There was nothing to say along the way. Although Gaia's Greenland put on a posture of competing with Mordo Town, the lord of Mordo clearly did not believe that his impoverished neighbor Greenland would actually cause him any trouble. It was just like when Sun Wukong made a ruckus in the mortal world, and the Heavenly Court at first didn't take him seriously at all.

Gaia came from Dragonrage City, the most magnificent city within the Abyss of Magic. Therefore, when facing Mainz City, which could only be considered a decent city in terms of architecture, Gaia didn't feel much emotion. It was only when he compared it to his own small town of Greenland that he deeply realized how far he still had to go.

Greenland was just a small town, while Mainz City was already a "Viscount City."

Strong faithfully carried out his duties as a guide, introducing Gaia to the local market conditions along the way, afraid that Gaia might suffer losses during his purchases. However, Gaia's performance left him utterly astonished. First, Gaia calmly browsed the entire market. After completing the necessary process of comparing prices, he selected several different shops and bought the most frequently consumed items for adventuring: basic weapons, leather armor, arrows, rations, low-grade magic crystals, and so on. Moreover, Gaia's bargaining skills were so impressive that even the middle-aged Strong, who was over forty, was left speechless.

Gaia made full use of various tactics, such as leveraging bulk purchases and proposing long-term cooperation, to drive the prices of almost all goods down to the lowest possible.

Strong even speculated that if the lord himself were willing to lower his status and work as a clerk at the adventurer supply station, the supply station would surely make a huge profit.

In his previous life, it wasn't that Gaia didn't work hard or lacked skills; he was simply missing the most essential thing: luck. So he failed repeatedly, only to get up and fail again. The repeated setbacks were indeed painful experiences, but they also left Gaia with a wealth of experience.

After a whole day of shopping, Gaia hired a carriage, with Roy escorting the goods, to return to Greenland ahead of time, while Gaia and the city official Strong would stay for one night. Early the next morning, they would have an audience with the branch president Laughton of the Adventurers' Guild Mainz City branch.

As soon as they entered the city today, Strong went to make an appointment. It was said that the branch president's schedule was very full, so the meeting was set for the next day.

Gaia was not at all annoyed by this; he never considered himself a noble lord. In fact, only he truly understood his own situation: as a lord, he was actually nothing, an abandoned and even unwanted descendant of his family. Coupled with his countless experiences of waiting in line to meet important people in his previous life, he took it all in stride. Poor city official Strong remained on edge, worried that Gaia might suddenly lose his temper.

Early the next morning, Gaia put on a brand-new robe—prepared especially for today's meeting. Gaia dared not spend money recklessly, as there were still many places where money was needed. Together with Strong, he appeared outside the main entrance of the Adventurers' Guild Mainz City branch.

After Strong reported their arrival, they were led to a simple room, where three other people were already waiting.

The staff member from the Adventurers' Guild who led them in casually pointed to a plain bench. "Wait here. When it's your turn, someone will call you."

Gaia maintained the poise expected of a noble, nodded politely, and, under Strong's somewhat anxious gaze, sat calmly on the bench.

They waited for half a day. Strong stood beside Gaia, and as noon approached, Gaia's stomach growled, making Strong nervous.

Gaia blushed, a little embarrassed.

Finally, the three people ahead of them were called in, and it was almost Gaia's turn. A servant came out and announced loudly, "The president is going to have lunch. You may continue waiting here, or go out to eat first." After speaking, the servant turned and left. The people in the room couldn't help but complain, then left to get food. Gaia waved to Strong: "Go out and buy something to eat and bring it in for me."

Strong was surprised. "My lord, you..."

Gaia waved his hand. "If we go out and come back, someone might get ahead of us. Go ahead, I'm fine." "This..." Strong was deeply moved. He didn't know this young lord very well yet, but at this moment, Strong was already convinced in his heart: this young man's future is limitless! If nothing else, just his persistence alone would be enough to ensure his success.

Strong said no more, nodded, and left.

Gaia waited alone in the room.

Strong hurriedly bought some black bread and smoked meat and returned. The two of them sat together in the simple room and had lunch. Strong didn't eat by himself and come back, but chose to dine with Gaia, clearly showing his loyalty and willingness to share hardships with his master.

After a long wait until the afternoon, the servant finally returned to the room and summoned Gaia for an audience. Gaia straightened his clothes and followed the servant inside.

From the corridor to the parlor, simple stone carvings could be seen everywhere. In the imperial capital Dragonrage City, such decorations would be considered plain, but in the cold northern Mainz City, they could be called luxurious.