86 Coincidence...?

To compensate for the trouble he had caused, Linnaeus ended up leaving a rather substantial tip for Khö. Afterward, he, accompanied by Eliza, Emilia, and Krone, promptly checked out of their rooms, practically fleeing from the hostel without turning back. It was only after they had checked in to a new Inn, located in the opposite direction, that the Party was able to breathe easily.

Though he was still curious about the circumstances surrounding Khö, Linnaeus knew it would be exceptionally foolish to get involved with something like a Bapho. Even if she happened to still qualify for leaving the Crucible of Souls, her existence would invariably cause trouble, drawing entire Organizations to interfere in his affairs.

Fortunately, his Party largely shared these views, so, while Khö's existence would undoubtedly be plagued with tragedy, deserving of a bit of sympathy, it had nothing to do with them. It wasn't as if she was the only one fated to suffer, as, in many ways, the billions born within the Slums had an arguably worse fate. After all, they rarely even had a chance to defend themselves, whereas, due to the sparsity of their race, most Bapho were treated relatively well, often becoming the pets of extremely wealthy individuals...

By the time the Party had reached the Guild, Linnaeus had largely removed thoughts of helping Khö from his mind. He had more important things to worry about in the present, chiefly the fact that Renka was present and, going by her dour expression and the 'very' short line in front of her desk, it was very apparent that she wasn't in a good mood.

Understanding the futility of trying to stand in a different line, Linnaeus, alongside Eliza, joined Renka's queue. They had a few Quest fliers in hand, but, before that, they needed to receive their payment for the materials they had dropped off the previous afternoon.

Seeing Linnaeus and Eliza approach her desk, a small smile spread across Renka's face, followed by her musing, "Well, well, long time no see~? I hope the two of you had a better evening than I did. Now, let's see here..."

Deciding it was best to avoid discussing their previous displacement, Linnaeus offered a polite smile as Renka sorted through the files kept beneath her desk. It didn't take long for her to find the documents relating to his Party, and, after sending a clerk to the back, she handed over a sack of Soul Kindling, stating, "Your Party is doing good work. I noticed you accepted a few requests related to the Quest I had assigned you. Very promising~."

Linnaeus nodded his head in response to Renka's musings, adding, "We decided to do use our time more efficiently. With that in mind, we would like to accept these six Quests."

Hearing Linnaeus' words, Renka squinted her eyes slightly, casting a momentary glance toward Eliza before saying, "I actually had a few other Quests lined up for your Party. Since you wanted to join the expedition, I thought I'd help you out a bit by allowing you to earn some merits. What do you say, Lin...?"

Having anticipated such a response, Linnaeus didn't have to spend much time thinking about his own. As a result, he, calmly and casually, answered, "So long as it does not put my Party in danger, I don't mind completing extra Quests. However, I intend to prioritize the Quests we accepted as a Party, so, I can't say for certain whether or not we will agree to everything you propose..."

As if she had already expected his answer, Renka just nodded her head in understanding before pulling out a file and saying, "It's good that you make decisions as a Party. Here, this Quest only requires that you bring back a few mandibles over 30cm in length. I imagine your Party is killing a considerable number of Monster Ants so it shouldn't interfere with your other requests."

After reading over the document provided by Renka, Linnaeus didn't see any issues, but, before he accepted, he allowed Eliza to read it as well. This was noted by the fiery-haired beauty, a smile spreading across her face as she closely observed their interactions.

With Eliza's approval, Linnaeus finalized their Party's acceptance of the Quest, bringing their total number of active Quests to seven. Renka had made a note of this within their file, and, after making sure everything was in order, she waved them away after saying, "You two take care now, ya hear? Things always get pretty tense before a big expedition so stay on your toes for the next month or so. I have a few expectations for your Party so it would be regrettable if you were to suddenly up and vanish on me~."

Linnaeus wanted to ask why Renka had expectations for them, but, fearing an actual answer, he decided to leave it be. So long as she didn't expose them to anything dangerous, or try to involve them in the internal affairs of the Guild, it didn't hurt to get in her good graces...

After moving a fair distance away from the reception and exchange counters, Eliza couldn't help but mutter, "I hate that woman..." in a demure tone.

Though he didn't fully comprehend why Eliza hated Renka, as it didn't really make a lot of sense, Linnaeus still nodded his head. Then, knowing it would make her feel a little better, he grabbed her hand, pulling her along the rest of the way to where Krone and Emilia were patiently waiting to depart.

---

Several hours after Linnaeus' Party had set out, the majority of the Guild's staff performed a shift change. They typically worked between 4-6 hours at a time, with Renka's shift, in particular, being from 0400-1000. She would then take a break until around 1400, eating a meal and doing a bit of shopping before returning for her evening shift, staying until around 2000.

With the upcoming expedition, things were beginning to get a little hectic in every Guild branch, her own being no exception.

Every time a nuptial flight was approaching, each of the Guild branches was tasked with recruiting and evaluating as many new Adventurers as possible. There was even an ongoing competition to determine which branch had the greatest amount of success, resulting in incredible boons for the staff involved.

