Holding his registration form, Alexander went to the adventurers' guild to get information. "Good morning, Mary. Could you tell me which adventurer city in this area is closest to Stellar Forest?"

  "You're leaving the city?" asked Mary, surprised.

  "Yes. But I shouldn't be long," replied Alexander. "It's just to complete a combat academy event."

  "I see… But who are these people?" asked Mary, who, despite asking about the people she didn't know, kept her eyes on Stella.

  "The guarantee that the other teams will have a chance," joked Alexander.

  "What?!" shouted Mark and Stella at the same time.

  "What do you have to do with my conversation?" inquired Alexander with a shrug. "Feel free to leave the team whenever you want."

  Mark and Stella felt like cats whose tails had been stepped on, but they weren't going to give Alexander that satisfaction.

  "I see," smiled Mary. "The city that best fits your description is Iron Hammer City. A city known for both adventurers and blacksmithing."

  "It's very close to Phoenix City. You just have to make a detour at the final part of the route," explained Mary while turning her gaze towards Diana in a somewhat… hostile way?

  After discovering what his next destination would be, Alexander thanked Mary for the information and left. But Diana didn't leave without raising her head and returning Mary's gaze with one of equal intensity.

  Alexander didn't rush to leave the city just because he already knew his destination.

  He preferred to spend some extra time to combine the academy event with his own plan. For that, he had to go to Jayce’s shop to get references, after all, he was going to a blacksmithing city.

  Upon arriving there, the group came across a sign that said: Buy and maintain items. Invest in your safety, because the dead no longer have their wealth, only their regrets.

  "…" Alexander.

  When he entered the shop, Alexander saw Jayce standing at the service counter looking very satisfied, as if business was going well.

  "Will my maintenance become free in exchange for using my phrase in your business?" teased Alexander.

  Jayce didn't even dignify him with a response. He simply got up, went to the door, grabbed his sign, and tucked it under his arm, probably expecting to put it back as soon as Alexander left.

  "What do you need this time, kid?" inquired Jayce, as if nothing had happened.

  "Referrals and recommendations," replied Alexander. "I'm going to Iron Hammer City and I heard it's a blacksmithing hub. So I want to know if you have any tips on who I should look for if I need some service."

  "You're going to Iron Hammer City? That's great news," said Jayce enthusiastically. "I really need to send a letter to my brother who lives there."

  "I could contact him through the adventurers’ guild’s communication system," said Jayce. "But we haven't spoken in a long time, I prefer a letter," he explained.

  "Interesting… So there is also a long-distance communication method in this world," thought Alexander. "But it doesn't seem to be a common service."

  "With my recommendation, he should give you a favorable price at the blacksmiths' association there," informed Jayce. "The association where he works buys raw materials, sells items, and takes orders. It could be very useful for you."

  Alexander agreed to be the messenger and Jayce went to write his letter, but the time spent didn't please Mark and Stella, who came to complain: "Why are you wasting so much time? Shouldn't we be preparing to travel?"

  Alexander shrugged at the complaints: "I've been ready to travel since the beginning. You're the ones following me like shadows and forgetting to make your own preparations."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Hearing this very disconcerting truth, Mark and Stella didn't know how to respond.

  Before they had a chance to think of an answer, Alexander continued: "I will leave the city in 1 hour. Whether you come with me or not is up to you, but remember not to count on help from anyone outside our group after leaving the city."

  Mark was indignant at Alexander's attitude, but he didn't do anything because he saw Stella leaving and followed her.

  Alexander sighed exasperatedly upon seeing them leave, because all he wanted was a team that would listen to his commands. A simple requirement that these 2 members of his team did not meet.

  After Alexander and Diana waited for some time, Jayce returned with his "letter." "My brother's name is John. It should be quite easy to find him."

  "Just look for him at the blacksmiths' association," said Jayce. "I heard he has a name there."

  Alexander was surprised by the "letter," but didn't comment. "Thank you for the referral, Jayce. I guarantee I will deliver this letter to your brother."

  As soon as they left the shop, Alexander went to buy some supplies and utensils to help during the event.

