Leaving early in the morning. Saleh had been right. She woke up a bit late the day before. Today, she woke up as the sun was raising. This was the time set up by the protectee. Walking down the gray, monotone stairs, she was able to smell bacon.
Seemingly to be a solid, going through the air. The entire first floor smelled amazing. Looking over, Joe was sitting behind the counter. It was a bit of a strange set-up. That was until she saw the food being prepared.
Everything was already cooked, while three plates had been prepared.
Seeing her come down, Joe was getting up, “Go sit down.”
Picking up two plates, he brought them over to one of the tables. Behind the counter was the blue-robed person they called Charles. He was bringing out a fourth plate from the door behind the counter. As he left the counter, he picked up the last plate on the counter before coming over.
Following which was an excited Saleh. He raced down the stairs, skipping multiple steps at a time. He was even using mana to speed up and soften his steps.
Like a gust of wind, he raced to the table before sitting down. As he picked up his fork, he paused. Looking up at the blue-robed man, he smiled a bit awkwardly, “Hey, Charles. Congratulations on your promotion. Also, thank you for the food!”
A gentle but deep chuckle escaped from beneath the robe. Bringing up his dark skinned hand, he pulled off his hood. His features were surprisingly normal. It wasn’t exactly the right thing to say. However, Jessica assumed there was a reason for him hiding his face.
Appearance was now crossed out. More surprisingly were his eyes. They were a deep, gentle brown, and they were staring at her. It appeared to be scrutinizing her face. On a second thought, she seemed to believe he was looking for something.
When he saw what he expected to happen, not happen. His smile became even gentler, “Hello, newcomer. I am Charles, I graduated a bit before you left. Please dig in, I heard you are starting your first request, so I decided to give you two a gift and made breakfast.”
Saleh was squinting as he ate a few bits of eggs in between mouthfuls of bacon. His plate seemed to be imbalanced. Looking at the way he was eating, it made sense. Hers was more balanced with the two.
There were even a few little tomatoes. Her servings matched with Joe’s. Charles on the other hand had less bacon but more eggs.
Joe swallowed the food before he spoke, “Charles is your senior that was the last graduate coming from here. He is a bit special, much like with the request you’re going on now, he normally deals with exclusive requests.”
Stolen story; please report.
She only heard enough to put the pieces together. She seemed to be a bit out of it. However, Joe didn’t blame her. Claire and Jack were the norm. Those that survived Mercury city were the minorities. Those that didn’t die generally got evicted or escaped. It was shameful, even so, they could keep being adventurers.
A bit surprised, “Your first request is an exclusive? Saleh, how did you pull that off? From what I remember, you don’t have the communication skills to get yourself one of those.”
An annoyed look surfaced on his face, unlike Joe and Charles he didn’t finish the food in his mouth, “I have skills to back up my abilities… Anyway, the exclusive contract came from Claire and Jack.”
Jessica cut in, with an inquisitive voice, “Are exclusive contracts that special?”
“Yes, usually exclusive contracts are expedited. Normal course is to make a request, find someone to do it, sign a contract. Usually the contract is between client and Adventurer’s Guild. Exclusive contracts, those are between the adventurer and client.”
Taking a bit, Joe continued where Charles stopped, “Normal request will have lower pay on average. Exclusive, they’re paying you premium because they think you’re worth it. Claire in particular as a great eye for jobs. Jack, on the other hand, handles the clients well.”
Off to the side she saw Saleh frown, “It is because of me their reputation is as high as it is.”
Charles couldn’t help but scuff, “It is true that because of you they were able to finish some hard to deal with requests. Only, who doesn’t have strength in Mercury City? With you gone, the two started to deal with tricky requests. Those that don’t require strength. Now they have a reputation as all-rounders.”
Jack picked up his napkin, “This is true. While that is also true. Part of their reputation involves you. Which is why they didn’t hesitate to bring you in. I already said to survive here, you can’t do so alone. While Claire and Jack are partners, they work with you to extend their own reach. In return, they kick back exclusive contracts. Without you, they could find someone else. But, Saleh. Can you find an exclusive contract without them?”
Jessica was astonished how fast everyone ate. Only to realize, looking down, her fork stabbed into nothing. Good food truly doesn’t last.
Saleh didn’t argue. Seeing Jessica had finished eating, he pulled her along as they left to meet with the other two. He wasn’t stupid, his lack of common sense could understand. But, that didn’t mean he was willing to accept it. Still, he couldn’t deny.
He could get along with people he liked. Could he get along with people he didn’t like? That was also obvious. With a dark expression he turned in the direction Jessica had nudged him in, there was Jack smiling at an overweight man in nice clothes.
“These are the two I was telling you about. I can vouch for Saleh, he is both strong and capable. This here is Jessica. She is said to be just as strong as him. Not only that, she can deal with a lot of tricky opponents, making it less likely you will need to rely on your insurance policy.”
As he said this, the two looked at a carriage in the back. Currently, stepping into it happened to be a black-robed woman with a cold face. Either not hearing or not caring about their discussion. Once inside, she closed the door, not giving any face or attention to the protectee or those in charge of the small end protection. Even while inside, there was faint trace of Grade B mana leaking out.