The Silver Seal I

Long ago, during his previous life's gaming days, Rhode had come to understand just how crucial information was. Whether doing business or waging war, he needed enough information to support his plans before settling on them.

Perhaps because the Thieves Guild sold information, everyone in the game understood one thing: information had value in itself. It couldn't simply be obtained out of thin air.

To get information, one either had to spend time and effort investigating personally or pay gold to buy it from someone who knew.

Of course, apart from the Thieves Guild, information sold by others wasn't necessarily accurate. It might even be completely false, though it usually contained at least a few useful details.

If Rhode didn't want to pay for information, he certainly wouldn't have been able to get it from the maid. He would have received only some basic details.

After Rhode handed over the gold, the maid gave him information about the merchant group. For Rhode, this offered a clear picture of the group's strength.

Before long, with the maid leading the way, Rhode and the vampire arrived at the Silver Seal Merchant Group's compound. The maid went ahead and spoke briefly with the guards stationed outside the caravan, then turned and left.

After she was gone, the guard, who had already learned roughly why Rhode had come, led him farther into the compound.

As they crossed the compound, Rhode observed his surroundings.

Most of the group's members were busy loading goods onto the empty wagons.

At a glance, Rhode saw that most of the goods were sealed inside wooden crates, making it impossible to tell what was packed within. The members struggled to carry the crates, and when Rhode listened closely, he could hear metal clanging inside them.

Nearby, several men who looked like overseers noticed Rhode's arrival. They said nothing, merely watching the guard lead him while continuing with their work.

As Rhode surveyed his surroundings, the guard led him to the largest tent in the compound.

The guard asked Rhode to wait outside, then went into the tent to announce their arrival. A moment later, he came back out and gestured for Rhode to enter.

Rhode led the vampire into the tent.

The moment he stepped inside, Rhode sensed that something was off. It wasn't that he felt in danger; rather, the surrounding aura seemed strangely familiar.

The vampire sensed it too and began to grow restless. Rhode used the Mental Mark to calm it, then looked around the tent.

Some odds and ends had been placed inside, but the tent was otherwise fairly tidy. Perhaps because it wasn't a permanent base, there was no table, just a few chairs.

A man was seated in the chair directly opposite the entrance. Rhode looked at him.

He wore plain clothes, but they did nothing to hide his sturdy build. His expression was resolute, and several scars across his face, carved by sharp weapons, spoke of his past. An imposing presence seemed to emanate from him at all times.

From the maid's information, Rhode knew that this man was probably the merchant group's leader, Yusuf.

The maid had described the leader as a seasoned warrior. As Rhode understood it, that meant he was likely Tier Three. A high-level warrior was equivalent to an official mage, placing them at Tier Four.

The leader gestured for Rhode to sit in the chair beside him.

Once Rhode had taken a seat, Yusuf spoke first. "I'm Yusuf, leader of the Silver Seal Merchant Group. The guard told me why you've come. You want to travel with us as a passenger to the City of Wailing, correct?"

Rhode nodded, and Yusuf continued, "You should already know that there aren't many other merchant groups heading to the City of Wailing these days, right?"

Rhode nodded again. Yusuf went on, "Then you're both necromancers, correct?"

Rhode had no intention of hiding that he was a necromancer. Better to let the other party know from the start than have a spellcaster discover it along the way. Still, he was a little puzzled. Neither the old soldier at the entrance nor the merchant group's leader had used magic to probe him. They had identified him as a necromancer at a glance. So he asked,

"How did you tell we were necromancers? Judging by our appearance alone, we're dressed more or less like thieves."

Yusuf smiled. "Your hoods and your robes' hems."

Before Rhode could ask anything else, Yusuf continued, "Thieves wear black robes too, but for ease of fighting, their hems usually come only to just above the knees. Your robes nearly drag along the ground."

"As for the hoods, thieves usually conceal their identities with face coverings and don't rely much on hoods. Necromancers' robes have much larger hoods, and outside Dya, you won't find this style of black robe for sale. Anyone with experience can spot these things."

"Besides, there's an aura about you two... something thieves simply don't have. Put it all together, and isn't your identity as necromancers obvious?"

Rhode froze. He hadn't realized that a simple black robe could reveal so much. Since he hadn't been a necromancer in his previous life, his past gaming experience had never drawn his attention to these details.

His previous gaming experience hadn't covered everything about the game, either. This was a clear reminder to Rhode: if he paid close attention to the differences between black robes, he might have been able to figure it out. But he had relied too much on his past experience and overlooked the details.

What surprised Rhode even more was that he had only asked as a test. He'd thought Yusuf would brush the question off, but instead, he had laid out every detail.

Even information gained from experience was extremely valuable to those who didn't know it.

Rhode realized that Yusuf had shared these details for one of two reasons: either he wanted to gain the upper hand and use it to raise the travel fee, or he simply didn't care about keeping such details to himself.

But Rhode didn't believe a man who had risen to lead a merchant group would casually give away information. The only likely reason was that he wanted to raise the travel fee.

Seeing Rhode lost in thought, Yusuf continued, "Though I often deal with necromancers, my men might not be willing to accept them. Two necromancers wanting to travel to Dya as passengers seems suspicious no matter how you look at it, so..."

Yusuf trailed off and watched Rhode, waiting for an answer.

Rhode understood that if he didn't say something, the merchant group wouldn't take them unless he paid an exorbitant price.