Recruiting?
Lyle didn't expect Renners to ask that suddenly; after a brief thought, he shook his head.
He had too many secrets; joining the Adventurers Guild was merely for convenience.
"Sorry, I have no intention of recruiting," Lyle declined.
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Renners' eyes, and she bit her lip slightly: "Regarding the reward..."
"Three thousand—two thousand gold coins."
Lyle's eyes lit up; he opened his mouth and lowered the price a bit.
He was very short of money right now. Besides gold coins, Renners couldn't provide anything else that would interest him.
As for money, how much could someone who was kicked out of their family and wandering around have?
"Two thousand gold coins?"
Hearing the amount, Renners' voice rose slightly as if stimulated. She raised her right arm, placed it on her left shoulder, and bowed deeply to Lyle.
"As for the reward, I decided on it a long time ago."
Immediately after.
Renners picked up her black spear and turned to leave.
"What does she mean?" Lyle didn't understand for a moment what Renners wanted to do.
She just left like that?
So... she doesn't even have two thousand gold coins, right?
lower fire month, August 31st.
By the time Lyle returned to the Imperial Capital, it was already the end of August.
He and Renners had left the Imperial Capital on August 24th; seven days had passed since then.
Of course.
Lyle returned to the Imperial Capital alone this time; as for Renners, she had vanished after running off inexplicably.
Noble District, Residence.
Inside the first-floor hall.
"You're finally back, Mr. Alchemist," Imina said coldly, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Sorry, it did take a bit longer than expected."
Lyle gave a helpless smile and reached down to pet the little Ghost Hound that was rubbing against his leg. "What happened while I was away?"
"The people from the Herb Guild sent someone to invite you again the day after you left the capital."
"Then it was the Adventurers Guild."
"The rest were some Workers and adventurer teams who wanted to use the Regeneration Potion you developed to heal their disabilities."
"And some nobles, of course."
Imina extended her slender hand and counted off the events of the past few days on her fingers.
"I rejected them all for you. As for the reason, I said what we agreed on—that you're researching a new potion. I also mentioned that the lack of Ogre blood supply means the Regeneration Potion can no longer be produced."
"Of course, none of those are the real trouble."
Imina pulled a refined invitation from her pocket and flicked it toward Lyle, her tone serious.
"This is the real trouble."
Lyle caught the flying invitation, opened it to read the contents, and cast 'Interpretation Magic'.
"Osk?"
Seeing the name, Lyle looked thoughtful. He felt the name was familiar but couldn't recall who it was for a moment.
"The capital's greatest merchant, the promoter of the Colosseum."
Imina reminded him.
"According to the time on it, the banquet was held two days ago at the Empire's most high-class hotel."
"Don't worry, the time has long since passed."
"Congratulations, you've offended one of the most untouchable figures in the entire capital," Imina said expressionlessly.
Lyle was speechless but didn't really care.
Just a merchant with a background. It's not like he really intended to make a career in the Bahaus Empire.
With his current strength, even without showing everything, just by using 'Angel Summoning,' he would be rated at the orichalcum-rank by the Adventurers Guild.
He was only one step away from the top-tier Adamantite-rank Adventurers.
One must know that there are only two Adamantite-rank adventurer teams in the entire Bahaus Empire, and both achieved it through numerical advantage and job class synergy.
An Adamantite-rank adventurer doesn't just represent status; they are a symbol of strength, far more valuable than a major merchant of a country.
Speaking of which.
In terms of overall national power, the Bahaus Empire is indeed a notch above the Re-Estize Kingdom, but in terms of high-end combat power, it's a step behind.
"Has anyone from the palace come by?" Lyle asked; this was what he truly cared about.
He had already obtained 'Cursed Knight,' but as for the 'Immortal' class, there were still no leads.
Unlike the situation with Renners, Lyle could only passively wait for Fluder.
He had been in the Bahaus Empire for a month already and couldn't afford to waste more time gambling on this uncertainty.
"The palace?"
Imina gave Lyle a strange look and shook her head. "No."
Lyle was a bit disappointed.
The commotion he had caused wasn't small, and he had treated several disabled nobles; with the Blood Emperor's capability, it was impossible not to notice.
Yet, there had been no movement so far.
"Hey, there's something else you should be concerned about," Imina reminded him, her amber eyes filled with gravity.
"A while ago, after the news spread that the Regeneration Potion couldn't be made due to a lack of Ogre blood, some nobles specifically brought captured Ogres here."
"Oh?"
Lyle looked around the courtyard and found no other Ogres except for the weak, bound one.
"Don't bother looking; they turned back halfway," Imina said, tossing her purple ponytail.
"Was it Osk's doing?" Lyle paused, frowning.
"To be precise, it's the 'Martial Lord' Go Gin," Imina said, a flash of respect and seriousness crossing her face.
The "Martial Lord" Go Gin could be said to be the most famous figure in the entire Bahaus Empire, especially since he caused a sensation throughout the Empire as a demi-human with unparalleled strength.
He became a symbol of the Empire!
For Imina, who was a Half-Elf, this was even more legendary.
"Martial Lord" Go Gin?
Lyle's expression turned serious; he hadn't expected the other party to care about ordinary Ogres.
Among the people truly worth noting in the Bahaus Empire, the "Martial Lord" Go Gin was definitely one of them.
He had already reached the Hero Realm. Estimating by level, he was at least level 30 or above, especially since he was a demi-human with attribute bonuses.
His true strength was greater than humans of the same level.
One of the three rulers of the Tob Forest, the "Giant of the East" Gu, was not as strong as the "Martial Lord" Go—
—Gin.
In the Bone King's words, it was the difference between a wild boar and a farm pig!
"According to rumors outside, you had to stop selling the alchemical potions made from Ogre blood because of the 'Martial Lord' Go Gin."
Imina bit her teeth in anger. She naturally knew the real reason, but in the eyes of outsiders, such rumors were clearly more credible.
The current Blood Emperor, Jircniv, is the biggest supporter of the "Martial Lord" Go Gin; this is no secret to the people of the capital.
Once such rumors appear...
...regardless of whether they are true or false, even if someone wanted to befriend a Genius alchemist like Lyle, they would have to drop the idea.
"Damn it!"
Imina spoke angrily, "The fact that we couldn't buy any Ogres recently was probably their doing too."