Several notifications were ringing in Liam's ears. As the quest ended and he received his reward he finally level up, reaching level 12.
He was the fourth among the party to do so.
Simultaneously he admired the fishing rod in his hands, his brain automatically coming up with places to use it in.
A second later he calmed down as Gabe continued speaking:
"That's it, adventurer. I will find Sentrav and beat that idiot up. I don't know when I'll come back.
Feel free to use this old hut of mine if you need it for anything.
You know where to find me. Stop by if you are in the area. Goodbye."
With those words Gabe tapped his hat, leaving carefreely without packing anything. Dorn nodded at Liam before scurrying after the older man.
Liam watched them vanish into the jungle. He knew that Gabe's last words were hinting at the continuation of the quest. Technically he could rent a ship in Duabalis Harbor and visit Gabe, Sentrav, and Dorn on their lonely island.
But his level wasn't quite up to par yet.
Thus, Liam left calmly, returning to the novice village.
Just as he was contemplating about what to do next, a message reached him.
[Serena: Liam! Liam!]
Liam smiled as he received the message sent from Serena's phone in the game. Making this possible was indeed a good deed by C, allowing him to chat with his sister while in the game.
[Liam: Serena? What's up!]
[Serena: Don't be like this! You know exactly what's up!]
[Liam: Did you receive a package?]
[Serena: Yes! It's a console! You didn't tell me you bought one!]
[Liam: Surprise!]
[Serena: But… isn't this super expensive? I heard it's close to impossible to buy at the moment. Do we have so much money?]
[Liam: Of course. I received it for achieving first clear!]
It took a few seconds for the next message to appear.
[Serena: Please be careful.]
[Liam: I will.]
Liam sighed in understanding. Obviously, his little sister detested Colville Constructions. It proved Serena's deep trust in her brother that she didn't try to stop him from dealing with the company.
[Liam: Do you want to play now?]
[Serena: Yes!]
A smile unconsciously found its way on Liam's face. He chatted with his sister, helping her to get started in the game while traveling to Duabalis.
[Liam: Do you prefer any race?]
[Serena: I want to be an elf! Everything is so gorgeous there.]
[Liam: Ok. Then just choose the picture with an high elf on it.]
Liam guided his sister patiently while feeling a headache coming up. High elves didn't have a good relationship with original nephilim, which prevents Liam from teleporting to their cities directly.
From the moment he ordered a console for Serena, he looked forward to playing with his sister. Thus, he racked his brain for any options to reach the elven cities.
Soon, Liam came up with something. He took the teleporter to Svebrial, arriving in the important human city once more.
Following the main street Liam quickly reached the high-class district.
Beautiful manors with vast gardens could be found here housing the empire's nobles. Stern-faced guards deterred every commoner from even forming the idea of approaching.
A bit further away an incredible castle could be seen, towering over the city, emitting royal authority.
Liam advanced in the direction of the castle before taking a turn to the left, approaching a gorgeous gate. Artfully crafted metal roses and butterflies were surrounded by sturdy bars which held all visitors away.
The gate was part of a pristinely white wall, enclosing a spacious compound holding multiple gorgeous villas and perfectly trimmed gardens.
Even the guards' armors seemed more like art pieces than tools for battles.
The tall soldiers barely moved as Liam approached, their fair, slim faces remaining indifferent.
Only when the nephilim got too close did the guards cross their spears, spitting out a single word:
"Leave!"
Liam put on a polite smile, holding himself back form staring at the guards' pointy ears, which would be considered a grave insult for any elves.
"I have something for the Great Archmage to see."
The guards showed ripples of ridicule in their eyes, just about to chase Liam away when he took out a small silver coin engraved with two devil horns.
Immediately the elves' bodies stiffened.
"Wait here!"
One of the guards ordered coldly before entering the compound, going straight to a certain villa.
A few seconds later he returned, nodding at Liam.
"Follow me! Don't run around and don't touch anything!"
The moment Liam passed the gate, a notification appeared in his view.
