My inventory is full of monster materials.

Chapter 134 Cooperation

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed through the carved windowsill into the spacious bedroom, where the soft bed was in disarray, with a few pieces of underwear scattered about.

Silk mage robes and women's uniforms were casually draped over the edge of the bed, the air filled with a faint scent of hormones, and the lingering warmth of last night's intimacy still faintly remained.

Mark slowly got off the bed, wearing only a pair of gray linen shorts, his upper body bare, his lean lines smooth and full of power.

His gaze inadvertently fell upon the sleeping blonde woman beside him.

Madeline lay on her side, her blonde hair scattered messily on the pillow, revealing her smooth back and pert buttocks, her snow-white body gleaming with a delicate luster.

Mark couldn't resist and gently patted that pert bottom with a crisp "smack".

"Ugh...stop fooling around..."

Madeline mumbled sleepily, still feeling languid and impatient from just waking up, then turned over and pretended to go back to sleep.

Mark chuckled softly, walked to the window, and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, which was moist and slightly cool with the scent of grass and trees. He felt a sense of satisfaction; mature older women certainly had a unique charm.

Mark's attention then returned to the desk by the window, where he gently placed a heavy ancient book on the table.

The pages were yellowed, the edges worn, and they were covered with profound ancient magical script. My fingertips slowly traced each line of the pages.

Mark's lips moved slightly as he murmured something to himself.

"Anywhere Door..."

This was the skill book "4th Ring: Anywhere Door" that Zeffer had seized from him.

This spell's magical effect is extremely practical; it can open a spatial portal from the current location, allowing the user to teleport to any location within a 500-meter radius.

Mark was eager to learn this spell because he sensed that the mission would be fraught with danger, and having an extra escape skill would greatly increase his chances of survival.

However, this blue-rarity 4th-ring spell is far more difficult to learn than one can imagine. Generally speaking, the standard learning requirement for a 3rd-ring spell is an intelligence of 30 points.

Fourth-circle spells are beyond the scope of a first-tier formal mage; only second-tier archmages can access them.

However, Mark's confidence in trying ahead of time is naturally well-founded.

In a flash of inspiration, Mark took out two items from his dimensional bag one after the other.

A yellowed manuscript titled "Lockland's Spatial Conjecture," and a fist-sized meteorite emitting a purple glow called "Void Element Core."

Mark deepened his understanding of the laws of space through studying the manual; placing the "Void Element Core" in his equipment slot granted him a "Spatial Affinity +40%" bonus; in addition, he had already mastered the prerequisite spell, the 3rd-level "Blink".

With all these factors combined, Mark was confident that he could conquer this fourth-circle spell in a short time.

Mark's eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge and a persistent determination, and an excited smile unconsciously curved his lips. The more difficult the spell was to learn, the more it ignited his fighting spirit; this feeling of challenging his limits made his blood boil.

As his fingertips slid rapidly across the pages and he muttered obscure incantations, Mark was immersed in the world of magic, and faint ripples of space gradually spread around him.

Just then, a pair of cool, pale arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind, tightly embracing his waist.

Immediately afterwards, Mark felt a soft touch on his back, carrying a familiar fragrance, and he paused, stopping what he was doing.

"What kind of magic is this?"

Madeline's voice sounded from behind, carrying the weariness of just waking up, yet also revealing a hint of satisfied languor.

"Anywhere Door".

Without turning his head, Mark reached into the drawer and took out manuscript paper and a quill pen, beginning to record, calculate, and verify knowledge related to magic.

"Anywhere Door?!"

But Madeline's voice suddenly rose, filled with obvious surprise.

"You've already started learning fourth-level spells?"

Madeline knew all too well the difficulty of fourth-circle spells, which were simply beyond the reach of first-tier professional mages.

Mark slowly turned around, looking down at the woman beneath him.

Madeline's blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, the messy strands adding to her charm. She wore only a thin silk slip dress, her snow-white skin and graceful curves peeking through the fabric, her eyes dreamy and moist.

Mark bent down and picked her up, gently placing her on the desk with a soft cry. He then leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers, their eyes meeting, and the ambiguous atmosphere in the air heated up once more.

