Faerûn: Lord of the Eternal Sun

"Ian, you watch the shop, I'm going to the Vulture Tavern."

After Isaac finished giving his instructions, he went out. Old Neil invited him to lunch at the tavern, saying he would find him some side jobs.

This kind of thing happens almost every month, and it's beneficial to both of them. Old Neil has quite a few tricks up his sleeve.

The Vulture Tavern is just across the street, a few minutes' walk away.

Under the blazing sun, Isaac noticed that he was sweating less and less recently, showing a strong ability to adapt to high temperatures.

The importance of this ability to the desert city-state of Shahramun is self-evident, meaning that Isaac's need for water is half or even less than that of others.

Entering the pub, Isaac waved to the bartender and headed straight for the corner staircase to the second floor.

Before they even got close, they could hear a noisy conversation coming from a room deep inside.

Besides Old Neil's voice, there were several other unfamiliar voices.

The wooden door to the room was open. Isaac stood at the doorway observing, and then went inside.

Five figures sat cross-legged at a low wooden table, drinking and talking, their conversation abruptly ending with Isaac's arrival.

Apart from Old Neil, the other four were dressed as Sandwalkers, two men and two women.

The men were rugged-looking, with short beards or full beards, while the female adventurers were equally uninhibited, looking at the tall men who entered with surprised eyes.

Their weapons and armor were placed in the corner. Apart from a burly man sitting in the main seat who looked to be in his forties, the other three were around twenty or thirty years old, and they should be a Sandwalker squad.

Isaac sat down next to Old Neil and nodded to the Sandwalkers as a greeting.

"Old Neil, is this the good player you were talking about?"

The middle-aged man had a complicated expression. He had only returned to the city-state a few days ago and did not recognize this newly crowned Son of the Sun.

From any perspective, Isaac's appearance as a descendant of an ancient god screams "expensive," something they simply cannot afford to hire.

Old Neil patted his arm, signaling him to calm down.

"Come on! Let me introduce you. This is Isaac, the Son of the Sun."

"They are the 'Sand Blade Adventurers,' and this is their captain, Anton Tans."

After he finished his introduction, Isaac picked up the wooden cup containing the "Paloma" and clinked it with the others.

This beverage has a low alcohol content and a very flavorful taste, making it perfect for satisfying cravings.

"Antons, Isaac is a very experienced fighter with many years of desert adventure experience. His combat ability goes without saying, and the commission is negotiable."

Old Neil was pushing the deal hard, and as the middleman, he and Isaac split the profits 7/3.

Captain Anton Tans, a straightforward person, asked directly how much the commission was.

Old Neil and Isaac exchanged a glance. Since they had won the championship, the commission could not be the same as before, otherwise the championship would have been won for nothing.

"Let me explain the details of the commission first."

Isaac knew nothing about hiring jobs, so he naturally needed to learn about it before he could offer a price.

Anton Tans hesitated, reluctant to reveal too much, but since they had chosen to cooperate, they couldn't hide anything from each other, as that would increase the risk of the adventure, which was also the rule among the Sandwalkers.

"We discovered a fairly large abandoned temple in the desert last week. We detected gnoll footprints nearby, so we didn't rush to investigate. We figured the abandoned temple had already been taken over by the gnolls."

"Later, we went to the 'Jinmo Secret Bureau' to check the ancient books. Based on the temple's style and approximate location, we roughly determined that it was the temple of the Goddess of the Wilderness, which was buried by a massive sandstorm that lasted for more than 300 years."

"It's likely that the priests and monks who retreated in such a hurry left behind many valuable items."

Anton Tans stopped there, letting Neil and Isaac process what he had to say.

The Ash Desert Archives is the library in the Upper City, recording the long history of the vast desert of Enoch, dating back to the Netheril period. Its collection of books is second only to the underground shrine of the Temple of the Sun.

As for the goddess of the wilderness, Mielikki is a druid deity. The desert is also part of nature, leaning towards the forest. Her divine authority is to protect nature and the wilderness.

"An unknown number of gnolls?"

Isaac hesitated. This kind of commission with unknown information was the most troublesome, as no one knew exactly how many enemies were hidden.

Gnolls are not easy to deal with. These ferocious races are individually powerful. If it is just a small tribe of ten or eight, it is okay, but once there are more than ten, the danger increases greatly.

Not to mention those medium to large tribes with dozens or hundreds of members, which would require sending troops to deal with. It can no longer be called an adventure, but a war.

Antonsens noticed his hesitation and tried to persuade him.

"Since we've decided to explore this temple, there are bound to be dangers. We can investigate it before we go in, and if it's not safe, we can retreat."

"We've hired two other Sandwalkers, making three of you, one of whom is a rogue skilled in intelligence gathering."

It's clear that the Sandblade Adventure Team isn't a novice, and with the addition of outside help, Isaac's assessment of the level of danger has decreased significantly.

"Let's talk about the commission. If a battle occurs, my fee is 10 gold coins."

"If there is no battle, I only need 3 gold coins."

This price is astronomical for the other Sandwalkers, and only Isaac dares to ask for such a high price.

Hiring a regular Sandwalker only costs one or two gold coins, which is the same price Isaac used to pay.

The commission fee made Antontans hesitate, and his team members were also somewhat dissatisfied. What if they were paid 10 gold coins as commission after a battle, but no treasure was found in the temple? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

This is still too risky for the adventure team; they need to find a way to avoid some of it.

"Here's what we'll do, Isaac. I'll give you two options."

"Firstly, regardless of whether a battle occurs, I will give you a commission of 6 gold coins. This is my way of showing my sincerity."

"Secondly, I won't give you a commission, but you'll join my adventure team as a temporary member, and after the adventure, you'll split all the spoils with the four of us."

Anton Tans handed over the decision-making power to the other party, which was essentially no different from negotiating a business deal.

Isaac glanced at old Neil, and the two exchanged a knowing look, already knowing the answer in their hearts.

"I want 30%! Or you can agree to my previous conditions."

After he finished speaking, a young male member of the adventure team, who had a fiery temper, slammed his fist on the table.

"Isaac, you're too greedy! We've all worked so hard, and you're only taking 7%!"

Captain Anton Tans quickly stopped the youngest player, and Isaac wasn't angry.

Doing business is all about mutual consent. If you can reach an agreement, great; if not, there's nothing you can do. There's no need to ruin a relationship.

"I believe I have the ability to take 30%!"

Isaac said this with great confidence. Since his last encounter with the Black Fist Brotherhood at the Black Serpent Tavern, he could clearly feel that his strength had more than doubled compared to before the Shield Festival. He could easily defeat two of his former selves.

In particular, the divine descendant Golden Eyes' abilities are simply too powerful.

Antonsen thought for a moment, then raised his glass, his attitude very clear.

It was clear that he, as the team leader, had a lot of authority within the group. The other three members also raised their glasses, including the hot-tempered young member.

"Cheers!"

Isaac and Neil raised their glasses, clinked them together, and drank them down, thus securing the commission.