After obtaining his medallion, Ulrich made his way down a narrow passageway. The entrance to the exchange hall was open; not a door nor gate stood in his way, and he was free to enter.

  As he passed through the entrance, a spacious hall greeted him.

  Suddenly, his body faltered, feeling disorientated. The crowded chatter, sounds of metallic sheen, and of weapons being sharpened, as well as clanging on the table, overwhelmed him.

  Feeling dizzy, he closed his eyes to adjust his senses. Then walked toward an unassuming corner and took a seat at the empty set of table and chairs.

  A group of mercenaries, grave diggers, hunters, ruin scavengers… even more priests!

  For a moment, his face darkened. It seemed that no matter where he went, there was no escape from the thing that is faith. And this faith followed him just as close as death is over his shoulder.

  Either way, he was amazed, not just from the ancientness of this Keep, its scale, or long history. But the diversity of people that dwells within it. He’d never imagine seeing all these people together, not in one place, and certainly not in Belham.

  The shadow realm is indeed diverse, but the people are a bit weird… Thinking about it, it made sense. There is no supreme power in the shadow realm, no single organization or government body that stands over the people.

  As a matter of fact, individuals like Ulrich are rarely seen in this domain.

  Most people within Helgan’s Keep are true residents—people who battled the constant darkness and danger that lurks in the shadow, in the wilderness, and in the ruins.

  Such a grisly fate, how can they keep a sane state of mind and be normal? Or perhaps, their normalcy cannot be judged by an outsider like himself.

  In the end, aren’t we all scattered islands, lost at sea? He chuckled.

  Just as that thought passed, he noticed a group of mercenaries, three people to be exact, looking his direction. Their gaze bore a frightening sharpness, a sort of transparent interest that did not attempt to be courteous or polite in the slightest.

  Subconsciously, he glanced at his rucksack, but noticed that they were looking elsewhere.

  Truthfully speaking, Ulrich didn’t want to interact with anyone. Not until he understood more about his surroundings and the factions that exist within Helgan’s Keep. Only then could he make the correct choices that benefit himself.

  If anything, he finds social interaction and obligation rather cumbersome. Better to fight a horde of undead than deal with the nuisance that is people!

  However, reality is often disappointing, and indeed it was.

  At this moment, one of their member got up from her seat, then walked toward his corner. Immediately, the rest followed after. No doubt, she was the leader of the pack.

  Seeing this, Ulrich had the urge to get up and leave. And yet, as a newcomer in Helgan’s Keep, that would leave a rather unpleasant first impression. So he remained seated, his finger playing with a coin on the table while examining their expression.

  They don’t look hostile.

  Finally, after some steps, she stood a couple of feet away from Ulrich and pointed at herself with a smile.

  “Hiya! I’m Snezana Zorislav Volinskaya.”

  Ulrich’s lip twitched, and the coin almost froze in his hand.

  She looked quite young, maybe twenty at most, but her name was extremely long-winded, almost like the belly of a war-bow. To think that this young girl was the leader of this mercenary group? It was almost unbelievable!

  But looking at the mercenaries behind her, especially noting their wry smile and helpless face, there was no doubt these people had been acquainted for some time.

  Regardless of his thoughts, Ulrich maintained a blank stare, neither smiling nor extending his hand forward as he said, “Johan.”

  “Johan? Good name!” She said, tapping the metal piece of her leather armor.

  “I haven’t seen you around this part—must be a newcomer. Say, are you interested in joining an expedition? The Cadry Ruin.”

  “Expedition? Cadry Ruin?”

  In that moment, one of the taller, older men stepped up from her side and expressed his apology, “Sorry, our leader is rather crude, don’t mind her attitude.”

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  “Borik—”

  Borik raised his hand and covered her mouth. She tried to bite through, but it was useless since his hand was layered beneath a thick glove.

  “No need, I’m used to it.”

  Seeing Ulrich’s swift acceptance, he sighed in relief. Admittedly, Ulrich’s words were rather concise and cold, but in this land, that is to be expected.

  With that out of the way, he took another step forward and introduced himself:

  “My name is Borik, as for our leader…” He paused, glancing at her throwing a tantrum before shaking his head, “You can call her Zana.”

  Borik turned to his side and took a step back, gesturing toward the last member of their group, “This is Mason, he’s quite shy.”

