Ball of Nothing

Once the old general opened up, he had a lot of things to talk about. Zero learned a lot more about the western district and the city from the old man than he would from Mitchnew. Other than the occasional bragging about his granddaughter who was a really excellent cook, Old Gary shared a lot of insider information about the things that go on between districts and key figures of the city that not even Truen knew about.

Aldina pretended not to be interested in the talk between men and excused herself to the kitchen to write her new articles. The grandfather and granddaughter had a small fight but it ended quickly when they heard someone knocking on the backdoor.

"Must be those bags of bones again," Gary sighed. "Aldina, go find some of the bread the baker gave us to distribute. Also, add a few more logs to the fireplace, it is cold tonight. Don't forget to feed the horses!"

"Got it already! How many times do you have to say this? Sheesh!"

As the girl stomped away, Zero and Truen turned back to look at Gary who was slightly flushed from drinking three mugs of beer. They shared a tacit look and Truen went straight to the point.

"Would you be interested in lending us a hand in making the western district a better place? I don't mean to hide this from you but this is Zero, he isn't just an ordinary doctor. He is also the leader of Half Moon Village where the Dragon Heroes originated from. Also, he has recently been appointed as an envoy of Smargdas by King Brice. This is the appointment letter and the envoy's token. We have a way to feed the many bags of bones you've been taking care of and more but because we've been entrusted with an important task, we need someone reliable to manage the operations on our behalf."

Old Gary knew that his guests weren't simple people. However, he never expected them to be royal envoys or even people who hailed from the village on Endow Hill. No wonder that monster from before was tagging along! Neither of these people was ordinary and suddenly, he worried about his situation. Just who had he offended earlier?!

Sadly, there wasn't enough time for the old general to worry about it. Zero nor Truen appeared concerned about his rudeness to Bob. In fact, they started telling him some of the plans they had to start a new guild that worked differently from the other guilds.

"We would be honoured if you could consider working with us. Being the one that everyone in the western district looks up to, you're the best candidate for the task. Naturally, we will compensate you accordingly. Whatever you wish for, if it is within Half Moon Village's ability to provide, we will do our best to make it happen."

The whole time Truen talked, Zero remained silent. He didn't think that Truen would act on the idea so quickly. Then again, it made sense to rush the process of finding their guild master. Once they had information about Misana from Dina, they would have to start searching and may have to leave the city.

"Are you for real?" the retired general asked after a long silence to let all the information sink in.

"Are you for real?" he asked again.

Zero looked him in the eye. "Dead serious. I'm a doctor. I made a promise that I won't help others without making a profit so I cannot directly interfere with people's lives and set up free orphanages and soup kitchens. However, I can start a humanitarian guild that can create jobs and give chances to those who are willing to help themselves if given the chance. I just need someone reliable enough to run it for me under my name because I have errands to run and cannot manage it personally."

Truen thought that the tension was too intense when nobody spoke after Zero's reply. Gary was observing Zero and trying to see if he was lying while Zero was praying silently for Gary to agree. He really didn't want to find another person to manage his guild because Gary was the best candidate.

Eventually, Gary broke into a huge grin. "You're cunning but I like it. I'll agree to become the guild master of your strange guild but on one condition."

Zero smiled. "What is it?"

"I want you to tell me what exactly Bob was. Even as a general with the army, I'd only seen a Fenrir and it was nowhere near as scary as Bob. Half Moon Village hides many secrets and I am curious about what kind of powers it is hiding. Your confidence to be able to protect the weak and helpless western district doesn't come from nothing."

Zero laughed. "Bob is my contracted summon. He is the dragon that guards Endow Hill but for now, he's coming along with me on my adventurers. Another guardian is on Endow Hill replacing Bob's duty but I assure you that the new guardian is no less scary. That elven lady you saw earlier is our contact in this city. Most people would know her as Lady Death but I know her better as my cross-stitching teacher. Mitchnew is an excellent seamstress."

Gary felt faint. Lady Death? Dragon? Monster guardian? What didn't Half Moon Village have? If he thought that the dragon heroes were crazy, he now knew that they weren't the worst of the lot. The truly insane one is this innocent-looking doctor in front of him. At the very least, he could now understand why they could propose such a plan.

"I see... a dragon... no wonder he was so strong. I understand. If you are very confident about the plan and it will help those children, I will accept the responsibility of a guild master. Just so you know, I'm more of a warrior than a librarian. I know how to read basic things and count simple things but anything more than that, you're better off finding someone else."

"Don't worry," Truen told him. "There will be people assisting you. By people, I mean King Brice. This is originally his responsibility and if that doesn't work either, Mitchnew can be found at Mitchkin Apparel near the eastern district. If she isn't available, just look for Half Moon Trading. Someone from the village will reach out to you."

Gary's mind spun with so many names but he simply nodded as if he understood what they were talking about. Then, Zero yawned. After eating such a wonderful meal, he was sleepy and ready for bed.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning if you have any questions," Zero yawned. "Thanks for the food, Aldina is really talented."

Truen shook his fondly and reminded Zero to brush his teeth before sleeping even if he didn't want to bathe. Then, he bade the overwhelmed old general goodnight and followed Zero upstairs.

"Does that mean I should be calling you Guild Master Gary from now on?" a cheeky voice chimed behind the general once the guests returned to their room.

Gary scowled. "How long have you been eavesdropping? How unladylike!"

Aldina rolled her eyes and they started bickering again way into the night as the aspiring journalist did the dishes and wiped down the tables.