At this moment, the dungeon entrance bustled with adventurers—after all, it was essentially their "workplace."

Amid the heavy flow of people, no one noticed Sophia emerging alone from the dungeon.

Solo adventurers weren’t unheard of, but they were either overwhelmingly powerful or only handling simple quests doable on Floor 1.

How could a backwater like Nexar City possibly harbor someone strong enough to go solo?

So everyone simply assumed Sophia was just another adventurer on a minor collection quest.

“Let’s find the client first. Once we get the gold, we leave Nexar City immediately,” Sophia said to An, hidden beneath the black robe.

An, savoring the gentle stroking from Sophia, scoffed. “Hmph. Not entirely foolish—you at least know when to run.”

Sophia didn’t reply. She only quickened her pace.

During their earlier escape, An’s power had been marked. Using it now would almost certainly alert the new empire—the Regan Empire.

It wasn’t 100% guaranteed… but Sophia refused to gamble her life on that slim chance.

She moved swiftly, soon reaching Nexar City’s west gate. Her eyes locked onto a man in a tight noble suit.

“Are you Mr. John?” Sophia cleared her throat, lowering her voice.

John sized her up, then nodded cautiously. “Sent by the Lion Warband?”

“Correct. To avoid reports, our captain sent me to finalize the exchange,” Sophia replied calmly.

She produced the small emblem and handed it over—the mandatory token. Without it, even the warband captain couldn’t complete the handover.

“I understand, I understand!” John smiled eagerly.

The Adventurers’ Guild cracked down on “side jobs,” sending inspectors who could demote or disband offending warbands.

That’s why fresh faces handled these handovers—veterans were too recognizable.

“Here’s the Taunoth King’s Horn. As for the promised reward…”

“Ah, no problem!” John laughed, took the bag, verified the horn, then pulled out a stack of gold vouchers.

“The commission was 350 gold. Fifty was paid as deposit. This covers the rest.”

He offered the vouchers with a smile.

Sophia’s brow furrowed slightly.

Gold vouchers couldn’t be spent directly—they required exchange at a merchant bank.

But she had no time. And on the road ahead, actual coins were far more useful.

John noticed her hesitation. “Think the payment’s too low? You can’t raise the price now—we agreed…”

“No misunderstanding,” Sophia cut in. “Our warband needs cash urgently. Could you give gold coins instead?”

John froze, expression awkward. “Sorry… I only have a hundred gold coins on me. Not enough for the full amount.”

“A hundred? Fine. A hundred works,” Sophia said hastily.

Better than nothing. A hundred coins could see them safely to the Eus Empire, even with some splurging.

“But…”

“Truly, it’s fine. Our captain will be forever grateful.”

“O-Okay…”

Confused but yielding to her insistence, John handed over the coins.

Sophia snatched the pouch, shoved the vouchers back into his hands, turned, and strode away without a word.

John watched her recede, patted the horn in his pocket, and a faint smirk surfaced.

He didn’t know why she’d take the loss—but he knew *he’d* profited.

Sophia bypassed the tavern entirely, heading straight to a stable outside the city.

“Honored Mage, sir—how may I assist you?” the stable owner approached, beaming at her aura and the exquisite staff in her hand.

*Big client*, he thought.

Sophia tossed two gold coins. “Ten hardtacks. A sturdy horse. Hurry.”

The owner caught them mid-air, eyes gleaming. “Right away! One moment!” He dashed off.

Sophia waited, brows slightly furrowed.

“Little Princess, no need to rush,” An’s calm voice murmured from her arms. “Those Regan Empire beasts won’t move this fast. We’re at the border.”

Sophia frowned. “Those Regan mongrels aren’t like *you*—too weak now for even high-speed flight.”

“…” An fell silent. Then, voice trembling with wounded pride: “You—*dare* compare me to those mongrels?!”

“Hmph…”

“You—!”

Just as An’s fury peaked, the owner returned, leading a tall horse whose mane stood stiff as steel needles.

“A hybrid breed! A thousand miles in a day? Piece of cake!” he boasted.

Sophia ignored him. She seized the reins, snatched the hardtack bag, and swung onto the horse.

An instantly masked its presence to keep the horse from panicking.

Without a glance back, Sophia spurred the horse into a swift gallop.

The owner grinned at the two coins in his palm.

*Now that’s* his favorite kind of customer.