Ch 372: Rhodes Island.

"You look nice!" exclaimed Exusiai with a grin as Noah left the changing room. Texas gave him a critical look, then nodded with approval.

Following the girls' advice, Noah bought a black three-piece suit to go with a white shirt and black leather loafers for the upcoming meeting with Lungmen's Chief Executive and two more causal outfits, blue and black jeans with a pair of white shirts and a grey parka for more casual wear.

"Yes, Big Brother Noah looks great." nodded Xi Ling.

"Of course he looks great, he let us choose for him." boasted Exusiai before winking at Xi Ling. "What about you, Xi Ling? Noah still has quite a bit of money left. Do you wish for him to buy you something? If so, we'll help you convince him."

"I don't think I would need much convincing." smiled Noah.

"Well, if Big Brother wants to spoil me, there is this purple dress I saw…" fidgeted Xi Ling as she made doe eyes at him, and Noah chuckled.

"Sure. Exusiai, Texas, do you also want something?"

"Thanks for offering, but I am fine." replied Texas as she shook her head.

"I don't particularly want anything either, but thanks." nodded Exusiai.

Noah nodded and went to pay for his new clothes while Xi Ling tried the dress she had her eyes on. Its cut was relatively modest, but she didn't need to flaunt her body to draw eyes anyway.

When they left the clothing store, Exusiai and Texas gave them a quick tour of one of the Section's main green spaces, then they used another car belonging to Penguin Logistics and drove to the Section's tallest skyscraper.

There was a private garage, with a few guards standing in front of the barrier.

"We're from Penguin Logistics, and we are escorting sir Noah." announced Exusiai. "The Chief Executive invited him."

The guards gave them all a deep look, their eyes lingering on Noah, and he nodded politely at them.

"We've been informed, but do you have a way to prove your identity, Sir?" asked the leader of the guards.

Noah shrugged and took from his inventory Nethrys's Monster Core.

"Will this do?" asked Noah as he showed the glowing gem to the guards. The quickly straitened their posture.

"Yes, Sir. Welcome to Lungmen. The Special Inspection Unit Chief is waiting in the lobby. She will lead you to the Chief Executive."

"Thank you." smiled Noah.

The guards opened the barrier, and Texas drove the car inside the underground garage.

"Exusiai, Texas, I have been wondering. Do you girls have the Scan ability? Would I be considered rude if I use it on people here?"

"Every Infected has it, and maybe one percent of the normals." nodded Exusiai. "No one can know if they are targeted by Scan, but it is considered rude, so we don't mention anything we learn from it. That's one more reason normal people despise us. They never know if we use it or not, so they assume we do it all the time. Do you Players have Scan too?"

"Yes. It is one of the few default abilities we got when we received those artificial bodies."

"I see." nodded Exusiai.

They followed another guard to the lobby at ground level, and Noah immediately spotted the young woman waiting for them a few meters from the elevator.

She was armed with two swords strapped on her right hip and against the small of her back. She wore black leather, ankle-length shoes that were partially covered by wide strips of black leather going from her feet to just above her knees, but only covered the front. Thigh black shorts, a white shirt, an orange tie, a dark blue leather jacket with two white strips at breast level, and fingerless gloves completed her outfit.

She had dark amber eyes, chest-length dark blue hair that she styled into two pigtails aside from a few long bands framing her face, and was clearly an Afflicted, judging from the two antelope-like black and amber horns growing from her head and a long tail covered with fine dark blue scales, aside from a tuft at its tip.

Noah knew from the original game that Oripathy gave the infected animal traits corresponding to specific animals, even if those animals didn't always exist. In this girl's case, her traits were those of an eastern-type dragon.

Noah used Scan on her, curious about her level, but made sure to keep his eyes on her face to avoid looking like he was reading something only he could see.

[Ch'en]: Type: Lung. Grade: Lord. Class: Swordmaster. Level:56. HP: 425 000. A member of the Lung race. Ch'en is a dutiful officer of the Lungmen Guard Department, and one of the Nomadic City's strongest.

"Greetings." nodded Noah. "My name is Noah. Here are my companions, Xi Ling, Exusiai, Texas, and Little Grey."

*Ruff* barked Little Grey at a muted volume, tail wagging, and Ch'en smiled at him for a short instant before turning her attention back to Noah.

