"So, Leader?" Falce glanced at Gorak after finishing her meal.

"Hmm? Yes?" Gorak looked up from his ale.

"This person you’re going to meet... how did you arrange it? Where did you hear about him? Who set it up?"

"Ah, about that..." Gorak smiled. "There was a merchant I met before, a few days ago while we were passing through the last town. We got to talking, and I mentioned that I was looking for information on certain... matters. The merchant then told me about someone who has knowledge about almost anything."

"Wow... really?"

"Yes." Gorak smirked. "The merchant said this guy has been a solo wanderer for a long time, traveling from village to town, doing quests, and spending most of his time reading and collecting information, always seen with a book or a scroll in hand. He’s known for his vast knowledge and his discretion."

"Hmm?" Valcrea tilted her head. "This guy... is he an adventurer?"

"Ah, about that..." Gorak chuckled. "The merchant said he does what adventurers do, but he’s never officially tied to any adventurer’s guild. He works independently."

Noji snorted. "Heh... the rules for adventurers on this continent are weird."

"Yeah." Gorak chuckled again. "Well, from what I heard from this merchant, this guy always wears full armor and has never shown his face. No one has ever seen what he looks like, but his information is always accurate and reliable. The merchant mentioned that if he doesn’t know something, he’ll honestly say he doesn’t know."

Gorak’s smirk turned slightly arrogant. "But he doesn’t pry into who asks for information, as long as the person asking honors the deal or agrees to the negotiation terms, he’ll provide what he knows."

Valcrea glanced around before fixing her eyes on Gorak again.

"So, where is this person you’re supposed to meet, Leader?"

Noji scoffed, her expression impatient. "Yeah. How dare this person make our Leader wait for him. Who does he think he is, hmm?"

Falce glanced at both of them, her tone thoughtful. "Mm... but Leader mentioned this person never shows his face and always wears full armor. How can you two be sure this person is a guy?"

Both of them were about to argue before Gorak smiled and shook his head.

"Falce... the merchant did mention this person is a guy. Besides, women don’t go for solo wandering like that. Only a man would have the endurance and stubbornness to travel alone for years without settling down."

"Oh..." Falce nodded before glancing around again.

The other girl, Zume, sat in silence, her expression dark and irritated. "Ugh! I’ll kill this guy if he dares to make us, the chosen people, wait for him."

Noji chuckled before glancing at Gorak again, resting her chin on her palm. "Leader?"

"Yes, Noji?"

"Is this person human? Or one of the lowly races?"

"Heh... who knows... but..." Gorak paused, his smirk returning. "You all know only humans are truly thirsty for knowledge. The other races are content with their simple lives. And the merchant did mention this guy is human. But no one knows which region he’s from."

They kept waiting, ordering another round of drinks as the minutes dragged on.

Valcrea finally snapped, gritting her jaw hard. "I will kill this guy later. How dare a lowly human from this continent make our leader, the respectable hero, wait for him? Who does he think he is?"

"Yeah!" Noji hissed in agreement. "I also want to kill this guy the moment he shows up!"

Gorak remained calm, raising a hand to soothe them. "Relax. Don’t kill him before we get the information we need. Chill a little. I’m sure he’ll arrive soon."

He took a slow sip of his ale before continuing. "We’ll wait for another few minutes. But if this guy shows up later than that, we’ll kill him once he gives us the information and leave with our gold."

"Yeah." Valcrea smirked darkly. "I’ll slice his throat and open that helmet to reveal his face. If he’s ugly, I’ll spit on his corpse."

Zume narrowed her eyes, her voice cold and possessive. "No... I’ll be the one to finish him later. I want to see the light leave his eyes when he realizes who he kept waiting."

Gorak just smiled, his tone calm but firm. "Alright, alright. But before we get any useful information, make sure you all keep your blades sheathed. Once we have what we need... then you can do whatever you want."

Just as they were about to say something, they paused and glanced around, noticing that every dwarf in the tavern, from the drunk ones to the sober ones, had turned their attention toward the main door.

A person stepped in, wearing full plate silver armor with a red-striped cape flowing behind him. A feathered crest adorned the top of his full-face helm. He held a book open in one hand, reading while walking, completely absorbed in its contents.

Noji gritted her jaw hard, her fingers twitching toward her weapon.

Valcrea narrowed her gaze, her eyes locked on the armored figure with barely concealed hostility.

Zume was furious, her expression dark, but she forced herself to control it, her hands gripping the edge of the table.

Falce simply glanced at the silver-armored figure, her expression curious but cautious.

Gorak crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, calm and collected, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he watched the figure approach.

They kept waiting, but fell silent when they saw the silver-armored figure simply sit at another table, his eyes still fixed on the book he was reading. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

A dwarven girl approached his table, her voice cheerful and respectful. "Good evenin’, sir. What can I get for ye?"

The silver-armored figure glanced up from his book and nodded. "Give me the best dwarven liquor you have." He reached into his purse and placed two silver coins on the table. "And a plate of roasted meat to go with it."

The dwarven girl’s eyes widened, and a wide smile spread across her face as she took the money and bowed respectfully. "Right away, sir!"

Gorak tilted his head, studying the silver-armored figure from across the room.

Hmm... isn’t that guy supposed to meet me?

Or perhaps... I got the wrong person?

But the merchant said he wears full plate silver armor with a red-striped cape and a full-face helm with a feathered crest on top. That matches perfectly.

Weird...

Should I go and ask?

But what if I got the wrong person?

His thoughts were interrupted when Noji called out to him.

"Leader? Leader?"

"Hmm? Yes, Noji?" Gorak glanced at her, his expression thoughtful.

"Is that the person you were supposed to meet? But why isn’t he coming to our table?"

( End Of Chapter )