It wasn't a well-known fact, as the people in power worked hard to keep it a secret, but, when it came to the 'Drop Items' on the Fifth Floor, the rate was exponentially higher for Potentiates. This was one of the driving factors behind why Renka had taken such an interest in Linnaeus' Party, as, due to the nature of the Fifth Floor, it was pretty rare to have unclaimed Potentiates arriving just in time for a nuptial flight.

So long as Linnaeus' Party managed to accumulate the requisite number of points, a statistic that was tracked by the Guild in secrecy, his Party was guaranteed a spot on the Expedition. There was even a chance his Party would be scouted directly by the Briggs' Familia, even if the sole purpose behind their involvement was to increase the drop rate for everyone else.

Depending on how well Linnaeus' Party did, the Guild branch that recruited him stood to receive numerous benefits. As a result, Renka had received direct orders from her older sister, the Branch Head, to make sure his Party didn't wander off to another branch. To this end, she had tasked the Guild's Intelligence Department to investigate Linnaeus and his Party, ascertaining where he had been staying, where they commonly ate, and the type of personality each member had.

Using the information that had been gathered, picking suitable Quests for their Party was a simple feat. She even knew how she needed to react around them, but, given how 'smart' Linnaeus was, this ended up being unnecessary since he was willfully ingratiating himself to their branch.

What was important to note, at least based on their investigation, was that Linnaeus, in particular, seemed 'very' serious about reaching the top of the Crucible. As a result, he proactively gathered information, investigated the local markets, and even looked into the procurement of Debtees to increase his earning potential. This showed that he was willing to do whatever it took to earn the requisite amount of Soul Kindling, making him relatively easy to exploit.

While people, in general, weren't exactly difficult to entice, there was a very distinct difference between those who had decided to settle and those who proactively sought to rise up. The latter almost always drew the attention of Tenebrae, so, even if Linnaeus ultimately ended up failing his challenge, there was a fair chance he would receive a boon from the enigmatic Goddess.

Whenever someone like Linnaeus appeared, various groups would go out of their way to try and recruit them. He didn't know it, but this was the primary reason his Party had been targetted back at the Southern Forests. His behavior drew a lot of attention to himself, so, until he no longer held his potentiate status, Linnaeus, and his Party, would constantly be badgered by forces looking to 'invest' in his future.

It was due to this that, during the previous evening, Renka had been tasked with repelling a few 'poachers' who had been waiting to try and lure Linnaeus' Party to their side. Their Intelligence Operatives had found a few Merchant groups skulking around the location of Linnaeus' Inn, and, though this wasn't exactly uncommon, one of the men, unaware of Renka's actual identity, ended up trying to hit on her.

Renka was generally quite fond of being hit on, but, with the other party being from the Orcus tribe, giving him a hulking figure, pig-like face, and a foul odor, she had taken exception to his comments about wearing her like a sheep's intestines. As a result, Renka made a snide remark about eating cooked pork, using her Blessing, [Vulcanae], to punctuate her statement.

Unfortunately, the Orcus man actually had the [Anti-Magic King] Blessing, allowing him to repel most Magical attacks away from his body. As a result, she ended up setting fire the surroundings, and, though the incident wasn't publically blamed on her, she ended up getting chided, all the way until the start of her morning shift.

With her first shift coming to an end, Renka was looking forward to getting some rest, but, before she was able to retreat into the comfort of her private room, located on the Guild's third floor, her passage was barred by a woman with 'very' similar features to her own. The only difference was, the woman before her had an even larger bust, and, though she could have gotten it treated, a very large scar ran from above her right brow, crossing her nose, and running down to her left jawbone.

Despite the rather vicious scar, the wild-haired woman barring Renka's passage was considered one of the greatest beauties in the region. She exuded confidence from every fiber of her being and, while not the strongest in the entire settlement, even the Briggs Familia would think thrice before ultimately choosing not to offend her.

Seeing her big sister in the flesh, Renka released a tired sigh before adopting a wry smile and saying, "Give me a break, sis...you know I didn't mean to set fire to the bazaar...can't I get a little bit of rest before my next shift?"

Seemingly ignoring Renka's previous remark, the fiery-haired woman, known to most as Scarlet, the Ice Queen, plainly stated, "That Party of yours checked out of Porcello's hostel after their encounter with Khö. They are currently staying in one of the properties owned by Madame Xiao on the northern side of the settlement. If they end up getting poached by the northern branch, I will tan your hide until leather can be made from it."

Hearing her sister's words, a chill ran through Renka's body, but, keying in on something her icy sister had said, she asked, "They actually met Khö? Whose idea was that?"

Other than squinting her eyes in a warning gesture, Scarlet didn't bother to answer her sister's question. She ended up losing nearly 100,000 Soul Kindling as a result of Renka's mistake, and, while this wasn't a particularly large amount, the Guild Leader, who she had been dating for the past three years, ended up scolding her harshly. This left her in a terrible mood, so, before turning around and departing, she venomously stated, "No more mistakes..."

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