Hearing Siegfried's words, Guild Master Soaring Raven was dumbstruck for a few seconds.
However, shortly after, he burst into a hearty laugh.
"Hahahaha! It seems my intuition about you all was spot on. Not only are you guys highly proficient in combat, but your intelligence belies your age. I'm glad I chose to be transparent about everything." Soaring Raven replied, nodding approvingly towards Siegfried with a smile.
Keenly observing Soaring Raven's response, Siegfried smiled. It seems like the guild master was sincere and that his words were the truth based on how he acted after his bold question.
Just when the guild master was about to speak again, Ian boldly interrupted him.
"With all due respect, sir guild master. How would we know if you are speaking the truth about "you being transparent?"
Although Siegfried was a good judge of character and he more-or-less believed Soaring Raven after his positive response, he couldn't be a hundred percent sure, hence, he nodded upon hearing Ian's question.
"Aihh...Why is it so hard to convince youngsters nowadays? Well, I don't blame you. Sly foxes like me are everywhere so I would advise you guys to keep this attitude of yours lest you die without knowing why in the future." sighed Soaring Raven, however, he appreciated the youngsters' questioning attitudes.
In his opinion, if they continued operating this way, very few old foxes would be able to take advantage of them.
Subsequently, Soaring Raven took out a small crystal orb filled with what seemed to be liquified mana inside.
He then gave his thumb a shallow cut and allowed a few drops of blood to fall onto the small crystal orb, causing the hue of the liquid within to shift from blue to purple.
Witnessing the guild master's actions, the representatives gazed curiously, patiently waiting for Soaring Raven's explanation of what the little crystal orb was used for.
"This is an orb of truth, a single-use item typically employed during interrogations of captured criminals. It's quite costly. Nevertheless, to demonstrate my sincerity to you all, I'll make an exception and use one."
In response, Wendy simply looked at Kiin with her usual ice-cold expression before replying:
"Well, you guys can think it through. The archpriest told me to always return someone's kindness and since Guild Master Soaring Raven saved my life, I am indebted to him. If I can repay him by simply joining his guild then I'll do it."
"Besides, I trust the guild master's competence. He was the only one who managed to predict that our lives would be in danger on our way back after all. If he's this capable, then the guild will rise under his leadership sooner or later so I don't see any drawbacks in joining his guild."
Hearing her reply, the other representatives, including Shye, were inwardly shocked.
Despite her apparent naivety stemming from her lack of experience, her intelligence is undeniable. After all, she is a priestess who places great emphasis on this attribute.
Indeed, isn't this a good deal?
Not only would they be able to repay the guild master for saving their lives, but they would also be joining a guild with tremendous potential to make it to the top so what's there to hesitate for?
After a few seconds of pondering, instead of being able to convince Wendy, it was Wendy who managed to convince them.
A short while later, David, Harry, Kiin, and Ian also stepped forward and expressed their willingness to join the Raven's Blade Adventurer Guild.
Recognizing the immense success of his plan, Soaring Raven felt the urge to burst out laughing in victory. Yet, he remained mindful that the task was not yet complete, with two representatives yet to voice their decisions regarding joining his guild.
As for the deans, they were thoroughly impressed.
They were a bit experienced in guild politics after all so they knew that this matter of Guild Master Soaring Raven successfully securing five of the seven representatives from the champion academy would stir huge waves in Valenzia City.
If he could somehow get all of them to join his guild, then the other guild masters would probably pull their hair out in frustration.
Imagining the rather comical scene made the two deans inwardly chuckle.