In theory, this commission seed nearly impossible to complete.
Ansel had scoured the human traffickers' den without finding any trace of the client's son. The boy was either a lifeless corpse in the sewers of the lower city or already sold off as a slave elsewhere.
Of course, for Ansel, locating the target was rely a matter of will, but such an approach did not align with the deanor of an adventurer.
"Is this the place?"
Standing before the mold-ridden old wooden door, the adventurer, accompanied by his servant, looked out of place in the squalid surroundings. Enjoy more content from empire
"You obviously have sothing connected to him," Ravenna snapped, kicking Ansel's arm in frustration. "Why make waste my precious ti and energy on a wild goose chase? My ti is valuable, Ansel."
"I recall a certain lovely lady telling she needed to learn to make changes."
Ansel knocked on the wooden door, glancing at Ravenna with a look of mild surprise. "Who was she again?"
Miss scholar's expression faltered, her slightly parted lips hinting at an unspoken retort. In a rare mont of compliance, she remained silent and still, perched dutifully on Ansel's shoulder.
Ansel had promised Ravenna he wouldn't disturb her unnecessarily, but as ti passed, he had reassessed his stance. Ravenna's current reaction validated his thoughts.
— His dear miss scholar, who had been fixated on her research and studies for twenty-one years…Does she wish to continue in such an isolated manner?
Ansel doubted her resolve to remain unchanged. If she truly intended to persist this way, it was his responsibility to intervene and correct her stubborn mindset. Friends, after all, should aid each other.
Having deprived Ravenna of her chance to walk among mortals, he felt obligated to shoulder the responsibility and explore the world with her.
Before long, the old wooden door creaked open. A haggard man clung to the doorfra, asking cautiously, "Who are you...?"
Ansel handed the commission slip to the man. "The executioner's commission—was it you who issued it?"
The man's expression froze, his exhaustion crystallizing in that mont.
He did not take the commission slip, but his grip on the doorfra tightened, producing a creaking sound. His attempts to speak were stifled by fear, rendering his murmurs pitiable and pathetic.
"Yes... I am… Are you the… esteed… adventurer?"
His voice wavered, nearly breaking under the strain of his emotions, but he restrained himself, fearing to offend Ansel. "My son, he—"
"There was no trace of him at the Speckled Snake's den."
Ansel shook his head. As the man nearly collapsed, Ansel calmly added, "But it doesn't an we won't find him."
The young Hydral observed the laborer before him, a resident of the perpetual gloom of the Lower District in Dispute Fortress. This man risked death every mont, working in unprotected mines or other hazardous places.
He had likely lost his wife and now clung only to his son.
Ravenna and Seraphina couldn't comprehend why these people persisted in living here. Ansel, however, had gained that understanding during his treacherous journey three years ago.
Back then, Ansel already had the power to effect change but chose not to.
This ti...
Ansel said nothing, turning his gaze to the girl following him.
The mont Marlina t Ansel's eyes, she understood his intention. She stepped forward and spoke on his behalf, "For Mr. Faust, this is not a difficult task. However, considering the challenge, your offered reward is..."
As she spoke, Marlina braced herself for Ravenna's reaction.
The Garden could not ticulously docunt every detail about Ansel's closest companions, but from the known records, Marlina could infer Ravenna's nature.
Though Miss Scholar appeared cold and unapproachable in the files, her core was inherently kind. Her grand vision to reform the world and forge a new future was sothing Marlina could never hope to match.
Yet, the petite woman perched on Ansel's shoulder said nothing. She rely watched the trembling man with a complex expression.
Miss Ravenna... unlike Seri, did not uphold an uncompromising stance on goodness and justice.
As Marlina pondered this, the man inside had already pushed the door wide open, falling to his knees before Ansel, his voice quivering, "As long as you can find my son, I am willing to pay any price! Please, help ... help !"
Ansel remained silent, leaving the negotiation to Marlina, elevating her to the role of the omnipotent adventurer, the extraordinary being… above all others.
Marlina understood Ansel's intention, but she hesitated, montarily dazed by the sight of the man kneeling before her.
In the Red Frost Territory, as Ansel's proxy, she had witnessed many such desperate pleas, where people were willing to sacrifice everything, even their lives.
Yet… this felt different.
What distinguished a mortal's plea to an extraordinary being from a plea to her, Ansel's representative?
The daze lasted only a mont before Marlina refocused. Her priority was to propose a price that would earn Ansel's approval, not to dwell on these abstract thoughts. She wished Ansel would help the man find his son, but everything hinged on Ansel's stance.
After a brief pause, Marlina softly asked, "How much money do you have on you now?"
The man froze, then scrambled back into his house. The sounds of frantic searching echoed from within, and soon he returned, clutching a box containing a few dozen scattered copper and silver coins. Kneeling before Ansel, he presented it with trembling hands.
Marlina stepped forward, her gaze falling on the dirty coins. Her expression softened with a hint of pity, but she silently poured all the coins into a cloth bag.
Taking everything was necessary to secure an adventurer's aid; taking only this much was Ansel's rcy.
Ansel did not comnt, seemingly approving Marlina's actions. "Within three days, I will find your son. Whether he is dead or alive, you will see him."
With that, he turned and left, not sparing another glance at the pitiful father.
Marlina couldn't help but steal a glance at the man.
She saw the conflicting emotions of sorrow and relief on his tear-streaked face, a look of soone who felt saved.
It made Marlina wonder—
Perhaps, helping mortals was already an act of rcy for extraordinary beings…?
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