The Ascension of the Celestial Priest

34; The Generous Rewards.

The next morning after a quick bath and daily meditation, Lukas already had an idea of how his day would go. He would prepare himself well, go to the Adventure's Guild, get his badge and his rewards and then stroll around the Golden City to enjoy the sights and the smell of a real fantasy world. Later he would buy a few things he would deem important before he journeys back to the Cathedral the next day, ready to research for more spells and skills so he can act on what he had learnt as soon as possible.

He collected his thoughts as he wore a clean white robe that fitted him quite well. Pleased with what he saw in the mirror; he tightened his belt, took his Star light staff, and was ready within only a few minutes. Since he had paid for his room for five days in advance, he wasn't afraid to leave the rest of his belongings inside. After he locked his room, he got out of the simple inn named the Greenery and then walked towards the Adventurer's Headquarters all the while admiring the hustle and bustle of the people around him.

If it wasn't for their attire, the carts and carriages that dragged themselves on the cobbled road then Lukas would have definitely thought he was back at home. They were lots of vendors all neatly arranged shouting their prices over the din of laughter and the cries of playing children.

There were warriors, occasional rogues and more than enough of mages with white robes, just like him. Outer Sect disciples from the Cathedral of light were very common in Golden city so it wasn't surprising that he could see a flicker of a white in almost every corner. During his walk, his eyes flitted above as he admired the huge statue that towered over the City like an Eternal Guardian. According to the information he gathered; the statue was placed in the inner most part of the City where only the influential and powerful people reside in, representing a higher hierarchy at work.

He arrived at the head quarters and swiftly entered. Walking confidently this time, he was glad to find Representative Malten beside the reception area waiting for him. He lightly smiled before he started walking, leading him inside.

"Mister Lukas, this way please" he said, his eyes twinkled in his usual amused expression as they intently stared at him before he turned away. Lukas was at peace and even though he felt Malten's gaze was strange he didn't think too much about it. His mind was already constructing his next training regime, counting on the rewards he would receive as part of it. He would be able to push his body workout even more and properly research if Rune Mastery was a worthy profession to pursue. At the time he would also try to find if he could transform his previous world knowledge into something profitable.

They walked through a few corridors and opposite from what he expected, he was brought into a different room this time. It was decorated in subtle colors of Silver and gray with the banner of the Adventures Guild donning the white washed walls. The banner held the insignia of a staff, a sword, a bow and the shield all placed geometrically, held by a dagger in the middle. It was meant to signify the presence of all the collective classes in the continent of Lush and the fact that there was no favoritism amongst them. The Adventurer's Guild only paid attention to one's strength, short of that meant one couldn't hope to join in the first place.

He found the rest of the team either sitting or standing around the chairs arranged in a half circle, in front of a raised podium where Representative Malten was standing in his full official robe, dipped in the color of silver, matching the room's décor perfectly. The room looked like a ceremonial hall and Lukas faintly wondered why they held the meeting here as he crossed eyes with the rest of his team where they exchanged warm smiles in silence.

Rexsi attired in his leather armor, with his iconic red scarf winked at him while Renesme gave him a subtle nod, her figure hidden under the green cape. Mira gave him a meaningful smile as she was wreathed in another fiery robe while the moment he crossed eyes with Geoff, the connection lingered for a moment before they both turned away, watching and waiting for Representative Malten to start.

And it didn't take long.

"Welcome Cadets, you all performed exceptionally well in your last mission. Seeing such young blood joining us on this path fraught with danger and opportunities at every turn; it fills our Adventurers' Guild with vitality and raises my anticipation on where this journey will lead you all."

Rexsi snorted but Malten didn't let it faze him at all.

"And now for the rewards…" he paused dramatically before he continued. "To make this short, we erred on our side as we did not account for an existence of such a beast in the Catacombs. So as a form of compensation, we increased the reward from the previous 100 to 500 Gold pieces." Representative Malten announced, positively expecting a reaction from them.

But contrary to his surprise no one in his vicinity was particularly impressed and though Lukas was calm on the surface, inside his heart twitched.

In the Continent of Lush, 1 gold equaled 100 silver and 500 gold meant that he already had 50,000 silver in his hands which would be more than enough for him to push his training to the next level. No wonder Adventuring is one of the most lucrative professions in the Continent, considering you had to be alive in the first place to enjoy its benefits…

Impressed, Representative Malten went on.

"But there is more. The Midnight Herb, a profoundly rare Grade 2 was sold for a surprisingly 1000 Gold, which was split equally amongst you for amount of 200 Gold. Adding the Tier 1 beast core which was sold for 500, netting 100 gold each; collectively all of you got 800 Gold from just your first run in the Catacombs of the Golden city."

Before they could even react this time, Representative Malten went on.

"As a token for appreciation and a job well done, Lukas the Priest of Light from the famous Cathedral is bestowed a further 200 gold, as a humble courtesy from the Adventurers' Guild increasing his reward to a total of 1000 Gold."

Lukas was stunned as he didn't expect such a bonus from the Guild. The rest clapped for him and in a grateful manner he rose from his seat, and slightly bowed towards Representative Malten in gratitude. 200 gold was more than a gesture but Lukas wasn't about to forgo any additional money.

The rest of his team fully acknowledged the prize as Lukas had always carried himself in a simple and elegant manner and in their eyes it was more than enough proof of his attitude and character. The Succession of nobles with magic made for such a deadly combo in The Continent of Lush that it was wildly known that they were tyrannically arrogant and no one dared cross to cross their path.

Lukas didn't have such arrogance and everyone could see that the pride he carried stemmed from his confident abilities rather than his nobility. But ironically it made him appear even more of the noble descent that by the end of the dungeon run, he gained favors from everyone around including Representative Malten himself.