“A personal quest?

“Yeah” Amy replied “There's this merchant who regularly comes here to pick up magical trinkets and resells them in native cities that don't have access to much magic. He's offering one gold to guard him on his trip to Eden City and back.”

“Eden City?” Clarity's paranoia kicked into overdrive at the mention of that name.

“Yeah, it's one of the bigger native cities around here. From what I know, they renamed themselves Eden City after basically selling themselves to the Eden Empire, who we aren't exactly friendly with, for good reason if you ask me, but we also aren't at war with them or anything so it should be fine.”

'A native city, nearby, doing business with the Eden Empire? It couldn't be?'

“... But this merchant is in good standing with us, so we can't just ignore his requests. He already paid the 10% down payment to the guild for a personal request so we're obligated to inform you about it, and try to arrange a meeting between the two of you. Officially speaking, the guild would appreciate it if you at least hear out any personal quest offers you get, as that way we get to keep the down payment. Just know that you don't need to accept the quest if you don't want to.”

“Is there a reason I shouldn't accept it?” Clarity asked, wanting to hear Amy's thoughts on the matter.

“I don't know” Amy admitted “Most of the monsters in the outer regions of the forest are cleared out by the newbies right now, so I'm not sure why he needs an escort. Not to mention Eden City is only half a day away by wagon, so a round trip would normally only cost 10 to 20 silver for a decently strong guard. Sure, you're stronger than that, but he doesn't know that! Let me tell you Clarity, never trust a merchant, especially not a merchant that's willing to throw away money! It's just not normal.”

“I will keep that in mind” Clarity agreed as they walked towards the guild hall.

“Don't worry, I'll help make sure there's no funny business going on” Amy reassured her.

Upon arriving, one of the receptionists on duty ushered her into a small private room occupied by a familiar fat man, with Amy at her side. It was the same man she'd seen on the wagon as she walked into town.

The man jumped up impressively quickly for his size, giving a small bow that caused his belly to jiggle noticeably under his shirt “Ah, thank you for meeting with me! And thank you to the guild for arranging this meeting at such short notice!”

“Okay, okay, no need to overdo it, you've been bugging us all day to get Clarity for you” Amy stated without mercy.

The man laughed politely before addressing Clarity “My people call me Roberto the Magic Merchant, but you can call me Rob! I was hoping to purchase just a small bit of your help for my upcoming trip! It shouldn't take more than four to five days of easy work, and as the guild has probably already told you, I'm willing to pay one gold for it!”

“If it's so easy, why are you paying one gold?” Amy asked rudely.

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Rob raised an eyebrow, returning her question with one of his own “I thought the guild didn't interfere with their client's business?”

“I'm not interfering” Amy denied “but I'm worried you might be trying to take advantage of a brand new adventurer with a personal quest.”

“Oh, such accusations!” Rob exclaimed, holding his heart as though he was struck “Were I a more vindictive man, I would surely complain to your superiors!”

“Save the theatrics and tell me what you want. At most, they'll refund your deposit and charge me for it. I've got half a mind to go cancel your request myself.”

Rob quickly raised his hands in surrender.

“Now, now, I never said I would do it! It was merely a hypothetical! If you want an explanation, that's fine, though it's a bit of a long and embarrassing story for me. You see, I grew up on this very world, long before magic arrived. It's my home and I truly care about these lands and the people that live here.”

“But those very same people are scared and stuck in their old ways. Ever since the Pathways appeared they have taken to hiding within their cities, hiding behind what tools still manage to function, pretending this new world of magic doesn't exist! For over 20 years our technology and our tools have slowly died, and yet still they hide!”

'EXCUSE ME? 20 YEARS?' Clarity barely managed to hide her shock as Rob continued his speech.

“My life's goal is to change that! I bring back wonders to our cities to show what awaits us out here! I sell hope to the elderly and dreams to the children! So that one day soon they too will stop hiding and join me in exploring this wonderful new world! I even hire adventurers who come from the surrounding area, those who have grown to heights they could only have dreamed of before, to inspire others to do the same! All for a modest profit, of course.”

“Of course” Amy deadpanned “That all sounds great. So why do you want to hire Clarity?”

Rob dramatically waved towards Clarity “What could possibly be more wonderful, more extraordinary, more fascinating, than a beautifully exotic creature like this? One that can even talk, if the rumors are correct?” he asked leadingly.

“... That depends on what you mean by talk” Clarity responded through the obviously inhuman, disembodied voice of her translation earring.

Rob's eyes widened as he exclaimed “Amazing! Truly! I absolutely must have your help! I am even willing to provide armor for you free of charge! It is a set I had personally commissioned in the past, based on a famous design from my old world! All I ask is that you wear it while guarding my wares!”

'If Eden City is truly the city I think it is... I could use this opportunity to snoop around and maybe even find out what happened to me.'

Outwardly, Clarity pretended to think long and hard over Rob's offer before asking “What exactly would my responsibilities be?”

“Oh, not much. I was planning to head out today, but it's getting late now, so we would have to leave tomorrow. You would merely need to ward off any monsters who attempt to accost us on the way to and from the city, as well as stand guard over my wares for the two to three days I plan to set up shop in Eden City. Your job would be to prevent anybody with sticky fingers from absconding with my goods! Non-lethal methods only, of course. Customers don't like blood much.”

“That doesn't sound too hard” Clarity nodded, glancing at Amy for her thoughts.

“I guess it sounds reasonable” Amy whispered back “Just be careful! And tell me if he tries anything funny!”

“Great! Then, shall we shake on it and meet on the morrow? If possible I would like to leave around 8 o'clock” Rob tapped the old fashioned watch secured to his wrist. “That's about an hour after sunrise.”

“That sounds good” Clarity agreed, grudgingly shaking the large hand in front of her, at least three times the size of her own. Fortunately he didn't try the stereotypical power play of crushing his opponent's hand, for his own sake, as Clarity had secretly begun brainstorming all of the ways she could mess with the next person who tried such a thing with great anticipation.

“Well, the request has been accepted based on the terms discussed” Amy stated, before adding “Purely out of curiosity, I understand that you seem to think Clarity will help you boost your sales, but can one trip really earn you an extra gold?”

“Oh, but it's not just one trip!” Rob rubbed his hands “It's about building the brand! Yes, I'm sure Clarity here will do wonders for boosting my sales this trip, but not only that, I will be the absolute talk of the town! Nobody will dare miss another one of my visits!”

“Ugh, merchants” Amy rolled her eyes. “Do you have anything to do until then, Clarity?” she asked as Rob made his way over to the receptionists to rent a room for the night.

“I should tell Esmeralda where I'm going to be so she doesn't get carried away with her preparations.”

“That's a good idea” Amy agreed “How about I come with you, and we can play with magic until you have to leave!”

“But I leave in the morning? Don't you need to sleep?”

“Hahahaha...” Amy laughed aloud like Clarity had just told a great joke “... just don't tell my brother, okay?”