"Ah, why can't I control these hands of mine?"
As he rubbed the Gold Coin in his hand, Amberser sighed deeply from his soul.
The squad that was preparing to venture into the sewers had generously offered a Gold Coin as an "interview fee," and even if they ended up not collaborating, Amberser would still make a profit off that coin.
While it is reasonable for Adventurers to give a "interview fee" when inviting a Mage to join their team, a single Gold Coin for the interview was extravagant—it was like tipping a Dwarf Singer, then telling him to shut up.
Amberser, who had been hesitant at first, found he could not refuse after receiving the coin.
However, after taking the money, Amberser's inner worries intensified.
Adventurers, many times, are not much different from the jobless vagrants, and not many of them are purely good people. Willing to spend so much money usually means either the task is exceptionally difficult or there's a scheme afoot to swindle a teammate.
After all, Mages are mostly wealthy folk, and prying a few enchanted items from a Mage might mean an income of thousands or even tens of thousands of Gold Coins.
But if that was the case, Amberser was even more pleased.
Swindling the swindlers—who doesn't know how to play that game?
If it's self-defense, Alchemy City won't have an excuse to come after him, and Amberser can wipe out this Adventurer team and make a tidy sum.
A sham Legendary is still a Legendary, right? With his Lich identity concealed, bullying a group of Adventurers would be easy.
The real trouble would be if the quest was truly difficult; if this Adventurer team isn't planning to swindle its members, then shelling out so much to hire a Mage must mean they've encountered a formidable problem.
Unable to counter-swindle and yet having to tackle a significant issue doesn't make the deal seem as profitable.
Of course, if push comes to shove, they can still choose not to cooperate; making a pure profit from a Gold Coin is acceptable.
Amberser sat in a corner of the tavern, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Adventurer squad. According to that Orcish Bartender, they're coming from outside Alchemy City, and it's estimated they would arrive around dawn.
During this time, Amberser plotted several counter-swindling strategies and bargaining scripts.
However, when the Adventurer team showed up, Amberser knew his schemes were in vain.
The team was a trio: a fully armored Knight whose head was even wrapped in a full helm, a War Priest dressed in chain mail with an iron hammer the size of a head on his belt, and a young man dressed as a Mage who looked exceptionally shabby in this group.
"Paladins and War Priests from the Laine Empire?" Amberser said in surprise.
There was no mistaking it, as the gear of two of them bore the unique emblems of roses and dragons of the Laine Empire, which were not common items but the insignia owned only by members of the Royal Paladin Corps.
If converted to noble ranks, these two were at least Viscounts with their own territories.
No wonder they were so generous; compared to those other Adventurers, these two could be considered influential and wealthy people.
But why would Paladins and Priests from the Laine Empire appear in Alchemy City? The relationship between the two wasn't good. Alchemy City discriminated equally against all who were ignorant of Alchemy and Magic, while the Laine Empire discriminated equally against all non-human species—like villains who also despise other villains, the two nations with different standards of discrimination have always looked down on each other.
The Laine Empire sees Alchemy City, with its variety of species, as a country of heretics. Alchemy City thinks the Laine Empire, with its constant rallying cries of 'Holy Light,' 'Evil,' and 'Glory,' charging into battle and cutting people down, is only slightly better than Barbarians.
Though there has been no overt opposition, friction has been constant.
The presence of these two was so peculiar that upon entering, they caught the eyes of everyone in the tavern. Everyone knew the ways of the Laine Empire, and there were a few Lizardmen and Drow Elves drinking here; who knew if they would suddenly cry out "For the Holy Light, the evil before us deserves a fight"?
In this tense atmosphere, the shabby Mage accompanying them stepped out to smooth things over.
"Hahaha, my second time here and the tavern is still as lively. You guys go ahead and take a seat, I'll go order us a couple of fine ales."
Amberser had no idea that the young mage before him was actually connected to him. He was the apprentice mage, Harvey, who had followed the Porcupine Knight for a round outside his domain.
Upon hearing Harvey say these couple of sentences, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. If it wasn't his first visit, then he probably wouldn't start a fight, right? There hadn't been any reports of mass casualties or serious diplomatic incidents occurring in the tavern last time, so there shouldn't be any problems.
Despite this reasoning, many patrons still dropped their drinking money and left. Sitting in the same room with those with evil intents was pure torture for anyone with a conscience.
The Paladin and the Priest seemed used to this kind of alienation and naturally made their way to another corner of the tavern.
Clad in full armor and sitting against the wall while drinking, their well-trained nature was clear – they knew exactly what sort of foes they were up against.
Harvey was bustling about, quickly breaking into a profuse sweat.
The Porcupine Knight had spent quite some effort to court these two bigwigs from the Laine Empire. Though still unclear on the purpose of their visit to Alchemy City, he had managed to successfully recommend Harvey as their guide.
When the two suddenly said they wanted to explore the sewers of Alchemy City, Harvey had no choice but to run errands for them. Just applying for entry into Alchemy City was nearly killing him, to say nothing of the adventure permits and the search for teammates.
Finding people willing to form a team with a Paladin of the Laine Empire might be easy elsewhere.
Though rigid and racially prejudiced, the strength of a Paladin was beyond question, and they would never betray their oath to their teammates, making them very reliable partners.
But this was Alchemy City, where human adventurers were a minority, especially those who were adept at some special kind of magic which were even scarcer.
The mages they had contacted before hadn't reached an agreement, and some of those negotiations even ended on bad terms.
The fee for the interview had gradually increased to one Gold Coin, and today, upon receiving a magical message that they had found a new teammate, they hurried over.
The Orcish Bartender enthusiastically introduced Amberser to Harvey.
"Hello, I'm William Harvey, a mage apprentice."
Harvey took the opportunity to size up the black-haired youth who seemed even younger than himself while greeting him.
Harvey was surprised to find that Amberser's hair color, eye color, and the contour of his features didn't match any human from any known region. They were somewhat reminiscent of an Elf's ethereal beauty, but it was hard to tell what Elf blood he carried.
But looking good was useless – a mage used intelligence to cast spells, not charm like the Magician or the Evil Sorcerer who lived off their allure.
"Hello, I am Diga Ultraman," said Amberser, using his online chat group name.
"Hello, Master Ultraman, you must be aware of our requirements. We're looking for a mage skilled in ice magic..."
Harvey had just finished speaking when Amberser raised his palm, and a bunch of icy energy began to condense in the center of his hand.
Recognizing the magical formation, Harvey saw it was Frost Ray, a low-grade ice spell that wasn't difficult to perform. Even an apprentice could master it with enough practice. Just as he was about to question it further, he saw the icy energy in Amberser's palm split into two.
Double Casting? A Magician's trick... no, this was pure magical control.
The expertise of a professional was immediately apparent. Harvey had nothing but admiration for Amberser – his initial greeting as "Master Ultraman" was merely politeness, but now it was a title truly deserved.
Harvey looked towards the Paladin, nodding to signify his approval of Amberser's abilities. Harvey was only responsible for assessing Amberser's skills; whether they would collaborate was up to the opinion of the two from the Laine Empire.
"My lords, this is our fifth candidate, perhaps our last chance, so..."
Harvey hinted subtly, meaning they'd better not cause a scene like before; otherwise, they would genuinely have no more chances at finding a teammate.
The Paladin was indifferent to Harvey's comment. He spoke to Amberser in a voice nearly devoid of emotion, "Lord Ultraman, my faith does not allow me to cooperate with evildoers. I would like to use 'Evil Detection' on you. Do you consent?"
Amberser: ...