  When the purchases were done, he turned to Diana. "Do you need to settle any pending issues before we leave the city? We still have time."

  "Thanks to you, I already told the innkeeper where I moved that I was leaving the city for an academy event," replied Diana.

  "I see," said Alexander naturally. But the truth was that inside he was surprised and thought: "Is it just me or is she no longer stumbling over her words when talking to me?"

  Having no more issues to resolve, Alexander went to get Ocean and they went to the north gate of the city to wait for the agreed time.

  Mark and Stella appeared fully equipped and on horseback before the deadline passed, but Mark was acting completely arrogantly and pompously. He had discovered that Alexander was a commoner.

  Watching him act that way, Alexander completely ignored it and only left at the agreed time in advance.

  Alexander's attitude left Mark so irritated that his thoughts turned into something that could only be described as cliché: "How dare this commoner try to mock me so much?"

  He only didn't lose control because he was trying to please Stella, and making her perform poorly in an academy event didn't seem like a good plan.

  When the appointed time arrived, Alexander asked Ocean to carry Diana at walking speed and began walking beside them.

  Seeing the three finally move, Mark and Stella also advanced, but Mark made a point of spurring his horse forward and taking the lead. As time passed, he convinced Stella to join him, going ahead.

  Gradually, the "dynamic duo" distanced themselves further and further, and Diana questioned Alexander: "Shouldn't we go a little faster to keep up with them?"

  Hearing this question, Alexander opened a wide, gray smile and asked in return: "What do you think of them? What do you see when you look at them?"

  Diana thought a bit, but couldn't find an answer.

  Seeing her without an answer, Alexander gave his own opinion: "In my opinion, they are a problem… But a useful problem."

  "How so?"

  Alexander's smile darkened even more, seeming a bit sadistic. He calmly replied: "Bandits usually act in ambushes. Since they're in front of us, we won't need to worry too much about that."

  Diana understood what Alexander said, but didn't try to dissuade him from such an idea, since they were the ones looking for trouble by moving away.

  After a good amount of travel time, night began to fall. But before it became completely dark, sounds of metal against metal and small explosions infested the twilight.

  "You better get down," warned Alexander, extending his hand to help her down. "There might be archers and you'll be very exposed up there."

  As soon as Diana got off Ocean, the group continued to advance, but with double the caution.

  Surprisingly, there were no bandits attacking the "dynamic duo" who had gone ahead. What they found as they approached the sounds was a rich, fragrant aroma inviting them off the road.

  Following the smell, they found the "dynamic duo" fighting a trio of strangers.

  Alexander soon understood the reason for the dispute by carefully observing the situation and discovering the origin of the aroma perfuming the air.

  The aroma, just like the dispute between the groups, originated from a small, golden, mystical-looking plant… Certainly a {Natural Wonder}.

  One that Alexander immediately recognized as the {Tree of Good Fortune}.

  This {Natural Wonder} had that name because it looked like a miniature tree, grew in random locations, had effects that varied from person to person, and most of the population couldn't identify it until it was completely mature. In other words, everything depended on luck.

  Seeing Alexander's group arrive, the trio of strangers became apprehensive, but Mark took the opportunity to devise a quick plan and called them: "Finally you've arrived. Help us stop them and this treasure will be ours."

  Alexander, once again, pretended to be deaf to Mark's words and completely ignored him as he advanced towards the {Tree of Good Fortune}.

  His sudden movement alerted everyone, who attacked him without any hesitation in retaliation. But this time Alexander wasn't in the mood for games.

  In a single moment he used |Run|, |Magical Body Strengthening| focusing on strength and agility, and all the attributes from the [Ring of the Thief God].

  With this burst of speed, Alexander had no problems passing by everyone—who had moved away from the treasure to avoid damaging it in the fight—and stored the {Tree of Good Fortune} in his ring after a bit of acting.

  Such a feat surprised everyone, but it wasn't enough to make them give up on the plant.

  They all still wanted it and directed their hostilities towards him.

  "Everyone has the right to fight for a {Natural Wonder} while it's still in nature. But this one has already been harvested by me," warned Alexander in a deathly cold tone. "And those who try to rob me must be prepared to face the consequences."