"That King is so stingy," Lux complained as he looked at the scenery outside Cleo's carriage. "He could have just made an exception and let us use the Royal Family's Teleportation Gate."
Cleo, who was sitting in the same carriage, could only smile bitterly after hearing Lux's complaint.
Just a day after the party ended, they had asked the King for permission to use the Teleportation Gate, which would have cut their travel time by half.
However, the no-good King of Agartha only smirked and told them that he had only given them permission to travel around his kingdom. As for the use of the Royal Family's Teleportation Gate, the King denied Lux's request to use it, using the reason that he didn't approve of him freeing Aurora from the Pantheon of Exile.
But since he had given his word, he would allow them to go there using the "regular" method, which annoyed the Half-Elf very much.
"Calm down, Lux," Gaap said with a smile. "Look at the bright side. Since we can visit more cities in our journey, why don't we just focus on Guild recruitment for the time being? That way, the King's hospitality won't be wasted."
Gaap's words were filled with sarcasm, but since there was nothing they could do about it, they decided to just focus on Guild recruitment in order to expand their Guild.
"That's a good idea, Master," Lux replied. "Let's do that."
Cleo, who had just been keeping her silence, finally spoke out.
"We will only be visiting one city on our journey in order to stockpile food, water, and other consumable items," Cleo stated. "After that, we will be visiting the seven Strongholds that are built near the borders of the Kingdom. So, if you plan to recruit Guild Members, you can only do it in those places.
"Of course, if you are not in a hurry, I can give you a tour around the kingdom, visiting several cities, towns, and villages along the way. Would you like that?"
Lux and Gaap glanced at each other before firmly shaking their heads.
Their only purpose in Agartha was to find Aurora, and they couldn't stay in the Ancient Kingdom for a very long time. There were many pressing matters that they had left behind, and the Half-Elf didn't want them to overstay their welcome.
Cleo only giggled after seeing Lux's and Gaap's reactions. Even so, as their guide and Lux's temporary Aide for a year, she decided to stay with them for the time being.
She had even gotten permission from King Septimius to follow them back to the Surface World.
This surprised the Saintess, and she thanked her King for giving her this opportunity.
However, contrary to what she expected, the King had other motives for letting her go with the Half-Elf.
He had given the Saintess a communication artifact and tasked her to report everything that was going on with Lux.
Cleo wasn't stupid, and she understood what her King wanted. Even so, she decided to not report everything, unless it was truly important.
Two days later, they arrived at the Border City of El Hazard.
"Well, this place is livelier than I thought," Lux muttered as he looked at the city that was in the farthest Western Region of the Kingdom of Agartha.
"This used to be a small village, but not until the Kingdom expanded its borders to go farther West," Cleo explained. "As many Rankers and Adventurers came here to explore the Kingdom's borders, the village gradually upgraded to a town, and after a few years, it became a city."
A smile appeared on Lux's lips because this was the very same thing that he had envisioned for Leaf Village.
Currently, the Kingdom of Gweliven was starting to expand their borders and explore the Savage Lands, using Leaf Village as the base.
He had also tasked his two new minions, who were also the Head of Merchant Guilds and previous members of Twilight Rain, to fund the expansion of Leaf Village and turn it into Leaf Town.
Cedwyn, who was the current Village Head, was smiling ear to ear after receiving Lux's news that he had found a sponsor for their village, causing the old Dwarf to become more pumped up in making sure that his village would grow into a town.
"I have already made reservations at the most popular Inn in this city," Cleo stated. "Let's go there first before you start your exploration of El Hazard."
Lux and Gaap nodded their heads in understanding. The Half-Elf planned to visit the Adventurer's Guild and post a notice about his Guild Recruitment.
Also, he planned to visit Weapon Stores, Armor Stores, and Miscellaneous Stores in order to buy another batch of equipment that had special abilities in them.
His goal was to make his Guild Members and Summons overpowered by making them overgeared. This was his second top priority aside from saving Aurora in the Pantheon of Exile.
After arriving at the Inn, they managed to get the keys to their rooms without any problem.
However, as they were about to climb the stairs to check their accommodations, a man who was nearly two-meters-tall, blocked their path.
"Can you step aside?" Cleo asked with a frown. "Why are you blocking our way?"
Just like the other Saints who didn't want to garner attention from people, Cleo usually suppressed her power, making others see her as a mere High-Ranker.
Because of this, there were times when she was disrespected by those who didn't know her true Rank. She thought that the man blocking her path was just like any other man who didn't know her true powers.
But this assumption of hers disappeared after hearing the man's reply to her inquiry.
"I didn't come for you, Saintess," the man stated. "I have business with the two Highlanders."
"Business with us?" Lux eyed the man from head to toe.
Even though the Half-Elf was just a D-Ranker, he was able to tell that the man in front of him was at least a C-Ranker. However, aside from that, the man's clothes were normal and there was nothing special about him.
"Yes," the man replied. "My name is Darren, and I am one of the many people that watched the match in the Gladiator Coliseum. I am also one of the very few people who placed a bet on your victory, and I managed to earn a huge sum thanks to your one-sided victory."
Darren smiled, which made Lux and Gaap look at him in a better light. Anyone who placed their bet on them was a friend, and because of this, they no longer treated the person in front of them as an annoyance.
"You said you have business with us?" Lux asked. "What kind of business are we talking about?"
"You mentioned in the tournament that you are recruiting Guild Members for your Guild, right?" Darren inquired. "I happen to be a Bounty Hunter, and I am one of the people that played a role in Leonidas' capture. How is he, by the way? Is he still alive?"
"Leonidas is alive and well," Lux replied as he looked at the Bounty Hunter that had piqued his interest. "You want to join my Guild?"
Darren nodded. "But I am not alone. My friends, who are also Bounty Hunters, want to join your Guild as well."
Lux eyed the man who seemed to be only in his later thirties before asking another question.
"Your reason for joining my Guild is?"
"The Surface World."
Lux nodded. "Ah. So that's the reason."
He understood that going to the Surface World was very alluring to Agarthians. However, he didn't invite Darren to join his Guild right away as he did with Princess Shayna.
He had a feeling that the Bounty Hunter had other motives aside from going to the Surface World, and until he knew the truth, he intended to test whether the person in front of him was worthy of his trust or not.