"Hello, and welcome to Lungmen." nodded back the girl. "I am Ch'en, the leader of the Special Inspection Unit. I will lead you to the Chief Executive."

She gestured toward another elevator, and they entered it.

"The previous elevator didn't go above the lobby, and this one doesn't go underground." noted Noah when Ch'en pressed the button for the highest floor. "I assume this is a security measure to slow intruders. Was there trouble before?"

"Not recently, and not in Lungmen." replied Ch'en. "But in other cities, the tensions between Infected and normal people sometimes led to riots and public disorder."

"I see." nodded Noah. "I heard several times mentions of the Infected being discriminated against. But surely there is more to it than them all having the Scan ability?"

"We're about to reach the Chief Executive, so I will keep it short, but the main reason is that when an Infected dies, crystalline dust will spread from their corpses and can infect others if they breathe it in. Every large Section has special processing facilities where the bodies of the Infected can be safely… processed."

Noah nodded. This was information he already knew, but he needed to ask about it so he wouldn't be caught off guard later.

The elevator's cabin stopped and the doors opened on a large loft. It was furnished in yellow and red tones, in a style that was clearly Chinese or Chinese-adjacent, with an added touch of modernity. Or maybe Noah should say Yanese, as Yan was the fiction's equivalent of China.

Near the back of the room was a giant monochrome painting of a dragon. It was easily six meters wide and hid most of the back wall.

There were three Infected in the room, and they stood and turned toward them as Ch'en led them closer.

"Ah, long time no see, Exusiai, Texas." nodded the one Noah knew to be Wen Yenwu. "I am glad to see you well."

"Thank you, Chief Administrator." replied Texas with a respectful nod.

"Hello, Chief Administrator. I hope we're not imposing on you." smiled Exusiai.

"Not at all." nodded Wei Yenwu.

He had semi-long fiery red hair, black fox ears, and thirty-centimeters-long, bright orange, forked antlers. Just like Ch'en, Wen Yenwu had a long tail ending in a large tuft of hair, orangish-red in his case.

The most surprising part about him, however, was that his face was not human. He possessed the snout of a fox and was covered with thin black fur that turned white on his snout. His eyes didn't seem to have pupils, and were glowing red.

He was dressed in an elaborate red traditional Chinese outfit with a modern gray coat draped over his shoulders and held a gilded smoking pipe in his right hand.

Standing to his right were two young women, and Noah covertly used Scan on them, only taking a quick glance at their grade and level before dismissing the notifications.

[Kal'tsit]: Type: Feline. Grade: Celestial. Class: Medic. Level:59. HP: 4 778 000. A member of the Feline race, and the head of Rhode Island's medical department. She can summon a Celestial-grade, bio-mechanical creature known as Mon3tr.

Kal'tsit was a catgirl with shoulder-length white eyes and green eyes. She wore a mostly white, modern researcher outfit leaving her shoulders bare, with some parts made of transparent, thick vinyl. A stethoscope was hanging from her neck.

Noah's fingers twitched slightly as he read her grade, but he carefully kept his surprise from showing on his expression.

[Amiya]: Type: Cautus. Grade: Lord. Class: Core Caster. Level:53. HP: 278 500. The public face of Rhode Island and its top executive. Although Amiya may appear young and inexperienced, she has her faction's unwavering trust and loyalty.

Amiya, Arknights' main female character, was a beautiful girl with light blue eyes, long brown hair styled in a ponytail aside from bangs framing her face, and long rabbit ears. She wore a white top, a frilly dark blue tie, a short, blue checkered skirt, black thighs, dark blue sneakers, and a hooded, black parka whose inner side was blue and bore the Rhode Island name, clearly visible across her chest.

Amiya also wore around her neck a thin metallic collar with a black and blue pattern. She also had on each of her fingers a ring presenting a similar pattern. Noah knew the collar and rings were some kinds of limiters meant to help stabilize Amiya's power, or something along those lines, and that any of the rings breaking would be a very bad sign.

"Chief Administrator, this is Noah, and those are his companions, Xi Ling and Little Grey." said Exusiai.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Administrator." nodded Noah.

"Nice to meet you, Chief Administrator." echoed Xi Ling.

