After dropping Yuna off at a tavern, Fars actually entered the room with her but quietly slipped out again. The reason? He was on the hunt for prey. Having successfully lured Lilith into his grasp, Fars was already quite satisfied with his gains in Nordan. Moreover, he had also had his way with Yuna. After wandering around this small town a few times, he found himself developing a bit of affection for it. He didn't want to stir up too much trouble here, so he adhered to the principle of sampling a variety of flavors while trying to minimize harm to others.
After satisfying his cravings, he even sneaked back to check on Lilith. To his surprise, the adorable girl was still awake. In her room, there were two other girls of similar age, likely her close friends. Who didn't have a few playmates in their youth? Lilith was set to leave the day after tomorrow, and she was about to become an apprentice to a sorcerer. Her childhood friends, while a bit envious, were undoubtedly reluctant to see her go. Even Fars had secretly bid farewell to his close friends before fleeing the Oxi Empire. Regardless of whether those friends were genuinely loyal or whether some of their families stood against the Deron family, the fact that Fars managed to escape safely meant that none of them had betrayed him, and they likely helped him in secret.
"Lilith, is your mentor fierce? I heard he can freeze people with just a glare!" one of the girls asked, shaking Lilith's arm.
When it came to discussing Lilith's mentor—who was currently eavesdropping outside the window—another girl chimed in with curiosity, "Yeah, Lilith, tell us! I didn't get a chance to see this sorcerer at the banquet yesterday."
"To be honest, I don't know much about my mentor either. He only spoke a few words with my father at the dining table and hasn't taken off his cloak since," Lilith replied, a hint of disappointment in her voice. But then she perked up, excitedly saying, "But guess what? He gave me a gift! You'll never guess what it is!"
The two girls tugged at Lilith's hands, playfully pressing her down onto the bed as they teased her. After a series of tickles to her armpits and sides, Lilith finally burst into laughter and revealed the ring on her finger.
"Is this… a spatial ring?" the two girls exclaimed in disbelief, grabbing Lilith's hand in astonishment.
In Nordan, Count Rao Er's status was the highest, and even he only possessed a small spatial ring. The rarity of such an item made it incredibly precious. The girl who had spoken up came from a wealthy merchant family that dealt in valuable goods, so she recognized the ring immediately. After all, if it were just an ordinary ring without significant meaning, Lilith wouldn't have shown it off.
Seeing Lilith nod, it was impossible for the girls not to feel envious. But envy was futile; could they really expect their own mentors to gift them a spatial ring?
Fars quietly observed until Lilith grew bored of playing with her spatial ring, turning her pillow into and out of existence. Eventually, the three girls cuddled up together and fell asleep, allowing him to flap his wings and leave.
To his surprise, Yuna was still awake, waiting for him. As Fars entered through the window, he immediately donned a lewd grin and teased her, "My little Yuna, did you miss me so much that you couldn't sleep without your master holding you?"
"Of course! I couldn't help but think that you might have gone to spoil Lilith in her room, and that made me uneasy," Yuna huffed, turning her head away in feigned annoyance.
Gently wrapping his arms around her from behind, Fars coaxed her until she finally smiled. The best way to comfort a jealous woman was to exhaust her physically, leaving her with no energy to dwell on her feelings. Fars spent the latter half of the night tirelessly attending to her needs until she fell into a deep sleep.
However, Fars couldn't afford to rest himself. While his desires needed satisfaction, he couldn't neglect his training. Since arriving in Nordan, he hadn't had much time for meditation. During the day, he had to follow the routines of ordinary people, leaving little time for study or reflection. At night, he hunted and dealt with Yuna, which was more exhausting than his time in the Qihar Mountains. After all, when feeding on magical beasts, he only needed to find one of decent strength to fill his belly. Here, he had to consider not only the appearance of his prey but also the right balance.
Since Fars had presented himself as approachable during his registration at the guild, his return during the day didn't carry the same pressure as his entrance the previous night. With fewer drinks and more business to attend to, he appeared composed, and people passing by would greet him respectfully.
