Chapter 328: Guest In Another Kingdom’s Adventurer Guild…

They both walked to the door… They had just stepped past the threshold when Duke suddenly stopped.

Bruce had barely taken another step into the cold night air when a hand landed on his shoulder.

The contact was casual.

Almost lazy.

Yet the moment Duke’s fingers settled there. The world folded.

There was no flash of light. No violent distortion. No roaring surge of magic that most teleportation techniques carried with them. No crack of displaced air or blinding flare of mana.

The street simply vanished.

Space itself seemed to slip quietly sideways.

And the next instant.

They were somewhere else.

The cold wind was different.

It cut across Bruce’s face like a thin blade of ice, carrying with it the faint scent of pine resin, steel, and distant smoke from burning hearths.

Bruce blinked once.

The narrow street outside the brothel had been replaced by a broad stone plaza dusted with thin snow. Lanterns burned steadily along tall iron posts, their golden flames swaying faintly against the restless wind. Each flicker cast long shadows that stretched across the frost-touched stone.

The air here felt somehow.

Bruce’s eyes moved slowly across the surroundings.

The buildings were larger than those in the merchant districts. Structured. Purposeful. Thick stone walls reinforced with iron frames. Arched entryways wide enough to accommodate wagons and heavily armored warriors. Even the pathways had been cleared with care, snow pushed neatly toward the edges.

Despite the late hour, the plaza remained active.

A pair of armored guards stood beside a supply cart, speaking quietly while checking an inventory ledger.

Three younger adventurers staggered past, dragging the corpse of a horned beast across the stone. Its blood had already begun to freeze where it smeared along the ground.

A tall woman in heavy fur armor leaned against a pillar nearby, sharpening a curved blade while listening to the conversation of her companions.

Life.

The restless rhythm of a guild district.

And directly in front of them.

An inconspicuous building stood beneath a wide wooden signboard.

Bruce tilted his head slightly upward.

The lantern above the entrance flickered softly, illuminating the carved letters burned deep into the polished wood.

Adventurer Guild.

Snowflakes drifted lazily through the golden light.

Bruce remained silent for a moment.

Then he slowly turned his head.

Duke stood beside him with both hands tucked comfortably inside the sleeves of his coat, as if nothing unusual had just occurred.

Bruce exhaled quietly.

“So this is the Adventurer Guild you set up in Eiskar…”

Duke sighed.

The sound carried the faint tone of a man disappointed in his own craftsmanship.

“Yes, it is.”

He lifted his gaze toward the building with mild dissatisfaction, studying the structure as if evaluating the work of an apprentice who had tried but failed to meet proper standards.

“It cannot compare to the bases back at Valkrin.”

His voice carried a faint nostalgia.

“The suppression arrays there are far more advanced. Defensive runes woven directly into the structural foundations. Layered spatial anchors. Multi tiered monitoring systems designed to detect hostile mana signatures before they even cross the city boundary.”

He clicked his tongue softly.

“Those facilities were built during an era when people actually understood the importance of proper infrastructure.”

His gaze drifted back toward the building before them.

“This one.”

He sighed again.

“…is manageable.”

Bruce did not respond.

Duke straightened slightly and clapped his hands together once, the sharp sound echoing faintly through the quiet plaza as if he were dismissing the entire subject.

“Well.”

His tone brightened instantly.

“Come.”

He began walking toward the entrance, boots crunching softly across the snow dusted stone.

“Let me introduce you to the adventurers of this guild.”

Bruce followed beside him.

As they approached, the sounds from inside the building grew clearer.

Laughter.

The dull clatter of metal cups striking wooden tables.

The low murmur of overlapping conversations layered with the occasional burst of drunken shouting.

The warm glow of firelight spilled through the windows, illuminating the drifting snow outside like falling sparks.

A pair of armored adventurers standing near the entrance glanced up as the two men approached.

One of them straightened slightly.

Then recognition flickered across his face.

“…Guildmaster.”

The word slipped out before he could stop himself.

Duke lifted a lazy hand in greeting.

“Evening.”

The adventurer stiffened immediately.

His companion straightened as well, both of them stepping aside without hesitation.

The heavy wooden doors opened.

Warm air spilled outward, carrying the smell of roasted meat, alcohol, wet leather, and burning firewood.

Bruce stepped inside behind Duke.

The interior of the guild hall was alive with activity.

Dozens of adventurers occupied the long wooden tables scattered throughout the hall. Some were eating heavily salted stew from iron bowls. Others were drinking while arguing over recent hunts. A few sat hunched over quest documents spread across the table surface, calculating risk and reward with the quiet seriousness of professionals who dealt in death.

Weapons leaned casually against chairs.

Armor rested against walls.

Boots thudded across the floor as servers carried trays of food between tables.

A massive quest board dominated one side of the hall, its surface layered with parchment notices and bounty sheets pinned in uneven rows. Some were freshly posted. Others were half torn from repeated handling.

Near the back of the room, a long counter separated the main hall from the guild administration area where several clerks worked beneath rows of glowing mana lamps, recording reports and processing mission claims.

For a brief moment.

The entire hall continued as normal.

Then someone noticed Duke.

A chair scraped loudly across the floor.

Another adventurer turned.

Then another.

Within seconds the murmurs began spreading through the hall like ripples across water.

“…Guildmaster?”

“What.”

“Is that.”

Several adventurers were already standing.

Duke walked forward calmly through the room as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Bruce walked beside him silently.

Eyes followed them.

Whispers spread.

Respect.

Confusion.

Curiosity.

And something else.

Recognition.

Some of the older adventurers had already begun studying Bruce more carefully.

His posture.

His composure.

The quiet weight in his presence.

They could feel it.

Not his full power.

Bruce was not foolish enough to release something like that casually in a crowded guild hall.

But even restrained.

There was something there.

Something heavy.

Something dangerous.

Duke finally stopped near the center of the hall and slowly looked around at the gathered adventurers with a faintly amused smile.

“Well now,” he said lightly.

“Everyone seems lively tonight.”

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