Funeral

The Adventurers' Guild did not post jobs to look for any old Tom, Dick, or Harry. This was a place where people risked their heads for wealth and glory. Even the lowest-tier jobs paid more than 10 Gold Dalers, enough to support an ordinary family for three years. Soren did not accept any jobs. After proving his identity and receiving the Adventurers' Guild badge, he headed straight for City Hall. He needed to arrange Freeman identification for himself and Vivian. It would probably cost around fifteen Gold Dalers, after which he would have Amber City citizenship, officially rising from the slums into the Citizen Stratum. He would gain relatively free rights and be able to travel through most Kingdoms in the South, provided he was not afraid of the dangers in the wilderness. But he could not touch any jobs yet! There was no such thing as farming monsters in War of Gods. The number of Monsters in the wild was roughly comparable to the human population. If you cleared out the Gnolls in one area, there would be no sign of Gnolls there for a long time, until Gnolls from elsewhere migrated over. Monsters would not sit obediently in a row waiting for you to pick them off. They set traps, launched ambushes, swarmed their enemies, established Camps, and fled when things went wrong. There was once a saying in the tavern: "A newcomer who has never fallen into a Kobold trap, been surrounded by a pack of Goblins, or suffered a midnight ambush from Gnolls has had an incomplete Adventurer career!" Behind those words lay a bloody price! Countless newcomers had eagerly gone out Adventuring after reaching Tier 2, only to leave their lives in the hands of the lowest-tier Monsters. Could you imagine Monsters that did not play by the rules at all—pouncing on anyone alone, fleeing whenever they saw a crowd? They knew how to use their surroundings. They could even make Venom, set crude traps in the forest, spot enemies, ambush them, beg for mercy, and deceive them! If your luck was bad, you might even encounter a gifted Dragonblooded Sorcerer among Kobolds with a Challenge Rating of only 1. Even with only five professional levels, it could still blast you into scraps! Amid the complex and ever-changing emergencies of the wilderness, even those arrogant mages did not dare claim they could handle every unexpected situation... As long as you had money, many problems became much simpler. Soren encountered no trouble obtaining Freeman identification. So long as he had no recorded criminal history, City Hall staff could handle everything within fifteen minutes and stamp it with the City Lord's arcane technique seal. They did not care whether Soren had once been a thief. All they cared about were glittering Gold Dalers. Even a criminal record at the Security Office could be easily erased! A Freeman was, in truth, simply an identity bought with money. If you had even more money, you could buy the title of "Honorary Citizen" through donations, much like some sort of representative. Many gang leaders were prominent figures in the city. Even without noble titles, they would at least carry the designation of "Honorary Citizen." With an Adventurer identity, things became much easier! Soren could directly purchase Military Weapon equipment from the Blacksmith. Such weapons cost several times more than ordinary weapons, but their quality was also noticeably higher. Public weapon sales were legal! Ordinary people simply could not afford them, nor were they willing to buy such expensive equipment. A Military Scimitar was worth 15 Gold Dalers. It was made using folded refined forged steel, with no Supernatural enchantments, weighed around 6 pounds, and contained a certain amount of black steel. That was the price of a standard weapon. A suit of Military Chain Mail, made with interlocking rings, weighed around 15 pounds. It likewise had no Supernatural enchantments and cost 80 Gold Dalers, equivalent to the entire fortune of an ordinary citizen. A standard townhouse in Amber City's outer district currently cost around 30 to 50 Gold Dalers! As for higher-tier Plate Armor and Full Plate Armor, those were things many Warriors had struggled for over long periods to obtain, and they cost more than much Supernatural Equipment. A suit of Full Plate Armor was worth 1,500 to 2,000 Gold Dalers! At present, only the noble class could possibly afford to equip it. Even many high-tier Adventurers could not afford it. Such armor could be traded for a small farmstead of around 150 acres. By the time Soren had finished handling his affairs, half a day had passed. He still had nearly 100 Gold Dalers in his pocket. That was no small fortune; if they merely lived ordinary lives, it would be enough for him and Vivian for more than ten years. But Soren had already made up his mind, so he had to prepare daily necessities and wilderness supplies. Yes. He planned to leave this place. According to his memories, the panic triggered by the serial Skinning Incident would not stop there. The entire South would gradually descend into chaos. The safest place now was the Elven Realm. At least, that was true before the Ancient Red Dragon appeared. The Time of Troubles could not be stopped at all! If he did not want to be erased like an ant, then the best method was to leave the troubled region and build up his strength somewhere relatively safe. Back then, roughly three million Players had directly intervened in the turbulent era of the Time of Troubles. At that time, the strongest Players had already reached 18 professional levels, only half a step away from Legendary, yet they were still easily slaughtered by those Avatars! No one could calculate how many had died. Tens of millions of professionals had been wiped out as easily as chickens and dogs. This was not something human power could change. Leaving was the wisest choice. Soren still remembered how powerless he had been when facing a Godsbane. That had not been a battle on the same level at all! Only after entering the Legendary Domain would one truly possess the strength to challenge divinity. He would enter the Elven Realm through Dream Forest, then travel onward to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, avoiding the most chaotic first three years and waiting for the first batch of Deities to fall. At that time, shattered Divine Ranks would be obtained by many mortals. Those mortals, who possessed Divine Ranks but lacked sufficient power, would become the easiest targets to hunt! This was the greatest opportunity of the Time of Troubles. Soren had failed to seize it in the past, but now he could begin planning ahead. Temple District. As Soren headed to the Temple of Morninglord to bring Vivian back, he also played with the weapon he had just acquired. He needed to familiarize himself with its length, weight, and feel to ensure that he could bring out the strength he should possess when fighting with it. It was true that he possessed the Feat of Military Weapon proficiency, but every weapon differed in weight and feel. Even standardized military equipment had slight variations. These were all crucial details, because life and death were decided in an instant during a fight! A row of information appeared before his eyes:

