The Adventurers' Guild was much livelier than the outside.
The lobby was spacious, with several beams overhead blackened by soot. Large oil lamps hung at intervals, their wicks burning brightly and illuminating the entire space.
Tables and chairs were scattered throughout, occupied by quite a few people. Most were human, but the occasional snakefolk could be seen mixed in among them, their scales reflecting a cold gleam under the lamplight. Lilith leaned in close to Erich's ear and whispered, “Some of the snakefolk want to see the outside world, so they join the Adventurers' Guild. The guild classifies them as a sub-race of beastkin.”
Erich nodded. A sub-race of beastkin made sense. After all, they did have snake heads. But then, how many of the beastkin he had seen before had come up from the dungeon? Erich's mind wandered for a moment before he realized he had barely met any beastkin to begin with, so he stopped thinking about it.
A snakefolk stood behind the front desk. Her snake-like features were softer and more delicate than those of the hunters they had encountered on the road, and her scales were lighter in color and less cold-looking. When she saw Marcus enter, her eyes visibly lit up.
“Lord Marcus.”
Erich was somewhat surprised when she spoke. Her voice was sweet and carried a soft, gentle lilt that completely contrasted with her appearance. However, her warm, affectionate tone was directed solely at Marcus.
Lilith leaned in again, lowering her voice even further. “My dad saved her once. Plus, human appearances surprisingly fit the snakefolk's standard of beauty.”
After saying this, Lilith nudged Erich with her elbow, clearly wanting to see his reaction.
Erich instinctively glanced at Grace. She showed no particular expression on her face, standing just behind and to the side of Marcus, her gaze fixed on the snakefolk at the front desk.
Erich kept his head down and decided to keep his mouth shut.
Marcus stiffened slightly at her greeting, responding dryly, “Alright, alright, Little Ta. Is the Elder here?”
“Her name is Vita,” Lilith added.
Erich pretended not to hear, but the corner of his mouth twitched, and he quickly suppressed it. It would be highly inappropriate to laugh at a time like this.
Vita stepped out from behind the counter and naturally wrapped her arm around Marcus's. “Grandfather will be here shortly. Please go upstairs and wait for a moment, Lord Marcus.”
Grace followed behind, her eyes boring into Marcus's back.
Marcus let out a dry laugh, his gaze sweeping over Erich and Lilith. His expression was as clear as day—he was pleading for a rescue.
Unfortunately, Lilith spoke faster than he could. “Erich and I are going outside to look at the sights.”
With that, she grabbed Erich and bolted out of the guild's front doors. Erich only had time to look back once. Marcus was already sandwiched between Little Ta and Grace, shuffling toward the stairs. Nasha followed at the very back, quietly observing her surroundings while giving Erich a slight nod.
There was nothing he could do. Good luck, Captain.
Several long wooden benches were lined up outside the guild. Lilith pulled Erich down onto one, then left for a short while. When she returned, she was holding a greaseproof paper package. Opening it revealed several piping hot, charred, and fragrant tails, though where she had bought them was anyone's guess.
“Here.”
Erich took it, taking a bite. The skin was roasted to a crisp, the meat was incredibly tender, and it was well-seasoned with a rich, smoky charcoal aroma.
“My dad and mom actually have a really good relationship. He just doesn't know how to say no,” Lilith mumbled as she chewed on a tail.
Erich nodded. Marcus did seem like an honest, simple man who struggled to turn people down. However, based on his observations just now, Grace didn't seem to take the snakefolk girl too seriously. When Vita, Marcus, and Grace had stood together, Vita looked less like a romantic rival and more like a pet hovering around its owner.
But Erich couldn't easily voice this, so he simply chewed along with her. “Don't worry. I'm sure your parents know what they're doing.”
Swallowing another bite, he asked, “What kind of tail is this? It actually tastes pretty good.”
“Snakefolk tail.”
Erich nearly choked. He stared at the half-eaten tail in his hand for a moment, but in the end, he kept eating.
The two of them sat in silence, munching on the tails and watching the humans and snakefolk pass by. In the distance, the temple stood in the center of the city. From their vantage point, its silhouette looked somewhat dark against the light of the cavern ceiling.
An elderly snakefolk walked down from the end of the street, carrying a long box on his back. His scales were dark in color, and his steps were steady. When the nearby snakefolk saw him, they stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads to make way. The elder proceeded unobstructed all the way into the guild.
“That's the Elder,” Lilith whispered, her voice carrying a hint of reverence.
Before long, Marcus emerged alongside Grace and Nasha, the familiar box now strapped to his back.
“Let's go. We'll stay here for the night and head back tomorrow,” Marcus called out to Erich and Lilith, his tone significantly lighter.
The group checked into a tavern next to the guild. It wasn't very large, and everyone got their own room, except for Marcus and Grace, who shared one.
Erich took his key and went upstairs, pushing open the door to his room.
The room was tidier than he had expected. The bed was neatly made, the sheets looked clean, and there was a low table by the window with an unlit oil lamp sitting on it.
Erich had just taking off his coat and hung it up, preparing to rest, when a knock sounded at the door.
He opened the door to find Lilith standing outside. The young girl's hair was still damp, cascading over her shoulders as if she had just bathed. Before Erich could even ask, she slipped past him into the room and closed the door behind her.
“Can you teach me your magic? The chantless kind.”
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Erich, completely lacking any self-awareness about barging into a member of the opposite sex's room.
Erich pondered in silence for a moment before saying, “I'll do my best to explain it to you, but I can't guarantee you'll learn it.”
Lilith nodded repeatedly, pulling up a chair and sitting down, adopting a posture of an attentive student ready for a lecture.
Erich was just wondering how to even begin. After all, this wasn't really something that could be taught; even now, he hadn't fully figured out how he did it himself.
Just then, a pillar of light flared to life.
The room had been somewhat dim, but the beam of light shone in through the window, illuminating the entire space. Both Erich and Lilith froze before crowding together by the window.
Outside, from the temple in the center of the city, a thick pillar of green light shot up into the sky, piercing straight through the underground cavern ceiling.
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