  Mason was covered from head to toe in armor, not the heavy kind but more like light armor. It was brown in color, most likely leather or some kind of animal hide. And he did not speak, only staring at Ulrich through the thick black cowl.

  Shy indeed... As Ulrich narrowed his eyes, he noticed that Mason's chest and sheen was guarded by a steel plate of armor. Even his forearm had the same metal plate covering it.

  They are quite well-equipped. He praised inwardly.

  After Borik finished the introduction, he turned to Ulrich and brought up the topic from earlier, “We found an unexplored ruin not far from Helgan’s Keep. As far as we are aware, it’s not too dangerous. We hope to recruit you to explore this ruin.”

  Ulrich didn’t reply instantly and grew silent.

  Honestly speaking, he almost blurted out no. After all, he didn’t know any of these people, say less for going on an expedition to explore a ruin. If it were that irritating priest, Silas, perhaps he’d considered it.

  Where did that old man go anyway? I just hope it's not another poor soul that has to listen to his preaching... After giving it some thought, Ulrich took a shallow breath and pressed his palm against the table, pushing the coin flat.

  “Why me? You know nothing about me or my capabilities. This decision must have been made on some basis that I do not know.”

  Borik nudged his glasses and smiled, “There are many reasons, but the main one is that no one is interested in joining us.”

  So you’re just short on staff and wanted a quick recruit?

  As though reading his thought, Borik explained, “Another is your background.”

  “Background?”

  Hearing this word, Ulrich narrowed his eyes.

  Did they figure out my identity, just like that old priest? If that was the case, perhaps he should change his attire, switch out the silky glove on his hand, or put some armor over himself.

  However, the following words that came from Borik were not what he’d expected.

  “Yes, background. You came alone; this is rare. For anyone who wanders in the wilderness alone and makes it this far, this is a sign of their capability. If not capable, then you must be insane. Either way, you’re not ordinary.”

  Right…

  Maybe he had traveled with Silas for a bit too long that his sense of normalcy was twisted. Looking at it now, not everyone is like that old priest, being able to discern details and deduce things that are not commonly known.

  At the very least, the public's understanding and knowledge regarding the Ministry is not that common. And yet, this thought only made Silas's identity more mysterious.

  Ulrich smiled, just barely, then said, “What is the compensation? How far away is this ruin? If it’s too far, forget about it.”

  All of these questions are important; after all, he didn’t have much time to waste.

  With two days, I’m better off hunting the creatures surrounding Helgan’s Keep during the day to accumulate more runes!

  Borik gave it a thought and raised five fingers, “Fifty umbra shards, I believe this is reasonable.”

  Inwardly, Borik winced a little, but maintained a friendly smile on the surface. Even with their combined earning of three, fifty shards was a rather hefty price to pay. And yet, he believed Ulrich was worth the price.

  Fifty shards? That’s three red crystals…

  For Ulrich, these numbers were gibberish. As a newcomer to the shadow realm, and to Helgan’s Keep, how was he supposed to know what’s considered normal vs excessive?

  Fortunately, learning from his interaction with Ms. Fia at the reception desk, he wondered, “What if I don’t want umbra shards as payment?”

  With the red crystal and various materials on his person, shards were the last thing he needed. What he desired the most in the shadow realm, besides hunting and killing to nurture his rune, was a cursed weapon—preferably one without severe side effects.

  Borik leaned forward, a little confused, “What do you mean?”

  He wasn’t bothered by his question or request. In fact, this was a form of bartering that’s commonly used around this region.

  Ulrich smiled, “A cursed weapon, objects. Clues or news about them are also sufficient.”

  “Uh…”

  Immediately, Borik turned to Snezana. There was silence, and between that silence is a mutual understanding that need not be spoken.

  Oh? These people don’t look like Weavers, just ordinary mercenaries like the harpoonist in Belham. But from the look of it, they have a clue, and not a small one at that!

  Ulrich didn’t expect much when bringing up this matter, but their reaction certainly made him curious, maybe a bit excited. Hence, he waited patiently for them to speak.

  After about a minute, Borik took a deep breath and nodded, “We do have a clue about a cursed object.”

  Subconsciously, Ulrich blurted, “Where?”

  At this moment, Snezana looked at her surroundings, then took a step forward to lean closer and whispered:

  “The unexplored Cadry Ruin, northeast of Helgan’s Keep. It's only half a day travel time!"