"The pleasure is all mine." nodded Wei Yenwu. "Thank you for coming at such short notice. Here are my other guests, Kal'tsit and Amiya from Rhode Island. We were discussing some matters when I was informed about your arrival, and they too wished to meet the man who single-handedly killed a Named Celestial."

Amiya and Kal'tsit also exchanged polite greetings with Noah and Xi Ling, and Noah blinked when Kal'tsit crouched in front of Little Grey.

Little Grey tilted his head adorably, staring at Kal'tsit with its tail wagging slowly.

She stared at him for almost ten full seconds before a small smile grew on her face and she extended a hand to pat Little Grey once.

Then she stood and looked at Noah.

"How did you meet this Holy Spirit? Are you treating him well?"

"…I had a lucky encounter with a great being. He entrusted Little Grey to me, saying he wanted for him to experience a life free of responsibilities. Have you perhaps met one of his parents before?"

"…A long time ago." sighed Kal'tsit. "Take good care of this little one."

"It goes without saying." shrugged Noah. "Little Grey is family to me."

He distinctly remembered Tao Tie stating that he had been standing guard in that secret cave for ten thousand years. But he knew better than to ask Kal'tsit about her age.

*ruff* happily barked Little Grey as he came closer to Noah to get his head petted.

"Ohoh, it seems I am blessed to meet such guests." chuckled Wei Yenwu as he gestured toward a long table made of a black lacquered wood. "Please take your place at the table, everyone. Discussions are better around dinner."

"Thank you." nodded Noah.

Servants appeared from behind the dragon painting, inviting the guests to sit, and Noah found himself with near the end of the table, facing Amiya. Wei Yenwu sat at the head of the table, on Noah's right.

They were immediately served with an assortment of three appetizers of the kind one would find as the start of a 300 dollars course in a high-end teppanyaki restaurant.

"What do you think of Lungmen, Noah?" asked Wei Yenwu.

"I feel a strange mix of familiarity and confusion." smiled Noah. "Familiarity as this city, seen from the inside, is very similar to large cities in my world. The largest difference seem to lie in the energy that powers it. From what Exusiai and Texas told me, you use almost exclusively Originium reactors."

"That is correct." nodded Wei Yenwu. "Is it different in the world you players originate from?"

"Yes. There is no Originium over there, we use a mix of nuclear, hydro, wind and solar energy for civilian use, although there are still some cars using combustion engines."

"Is it different for the military, then?" asked Wei Yenwu, and Noah nodded.

"The military is a tad complex to speak about, due to the presence of people with superhuman capabilities. At the lowest level, you have normal soldiers using technologies similar to what the civilians have access to, minus the weapons and armored vehicles. But they don't really fight on the frontline anymore. They do things like patrols and logistics."

"Then, you have a small number of elites named Chevaliers, or their greater variants, the Legatus Legionis. Those fight by summoning eight-meter-tall humanoid constructs called Legions. They use something called ectoplasmic energy, a kind of mystical liquid fuel they can absorb within their bodies. Ectoplasmic energy is mostly gathered from the world's leylines, although the Chevaliers themselves can slowly create some inside their bodies as well."

"And finally, you have some small elite squads starting to be equipped with a brand-new invention called Realizer Units, backpack-sized devices that convert a user's thoughts into a physical effect. With those, soldiers are able to fly for extended periods of time and use weapons that would normally be too large to be carried by infantry. That technology is brand new, and as far as I'm aware, is exclusive to one single nation and one private company."

"Those sounds quite wondrous, and at the same time, quite terrifying." nodded Wei Yenwu as they were served the next course, a handful of steamed buns. "Are wars something that happen often in your world?"

"They are still rather frequent, unfortunately." replied Noah. "On the other hand, they cause much less destruction than before, thanks to a kind of Chivalric code that was created a few decades ago. Nowadays, each nation holds somewhere between fifty to three hundred Titulary Forts, small fortresses built well away from cities and defended by one or several Chevaliers, and at most a few hundred conventional soldiers. Whenever an invading force succeeds in seizing a Titulary Fort, they get to control the territory associated with that fort, and the civilians aren't harmed."

"As for the conflicts that are not about invading territory, such as commercial disputes… well, you probably won't like hearing it, but that is a major reason we Players started to visit your world."

"What do you mean by that?" frowned Amiya.

