As the coach passed through a village, Charles left the fare and, without alarming the coachman, quietly disembarked.
Watching the coach speeding away, Charles relaxed a little. He had never intended to go to that manor. After digesting the life essence he had consud, he chose to sneak away halfway, which would make it more difficult for pursuers to track his movents.
The village was small, with probably only a few dozen households, and a small street ran through the entire village.
By now, the sky had turned dark, and even though Charles was a Transcendent, he did not dare to travel through the wilderness at night. This world's wilderness was not safe— even near the capital, Strasbourg, there were man-eating demons, ferocious wild beasts, and various unexplained dangers.
Charles tried knocking on the doors of two villagers. The first household responded with a rude voice, rejecting his request for lodging. The second was much more amiable, although they also refused him, they directed him to Old John's house at the head of the village.
Old John was a hunter who also occasionally made business by providing lodging for strangers.
By the ti Charles found the old hunter's house, the sky had already turned completely dark. He knocked on the door, asking for a place to stay. A tall, sturdy old man opened the door and said, "Co in."
What surprised Charles was that the old hunter was not alone. There was a small adventure group in his room.
The group consisted of five people, three n and two won. The leader was a middle-aged warrior wielding a giant axe. He was very vigilant and did not speak to Charles.
The other two n were slightly younger, both in their thirties, with military sabers at their waists. Rapiers were great weapons for dueling on the streets, but in the wilderness, and in the army, a saber with a thick spine was the common weapon. Both n were clearly experienced adventurers, and in addition to their weapons, they were not lacking in various miscellaneous gear. Their gaze at Charles also carried a hint of scrutiny.
The two won were quite young, with average looks—one was a typical Fars woman with excellent wavy blonde hair, and the other seed to have southern Old Continent ancestry with short brown hair. Both won were in their early twenties, just a few years older than Silvie.
Public associations teach all kinds of Martial Techniques, and the National Academy imparts breathing thods. Even won were trained to have impressive skills.
For example, Miss Silvie Martin, Charles's ex-fiancée, surpassed him in swordsmanship.
Many won choose to beco adventurers after graduation, instead of working for the governnt, relying on their proficient skills or formally trained knowledge.
Because... the Empire did indeed have so gender discrimination in job allocation. Silvie being sent off to the countryside to work as a registrar was not an exception, and it wasn't much better in the other countries of the Old Continent.
The blonde young woman showed interest in Charles and asked, "Are you also heading to Yorktown for that White Wolf?"
Charles smiled faintly and said, "I'm just passing through; I haven't heard anything about a White Wolf. What kind of beast is it?"
The adventurers laughed, and the blonde young woman said, "The White Wolf is not a beast. He's the best Demon Hunter, extrely skilled in slaying demons. Recently, he let slip that he has obtained a Heart Core of a demon and wishes to choose a Successor."
Charles was slightly surprised. Being a Demon Hunter was a very widely applicable Transcendent profession. Whether accepting employnt from the governnt, nobility, rchants, or even working solo, it was a great choice and very profitable, a high-paying industry.
He had two college classmates who chose the career of Demon Hunter. They managed to beco Transcendents before graduating, and now their weekly inco was at least more than ten Fu Er, which was quite enviable.
However, although being a Demon Hunter held vast employnt prospects, this Transcendent profession had two major flaws: "Induction" required a demon's Heart Core, which was extrely rare and super expensive, out of reach for ordinary people; and facing demons always required combat, which, despite the lucrative inco, was also extrely dangerous.
Charles had considered becoming a Demon Hunter in the past, but ultimately he chose Bloody Glory as he really didn't have much talent for combat.
After taking a quick glance at the five adventurers, Charles imdiately deduced that none of them had transcended. A thought sprung to mind as he smiled and said, "I'm not interested in becoming a Demon Hunter, but I am quite curious about the visit. Would you mind if I join you on your journey?"
"Don't worry, I won't compete with you for the chance to beco a Demon Hunter because..."
With a slight flick of his fingers, the air produced a soft crackling sound. Charles smiled and added, "I have followed the path of a knight and have already beco Transcendent."
Of course, Charles couldn't actually manifest Fighting Spirit; his seed of strength was still just a seed. However, simulating Fighting Spirit with Bloody Glory wasn't difficult, given that their paths were closely related.
The five adventurers were visibly moved. The middle-aged warrior with the giant axe hesitated slightly before saying, "My na is Mason, and you are welco to join the Giant Axe Adventure Group."
The other two slightly younger n also introduced themselves. The blonde lady's na was Hannah, and the young woman with light brown short hair was nad Homonsa—a na that definitely had a bit of Old Continent southern flair, which sounded rather peculiar to the authentic people of the Fars Empire.
Charles, of course, couldn't give his real na. Inspired by Homonsa's na, he crafted his own, which also had a southern Old Continent vibe—Qian Nan.
Being alone was eye-catching and would make it easy for pursuers to track him, but traveling with an adventure group would attract less attention, allowing him to better conceal his identity.
Upon joining the Giant Axe Adventure Group, Charles tossed a Shengding Copper Coin and called out, "Mr. John, got any liquor? I'd like to treat my teammates to a drink."
The Shengding coin of the Fars Empire looked dull red like a copper coin and was commonly mistaken for one, but it was actually an alloy. Charles had no idea what the formula for the coin was, but it was certainly durable, resistant to wear and tear, and unlikely to deform or discolor.
Old John caught the coin and said flatly, "One Shengding is not enough."
Charles shrugged his shoulders and tossed out two more Shengdings. Old John snagged the coins and turned to fetch the liquor.
Charles knew a single Shengding wasn't enough to buy drinks; he was deliberately creating an image of soone who wasn't very wealthy but was quite generous.
Though poor, he was open-handed, making it easy for people to distinguish him from the previous Clerks and Clerk Chiefs who were well-paid but lacked friends!
Old John quickly returned with six large mugs of barley beer, handing one to each person.
Mason took his mug of beer and imdiately developed a great fondness for Charles, exclaiming, "Qian Nan! You're the best new mber I've ever seen."
He lifted his cup and took a big gulp, an indescribable satisfaction on his face.
Charles raised his mug to clink with the other four team mbers and sipped a little.
Old John's barley beer was much inferior to the fizzy apple cider he usually drank, slightly bitter with a taste closer to beer, only with a significantly higher alcohol content than beer.
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