real name, as he was joining with his appearance after all. The lady got back in a matter of a minute.
"Here, two bronze medals. You two know how the system works?"
Joshua had an idea, but he said they didn't.
"All right. Do you see this bronze medal? It is an identification that you're a mercenary of bronze rank. With this, you are qualified to get bronze-ranked missions on any of our job boards. Every time you complete a mission, you'll get some rewards and also increase your reputation to jump into the next level,"
"The ranks are bronze, silver, gold, platinum, sapphire, and adamantium. Once you increase your ranking, you can get better missions that pay more. And from the platinum ranking and beyond, you'll also get a fixed salary each month."
Joshua knew most of these things, but he needed her to explain them to Leo. They equipped their bronze medals and went to a board in the middle of the room.
All sorts of missions could one get there, but Joshua scanned only those from his rank, the lowest. After pondering for some time, they decided to get a job far away from the capital. Someone was looking for people to travel the ocean in an adventure, and Joshua was down to it one hundred percent. He grabbed the paper from the board, accepting the mission.
"Travel the sea again?" Leo said.
"Again? You do know that we traveled a river, not the sea."
"It's all the same."
"The same? Sure..."
~~~~
The mission would take place in a city far away, one that was close to the sea. It would take them some time to get there, but they needed first to settle Aurora in the academy. So, Joshua and Leo returned to the inn to meet with her. Aurora packed the most important things she had, and now the only thing left was to go to the academy and show them her letter.
"Shall we?" Joshua opened the door for her, and they left.