"For us players, death in this world is only an inconvenience, since those are not our real bodies. We only lose a level. There will be conflicts between Players' organizations here, whose outcome will be used to settle conflicts in our world without anyone dying."

"So you decided to export your wars to our world?" glared Kal'tsit in outrage.

"I didn't decide anything." shrugged Noah. "I just happen to be the first to reach these lands, and I had no input in this matter. But you are mostly correct. The politicians apparently decided that since conflicts between Players in that world didn't involve any loss of life, only some physical pain, they would be an acceptable way to arbitrate some disputes. And to be brutally honest, they do not seem to care whether this world's inhabitants agree or not."

"From what you are saying, we should treat Players like you as potential troublemakers or invaders, then?" asked Wei Yenwu after drawing on his smoking pipe.

"No." replied Noah as he shook his head. "I think antagonizing the Players would be the worst thing you could do in the long term. With a handful of exceptions, Players are currently weak, and I do not see the average Player ever being able to face a Lord-grade Lungmen citizen of a comparable level one on one. However, there are well over two billion Players, and there are some Player guilds so large that they could easily mobilize huge armies."

"Moreover, Players will be interested in the possibilities offered by Originium, as well as the specialties that can be found on this continent, from culinary delicacies, to clothes, to crafting patterns like firearms. What I suggest is maintaining a neutral stance and allowing them access to your resources, as long as they pay fair market price. Players will likely keep their conflicts outside of Lungmen, then."

Wei Yenwu nodded, mentally balancing the opportunities for profit a large influx of Players could offer with the disruption they would inevitably bring, and keeping the result of his calculations from showing on his face.

"And what about you, Noah?" asked Kal'tsit. "What are your goals?"

"I have several. First, I am helping a certain beautiful young woman. Her wealthy family is pressuring her to marry the heir from her nation's most powerful family, and after investigating that heir and finding out about his extremely ruthless personality, she decided she would rather die."

"To escape that arranged marriage, she made a bet with her father. She has, without any family support, to gather wealth and influence exceeding that of her own family within two years. Myself and a handful of friends are helping her achieve that by sending her any resource or item we find and do not need."

"She manages an auction house in one of the Forgotten Continent's major cities and is rather talented, so her wealth is growing nicely. The question is whether she can manage in two years to exceed what her family achieved in a hundred."

"Second, and this one may very well make you laugh, but I wish to hunt the ten Demon Beasts."

"Ah? The Demon Beasts?" gasped Wei Yenwu.

"Aren't you a little overly ambitious?" asked Kal'tsit, looking at him like he was a raving lunatic.

"The Demon Beasts are Mysterious Gods." nodded Amiya. "No humans can go against them."

"I am aware that this seems like an impossible dream." smiled Noah. "But goals that are easy to reach make for poor motivators."

"I didn't take you for a glory hound, Noah." chuckled Exusiai. "Do us a favor and wait until your contract with us is over before you try searching for them."

"Of course." grinned Noah. "That's only a long-term goal of mine, a way to motivate myself and keep on my toes. Aside from those two goals, I wish to visit new places, meet interesting people, and see how strong I can become. And to keep my current position at the top of the ranking as well."

"Be careful, Noah. I sense Rahu coming." said Qi Yue in his mind.

Noah kept his expression serene, not daring to even reply to her.

"Alright." nodded Wei Yenwu. "I have no objection to any of your goals, as long as you do not somehow point a Demon Beast in Lungmen's direction, assuming you even find one. They are living in remote, desolate locations, or so we think. But you said earlier that Lungmen confused you."

"Yes." nodded Noah. "Creating a nomadic city is a tremendous achievement, but I doubt that you decided to put a city on giant steel tracks simply because you could. Why do nomadic cities exist in the first place?"

Wei Yenwu's eyes shifted to Exusiai, who shrugged.

"We told him that Originium was dangerous and could cause Oripathy, but we didn't tell him about the Catastrophe."

"Catastrophe?" blinked Noah.

"Originium grows over time." explained Amiya with a haunted expression. "If left alone, its clusters will eventually become enormous, reaching hundreds of meters into the air… But eventually, those large masses of Originium will trigger a violent meteorological phenomenon. The earth will shake, winds will become strong enough to shatter windows, and dense lightning will fall from the sky. Large fragments of Originium will fall, crushing any building or people underneath."

