The murmurs of the crowd ebbed and flowed around him.

  "It's going to be far. Plenty will die on the road." "A caster will be there, what are you afraid of?" "Hah! If real danger comes, a caster protects the employer first and themselves second. You’re on your own."

  Tars listened for a while, but hearing nothing of substance, he used his powerful shoulders to part the crowd and step forward. Once his intent was known, he was ushered into a back room.

  He scanned the furnishings and the glowing lamp; this place was several leagues above the courtyard he shared with Karyu. After a brief wait, a familiar face entered—the young man from the tavern, still followed by the red-haired woman. In the clear light of the lamp, Tars realized the man wasn't a youth. He possessed a certain naivety born of a privileged life, but he was much older than he’d appeared in the dim tavern shadows.

  "Is Master Tars a distinguished caster?" the handsome man asked.

  Tars opened his mouth to speak, but the man cut him off.

  "Oh, forgive my abruptness. I was a bit excited to hear a wizard had arrived. I should introduce myself," he said, proving to be quite talkative. "You may call me Rodrigo. I hail from Starry City. I recently discovered clues to a ruin within an ancient text left by my ancestors. I wish to invite you to assist in a most rewarding exploration."

  Rodrigo explained the situation with noble poise, though he pointedly omitted his family name. Tars noticed that despite their best efforts to hide it, Rodrigo and the woman kept glancing at his face. Tars had tied a cloth to mask his features before coming, but the light here was too good; anyone with eyes could see the protrusion of his wide, kobold mouth.

  "Tars," he said in a low, gravelly voice. "And a correction: I am not a wizard. I am a wizard apprentice."

  "Haha, mysterious wizards are all the same in the eyes of commoners. Your bearing, sir, is clearly not that of those arrogant fools who know but a single spell. It is those people who confuse the public. In truth, within the major Cavern Cities, perhaps only the City Masters have ever seen a true wizard..."

  Rodrigo sighed with a peculiar yearning, as if seeing a wizard was a life-long dream. He glanced back, and the red-haired woman gave a subtle nod. Tars had felt her mental energy probing him earlier; he remained curious about her "Gem Summoner" path and wondered if he could learn anything from it.

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  Having received the woman's confirmation, Rodrigo's smile widened. "The ruin isn't far. It only appears at specific times and likely has ties to wizards..."

  The woman cleared her throat sharply behind him.

  "It's fine. Master Tars is clearly a powerful caster. We must show him proper sincerity," Rodrigo said, his eyes bright. "Would it be possible to see your true face? I've heard that powerful wizards often possess... unique appearances. Oh, how rude of me. Please forgive my intrusion."

  Excessive respect can be uncomfortable. Tars remembered Karyu mentioning that powerful Cavern Cities would put bounties on troublesome wild apprentices, and a group of seasoned knights could hunt a low-level apprentice to the ends of the earth. This "noble" from Starry City was being suspiciously enthusiastic.

  Tars slowly pulled away the cloth. Rodrigo gasped. The red-haired woman remained calm—it was unclear if she recognized him from the tavern—but Rodrigo was clearly seeing him for the first time.

  "Your... your appearance is so extraordinary!" Rodrigo wasn't frightened; he was ecstatic. "You must be incredibly powerful." He leaned in closer. "Do you know the proverb? 'Only a wizard may walk upon the surface.'"

  Looking at Rodrigo's solemn, expectant gaze, Tars realized the man truly took him for some legendary figure. It was a question Tars had once asked Karyu. Karyu had been tight-lipped, admitting only that his own knowledge was limited to the apprentice level and that he didn't know the answer.

  "I know the phrase," Tars said. "But I'm sorry. I don't have the answer either."

  Rodrigo smiled, showing no disappointment. He had expected as much. "I have always yearned for the surface, though I was proven to have no talent for magic as a child," he said. "But I enjoy befriending wizards like you. The compensation will not disappoint. I know what true wizards value, so I have prepared mana stones and an ancestral spell-codex. I hope these suffice, as they are the best I can offer."

  "We depart in five days. I will hand over the codex then," Rodrigo added. "The mana stones will be distributed based on the expedition's progress, but I promise you won't be disappointed. Extra stones will be provided for every time you have to use your magic on the road."

  Is this how wild wizards charge for their services? Tars wondered. Or is this noble just exceptionally generous?

  He wanted the experience and the loot, but as he prepared to nod, he realized he didn't even have money for dinner. He hesitated. "I've just arrived and run out of currency. Could I exchange some mana stones for local coins?"

  Rodrigo refused the exchange, instead handing over a small pouch of coins. "Here are one hundred Sun Coins. Please, accept them as a gesture, Wizard Tars."

  Tars had hoped to learn the exchange rate, but he accepted the gift. After agreeing on the five-day deadline, he left the noisy recruitment center. Whether they would actually hire him remained to be seen—without a formal deposit, Rodrigo might well find a "spookier" looking wild wizard in the next few days.

  He felt hungry again, but the day's events had dampened his appetite. With the pouch in hand, he found a modest shop and bought several sets of oversized, loose clothing and rough fabric. Robes were a poor choice for blending in; these would allow him to pass as a common mercenary. They were also for Big Dumb Hum and Aiskin, so they could finally have something to wear besides their own scales.