At the hot spring in Golden Quill Pavilion.
A few men moaned comfortably in the hot spring that was filled with water vapor.
“Golden Quill Pavilion is truly a paradise. Our adventurer team was only bronze-tier. They would only put us at the furthest point whenever we come here, let alone the hot spring. And they would serve us simple food too. Now that we’ve achieved the gold tier adventurer status, they let these special ladies serve us.” Arthur sat in the hot spring, his body wrapped in a modest towel. Behind him, a lovely maid was scrubbing his back diligently.
Clyde and Leon were also in the hot spring near him. They nodded in accord as they heard his words.
“It’s all thanks to Young Master Watson. Our treatment in the Golden Quill Pavilion and the City of Steel has changed. With Young Master Watson on our team, we will improve even more in the future! We should drink to our hearts’ content and celebrate properly.”
A few maids surrounded Clyde; they knelt on their knees and gently massaged his tall and sturdy body with their tiny hands.
“Honorable Mr. Clyde, the wine you requested has arrived. This is the top-quality red wine that the Golden Quill Pavilion has prepared for the few gold-tier adventurers.”
A maid entered from outside the hot spring shortly after Clyde’s voice faded. She held a tray in her hand that had a bottle of red wine; it looked exquisitely packed.
That scene led the three men to sigh once again at the service provided by the Golden Quill Pavilion.
“Let’s drink to a beautiful tomorrow together. Speaking of the team’s future, do you still remember what Young Master Watson said about clearing the maze’s 100th floor?” Arthur raised his glass and spoke as the maid distributed glasses of wine to everyone there.
Clyde and Leon nodded. They also raised their glasses and took a sip. Leon said, “Arthur, what do you want to say?”
“Even though our team has become better because of Young Master Watson, he will occasionally say some unrealistic promises. How is it possible to go so deep into the maze’s 100th floor underground? He also said that he wants to improve our strength and let us help him! Only that foolish woman, Annie, would believe such words. Since she hasn’t come out after such a long time, Young Master Watson must have entangled himself with her. She’s here at the Golden Feather Pavilion, but she can’t enjoy it. What a pity!”
“Yes, what a pity!”
Clyde and Leon glanced at the beautiful maid, whose clothes were exposed; they could not help but swallow their saliva. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but they felt as though their bodies’ blood circulation had increased significantly.
They might each take a handmaiden and get a room with them after their soak in the hot spring. As adventurers, particularly low-tier adventurers like them, they were frequently under pressure to take risks. Seeking out ladies to accompany them was a very natural way for them to relieve stress. Since they had a female member in the team, they typically conducted such activities in secret.
However, they could do so freely in the Golden Quill Pavilion. The service and ladies there were superior to those they had encountered previously. The most important thing was that the pavilion had preferential treatment for gold-tier adventurers; they did not even need to spend any money.
Arthur, Leon, and Clyde smiled lewdly when they realized they could embrace those plump bodies dripped with fragrance and freely frolic with them later. They felt as if they were in heaven, but they pitied Annie, who could not come out to enjoy herself.
A slightly disgusted female voice suddenly echoed from outside the hot spring just as they thought about that.
“I heard some disgusting sounds from a distance from the hot spring. It was you guys, indeed! I won’t say anything about you, Arthur; this is your usual dirty self. But Captain, Leon! Why are you behaving like this? Especially you, Leon. Aren’t you a devout priest? Can your God forgive you for such an act?”
Annie materialized at the hot spring’s edge. Her silhouette was obscured by the white mist from the hot spring; they could not see her clearly.
“Annie, what are you talking about? Who’s dirty? Speak clearly, you—”
Arthur was the first to react when he heard Annie’s words. He held a wine glass in one hand and gripped a towel around his waist in the other as he left the hot spring in Annie’s direction with a displeased expression. He finally saw Annie clearly after halfway toward her. His jaw dropped as he stood frozen on the spot.
He was so shocked that the wine glass in his hand fell to the ground.
“Arthur, what’s wrong with you? You looked scared. Is Annie not wearing any clothes? Annie, since you’re here, you should enjoy yourself. There are beautiful maids and handsome male servants here.” Clyde stood up and walked out of the hot spring. When he reached the same spot as Arthur, he stopped as his face exhibited an incredulous expression.
Finally, Leon said, “Annie, Captain is right. The God of light that I believe in also said that long-term abstinence is not a good thing. It’s better to enjoy yourself here than to be forced to chat in the room.” He walked toward Annie. Then, he had the same expression as Arthur and Clyde.
Annie was not naked. Instead, it was her clothing that astounded them.
Annie stood in front of them, hands on her hips. She was dressed in a fiery red feather coat that fell to her feet. The feathers around her neck were particularly thick, and a scarf shaped like two wings fluttered on both sides of Annie’s body, giving her the appearance of a fire goddess.
Apart from the clothing on her body, Annie had changed as well.
Annie had been the weakest member of the Blood Rose adventurer team. She was an ordinary bronze-tier mage, compared to them, who were already at the peak of bronze-tier. However, Annie had changed. She radiated an incomprehensible and overwhelming aura, rendering the three men incapable of guessing her exact strength. However, it was evident that she had beyond bronze-tier.
“Annie, what happened? Where did you get that armor? And how did you get stronger so suddenly? Are you a silver-tier mage now?”
Clyde was the first to react, and he could not help but ask in surprise.
A mage’s training entailed an understanding of the world’s magical elements and strengthening the connection between the soul and magic. Some mages could immediately grasp certain world views. It was not uncommon for their strength to increase exponentially, and he believed it was very likely the case with Annie.
To his surprise, Annie shook her head. “Captain Clyde, you’ve misunderstood. I did not advance to silver-tier; I am now gold-tier. I am now a gold-tier mage. My armor, including the increase in my strength, was made possible because of Young Master Watson!”
Annie’s face was flushed with pride as she spoke. She cast a glance at her three companions, who were becoming increasingly shocked, and she smiled.
Watson had fulfilled his promise to help her to advance to gold-tier. She had managed to propel from bronze to gold-tier in a single step. Even though she had no idea how Watson did it, the surge of energy coursing through her body assured her that all she had experienced was real. Thus, after expressing gratitude to Watson, she proceeded to the hot spring. She was ready to inform Clyde and the other two men about the situation so that they could seek Watson’s help in increasing their strength.
However, before she reached the hot spring, she heard the three men criticizing her with her sharp hearing. They said that she did not know how to enjoy herself and was an idiot. They even laughed at her for listening to Watson’s nonsense. She was unhappy when she heard those words.
However, the idiot they mentioned had transformed into a powerful gold-tier mage. She even had gold-tier equipment on her. Well, she would prefer to be an incurable idiot if that was what it took to reach her progress.