Item Type: Military Scimitar Item Level: Item Description: A weapon made from folded forged steel. Both its toughness and strength far exceed those of ordinary weapons. Only Blacksmiths with Weapon Forging skill above 150 points can possibly create such equipment. Equipment Requirement: Strength 10 or higher. Equipment Effect: Black Steel Property, +1 Sharpness.

Strictly speaking, this Scimitar was somewhat enchanted, because it possessed a "Black Steel Property," which meant it had a certain strength bonus. During battle, the weapon was less likely to be damaged and could withstand more powerful slashing attacks. As for the +1 Sharpness afterward, that was an attribute of refined items and allowed it to penetrate some Leather Armor more easily. When Soren arrived at the Temple of Morninglord, he found its atmosphere unusually solemn! Priest Fayle was conducting a funeral for a Temple Guard. Five Heavy Warriors clad in full armor stood solemnly around the coffin, both hands resting on swords planted in the ground. Their mottled cloaks still bore dried bloodstains. When the cleric finished the final prayer, they knelt on one knee. Their armor rang with a clank as they stared ahead and solemnly declared, "Advance bravely, fear no mighty foe." "Protect the weak, uphold Justice." "Treat others with humility, be honest and faithful." "To those I love, I remain forever loyal." "Strong, brave, and upright, I would rather die than yield." "In the name of the Deity, I swear this oath." The resounding vows echoed through the temple. Priest Fayle slowly closed the dead man's eyes. He was a Temple Knight of the Lord of Morning. Both hands clasped around his sword hilt rested upon his chest, and he wore a complete suit of armor. Though the blood had been wiped clean, the armor still bore many marks of damage left by battle. The coffin was exceedingly simple, with neither flowers nor decoration. His armor and weapons were his only burial goods. Armor and weapons were a Warrior's second life. The equipment that had accompanied him in battle would be buried with him. "May his soul soon enter the realm of the Lord of Morning!" Priest Fayle raised his hand and scattered Holy Water. With the cleric's prayer, a sacred radiance shone within the temple. This signified that the Lord of Morning had learned that a brave worshipper had fallen in battle, and His messenger would guide the Warrior's soul into the Deity's realm. There, his soul would be reborn. The purer the soul, the greater the power it could gain within the Deity's realm. "Holy light descending?" "It seems his faith was firm in life. After being reborn in God's Realm, he will not merely become a Petitioner." Soren looked around and quickly spotted Vivian's small figure. She stood behind the Young Female Cleric, silently watching this simple yet solemn funeral. A Warrior's professional nature determined that they would always charge on the front lines! They were the people most likely to die in battle. So regardless of whether they were powerful enough, one should retain a measure of respect for those Warriors who remained loyal to their duty and used their bodies to defend their companions. Soren bowed slightly in respect! This was a brave Warrior. His battered armor represented a Warrior's honor!...