"After several cities were partially destroyed by Catastrophes, several nomadic cities were created, able to evacuate the area before they would occur. There are still many normal cities, of course, because nomadic cities aren't easy to build."

"I understand." nodded Noah. "Are there several nations in the Northern Continent? I found a letter mentioning the Empire of Ursus before meeting Texas and Exusiai."

"Yes." nodded Wei Yenwu. "We currently are near the south-western edge of the Northern Continent, in a country named Sargon. There is lush vegetation near the great mountain range and around some oasis, but the local climate is arid. North of Sargon are the jungles of Columbia, and east is Iberia."

"North of Iberia is a cluster of small nations. Victoria, Kazimierz, Laterano, Siracusa, Kazdel and Leithanien. And north of those nations is a much larger one, the Empire of Ursus. In the far East of the Northern Continent is the Great Yan, where Lungmen was built."

"The Great Yan is in the far East, but we currently are in the South-west…" blinked Noah.

"We are." nodded Wei Yenwu. "Lungmen has traveled almost two thousand kilometers since its creation. We came all the way here to exploit the rich veins of Iron in the area, with Sargon's permission. In return, we will help them create their first industrial Section, and they will use it as the core of a new nomadic city."

"I see…" nodded Noah. "And regarding religion? In the Forgotten Continent south of the great mountain range, people worship the three Moon Goddesses. Is it also the case here?"

"No. Most people haven't even heard of the Moon Goddesses." snorted Wen Yenwu. "Religion isn't a big thing around here, aside from Laterano that is a theocratic city-state. The Laterans worship a single god, and they have an entity called 'The Law' enforcing both their rights and the commandments they need to follow."

"It doesn't sound like a place I'd enjoy visiting. I am not big on religion either." shrugged Noah.

That was a lie. He absolutely believed in gods and followed devoutly the teachings of one of them in particular. But he wasn't about to start rambling about his status as a Champion and everything it implied.

"Rahu is gone. He glanced at your status, but I managed to fake it with one showing you having weaker attributes and only the Bladedancer class." said Qi Yue, relief evident in her voice, and Noah nodded to himself once.

"Thank you, Qi Yue."

The discussion continued for a while as they ate, with Noah speaking about the world the Players came from, the Forgotten Continent, and his fight with Nethrys where he abused the Daze status of one of his attacks, and he learned more things about the northern Continent.

It was when they finished dessert that Amiya cleared her throat.

"Ahem, Noah, as the representative of Rhodes Island, I would like to hire you."

Noah leaned forward slightly and made a show of considering her thoughtfully. Deep inside, he was thinking about all the female Operators he might get the opportunity to meet inside Rhodes Island's landship and wondering if Lilith had a hand in this. It was likely the case.

"…I am intrigued." nodded Noah. "What does Rhode Island do?"

"We are a pharmaceutical company, and our main purpose is to find a cure to Oripathy." nodded Amiya. "We have met some success already and can slow down its progression on most patients. But considering the general resentment and prejudices of the population against the infected, as well as the wild beasts we often encounter in the wilds, we have a need for experienced fighters who would escort our researchers and patients who need extraction."

"There are many areas we wish to explore to study plants or animals living close to large Originium clusters, but some monsters out there are too dangerous for a casual expedition, and we are stretched thin. We would like to send a few people south to the Forgotten Continent as well. In our search for a cure, we do not wish to leave any stone unturned, no matter how small the chances of making a breakthrough by studying new natural resources."

"I see." nodded Noah. "I am interested, but I have a few constraints. There is this matter with the young woman I am trying to save from that arranged marriage I mentioned. It will involve frequent trips to the Forgotten Continent. I also agreed to help the members of Penguin Logistics gain a few levels and a handful of fairy-grade equipment in return for their assistance. I wouldn't want to go back on my word and get on Emperor's bad side. Lastly, I have to spend at least a few hours every day in my world."

Amiya exchanged a glance with Kal'tsit before nodding.

"We can work with it, as long as you can be present for six to twelve hours without interruption, a few times a week if possible. We will give you a base monthly salary, and a compensation for each intervention when we call on you. You will be able to teleport to our landship, and we have aircrafts for fast travel. We also have many free rooms in the crew's quarters that you and your companions can use."

