Hearing this, Lin Gui looked at the receptionist with a peculiar expression.
The receptionist remained unmoved, merely explaining calmly,
"Miss Monica is not, strictly speaking, a Priest."
"She is registered with our guild under the Mage class."
"Furthermore, while she can cast a High Rank Recovery spell, she only possesses the strength of the Mid-tier Mid Rank."
"She can only achieve it by casting beyond her rank, so the effect doesn't quite meet the treatment standards of a normal Priest."
Lin Gui's expression became even stranger.
Casting beyond one's rank...
"Her magical talent must be very high, then,"
he remarked subconsciously.
In theory, mages could indeed cast beyond their rank.
The mana consumption of a High Rank spell was not something a Mid Rank mage was incapable of bearing.
However, very few mages could actually do it.
Because an increase in magic rank required more than just higher mana capacity from the mage.
It also required an understanding of more complex magic, as well as higher standards for mana control, magic circuits, and many other elements.
In other words, it was heavily dependent on a mage's natural talent.
Of course, this wasn't an absolute rule.
Take Lin Gui himself, for example.
Back when he was at the Mid Rank, he could also cast the High Rank magic Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
But that wasn't because his magical talent was particularly high.
It was simply because Shroud of the Gloomy Night was a spell of his own creation.
He was intimately familiar with every aspect of that magic.
Calculating by the Mastery Level the system assigned to magic,
he had naturally achieved a level of LV 7 for that spell from the moment he created it.
As for Lin Gui's own innate magical talent...
Let's put it this way: he wouldn't even have met the admission threshold for the worst magic academy in the City of a Thousand Towers.
Therefore, hearing that there was a mage in this remote corner of the world who could cast beyond her rank came as quite a surprise to Lin Gui.
The receptionist also sighed with emotion.
"Indeed, Miss Monica is the most talented mage I have ever seen."
"Unfortunately, she is a commoner from Dragonbone City, and her family background is not good."
"This talent of hers is essentially going to waste."
Lin Gui nodded.
For a mage, talent was crucial, but the conditions that allowed that talent to be developed were also extremely important.
And the condition was simple: money.
The resources required to build up a powerful mage were terrifying.
Even a powerful Legendary mage like Freya had come out to run transport; one could see just how much of a money-sink being a mage was.
Lin Gui asked, "You said she took an advancement commission?"
The receptionist nodded, then pulled out a copy of the commission form Monica had accepted and handed it to Lin Gui.
Looking at Lin Gui, the receptionist also understood that the mage before her was in urgent need of treatment from a priest.
She explained the details of Monica's advancement commission.
"The commission Monica accepted involves clearing magical rats from the sewers."
"No one knows where those magical rats came from, but they've been increasing in number over the past half-month, almost to the point of clogging the sewers."
"Ordinary magical rats are easy enough to handle; an Apprentice adventurer could deal with one or two."
"But the problem is the sheer quantity, and there are even a few rat kings mixed in."
"The strength of a rat king is at least Mid Rank."
"Monica wants to use this commission to advance her adventure group to a Silver Rank adventure group."
"Once they advance, they'll be able to accept commissions with higher rewards."
The receptionist paused, a trace of worry appearing on her face.
"I don't know why she insisted on taking this commission."
"Given her party's strength, they could have easily taken on some safer tasks to accumulate experience slowly."
"This commission is still very difficult for them, given they are only at the Mid Rank on average; one might even say it's quite dangerous."
"I tried to dissuade her at the time, but it was no use."
"She was dead set on taking it."
Lin Gui didn't say anything after listening.
He took the copy of the commission form and scanned it.
It listed the commission's content, the reward, and the names of the acceptors.
Thousand Towers Adventure Group, Leader Monica, four members, Mid Rank.
After reading it, Lin Gui returned the copy of the commission form to the receptionist.
Then, bracing himself with his staff, he drifted out somewhat unsteadily.
An hour after Lin Gui left.
A blonde figure stepped through the doors of the Adventurer's Guild.
The woman possessed peerless beauty, drawing no small amount of attention the moment she entered.
She was clad in the attire of a peasant woman.
A dusty gray linen skirt, a coarse cloth belt tied around her waist, and an old pair of boots covered in mud on her feet.
But those clothes could not hide her temperament at all.
Noble.
Cold and elegant.
And a sort of composure cultivated from long occupying a high position.
The eyes of the young Apprentice adventurers practically glazed over; they had never seen such a beautiful woman before.
Ignoring them, the woman walked straight to the counter.
As she watched the other woman approach, the receptionist couldn't help but swallow hard.
She didn't fear those rookie Apprentice adventurers, nor had she feared the High Rank mage from earlier.
But regarding this stunning woman who clearly had an extraordinary background...
Even if the woman's clothing was so simple it violated noble etiquette,
that aura definitely belonged to the daughter of some noble family.
And with nobles, a single misstep could easily bring disaster upon one's head.
The receptionist couldn't help but grow nervous.
She forced a smile and asked cautiously,
"Um, esteemed guest, is there anything I can help you with?"
The woman's face looked somewhat uneasy and a bit lost.
She looked at the receptionist and remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, she spoke slowly.
"Have you... seen a... black-haired mage?"
Her voice was a little hoarse.
"An injured one, he should be carrying an oak staff..."
The receptionist froze for a moment, then immediately recalled the mage who had been looking for a priest earlier.
"I've seen him,"
she said, nodding.
"He went to find the priest who is currently out on a commission."
"They should be over by the sewers."
"He might be back in a little while."
Hearing this, the woman clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked around at the bounties on the commission board, then at the rookie adventurers sneaking glances at her.
Finally, she sighed.
Her expression looked as if she had made a very difficult decision.
She turned back to the receptionist.
"Can... one register as an adventurer here?"
The receptionist was stunned.
She looked at the woman; she had apparently never imagined that someone she subconsciously considered a noble lady would say such a thing.
In the mouths of nobles, adventurers were always referred to as lowly servants.
"Register... as an adventurer?"
the receptionist stammered, repeating the words.
The woman nodded.
The receptionist hesitated a moment before asking,
"Um, may I ask what your class is..."
The woman looked at her and spoke.
"Elvia Rolan."
"My class is Knight."
"Rank: High-tier High Rank."
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