Razahad

The sudden voice and turn of events stunned everyone present.

Shien also raised an eyebrow, turned his head, and looked at the owner of the hand that had snatched the money pouch.

It was a young girl who had appeared in the hall at some point, right beside Vivian, and was around Vivian's age.

She wore a neat uniform-like outfit, a pair of glasses, and exuded an aura of intelligence and competence.

"Ryley?"

Seeing this person, Vivian first froze, then called out her name.

The person who had arrived was Ryley.

The guild staff and adventurers around them immediately stood up.

"Guild Leader!"

Everyone bowed to Ryley.

This included Tier, Lumya, and Merika.

"Guild Leader?"

Shien was immediately surprised.

"You're Shien, aren't you?" Ryley looked at Shien, narrowing her sharp eyes behind her glasses, then smiled and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Ryley Razahad, the Guild Leader of the Lamigium Adventurer's Guild. I look forward to working with you."

This was the first time Shien had heard someone state their surname.

Furthermore, she was the Guild Leader of the Lamigium Adventurer's Guild.

"Why did you come down?"

Vivian asked, a mix of pleasant surprise and astonishment in her voice. Her attitude clearly indicated she knew Ryley well.

And indeed, that was the case.

"I heard you were back, and my work was finished, so I came down to see." Ryley's gaze swept over Vivian's team and the large backpack on the counter, and she chuckled, "It seems your trip went quite smoothly."

"Yes, it was quite smooth. Not many accidents happened," Vivian nodded, chuckling slightly. "What? Were you worried?"

"Do I look like such a cold-blooded person?" Ryley rolled her eyes. "Since I'm the one who assigned you the extra work, wouldn't it seem like I'm just trying to shirk responsibility if I didn't check in?"

"I didn't say anything of the sort," Vivian's smile turned into a soft laugh.

The conversation between the two was so natural and familiar that it told others how close they were.

The surrounding adventurers and guild staff were also unfazed, clearly aware of their relationship.

"What's going on?"

Shien stepped back as if to distance himself, returning to Tier's side, and quietly asked in a low voice.

"As you can see, Vivian and Guild Leader Ryley have been friends for a long time," Tier replied calmly, unfazed. "They knew each other before Vivian became an adventurer and before Guild Leader Ryley became the Guild Leader. They've known each other for at least ten years. It's said that the reason Vivian chose to come to Lamigium to become an adventurer was because Guild Leader Ryley was transferred here to take up her post."

So, they were childhood friends?

"The person who arranged for you to join our team was actually Guild Leader Ryley. Like Vivian, Guild Leader Ryley is a prominent figure known for taking good care of newcomers. You should thank her properly, otherwise, given your situation, you might have already been bullied at the Adventurer's Guild."

Tier glanced at Shien and said this.

"Also, I believe you've noticed that Guild Leader Ryley's status is unusual. She's not just the Guild Leader of the Lamigium Adventurer's Guild, but also the only daughter of a famous noble family. Even the lord of this territory cannot be impolite in front of Guild Leader Ryley. You should be careful too."

No wonder the surrounding adventurers had bowed so obediently and politely after Ryley appeared.

"A noble family?"

Shien muttered softly.

It seemed that in this world, only nobles had surnames.

While Shien was pondering these things, Vivian had already begun questioning Ryley.

"Speaking of which, if you were coming down, why did you snatch away the reward meant for Shien?" Vivian asked with some dissatisfaction. "That's quite rude, you know?"

"Indeed." Ryley didn't deny it, admitting it openly while changing the subject and looking at Shien meaningfully. "What do you think, newcomer?"

The competent and intelligent Guild Leader threw the topic to Shien.

Shien didn't waver.

Because Shien had already realized why she had done it.

"I think what Guild Leader Ryley said makes some sense," Shien said frankly. "As a new adventurer, receiving such a large reward isn't really appropriate."

As a newcomer who had just joined the team, only level ten, and hadn't even learned a single skill, his inclusion in Vivian's team had already caused controversy. If he were to receive the same reward as the veteran members and split it equally, it wouldn't be right in principle or logic. At least, in the eyes of others, Shien had merely accompanied Vivian's team on a trip. At his level, he certainly couldn't complete Silver or even Gold rank quests.

If Shien had just accepted that reward, by this time tomorrow, he would have faced the criticism of the entire Adventurer's Guild.

This would not only be bad for Shien himself but would also affect Vivian's team.

(This Guild Leader must have come for this very reason, right?)

Since she was Vivian's childhood friend and had known her for over ten years, Ryley must have understood Vivian's personality and methods well, knowing she wouldn't treat Shien unfairly, which was why she had intervened.

In other words, Ryley was here to help Shien and Vivian avoid any potential criticism.

"I didn't really help much with this commission; everyone else did the heavy lifting. I just watched from the sidelines," Shien said with self-awareness. "As for the reward, I'll shamelessly take just one gold coin."

This was perfectly reasonable.

After all, the Blood Sucking Vines were cleared by Merika using magic, Merika also collected the spring water, and Tier and Lumya handled the monsters and dismembered the materials. Shien only defeated one Golem from start to finish, and doing so had nothing to do with the commission. It would be inappropriate to take too much reward.

If he didn't think Vivian would be unable to accept it, Shien wouldn't even want to take any reward.

After all, Shien still had his pride as a man. He was already being taken care of by Vivian, and he couldn't be so rough in other aspects.

He hadn't thought about it before, but now that Ryley had reminded him, Shien naturally wouldn't accept this reward.

"But..."

Vivian frowned, seemingly unable to accept it.

"Alright, since they've said it, don't be so stubborn," Ryley said, patting Vivian's shoulder. "Your kindness needs to be appropriate for the situation. Not being able to distinguish between personal and professional matters is one of your few weaknesses. It's not the first time you've brought a newcomer, you should have realized this earlier. You need to reflect on it properly this time."

As she spoke, Ryley took a gold coin from the seized money pouch and approached Shien.

"You've got potential. Big sister here has high hopes for you."

Ryley reached out, lifted Shien's hand, placed the gold coin into his palm, and smiled at him with admiration.

"Thank you for the praise."

Shien returned her smile, looking at the generous and thoughtful beautiful guild leader, he marveled inwardly.

What an interesting woman.