"Xi Ling, Exusiai, Texas, are you okay with me working for Rhodes Island?" asked Noah.

"I will follow Big Brother Noah anywhere." replied Xi Ling with a smile so radiant that everyone found themselves smiling back before they knew it.

"As long as we are not asked to confront monsters we cannot defeat, this offer sounds rather practical for us." shrugged Texas. Exusiai nodded.

Noah smiled and turned back to Amiya.

"We will need to discuss the little details, but I'm in. I'd be happy to contribute to Rhode Island's cause." replied Noah.

"I am glad to hear it." nodded Amiya.

"How big is Rhodes Island?" asked Noah.

"If we are talking about the landship named Rhodes Island, it is two hundred meters wide, seven hundred meters long, and is large enough for a crew of two thousand, and up to an additional thousand patients." replied Kal'tsit. "The company Rhodes Island has around two hundred thirty employees, that we call Operators. As Amiya said, we are stretched thin, and there is room to spare in the crew's quarters."

"I look forward to meeting the other members of Rhodes Island." said Noah with an honest smile.

…

After the dinner concluded, Wei Yenwu led his guests to the top of the building, where an aircraft bearing the sigil of Rhodes Island was waiting.

It was neither a jet nor a helicopter, but a hybrid of the two with stout wings tipped by jet engines that could rotate from horizontal to vertical, like a smaller, futuristic version of the V-22 Ospreys from Noah's original world.

Kal'tsit opened the rear hatch with a remote, and they all said goodbye to the governor and Ch'en before boarding the aircraft.

"Sit down and fasten your belts, please." said Kal'tsit as she took the pilot's seat and put a headset over her head. "Rhodes Island is five minutes away."

"Yes." nodded Noah as he helped Xi Ling with her belt and sat beside her.

"It's my first time using a flying transport." grinned Exusiai, having chosen the seat closest to one of the few windows.

"That's nice." smiled Noah. "What's going to happen to the car we left in the underground parking? Should we call Emperor?"

"I soon will." nodded Exusiai. "Amiya, if you don't mind me asking, why was Rhodes Island meeting with Lungmen's Chief Administrator? Is this something that will affect our mission?"

"It probably won't." shrugged Amiya. "Rhodes Island is about a day out of Lungmen. We came in advance to talk about trading supplies and other materials, and to make sure those suffering from advanced cases of Oripathy will be informed that if they come with us, we can slow down the disease's progression."

Texas nodded in understanding, and the aircraft took off.

Minutes later, they approached Rhodes Island, a large landship slowly advancing on not less than twenty-eight huge tracks, each of them twenty meters wide and fifty meters long. The 200 meters wide, 120 meters high, and 700 meters long mobile base probably had more internal space than a dozen wet-navy supercarriers.

A large access hatch slowly opened on its right flank, and Kal'tsit expertly maneuvered the aircraft inside, landing it on one of the landing bay's eight helipads.

There were four people in sight. One man had waved glowing sticks as signals to help Kal'tsit land safely and was already walking away. Three others were doing maintenance on another aircraft. They barely glanced at Noah and the others before resuming their work.

"Amiya, can you lead them to the HR office? I need to go back to work." asked Kal'tsit.

"Yes, leave it to me!" smiled Amiya.

"It has been a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kal'tsit." nodded Noah with a smile.

"You can dispense with the Miss from now on, Noah. Rhodes Island isn't just a company. It's a family. We take care of each other here." said Kal'tsit, her gaze shifting between Noah and Amiya. Her tone suggested that he had better take care of his new colleagues, and Amiya in particular, or else…

"I will keep this in mind." smiled Noah. Kal'tsit nodded and left toward a large elevator platform at the front end of the loading bay, large enough for a hundred people to stand on.

"Follow me, everyone." smiled Amiya as she gestured toward the other end, to a large steel door above with was painted "Non-combat area".

"That's a very large landing bay for a pharmaceutical company." said Noah as they followed her.

"This landship was designed and built as a mining platform." nodded Amiya. "We bought it and repurposed it into a mobile field hospital and medical research center."

She led them down several hallways and up a level, On the way, they met several people, Human and Beastkin alike, who nodded at Amiya with a smile or waved at her, but they didn't stop her for a chat, as they could see she was busy. They watched Noah and the others curiously, and he nodded at them with a polite smile.

