"What's going on?"
Arthur asked as he looked at the group standing around a table. It was a disharmonious sight as every member had a different appearance from the other with no similarity except how intimidating they were. Standing around a table filled with cakes and alcohol, they looked nothing like the monsters they were.
"A surprise party," Ivy shook her head, clicking her tongue. "You need to work on your observation skills, newbie." Sarcasm was dripping.
"I can see that," Arthur's eyebrows twitched. "But why are you guys throwing me a party."
"Allow me to answer!" Reece stepped forward, throwing his hands forward. "My humble self has seen it all. How our youngest junior ran around the place to achieve his goal and secure us the infamous fortress! He was cool, hardworking, and most importantly! He was handso~"
"Shut the hell up, weirdo!" Zas kicked Reece from behind making him fall to his knees before he could finish. "This is your welcome party." He explained briefly making Arthur sigh in relief that it wasn't because of his medal.
"Of course, it's also to celebrate our hero." Hua grinned as she threw Arthur a flirtatious glare. Arthur started to feel mentally drained.
"Okay, stop teasing him." Si laughed and clapped his hands. "We didn't have the time to throw you a welcome party, so here it is. Sadly, Li and William had to stay in the fortress."
"That muscle-head, Li, was fawning over the chambers." Ivy shook her head. "I bet he's training as we speak."
"How did you guys get here?" Arthur asked with confusion. After all, it was a long distance from the fortress. Traveling here had surely taken some time, especially without being found out by the kingdom.
He still remembered how he had traveled relentlessly using his Teleport rune when he went back to Kera. His runes mana were always minute, especially the ones that required no mana to keep them active.
As for the border, he used the terrain of the surrounding wilderness to slip unnoticed. However, he enjoyed the privilege of using a rune with a reality gate, connecting to nature directly. So, unless Zas transported them all the way here, they had to find another way.
"We had Idris smuggle a teleportation artifact. It was a one-time artifact; we're still thinking about how to travel there without the hassle." Si answered before pulling a chair and sitting. "Enough of that, come here and cut the cake."
The cake, to Arthur's dismay, was decorated in a dancing hall fashion with two figures intertwined in the middle. The reference was obvious and Arthur had no energy but to sigh as he sat down as well.
"I just hope whoever made this didn't ask questions." He grabbed the knife as the group eagerly waited for him. It wasn't even his birthday, but he dreaded that they might sing him something. There was no greater torture than sitting awkwardly as a group sang you happy birthday.
"Oh, that would be Ivy." Zas snickered and Arthur paused when he heard this. He couldn't help but turn his head toward the tomboyish woman who unexpectedly turned out to have such hidden skills.
"Wow, thank you, Ivy." He didn't know what to say and Ivy grinned back at him.
"Yeah, yeah. I take payments with artifacts." The group laughed and spent the rest of the time drinking, eating cakes, and singing.
Despite being unaccustomed to such gatherings, Arthur enjoyed his time. He was always a sweet-tooth but he didn't have the money to enjoy them until now. Ivy's bakery skills left him amazed and he even thought it wasn't a bad deal to have her make him pastries all the time.
Before he realized it, the alcohol kicked in and he had to stabilize himself with a stamina rune. The others turned out to be quite the drinkers as Hua and Idris competed with the young foreign woman winning in the end.
After that, the room was cleared by some of Idris's trustworthy subordinates. The group sat alone lazily in their chairs as Si went on to the next event.
"While Ivy, Lie, Zas, and Arthur went to the Runes Cup, we managed to infiltrate the royal palace with Master Ronin's help while the war was underway. They came back with more than a few spoils and evaded being caught thanks to Master Ronin's prophecies. One of the spoils is this."
He took out a box from his storage artifact and presented it to Arthur.
"This is your welcome gift, newbie." Ivy smiled as Arthur took the box with a complicated gaze. How would he tell them that he didn't need it anymore?
"This mana condensing agent is called the Maiden's Tear, taken from a myth-tier monster, the sirens."