[Discovered Elven Ambassy, Svebrial. EXP: 60]
Liam didn't dare to explore the place, however. Even the simple guards emitted incredible pressure. Some unbelievably strong NPCs resided in this ambassy, none of them especially fond of Nephilim.
The strongest of them all now stood before Liam after the guard brought him to a large villa huddled in a corner of the ambassy.
Great Archmage Ephnior was more than two meters tall, wearing an uncharacteristic white leather armor which shimmered from the powerful magic embedded in it. A thick, regal blue cape hung from his shoulders, adorned by a fluffy white hem.
He looked down on Liam with cold, sharp eyes. Everyone seeing those would understand that this archmage was no scholar but a battle-hardened warrior.
"Nephilim, you came here with an infernal coin?"
"Yes, archmage. Here is it."
Liam didn't dare to delay, handing over the silver coin he dug out of the infernal totem earlier.
His eyes glanced at the lifeless head of a greater demon placed within a magic circle in the corner of the spacious, orderly room.
Ephnior didn't care about Liam's thoughts as he took the coin in his hand.
Suddenly it was as if the two devil horns came to life. A red light glimmered on their sharp tops. But Ephnior simply closed his hand, extinguishing any movement.
"Thinking of activating your magic in my presence? Naive!"
Ephnior's voice dripped with ridicule, but his perfect face and clear, blue eyes remained emotionless.
With a flick of his fingers, he threw the coin into the air. A magic circle made from the purest mana appeared on his palm. Even someone without knowledge about magic would feel attracted by the intricately woven runes, recognizing the work of a master.
"Deolhee!"
Suddenly the magic circle spun around its center. A large amount of mana was attracted. It shot upwards, meeting the silver coin in midair.
A rage-filled roar mysteriously spread from the coin, reverberating through the entire ambassy. Obviously, this was not an uncommon occurrence as not even the guards came to investigate.
At this moment the silver coin was engulfed in a red light, struggling to keep the magic circle at bay. But it only held on for a few moments before shattering audibly.
The evil atmosphere surrounding the coin vanished like an illusion.
Ephnior caught the object, playing with it in his palm.
"One less cursed item. One day I will eradicate them all."
A sharp glint flashed past the elf's eyes before he addressed Liam again:
"Nephilim, you approached an infernal totem and didn't get bewitched.
You did the right thing by destroying it and bringing the coin to me."
Liam nodded carefully, his back full of sweat. He almost couldn't breathe from the mana still lingering in the air. At least he didn't endure for nothing as a notification let him know that his relationship with the high elves increased.
Such was the influence of pleasing a mighty archmage.
"Here, take this device. It will assist you in finding more infernal coins. Bring them to me!"
Ephnior didn't even let Liam answer as he stuffed a small device looking like a compass in Liam's hands.
Afterwards the archmage called a guard to guide Liam out.
Only after leaving the ambassy behind did Liam dare to complain, cursing the elf's stinginess inwardly.
However, at least he knew that Ephnior truly offered some great rewards after brining more coins.
Liam grumbled all the way back to the teleporters. At least his dissatisfaction lessened as he found a new destination available.
With a thought he chose the elven city which now granted him entry, Luphenour.
When the light before his eyes receded Liam was immediately welcomed by a fragrant smell which relaxed one's mind.
It emanated from gorgeous red flowers planted along the paths of the city.
Maybe thanks to the help of these flowers, Luphenour was an incredibly peaceful city. The few visitors didn't dare to behave ostentatiously, mingling with the serene elves strolling the city with measured steps.
The streets and buildings didn't appear overly luxurious but were perfectly clean, built from pristine white stone. However, some buildings clearly stood out, all of them having obvious religious characteristics.
Liam knew that those were temples dedicated to the goddess of the moon, Lupheya, which most of the high elves worshipped.
Liam would've liked to take in the sights of this beautiful city but as soon as he appeared an elf in long white robes approached him.
Not eager to listen to the priest's teachings the veteran quickly escaped towards another direction.