Amiya finally stopped in front of a door, the words "Human Resources" etched on the metallic wall beside it.

Amiya knocked, and the door slid open, revealing a small office.

"Ah, Ines. You are the one on night shift tonight?" asked Amiya to the horned woman sitting behind the single desk.

"Yes. What can I do for you, Amiya?" replied Ines, her golden eyes carefully examining Noah and the others.

She had long, straight black hair and an attractive face, and was dressed, as far as Noah could tell with her sitting behind the desk, in a black outfit with red accents. Two sharp black horns, red at their base, grew just behind her ears and up, framing her head in a way that reminded him of a pair of headphones.

"Ines, let me introduce you to Noah, as well as his companions, Xi Ling, Exusiai, Texas, and Little Grey." smiled Amiya.

Ines's eyes widened when she heard his name, obviously connecting it to the announcement a few hours prior, and gave him a sharper look.

"Noah and Xi Ling agreed to join us, and Texas and Exusiai are working as his guides." continued Amiya.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." nodded Noah with a smile, echoed by the girls.

"Likewise." nodded Ines. "Amiya, what division do you have in mind for them?"

"The Security Detail. We will call upon Noah on occasion to explore some areas we stayed away from recently, but he will spend most of his time doing his own things. So we need to structure their employment contracts with a base salary and bonuses per intervention."

"Alright." nodded Ines. "…How about 8k LMDs per month, and a bonus starting at 2k, going up depending on the difficulties encountered?"

"It seems fair to me." nodded Amiya before turning to Noah, who shrugged.

"I only have a vague idea of the value of LMDs, but money was only a distant consideration in my decision to join, so I am fine with it." shrugged Noah. "But we need to discuss about the loot distribution and whatever treasures we might find during those trips. Part of my agreement with Penguin Logistics includes providing most of them with a few fairy-grade pieces of equipment. What are the usual rules about it?"

"Ah? Sound like you got fleeced." frowned Ines.

Exusiai and Texas shrugged. They weren't responsible for that deal between Noah and Emperor, even if they agreed that they would benefit massively from it.

"I do not see it that way." replied Noah. "I consider it a good investment to nurture a good relationship with some capable people."

"Yes, we're very capable!" grinned Exusiai.

"Well, it's not my business anyway." shrugged Ines. "To answer your question, the loot harvested during operations typically goes to whoever would make the best use of it. If there is no obvious choice then whoever got the killing blow has priority, but anyone thinking they can hoard the good stuff because their class is very good at offense is going to be shunned in short order."

"That isn't our intention." nodded Noah. "I think this is a good way to distribute whatever we'll find. Oh, and I should mention that I found a high-purity chunk of Originium, and I intend to use it soon, so my appearance may change a little."

"Ah?" exclaimed Amiya, alarmed. "Are you aware of the risks?"

"I am. Exusiai and Texas explained them to me. But this body isn't my real one, so I'm not too concerned about a reduced lifespan."

Noah chuckled a little. "Hopefully, I won't get antlers so large I might have difficulty going through a door frame."

"That would be unfortunate." smiled Exusiai. "But if you get a tail, you may need some time getting used to it. And new pants. So you decided on your future class already?"

"I think I'm going to go with Duelist." nodded Noah. "It sounds like a good class for fighting strong enemies."

They had further discussed about classes while shopping for clothes, and it turned out that Exusiai's initial comment about the Duelist class, about them only being able to taunt a single enemy and needing to block hits to gain MPs, had left out a pretty important detail.

As compensation for those limitations, the Duelist's attributes were very high. As far as weapons and attributes were concerned, they were essentially the Northern Continent's equivalent of the Forgotten Continent's Shield Bearer and Warrior classes rolled into one.

Exusiai and Texas hadn't been able to tell him much about Duelists' skills, aside from the Taunt skill every Defender possessed, but since Noah possessed a high-purity version of the basic Originium, he would be able to choose two different specializations at Lvl 75 and Lvl 90, getting a single skill and the defining trait of two other classes.

"There is no such things as a bad class." nodded Amiya. "Although some require very specific situations to really shine."

"Alright, let's start with the paperwork." said Ines as she got on her computer. "It should be just a few minutes."