I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Alex looked at the elderly marshal, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

He knew, of course, what this invitation meant—the First Legion was the empire's sharpest sword, the only legion qualified to possess a Grand Magister, and the Marshal's successor was destined to be a pillar of the empire, second only to the emperor and above millions of others.

But he shook his head, apologetic smile on his lips, "Marshal, it is my honor to receive your invitation, but please forgive me for declining."

Rhine wasn't surprised, and simply nodded. "I suppose you have more important things to do. It's just a pity that the new generation of nobles in the capital... well, it's hard to say. There's no one ready to take up the mantle yet. Anyway, you're always welcome here."

"Thank you for your recognition." Alex bowed to the marshal, then left and went to the Adventurers' Guild in Kolde City.

Mason spent another day last night renting out the second floor of the association, saying he needed to prepare some more things, and he's still waiting for him there.

After the hero's party disbanded, Anna was recalled to the Holy City to report for duty. According to custom, she should be promoted to a senior deacon of the church or a regional bishop, in charge of the overall affairs of a certain diocese.

Legolas did not participate in any farewell ceremony. He simply shouldered his longbow this morning and headed alone into the eastern forest. The Elven court's recall warrant had arrived; he needed to provide the court with a detailed report on the new movements of the demons. Before leaving, he left several elven rune-inscribed wooden plaques on the Adventurers' Guild's table, each bearing only one word: "Have a safe journey."

A dwarf's life is inseparable from the furnace and the anvil. Bruno shouldered his greatsword and went to the blacksmith's shop in Kolde that had reforged Alex's holy sword. The first time he saw the blacksmith forging iron, he noticed that the rhythm of the hammer striking the anvil was even more steady than that of the dwarven master blacksmiths. At that moment, he knew that he had met a master. He had just become an apprentice there, preparing to continue his adventures after he had mastered the craft.

Alex entered the second-floor stairwell of the Adventurers' Guild, climbing the steps with a dull thud on the wooden stairs.

Mason sat at the table by the window, with three open leather trunks spread out in front of him, the guild's gold-embossed seal still on them.

Dozens of gift boxes of varying sizes were piled up next to the suitcase, with ribbons, velvet, and cork shavings scattered all over the floor, and the air was filled with the smell of new leather and polished wood.

She was bending over to put something into a storage ring, her long, fiery red hair hanging down from her shoulders, almost dragging on the table.

"You're back." She didn't even look up, still stuffing things inside.

Alex stood at the top of the stairs, his eyelids twitching as he looked at the pile of gifts that almost covered the table.

"These are..."

"Apprenticeship gift." Mason straightened up, slipped several storage rings onto his ring finger, twirled them, then took them off one by one and put them on his index finger. "One for your master, one for your fellow disciples, and one for yourself... Don't worry about it, I'll pay for it."

Alex approached and looked down at the list scattered on the table, the parchment covered with dense writing.

Twenty high-grade storage rings.

Twenty high-grade magic staffs.

Thirty swords crafted by the master blacksmith himself.

Fifty bottles of Elven secret potions.

The dwarves can only craft a maximum of ten sets of rune armor.

……

There were also several boxes of desserts that looked very expensive, with gold ribbons tied to the boxes.

Alex paused for a moment. "They're all expensive, aren't they? How much will this cost?"

"None of your business. I'm rich anyway," Mason said matter-of-factly. "I told you, if you don't work hard, you'll have to go back to the capital and inherit the merchant guild. Now that I'm with you, I need to spend the money."

Alex opened his mouth, wanting to say, "But this is too expensive," but he swallowed the words back. He knew Mason's temper.

"Aren't you afraid my master won't accept you?"

Mason paused for a moment, looked up, and a hint of tension flashed in her fiery red eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.

"You have no choice but to accept it! What I, Mason, give away is never returned."

Alex looked at her and chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing." He reached out and picked up a box of desserts from the table, glancing at the label on the packaging—Golden Acorn Special. "You even prepared desserts?"

"What if someone prefers better food? It's our first meeting, so we should have a small gift. Anyway, it won't spoil in a high-level storage ring."

Alex put the dessert back, turned around, and looked at Mason.

"And you?"

"What about me?"

What have you prepared for yourself?

Mason paused for a moment, looked down at his empty fingers, and then at the gifts that had already been distributed on the table.

It seems that nothing was left for myself.

"I..." she frowned, "I don't need it."

Alex took a small cloth bag from his pocket and placed it in front of her.

The cloth bag was small, tied with a simple hemp rope.

"What is this?"

"Open it and take a look."

Mason untied the hemp rope, and inside the cloth bag lay a hairpin. It was silver, with a blooming rose at the head, and a small ruby ​​embedded in the petals, gleaming warmly in the candlelight.

It's not anything particularly valuable, and the craftsmanship isn't top-notch, but it's elegant and understated.

"When did you buy it?" Her voice was a little tense.

"This morning, at that old silversmith shop on the street corner. When I saw it, I thought it would suit you perfectly."

Mason stared at the rose for a while, her fingers gently tracing the petals, her fingertips brushing against the ruby, before she clenched the hairpin in her palm.

"...It's so ugly."

"Then I'll take it and return it."

"You dare!" She shoved the hairpin into her sleeve, turned her face away, her ear tips burning red. "Once something is given away, there's no reason to take it back."

Alex smiled and didn't expose her.

"Can your master really take me there?" Mason's voice trailed off, tinged with uncertainty.

"Can."

"Won't he think I'm a burden?"

"Of course not, he's seen you."

"When?"

"The time we ate at Golden Acorn."

Mason's face flushed even more. She cleared her throat, stood up, and closed the suitcases on the table one by one.

"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and get ready, don't keep the senior waiting."

"Um."

The two put all the gifts into their storage rings and walked down the stairs side by side.

With the Kingdom's First Legion stationed in Kold, most adventurers went to watch the excitement, leaving the Adventurers' Guild's hall nearly empty.

The receptionist behind the counter was tidying up. When she saw them come down, she smiled and nodded.

……

Ji Tian stood with his hands behind his back by the drawbridge at the west gate of Kolde, his robes fluttering gently in the evening breeze.

After the battle a few days ago, he added a spell to his [Tai Xu Fan Shen Jue] that made his robes move without wind, so that he could always maintain the demeanor of a master.

Behind him, a silver-haired girl wrapped in a gray cloak huddled, only her purple eyes visible, peering into the city.

Upon seeing who it was, Lilith peeked out from behind Ji Tian and whispered, "Master, that red-haired guy is here too."

"Yes, I saw it."

"She was carrying a lot of small boxes; could they be filled with...?"

Ji Tian scanned them with his divine sense and replied, "They're just rings."

Lilith's eyes widened suddenly, as if she had imagined something terrible: Could she be about to confess her love to everyone in the sect?!

I've long heard that humans use rings to confirm relationships.

It doesn't matter to others, but what if she throws a few rings at him and manages to win him over? After all, he's so naive; what if he gets tricked by a bad woman?

Although I could tell yesterday that the woman had someone else in her heart.

But what if?

No, I have to stop all of this from happening!

She stood up straight behind Ji Tian, ​​puffing out her chest, trying to make herself look more imposing.

But he accidentally stepped on the hem of his own cloak, stumbled, and shrank back.