"Miss Madeline, you invited me here not just to have a friendly chat and catch up, right?"

As he spoke, Mark's hand inadvertently caressed her fair and smooth thigh, carrying a burning heat.

Unexpectedly, Madeline didn't care about his frivolous behavior at all. Instead, she stood tall and looked directly into his eyes, her languidness gone and her gaze becoming serious.

"Eugene, do you remember?"

Mark paused, his gaze darkening.

"Of course I remember, Felix was forced out by him."

In fact, Mark and Eugene's connection goes far beyond this, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, he only spoke of the publicly known information.

Madeline, unaware of the details, looked at Mark with a complicated expression and spoke.

Before leaving Pinewood Town, Felix specifically sought out Chairman Conrad.

"On one hand, we want the chairman to take better care of your White Eagle squad," he said, while on the other hand, he subtly hinted at Eugene's unusual behavior.

"The president sensed something was wrong and immediately retrieved all the files Eugene had handled in the past two or three years. He discovered that all the special missions for aspiring professionals that Eugene was in charge of had failed without exception."

Madeline's expression became more serious than ever before.

"From that moment on, the guild realized that Eugene was definitely involved, so they immediately suspended him from his duties for investigation."

"That's why I took over the senior mission management duties for the White Eagle team, replacing Eugene."

Mark recalled the scene of his first meeting with Madeline, and everything made sense.

At the time, Felix and Talia had just left the team, and the "White Eagle" squad was in a slump. They took on a slime core collection mission, but were ambushed and killed by a bounty placed on them by "Little Mustache".

Looking back now, it was clear that Eugene was holding a grudge because he was suspended from his post, and he posted the bounty to vent his anger.

But Mark frowned and asked in confusion.

"Is Eugene involved in the current 'Anchor Point' operation?"

Madeline sighed deeply, her face full of resentment and unwillingness.

"Of course it's related! That guy really ruined the Adventurers' Guild!"

"According to reliable intelligence, Eugene revealed his abyssal aura on the black market. Upon testing, the aura was found to be exactly the same as that of the abyssal monsters of Mount Tabora."

"It can now be basically concluded that Eugene was one of the masterminds behind the failure of the 'Wolf Annihilation' plan."

"Although the Pinewood Town Adventurers' Guild launched an investigation into Eugene two months ago, they were ultimately negligent and must bear joint responsibility. Therefore, we must go all out in this 'Anchor Point' operation to salvage our reputation."

Mark didn't seem too surprised when he heard this.

As a witness to the "Wrath of Justice" on the black market, Mark had long suspected Eugene's identity.

But there was still one thing Mark didn't understand.

"I can understand the Adventurers' Guild being punished, but isn't Eugene a member of the O'Connor family? How will their family respond to this?"

At this moment, Madeline looked frustrated and said helplessly.

"You may not know this, but Eugene publicly severed ties with the O'Connor family ten years ago, cutting off all contact, before coming to work in Pinewood, a town on the frontier."

"They've been separated for so long, it's extremely difficult to hold the O'Connor family accountable."

"That's not necessarily true."

Mark gave a wicked smile, raised his hand and took out a small ledger from the dimensional bag at his waist, the very one that recorded Zefer's various life events.

Mark later read through it carefully and found that, in addition to Zeffer's own crimes, it also recorded a lot of his illegal dealings with Eugene.

This evidence is sufficient to prove that there is still some unknown connection between the O'Connor family and Eugene.

Madeline took the ledger with a puzzled look and flipped through it following Mark's directions. She quickly discovered a key clue, and her eyes lit up instantly.

"Great! So Eugene and the core members of the O'Connor family had so many illegal and disorderly dealings!"

"Now we can finally drag the O'Connor family, and even the council chamber, into this mess, relieving some of the pressure on the Adventurers' Guild!"

Actually, Mark felt a pang of regret, because there was another ledger with even more explosive revelations.

Mark was just too honest at the time and didn't make a copy. Of course, you can't entirely blame him. Who would have thought that someone could even find a loophole to circumvent a fair contract?

Looking again at the jubilant woman in his arms, Mark felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and his hands, rather restless, gently caressed her through her silk slip dress.

