After the events of his arrest, Alvaro managed to escape prison time with nothing but his wits and a little planning. The first thing that he wanted to do was to gather more information. In a different world, different rules apply and he had to learn more in order to maximize his potential or rather min-max it.

Alvaro had the document with the exchange value of 200 gold coins, according to what he knows as of now, he can use that kind of money for the accommodation of many days in this town or rather get some gear and begin traveling. He didn't really want to travel before he had more knowledge about the world but in order to acquire more knowledge, he had to travel and do some adventuring. The first thing he wanted to do was to go to the counting-house and exchange the document for the price but Alvaro was never satisfied with expected outcomes, he started to walk towards the market in search of some high-risk high-reward opportunities.

He walked around the market for a while before finding what he was looking for, in the middle of all the merchants shouting and the people walking around and browsing in the market, he found someone who looked the part of his target. A well-dressed man with long blonde hair and a knight right next to him, Alvaro approached him and bowed in front of him before raising his head to address him. The man was quite young.

"Good morning, sir. May I have a moment of your time to tell you about a wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity?"

The man looked a bit confused at first but since Alvaro bowed his head and addressed him in such a fine way he felt obligated to at least listen to him.

"Good morning to you too. My time is quite valuable, stranger. I am not a simple man as you may have guessed but since you showed me the proper respect I am owed I suppose I can spare a few minutes for you. What is it that you want?"

Alvaro didn't waste a chance and continued to use flattery in order to manipulate the apparently important man into doing his bidding.

"My name is Harold Odysseus, I am a merchant from the far east and I have come to this town to trade. I don't want to take much of your time so I will get straight to the point. You seem like a man who bathes in riches and knows how to live life to the fullest, your posture, clothing, and your brilliance is a dead giveaway that you know your way around gold."

The man smiled, clearly, he was feeling awesome by Alvaro's remarks and that made him a bit more gullible.

"You have good eyes, Mr. Odysseus. I am Hugh Cooke, an earl from the house of Cook. What would you want from me?"

Alvaro went straight to his scheme at this point.

"I possess a voucher for 200 gold coins, I know this amount of money means little to a man such as yourself but I want to inform you that this voucher is guaranteed to increase in value in the upcoming month tenfold. I was wondering if you would like to purchase it from me for the minuscule amount of 300 gold coins."

Hugh looked a bit confused by Alvaro's words, which indicated to Alvaro that he probably didn't understand much of what he said. He thought that he might have found what he was looking for.

"What do you mean? The voucher is for 200 gold and you want to sell it for 300?"

Alvaro explained a bit better what he meant since Hugh didn't seem to catch it. He also tried to squeeze more lies this time.

"The voucher is currently at the price of 200 gold coins, in one month it's going to be worth 2000 gold coins. I am willing to sell it to you for 300 right now."

Hugh couldn't help it but ask,

"If it's going to increase this much, why wouldn't you keep it? Why would you sell it for just 300 coins?"

And so Alvaro replied with a convincing lie.

"Sir, I am a merchant, I seek a quick and easy profit even if it is by a small amount. I don't have the luxury of time to wait for it to increase but a man of your standing has all the time in the world. Time means nothing in front of such greatness. It's a profitable trade for both of us, I save up my time for more business and you get to make a great transaction that would show everyone your superior intellect and bartering skills."

Without giving much thought, Hugh agreed to the transaction.

"Hm... Yeah, that would show them my superior intellect. Liz would be impressed if she hears I have made such a wise choice on my own. You have a deal, Mr.Odysseus. Here is your money."

Hugh gave Alvaro a pouch of coins that seemed to be about 300 coins. The pouch itself was made from fine leather. Alvaro took the pouch from Hugh's hand and gave him the voucher before bowing once again to show his gratitude.

"Aren't you going to count the coins?"

Asked Hugh.

"I have no need to. A man like you would never try to pull such a petty trick. Your brilliance wouldn't allow it. Thank you and I hope you will get the acknowledgment of those that you desire."

Alvaro bowed and left the place. With 300 gold coins in his possession, he had but one thing to do. That is to go to the adventurer's guild to find more information.

After asking around in the market, he found the location of the guild. It was a big building that seemed to be like a tavern, after walking inside he noticed a couple of things he expected to see. The place was a pub, there were wooden tables and stools that the adventurers used, the guild provided the services of both an inn and a pub. Providing adventurers with both accommodation and drinks and food. Alvaro also noticed a board right next to the bar that displayed the quests available to the guild. Some people grabbed the papers from the board and asked the guild manager to sign it thus giving them the quest. That way the quest could not be given to anyone else. Alvaro approached the bartender and initiated a conversation with her. A young pretty girl with green eyes and brown hair wrapped in a ponytail.

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"Hello."

Said Alvaro.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you? Are you looking for work? Maybe a drink?"

Alvaro went straight to the point, he talked in a very deep and confident voice.

"I am looking for information. I want to know how you handle the quests in this place."

The manager seemed a bit confused.

"I don't understand..."

Alvaro sighed and asked again.

"Walk me through the process of questing and adventuring, I am not from this town and I want to know how things work around here."

The manager took a deep breath, Alvaro's straightforward attitude had given her some anxiety in the beginning but she managed to keep a straight face and answer his question.

"Anyone can post a quest here and give us the money for the reward. The adventurers then can pick any quest from the board that has been approved by the guild and then they are the only ones that can complete it. Without the seal of acceptance, you can't claim the reward for the quest even if it was completed."

Alvaro hummed and then asked some more questions.

"What about kill quests for monsters? How are you able to confirm that the adventurer has in fact killed a certain amount of monsters?"