Without needing to beat around the bush, Fars directly approached the staff responsible for task assignments and expressed his desire to use money to complete several collection tasks. Ultimately, the guild's branch manager personally assisted him, raising the rank of the De Yuna Sha Adventuring Team to C-rank. Of course, the Adventurers' Guild took a ten percent commission from the task rewards, as did the individuals posting the tasks. This meant that Fars would bear the costs himself. Tasks below C-rank didn't pay much, and it was rare for rewards to exceed one hundred gold coins. Thus, he only needed to pay the guild's share, which amounted to less than two hundred gold coins for completing twenty E-rank tasks and twenty D-rank tasks, achieving a perfect completion rate and elevating the team to C-rank.
Compared to mercenary groups, adventuring teams had fewer members, as most tasks issued by the guild required only a small number of people. Moreover, mercenary guilds only existed in larger cities, while Nordan had only the Adventurers' Guild, meaning there was no competitive pressure.
In the end, Fars chose to escort a wealthy merchant and his family to a slightly larger city called Ironwood City, located in the eastern part of Nordan. This city was also near the Qihar Mountains, but it thrived on the trade of a type of sturdy ironwood, which sustained its economy.
The merchant's family had originally planned to leave today, but upon hearing that the sorcerer had accepted the task, they naturally postponed their journey by a day. There was no issue with this; the purpose of hiring an adventuring team was for safety, and having a sorcerer along was beyond their expectations.
News of Lilith becoming Fars's apprentice had spread, and the count's decision to send his only daughter to study under a sorcerer had garnered much envy. Having spoiled his daughter for so many years, Count Rao Er couldn't bear to see her suffer. Upon learning that Fars was heading to Ironwood City, he immediately prepared a carriage.
This suited Fars perfectly, as he didn't want Lilith to be too pampered and slow down their journey. In fact, upon seeing the carriage, Fars contemplated using the spacious ring left by Perugino to store a luxurious carriage. This way, when entering human cities, he wouldn't have to draw attention to himself. It was a brilliant idea, and Fars decided that when he reached a bustling city, he would commission a carriage that reflected his status. The biggest problem was how to handle the horses; he couldn't keep live animals in the spatial ring, so he would have a carriage without horses when he took it out…
Count Rao Er also prepared a grand send-off ceremony for Fars and Miss Lilith, inviting nobles and many curious townsfolk to form a grand procession. Finally, after traveling a few hundred meters out of the city, the countess, reluctant to part with her daughter, helped Lilith into the carriage and only returned once she could no longer see her in the distance. For Fars, this scene was nothing significant, but it left the merchant family feeling quite overwhelmed.
The merchant family of four sat in their prepared carriage at the front, while Fars, Yuna, and Lilith followed in the carriage behind. The coachman was from the count's estate, and Fars had arranged for him to return after escorting Lilith to Ironwood City.
Inside the carriage, Fars had cast a soundproof barrier, so the coachman couldn't hear what was happening inside. During the two-day journey to Ironwood City, Fars planned not to make any advances toward Lilith, as she was still new to magic and needed to build a solid foundation. Considering the long-term, he thought it best to keep a bit of distance from her, while Yuna was more obedient. Even in Lilith's presence, Yuna's behavior could sometimes be overly familiar, making the young girl blush. Eventually, Lilith had to lower her head and pretend not to notice. Since Fars didn't want Lilith to see his true nature, they both had to maintain a certain decorum.
In the remaining time, Fars also had to fulfill his responsibilities as a mentor. The current magic apprentices were different from those in the Nais era; apprentices were now considered valuable resources, and mentors would dedicate time to guide their students. In the legendary era of Nais, apprentices had no status, and mentors would only occasionally guide their favorite students, leaving the rest to fend for themselves through books. Lilith was fortunate; although Fars had only recently learned advanced magic, his foundational knowledge was solid enough to teach an apprentice. Each time he clarified a small issue for Lilith, he felt a sense of accomplishment at her eager expression.
However, annoying troubles always seemed to find their way to him. Although they were traveling through the territory of the Don Duchy and hadn't encountered any magical beasts, they faced numerous bandits looking to make easy money. The soundproof barrier blocked the noise inside but didn't prevent outside sounds from coming in.
Suddenly, the horses pulling the carriage neighed loudly as the coachman pulled on the reins. Before Fars could send Yuna out to inquire about the situation, a boisterous voice rang out, "I haven't seen anyone brave enough to pass through my territory without guards in a long time! Come out and offer up your valuables and women, or kneel and beg for mercy!"