However, sensing Mark's unusual behavior, Madeline shifted her body coquettishly to avoid his clutches and said seriously.

"Wait a minute, there's something more important to say."

"Huh? What else?"

Mark smiled bitterly to himself. Sure enough, beauty is a double-edged sword. This woman had invited him here, so there must be more to it than met the eye.

Just then, a crisp knocking sound came from the doorway, thump! thump! Two knocks broke the atmosphere in the room.

Mark looked at Madeline suspiciously, and at her prompting, he reluctantly got up, grabbed the azure mage's robe draped over the back of the chair and put it on. Without even straightening the hem, he quickly walked to the door and opened it.

The moment the door opened, the two people at the door and Mark were stunned. The air froze instantly, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

Two people were standing at the door.

On the left is a handsome young man with brown hair, dressed in a black robe. He has a gentle smile on his lips and friendly eyes that also hold a hint of inquiry.

On the right is a warrior clad in heavy full-body armor, his face completely obscured by a closed helmet, leaving only a small slit for his eyes, and a heavy, gleaming sword slung over his shoulder.

These two were the two veteran professionals who stood on either side of the steps when Guild Master Conrad awarded Mark the "Badge of Excellence for Adventurers".

Mark, who was inside the doorway, was wearing only a pair of shorts with a loose mage's robe casually draped over them, the hem of the robe askew.

At this incredibly awkward moment, Madeline's clear voice came from inside the room.

"Come in, all of you. What are you standing there for?"

Upon hearing this, the brown-haired mage and the greatsword warrior exchanged a glance, nodded to Mark, and squeezed into the room one after the other.

However, when they saw Madeline, wearing only a thin sundress and with snow-white skin, walking towards them from behind the desk.

Then, recalling the strong smell of hormones in the air, he instantly realized what had just happened, and his expression became increasingly unnatural, the room falling into a deathly silence.

Madeline, however, paid no attention to the stares of the crowd and walked confidently to lead the way, speaking naturally.

"Let's talk in the reception room."

Three grown men were led by a woman to the reception room.

Madeline walked to the tatami mat first and naturally lay down on her side, comfortably showing off her body. Her skirt rose slightly, revealing a section of her fair calves.

Gray and Killian took their seats on the chairs opposite them, while Mark hesitated for a moment before sitting on Madeline's couch instead of on it. The four of them then sat in a circle.

The young brown-haired mage broke the silence first, bowed slightly, and introduced himself to Mark in a low voice.

"I am Grey Grant, captain of the Halo Adventurer's party."

The greatsword warrior's voice came from inside his helmet, deep and concise.

"Kyrian".

Mark nodded slightly and responded just as calmly.

"Mark, captain of the 'White Eagle' squad."

From the moment he entered the house, Gray's gaze remained fixed on Mark, and he couldn't help but nod in approval.

"I noticed your extraordinary talent during the awarding ceremony, but I never expected that the Frost Giant bloodline would cause such a big change in you."

"You're almost taller than Killian now."

"7

As he spoke, Gray raised his hand to demonstrate the height difference between the two.

Mark smiled modestly and responded.

"Being tall is secondary; the benefits of awakening one's bloodline go far beyond that."

After saying that, Mark opened his big hand and gently scooped it up in front of everyone. He clenched his fist tightly, and when he opened it, a few tiny ice shards condensed in his palm and fell onto the table.

This scene made everyone present look serious, especially Gray, who felt it most deeply.

Mark's movements were extremely casual, without revealing the slightest magical fluctuation, yet he was able to directly condense the water vapor in the air into ice.

This demonstrates that Mark's mastery of the ice element has reached an extremely high level.

Gray reacted first, clapping his hands lightly in praise.

"Deacon Madeline's judgment was indeed excellent; she didn't misjudge him. Mage Mark's strength far exceeds our expectations."

Mark stopped beating around the bush and asked directly.

"Let's be frank. What is it that you specifically sought me out about?"

At this moment, Madeline, who was lying on her side on the soft couch, propped herself up and her expression became serious.

Eugene's rebellion burdened the Adventurers' Guild with enormous responsibility and public pressure.

