Rent land? Forget it. Those vampire nobles wouldn't just sit by and let him profit. They'd probably find a way to extort him, one way or another. The only way forward was to become a noble himself! Kenley's mind was suddenly set.

  Becoming a noble was a common path for players, but the real question was which nation to join.

  The Cain Empire? That nation was indeed powerful—both in military strength and economic prowess, making it one of the peak powers in the mid-game. But Kenley knew that at the start of the Fifth Era, the Cain Empire had been struck by the new expansion "Doomsday Calamity", where the Demon King, Karlis, directly attacked the imperial capital, and despite all the players' efforts, the empire had fallen.

  That had marked the twilight of the Cain Empire.

  Now, in the Fifth Era, after the sealing of the Dark Lord, this was the empire's most prosperous year, its zenith.

  Kenley, knowing what was to come, fell into deep thought, wondering whether he should join the Cain Empire or not.

  As Kerr's house drew nearer, Kenley shook his head, deciding to take things one step at a time."Let's complete the task first, then decide."

  "We're here,” Kenley said, dismounting from the carriage and helping Tia down as well.

  "You jerk! Why are you only helping Tia and not me?” Sylph bit her teeth in irritation, glaring at him.

  Kenley rolled his eyes, not even turning his head."I'm afraid someone will suspect I have ulterior motives again."

  After that, Kenley just walked ahead, not even sparing Sylph a glance.

  "You!" Sylph was at a loss for words, her mouth shut tight as she fumed in silence. She could only hold back her anger.

  Tia smiled helplessly at Sylph."Alright, Sylph, don't argue with Master anymore."

  Sylph grabbed Tia's hand."It's not that I want to argue with him, it's just that he's so infuriating."

  Tia chuckled softly, covering her mouth."Sylph, you're getting more and more beautiful. You're becoming more feminine."

  Sylph frowned, looking confused."Tia, why are you talking like my uncle now, playing word games? What do you mean 'feminine'? Are you saying I smell bad?"

  "I wasn't playing word games, you just didn't understand." Tia glanced at Kenley, who was already walking farther ahead, and quickly tugged at Sylph."Let's hurry up, otherwise Master will get too far."

  "Oh!" Sylph puffed out her cheeks in response since Tia didn't explain further.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Under Kenley's lead, they cautiously approached the house.

  From Tia's explanation, Sylph learned that the task they had received was to deliver a few pairs of shoes to a dwarf blacksmith. At first, Sylph didn't understand and was puzzled for a long time. She thought adventurers were those brave warriors who wielded swords, ventured into deep mountains, and slew dragons. How could they be doing such sneaky tasks? It seemed beneath them.

  After Tia's repeated encouragement, she reluctantly agreed to follow Kenley. According to Tia, Kenley was the bravest warrior she had ever met. Not only was his courage unmatched, but his combat talent was exceptional. Tia suspected that Kenley might very well become a master in the coming decades.

  However, Sylph's perception quickly shifted when she witnessed the following scene: As Kenley passed a wooden barrel outside Kerr's house, he noticed a silver cup resting on top. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and stuffed it into his cloak. Then, upon spotting a beautiful painting on the wall, he casually drew his dagger, cut it open, and shoved it into his bag.

  "Is this what you call a brave warrior, Tia? How is this any different from being a thief?" Sylph turned back, her face filled with disbelief.

  Tia looked awkward, unsure of how to explain. After all, Kenley had been fine yesterday, but today... his actions were puzzling.

  Wait, that's it! It must be related to the task. Master is surely collecting clues, trying to find those boots! She hurriedly explained to Sylph,"Don't worry, Master must have a reason for this, like gathering clues."

  Sylph furrowed her brow."Alright, I trust you."

  Kenley, however, was wrongly accused. It was simply a habit from being a player. In the game, how many players hadn't picked up things they found along the way? If something valuable was spotted, players would casually stuff it into their bags because, after all, it's money.

  Especially at this early stage, when money was scarce. Even the smallest opportunity to earn would not be missed. In the game world, players could be lawless; NPCs were constantly being driven mad by these players, and the prison in the imperial city was always filled with players enjoying the luxurious suite service.

  After using the Ring of Life to scan Kerr's house several times, Kenley confirmed that no one was home. He then turned back and waved to Sylph.

  Despite her suspicions, Sylph trusted Tia's word and patiently walked over to Kenley.

  "What's up?" Sylph asked.

  "How about teaming up with me?" Kenley asked.

  "?!" Sylph was momentarily stunned."Aren't we already in a team?"

  Kenley ignored her remark, as a notification appeared in his game interface: Successfully teamed up with Sylph. On the mini-map, Sylph's blue icon now appeared, a special marker that only appeared after a successful team-up.

  Kenley nodded."Since you're a ranger, you must have the Wild Sensory ability, right?"

  "How did you know that?" Sylph asked instinctively.

  Of course I know, I have a level 99 ranger alt. Kenley didn't bother explaining."Can you use your Wild Sensory to investigate where the owner of these boots has been recently?" As he spoke, he pulled out a large, foul-smelling, disgusting boot.

  Taking the boot, Sylph suddenly recalled what Tia had said. Could it be true? Was this human really collecting clues?

  The stench... Sylph immediately frowned."Dwarf?"

  Kenley nodded.

  "I'll give it a try..." Sylph's hands shimmered with green light, covering the entire boot. After waiting a moment, her eyes gleamed with a ghostly green light.

  Seeing this, Kenley immediately understood that Sylph had entered her Wild Sensory mode. In this state, the places the boot's owner had recently visited would be highlighted.

  "Follow me!" Sylph said, and immediately began following the trail, heading toward a certain area of the house.

  Kenley was thrilled. It had been the right decision to bring the ranger elf princess along. With her, he had far fewer problems and saved a lot of time.