Hearing Si's words, Arthur's eyes turned round. If High-tier monsters were handled by rei-rankers mostly, myth-tier monsters were handled by Astra-rankers. That means this mana condensing agent was as valuable as a myth-tier monster.
"This is… too much?" Arthur asked with hesitation, feeling the cold woody texture of the box. Suddenly, it weighed heavier than earlier. Even if he didn't need a mana condensing agent, he could still give it to Oren when he needs it.
"It's not as valuable as the fortress you obtained for us." Si laughed and shook his head. "This is an investment. The stronger you become, the better it is for everyone here."
Hearing his words, Arthur nodded. This was also one of the benefits he obtained by joining Mistletoe. Other than finding a channel to process his artifacts and the strength they aided him, he would also get such items.
"Thank you, everyone." Arthur kept the box to himself as he nodded gratefully. The others grinned and waved their hands, still intoxicated by the alcohol.
"Now, let's talk about our next plans."
***
They spent some time planning a few robberies, commissions, and auctions. Their meeting was purely focused on profits with no regard to how to obtain them.
Arthur estimated how much money was involved and he was shocked. His bank account already had more than a million. The Twilight Workshop would also pay him a million once he becomes the champion. There was also the matter of selling artificial artifacts.
He was becoming rich. However, he knew this money wouldn't sit around like this. He would need to move out of his house eventually. He would need to buy proper armor as he gets stronger and he would need money for that. He also wanted to buy a car for his mother as he knew she couldn't keep walking around. He saw how blistered her feet were one morning and he cried that day. It was almost a year ago and his life had no resemblance to that past. There was also his brother who needed resources to develop properly.
Everyone went on their own business afterward. Ivy guided Arthur toward the underground floors after Si said he should have his mask customized by Ruby.
Ruby was the last member of Mistletoe. She was also the technician of the group. Her ability allowed her to control metals so she utilized her love for technology. Arthur was excited to meet her since she could help him build his mecha one day.
The underground floor was brightly lit with whitewashed walls. There was no carpet or any decorations but simply stretches of corridors leading to different rooms and halls. As Arthur and Ivy walked into one of the rooms, they heard the shouting of a woman.
"Hand it properly, Simon Revo Number 12!"
Her voice was deep, almost gruff. As they avoided the lumps of metals and tables, they found Ruby standing in front of a giant table welding metals together. A robot was standing to the side holding several tools and handing them to her as she requested.
"Ruby!"
It seems she failed to sense their presence until they were standing next to her. Ivy even had to shout to grab her attention. Ruby didn't flinch but simply sighed and stopped the welding.
"What?" She said as she lifted her protection glasses over her brown hair. It was tied in a ponytail but seemed to have been unwashed for several days as it has several black patches of coal everywhere.
"This is Arthur, the newest member." Ivy introduced and Arthur greeted her. However, Ruby simply looked at him for a second before nodding back and going back to her work.
"Ruby!" Ivy shouted again before the welding began. "Can you make him a proper mask? We'll also need an untraceable cellphone."
"I just want to work undisturbed, why do I need to suffer?" Ruby looked at the table and muttered in a low, annoyed, voice. "Every time they need something, they come running. I'm so sick of this."
"He's also a runes master!" Before she could continue with her grumbling, Ivy had to cut her off. Her words made Ruby stop her listless muttering and turn to face them. She studied Arthur carefully as if waiting for him to confirm.
"I am," Arthur nodded even though he was technically a runes apprentice. However, his abilities could rival the best runes master out there.
"Hmm, what kind of mask do you want?" Ruby asked as she took off her glasses and ruffled through her hair. Arthur managed to see her face clearly for the first time. She was in her thirties with a freckled face and brown hair. She had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in days.
"Well," Arthur had already thought about the most suitable thing. He didn't want something overly dramatic. He wanted a mask resembling himself. He thought of his goblins and his creation ability. "One with horns and fangs, like a goblin face."
