Seeing the strange man identify them so easily, Midir narrowed his eyes and sized him up. “You seem to know quite a lot about us. However, isn't it a bit rude not to introduce yourself first?”
“Oh, of course! Please allow me to introduce myself.” Upon hearing this, the man bowed deeply once more with his arms crossed over his chest.
“My name is Whiskey. After learning of your arrival in Emerald City, I decided to visit you immediately. Since Miss Aila was able to easily see through my movements, you two are undoubtedly qualified.”
“Whiskey? Is that some kind of code name? And what’s this about being qualified? Stop talking in circles!” Seeing that the man showed no malice, Aila signaled Midir to lower his guard for the moment.
However, Whiskey did not respond directly to her question. He simply flicked his hand, and a card spun through the air toward Aila, who caught it deftly between her fingertips.
Just as Aila was about to press for more answers, Whiskey suddenly produced an exquisite cane from behind him and tapped it twice on the ground.
Immediately, a thick shadow rose from the ground, quickly enveloping his entire body.
“My master will be waiting for you at . Until we meet again.” With those cryptic words, the man’s figure vanished completely into the shadows as if he had never been there.
“He... he’s really gone.”
After a few seconds of silence, Aila sighed, her eyes full of confusion. “What on earth is going on? And where exactly is ?” As she spoke, she handed the grey card to Midir.
Midir took the small card and examined it closely.
The card was minimalist to the extreme. There were no extra descriptions or markings, only a logo consisting of a top hat and a bowtie printed in the center, looking both mysterious and understated.
It shared a similar quality with the badges they had received upon entering the city, both radiating an air of extraordinary significance.
“Even you haven’t heard of this ? That’s a bit awkward. There’s nothing written on this card, and there’s no magical information left behind. It seems to be just an ordinary metal card. I’m starting to wonder if this is some elaborate prank.”
Midir scrutinized the card repeatedly with a furrowed brow, clearly at a loss.
“Forget it, don't worry about that weirdo for now. Let’s head to the Adventurers Guild first. We need to figure out how to get you to Crown Peak.”
Aila shook her head slightly, seemingly unbothered by Whiskey’s appearance, and turned back toward the path they had come from.
Seeing this, Midir tucked the card into his storage space and followed closely behind. As they walked, he suddenly remembered something and asked.
“By the way, that nickname of yours, ‘Golden Flame Tigress’... is that what Black was hesitating to say earlier? It sounds quite impressive.”
Upon hearing this, a flush of red appeared on Aila’s cheeks, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance. “So you found out after all! Fine... anyway, I don’t like that title.”
“Oh? Why? I think it suits you quite well. It’s both catchy and powerful,” Midir pressed, his eyes flashing with curiosity.
Aila seemed helpless against Midir’s questioning, but she finally took a deep breath and decided to reveal the story.
“Alright, since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise me two things: first, no laughing at me, and second, you have to buy me dinner tonight!”
“Sure, no problem. Deal!” Midir found her pouting expression somewhat amusing and agreed without a second thought.
“That title actually stems from an embarrassing experience I had while learning War God Battle Qi,” Aila began slowly.
“As you know, that stuff isn’t easy to master. Most people assume that at most, things won't go smoothly at the start and you just have to try a few more times. But in my case, things went completely sideways.”
“That time, the War God bloodline in my body was accidentally activated, and I completely lost control of it. In a frenzy, I unconsciously leveled two streets to the ground and didn't stop until I was completely exhausted.”
A hint of regret flashed in Aila’s eyes. “When I recovered from that state, I was faced with nothing but ruins and the terrified gazes of everyone around me. I realized I had caused a huge disaster. But instead of scolding me, my father praised me, saying I was like a brave little tiger.”
“But what girl wants to be called a tiger? Once it came out of my old man’s mouth, more and more people started calling me that. At first, I was very unhappy about it and even got into several fights because of the nickname. Even though I won every time, the name ‘Tigress’ only became more famous!”
“Ugh!!! Sometimes I really hate that old man, but I can’t beat him in a fight!” Aila explained the whole story with a voice that sounded like she was about to lose it.
“Pfft...” Watching the girl’s adorable expression as she complained, Midir finally couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“I knew it! Don’t laugh! You jerk!” Seeing this, Aila swung her fist and punched Midir’s shoulder.
“I’m not laughing! I’m really not laughing!”
Midir denied it with his words, but his body instinctively dodged to the side, skillfully avoiding Aila’s second punch. Amidst their playful bickering, they unknowingly arrived at the Emerald City branch of the Adventurers Guild.
Compared to the towering building in Lionheart City, this branch was much more low-key, blending perfectly into a quiet corner of the city.
This reflected the high level of security in the Emerald City-State. Because the public order was so good, there were naturally fewer tasks for adventurers to handle, meaning the guild didn't need to be massive.
However, when the two of them hopefully inquired about the route to the Valley of Ice, they received some discouraging news.
The entrance from Emerald City to the Valley of Ice had been emergency closed by the authorities due to a recent series of events, and strict restrictions were placed on general passage.
The news was like a bucket of cold water, dousing their enthusiasm. Midir and Aila looked at each other, seeing disappointment and confusion in each other’s eyes. It seemed their journey had just gained more uncertainty and challenge.
If they wanted a permit, they would need the highest approval from the Holy Church of Light—specifically, a document signed by the Uncle Roland Aila had mentioned.
However, after checking, they learned that he had entered a state of seclusion half a month ago and was refusing to see anyone. It was unknown when he would emerge, so their journey was effectively stalled.
“This is trouble. We can’t exactly force our way through the checkpoint, can we?” Aila couldn't help but show some frustration after hearing the string of bad news.
“Can we fly over it?” Midir asked, pointing toward the sky.
Aila immediately shook her head and explained.
“That’s impossible. The entire Valley of Ice is covered by an ancient and powerful magic array, one of the few relics left from the Age of Gods. It’s said that in ancient times, the Valley of Ice was the residence of divine envoys. That array has now become a sturdy barrier against monster invasions. Trying to fly in is not a good idea.”
While Midir lowered his head in thought, wondering if they could only wait for a change in circumstances, he inadvertently bumped into a figure rushing inside.
The person was cradling a large stack of documents and was caught off guard by the sudden collision.
With a startled cry of “Aiya!”, the documents, nearly half a person tall, scattered across the ground like snowflakes, and the owner of the voice teetered, losing their balance.
Rate on N.U.
