"Brother, Sister, you sure have a nice place," Lucas commented as he explored the furnished hall, his cup lifted to his mouth. "To think we spent over a month hiding in smelly caves and humid forests."

That had been the first exchange after Lucas and Troy sat on the other side of the table. It was simple foreplay, but there was a reason behind it. The two had only seen Liam’s room, but Grace’s hall was several levels above in comfort.

"Do you wish for a solution?" Grace asked, her dangerous business smile on full display. "We’d be happy to provide as long as you can afford it."

Troy moved his emotionless face to Lucas, conveying his interest in the matter.

"On which side are you?" Lucas cursed under his breath, glancing at his companion."We are here to get things, not buy more."

"Friends, you shouldn’t worry about that," Grace giggled, amused. "My beloved has a strict stance on teammates. I couldn’t prevent him from sharing even if I tried."

Liam waved his hand to add to Grace’s statement, summoning the twelve Rainbow Roses, the corpse of the level three bear, and the remaining loot from the Guild’s branch.

Both the roses and the carcass were in great condition. Space-rings offered great preservation, and rank 3 items were less susceptible to the passage of time due to their superior power. There were exceptions, but neither Lucas nor Troy cared for such things.

The two swordsmen mainly focused on the carcass, albeit for what it represented.

"You truly killed it," Lucas exclaimed, his eyes growing sharp as he stood up to approach the carcass.

Rumors had long since been circulating, the ones about the level three bear having plenty of eyewitnesses, but there always was a degree of uncertainty on those matters.

Also, there could be nuances and exaggerations, but the corpse removed any doubt. Lucas placed his hand on the creature’s hide, feeling its lingering firmness while matching it to the sets of five cuts. That truly was the work of a single expert, an excellent one.

"And you took Lady Jessica’s arm afterward," Lucas continued. "Brother Liam, I take it back. Even if you brought a whole harem to the Heavenly Sword Cult, no one would dare to touch it."

A chill ran down Lucas’ spine at that point, his head slowly turning toward the table, finding the brightest yet fakest smile he had ever seen in his life.

"Lucas," Grace called, her fingers on Liam’s thigh, ripping through his black trousers. "May I inquire as to whose harem you are referring to? You couldn’t have possibly meant my beloved’s, could you?"

Lucas glanced at the tear in Liam’s trousers, then at his face, ultimately turning toward Troy.

"Do you figure Unreasonable Brother needs saving?" Lucas wondered.

"Why the Guild’s belongings?" Troy asked, completely disregarding Lucas, focusing on Liam. The containers carried the Mercenary Guild’s emblem, so their origin was obvious.

"You could have run but came back to help Grace," Liam honestly replied, taking Grace’s hand, intertwining his fingers with hers before they could draw blood. "Everyone is also bound to blame you for my actions. The way I see it, I owe you more than two shares."

"You are of noble character," Troy declared, lifting his cup. "It’s my honor to be able to call such a valiant expert my companion."

"The honor is mine," Liam responded, also lifting his cup. "You have done me the greatest favor I could ever ask for. I’ll consider you lifelong friends from now on. If there’s anything I can do for you, please ask."

For once, speaking properly hadn’t taken any effort. Liam hadn’t even needed to think about those words since they had come straight from his heart.

Lucas inspected Liam and Troy, sighing, but quickly donning an excited smirk as he returned to the table, also lifting his cup.

"To the countless shapes of the Dao," Lucas offered a toast, "And the unlikely allies we make."

"And the opportunities that come with them," Grace joined in. "Even if they wanted to rob us initially."

"Which we are all glad we didn’t," Lucas showed his empty smile, and a round of drinking unfolded.

"So," Liam took the initiative. "What’s the situation?"

"Everyone is talking about you two, naturally," Lucas casually explained. "They are all condemning you on the surface, at least those the wench from the Mercenary Guild can force to speak, but I bet many are interested in whatever deal made Mairis so loyal to you."

That last part sounded suspicious, but Grace squeezed Liam’s hand, knowing it was her turn.

"Are they covering for us?" Grace questioned.

"Not openly," Lucas explained, "But they are denying any knowledge of anything. They could have scored easy favors with the Mercenary Guild, but instead opted for silence."

Liam caught up with the matter at that point. Normally, inferior forces would do anything to help the Guilds, especially under threat of a branching expert. Even if they didn’t have information, they could still give away something basic.

However, to say nothing at all was a clear message for anyone savvy enough to read between the lines. Mairis was taking Liam and Grace’s side, making everyone wonder what the couple could actually offer.

"What about you?" Liam asked.

"Our dear Elders can protect us," Lucas responded, "But we earned a branching expert’s enmity. They want the headache to be worth it."

That was the colder reality of a Demonic Sect. In the Pale Moon Sect’s case, the Elders would have held their ground, siding with their disciples to preserve their reputation. Instead, the Heavenly Sword Cult demanded payment for that service.

"You should join, too," Troy suggested, earning a surprised look from Lucas, albeit that seemed to have more to do with the unusual talkativeness. Lucas’ following words even proved that.

"It would be the safer choice," Lucas continued, agreeing. "We could intercede for you and find suitable arrangements."

That generosity had two reasons. The first was obviously resources. Whoever Liam and Grace were, they had been extremely beneficial to the two swordsmen. The latter might have helped in the last mission, but the couple had been the ones to find and secure the rank 3 resources.

The second reason involved Liam and Grace’s situation. They weren’t free to roam around with the entire border talking about them and a branching expert on their tail.

The couple wasn’t even inconspicuous. The two were wearing casual robes now, but they stood out, especially Liam. His presence alone would make him suspicious due to all the rumors about him.

"I apologize," Grace said politely, sticking to the farce. "We aren’t at liberty to join other forces."

Honestly, the way Liam saw it, leaving entirely would be the best choice. He and Grace could put the border behind them, formally enter the northern region, or even move to a deeper Outer Circle, but there were problems.

Liam had already arrived in areas where level four magical beasts existed undisputed. There could be true monsters awaiting him deeper in the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Liam was still stuck in the limbo where looting rooting experts was pointless, but he had yet to obtain the power to move to branching experts.

The northern region would also feature a proper political environment in which Sects and Guilds ruled, limiting Liam and Grace’s opportunities. They wouldn’t be able to move freely there, either, and they would have fewer chances to grow on top of that.

Instead, the border was the perfect place to continue hiding and grow strong until they could face the threats the world had in store. The issue was that the couple needed trustworthy middlemen to continue operating, as well as a more reliable home.

After all, people were bound to keep an eye out for unusual movement. The couple had been able to remain hidden while doing business in the past, but now there was a far greater incentive to find them.

"Word is that Lady Jessica’s fury is quite a sight to behold," Lucas announced, as if addressing that train of thought.

That was to say that no amount of hiding would let that storm pass, but Liam had another option, or at least he hoped his new friends could make it viable. It was also what he believed was his only missing piece.

"I’ll kill Lady Jessica soon enough," Liam declared, unable to hide the new intensity in his black eyes, a hiss almost joining his voice. "Still, Lucas, you once mentioned something about battle cages ..."