"Our guild not only sent elites like myself, Gray, and Kylian to participate in the advance operation."

"A special investigation team was even formed to be responsible for preliminary exploration and intelligence gathering. Even Chairman Conrad personally participated in the subsequent rescue operation."

"We can pay such a high price, but only if we take the lead in the operation; otherwise, we will only become someone else's pawns and victims."

Madeline's face gradually darkened as she continued.

The biggest problem with the "Current Anchor Point" operation is that all the participating forces have their own agendas, and so far no unified leader has been identified.

"Mark, I hope you can support our Adventurers' Guild and help us gain the upper hand in this operation."

"Choose a side."

Mark instantly understood the core meaning of this meeting.

He pondered for a moment and felt that Madeline's approach was not without reason. To deal with external threats, one must first secure internal stability. Only by establishing a unified command can the forces of all parties be integrated and internal friction avoided.

But Mark didn't agree immediately; instead, he calmly inquired.

"Which other factions were involved in this operation?"

Madeline responded without hesitation.

"Those involved in the operation include Earthquake Fortress, the United Merchants Association, the Council Hall, the Church of Dawn, the Mage Association, and our Adventurers' Guild."

"Other factions each sent one elite soldier, but our guild, needing to shoulder more responsibility, specifically sent two: Gray and Kylian."

Mark quickly started calculating in his mind.

Aside from the Adventurers' Guild and the Mage's Association, he knew almost nothing about other factions and had no connections with them, so naturally he had no reason to support others.

However, since it's a negotiation, we must strive to secure enough benefits for ourselves, even if there are no guarantees, we should still try to get some things done first.

Mark leaned back on the soft couch, his hands behind his head, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"Helping you isn't out of the question, but what would I get in return?"

Gray and Killian exchanged a glance but remained silent, clearly leaving the negotiations to Madeline.

Madeline, who was lying on her side, shifted her snow-white thigh and said in a slightly reproachful tone, her eyes filled with ambiguity.

"Benefits? Didn't you already get them last night?"

"Oh, this..."

Mark scratched his face awkwardly with his finger, his eyes unconsciously wandering over the graceful curves, and said with a hint of teasing.

"Aren't you enjoying it too?"

"you..."

Madeline was speechless, took a deep breath, suppressed her embarrassment and anger, and said seriously.

"If you can stand on our side and help the Adventurers' Guild gain the initiative in the operation."

"Afterwards, I will apply to Guild Master Conrad to exempt you from the assessment and directly promote you to Silver Adventurer."

Mark held up only one finger, shook it, and added.

"I'm already a professional, so becoming a Silver Adventurer is just a matter of time."

"My condition is that, in addition to my exemption from the assessment for promotion to Silver Adventurer, the 'White Eagle' team must also be exempt from the assessment for promotion to Silver Adventurer Team."

Madeline frowned deeply, her face showing great distress.

"The rating system for adventure teams is much stricter than that for adventurers. Even if the guild is willing to waive some of the complicated requirements, the most basic promotion condition for a Silver Adventure Team is to complete three Silver-level missions."

"Otherwise, if someone discovers and reports it, the entire guild could be shut down."

"Three times..."

Mark then looked up and asked.

How much more is the "White Eagle" going?

Madeline answered truthfully.

"You're two short. According to the current records, you've only completed one Silver quest to defeat the Slime King at Merito Falls."

Mark pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled smugly.

"That's easy. This 'Anchor Point' operation can be considered a Silver-level mission."

"There's also the follow-up to clearing the path. I also need to support Mount Tabora and rescue the trapped people. That should also count as a Silver-level mission."

"ha?"

Madeline was stunned by Mark's shamelessness and laughed angrily.

"Why are you talking as if all the credit belongs to you alone?"

"

Mark shrugged and shamelessly replied.

"Try to squeeze out two more mission requirements. If that's not possible, I can stay with you for another night as compensation, okay?"

Madeline clenched her small hands tightly in anger, her chest heaving slightly. She glared at Mark for a long time before finally spitting out two words through gritted teeth.

"make a deal!"

"It's a pleasure working with you."