The manager replied more cheerfully this time.

"By bringing a trophy from each kill. Many monsters have unique parts that can distinguish one from another. Most adventurers that accept kill quests bring back skins, fur, horn or teeth, and even ears from the slain monsters to prove that they have killed the monsters. These materials are then sold to various traders for crafting purposes."

Alvaro was quite suspicious of something.

"Isn't it possible to buy these things then and claim the quest reward?"

The manager pointed backward and answered.

"There is a vault inside the guild that the remains are stored. Only professional craftsmen are allowed to purchase them and once an item is sold it is marked by the guild with a magic seal so it can't be registered again. That way, only legitimate kills can be registered. Adventurers can also register parts for some quick cash as well without there being a quest for the kill. Some just prefer to go that way to make money."

Alvaro was intrigued by this information.

"So apart from quests, people also bring loot to the guild in exchange for money? That sounds interesting."

The manager also offered some additional information.

"Yes, although for certain materials, it is more profitable to the adventurers to sell them directly to the people of the town and skip the guilds charge. Even if it's basically a loss for the guild to not take part in the transaction, there is no penalty to the adventurers that sell directly to others and many adventurers also take personal quests that are not posted to the guild."

Alvaro's eyes shined as he got an idea, he wasn't sure if it would work or not, and as of now, he couldn't ask the guild manager directly about it. Instead, he decided to ask a different question. He put on his innocent boy voice and attitude and faked sincerity to the extreme,

"Well, I am not really that strong to become an adventurer. Do you know where I could learn more about magic?"

The mention of magic seals indicated to Alvaro that magic is a common thing for sure, he wasn't sure what the rules for magic were from the previous encounters he had so the casual mention of magic hinted to him that it wouldn't be uncommon. The manager was quite enchanted by Alvaro at this point. She smiled brightly at him and gave him the exact information he was looking for.

"A couple of streets behind the Guild and to the right, you will find the Mages Study. It's basically a library with all sorts of magic knowledge and mages are a fine addition to a team of adventurers, there you will find the Grand Mage, he would be able to tell you your affinity. Look for the bright blue shingles at the top of the towers."

"Affinity?"

Asked Alvaro,

"Yes, not everyone can use magic, and those who can aren't able to use all kinds of magic, only powerful mages can use two or three kinds of magic like water or fire magic."

Alvaro wanted to know more about magic but he figured he would get better answers from the Grand Mage himself.

"Thank you, I wish you a wonderful rest of the day."

Said Alvaro as he nodded his head towards the guild manager and turned around to exit the Guild Hall. The manager smiled at him and waved him goodbye as she said,

"Hope you find what you are looking for."

Alvaro had no patience so he headed straight to the Mages Study, as he stood outside he noticed a couple of young boys about his age waving around their arms, he walked towards them to take a closer look. As he was watching them, it appeared like they were practicing magic spells, presumably students by their looks, they didn't seem to do so well. One of them was able to channel a few embers indicating that he tried to use fire magic, the other student wasn't able to cast anything and the disappointed look on his face after each cast signified that he wasn't all that experienced. Alvaro didn't waste any time and he asked them directly,

"Hey, do you guys know where I could find the Grand Mage?"

The two boys looked at him from head to toe, after a few seconds they replied with a question of their own.

"Why do you need to see the Grand Mage? You don't look like a magic caster."

Alvaro was a bit annoyed by the fact that they tried to measure him up but he kept his cool and tried to be more convincing.

"Yeah, I was curious to find out my affinity, I was told that the Grand Mage could help me with that. Surely someone with the name The Grand Mage is capable of finding out a person's affinity."

The two kids looked at each other and then they looked at Alvaro, one of them seemed a bit annoyed and his tone indicated that to the fullest.

"The Grand Mage is capable of way more than simply telling you your affinity. The Grand Mage is the strongest magic caster in the town of Drenoah able to wield all four of nature's elements, fire, water, air and earth. You won't find anyone more powerful around here."

Alvaro couldn't resist but to ask.

"What other types of magic are there besides the four elements?"

The kid looked at him like he was insane or something, that hinted to Alvaro that that stuff was basic knowledge amongst everyone.

"There is also light and dark magic of course. Where are you from?"

The talkative kid seemed a bit curious about Alvaro at this point, to his good luck though, the other kid placed his hand on him and tried to calm him down.

"The Mages Study is open to everyone, don't bother the man with silly questions. The Grand Mage is inside at the third floor. You will see the sign of the office."

Alvaro didn't thank the kids for their information since he was quite annoyed by them, instead, he just walked inside and looked for the stairs that would take him to the third floor, alongside the staircase, there were signs indicating the location of various rooms and facilities like cafeteria, library and finally, as he reached the third floor he saw the sign for the Grand Mage's office. He knocked at the door and a woman's voice told him to enter. He walked inside and there he saw a gorgeous woman in her early 30s wearing beautiful blue robes and having long black hair with a shade of blue that matched her dress. Immediately, he inhaled deeply as he tried to avoid a cliche.

"I suspect you are the Grand Mage?" (Obviously it's not his assistant, don't be that kind of cliche please.)

The woman looked at him and said in a sarcastic but still elegant tone,

"Yes, I am the Grand Mage of Drenoah, did you expect someone else?"

Alvaro thought, (Of course you would ask that, why wouldn't you? I mean what kind of cliche would that be if I didn't mistake the Grand Mage for an old dude. You know what? You lady, deserve a reference."

"To be honest, when I heard that the Grand Mage is capable of using all four of nature's elements I was expecting to see a 100-year-old man with a long white beard or a bald kid with an arrow on his forehead."