Finally, they made it back to Heiyang City before nightfall.

During the trip, Roland admitted he’d taken on five extra tasks. Since they affected mercenary credit points, he’d asked everyone to help. Following the main group, they spent just over an hour completing all Grade D tasks.

Afterward, the group entered the Mercenary Guild.

Miss Ning was still on duty.

Seeing Roland completely unharmed, she smiled.

“Mr. Roland, haven’t you set out yet? Planning to rest today? Remember—if the quest taker doesn’t reach the zone within three days, credit points get deducted.”

“Completed.”

Roland cut her off and pulled a fist-sized monster core from his Spatial Storage Ring.

This was the unique core of a Grade A monster—highly valuable. The corpse itself was worth a fortune too, but in the rush, no one thought to have Tina store it.

“Huh? Completed?”

Miss Ning’s smile vanished. Her eyes widened at the core in Roland’s hand.

“You mean… you took down the Lionbite Shark?!”

Her voice rose slightly. The entire guild fell silent.

All eyes locked onto Roland’s group.

…

Roland sighed inwardly. Being stared at felt awful.

“Yes. You can verify it later.”

“W-we trust Mr. Roland, of course! Once confirmed, I’ll transfer the reward to the task-taker’s account. How you split it is up to you.”

Miss Ning bowed her head and typed on her computer.

Thuke leaned back against the counter, hands resting on it, and let out a deep breath.

“Phew~ Finally over. So… we’ve gained both fame and fortune, right?”

“What fame and fortune?” Agnes countered. Thuke grinned confidently.

“How naive. ‘Fame’? The video of us fighting the Lionbite Shark will go viral. ‘Fortune’? Beyond the 5,000 gold coins—plus the Shark’s commission split and prior task earnings—I won’t worry about food or shelter for half a year.”

*Only half a year?*

Roland frowned. *Is Thuke a total spendthrift?*

Sasha pictured him lording it over the Zhuque Clan—feasting lavishly despite the family’s fallen status.

“You ungrateful son!!”

Thuke jumped. “Huh? What’d I do?”

“Miss.”

A cold voice cut through the air from the entrance.

That familiar chill made Roland shiver.

He looked up: the frost-like Deity stood motionless at the door, statue-still.

“The Heiyang City branch clan leader wishes to see you.”

…

Tina’s expression turned serious. She nodded.

“I’ll come right away.”

She turned to Roland’s group with a gentle smile.

“This shouldn’t take long. Rest here, have a drink. I’ll return soon. Agnes, would you kindly host them?”

“I will, Miss.”

“Mm.”

Tina ruffled Sasha’s hair, then followed the Deity out.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the guild.

“Hey… was that a Deity?”

“That aura—I’ve felt it before. Definitely.”

“Heiyang Guild has Deity-rank mercenaries, sure… but strutting in like that? Rare.”

Murmurs swelled. The hall buzzed again, already forgetting Roland’s group had slain the Lionbite Shark.

“Rewards are sent. Please confirm.”

Miss Ning finished her work.

Agnes checked her phone. “Confirmed.”

“So… what next?”

“Find a seat. Drink, snack—I don’t care. The young lady’s treating.”

Agnes was blunt.

…

The six settled at a large table, ordering only juice and beer. No full meals—Tina might return in thirty minutes. Eating without her felt wrong. A true victory feast belongs to everyone.

“Earlier… didn’t that team captain seek you out?”

Autumnwater sipped beer and asked suddenly.

Everyone seemed curious. Agnes must’ve noticed too.

“Just catching up.”

Roland shrugged—half truth, half omission.

Thuke leaned in. “You two know each other?”

“My senior from the same sword school.”

“Now that you mention it… your swordplay *does* look legit. So you *are* properly trained.”

“Don’t imply others stole their skills.”

Roland shot him a glare.

“Pay me back!”

“Stop nagging—it hurts our bond! I’ll withdraw it tomorrow.”

Thuke clapped Roland’s shoulder carelessly, then eyed Agnes’s laptop.

“What’re you doing?”

He peeked over. Agnes typed swiftly without looking up.

“Editing your video.”

“So… we *will* get famous?!”

Thuke lit up. Agnes sighed, swiveling the screen to him.

“You got flung by the Lionbite Shark’s tail *immediately*. How exactly will *you* get famous? Remember—if anyone shines, it’s *us*. You’re not in the footage.”

…

Thuke froze, struck dumb.

“N-not even… on camera…”

“Yo~ Looking mighty relaxed.”

A burly man with short golden hair loomed over them.

“Don’t look like you just battled a Lionbite Shark.”

…

*Here come the doubts,* Roland sighed inwardly. *Seriously, Miss Ning—your voice was too loud.*

“If I recall… *our* big brother killed that Lionbite Shark.”

The man smirked, slamming his palm on the table.

“Greenhorns trying to steal reward money?! You disrespect the mercenary code?!!”