Franklin Grahan was sitting on a fairly comfortable chair. He shifted in it as he straightened his dress. He was a noble ranker, a rare sight in the mountain city of Daro. His house Grahan was one of the oldest noble houses that settled in the city. He was an adventure for most of his youth. After retirement, he started working as a personal assistant to the Duke of Daro.
The duke, being a diplomat, could not sense Franklin's value in his experience in fighting and dealing with people who are powerful than him. Franklin was a local only in family and looks. He spent most of his life in the adventuring capital of the world, the city state Derrus. For a person who saw Derrus, Daro was like a small block of buildings with fewer people than what a skyscraper can hold in Derrus.
After retirement, Franklin was stuck with a job that he had to take up because of family politics, in a city situated in the middle of snow-peaked mountains, which are surrounded by a soul domain, which is also a forest.
The people of this small city mostly live out their entire lives in these mountains, only few people and noble families that can afford to use the portal arch can move out of the city without a scratch.
Right now, he was sitting on a chair in the main lobby of the adventure society local branch waiting to meet the strongest person in the city, the only royal ranker in the city and the director of the local branch of the adventure society, Garahath Helmswell.
The Waiting room was in a semicircle shape with 5 corridors moving out into different parts of the Adventure Society campus. The corridors and the room were made up of milky white marble. Franklin sensed that the marble was reinforced with magic to such extent that even he, who could raise an entire building to the ground, will be unable to even scratch it.
" Lord Grahan, " the man sitting in the administration office called. As Franklin turned towards him, he continued,
" You can meet the director". A woman stepped forward from the inner office as she bowed
" Please follow me ". She started moving into one corridor, and Franklin followed, eyeing the murals painted onto the white marble that made up most of the corridor.
" May I know your name?" Franklin asked the young lady.
" Reina Darath, my lord, " the young lady answered without turning back.
" Miss Darath, may I know your rank? I cannot sense your rank by your aura beast, " he asked.
" Soldier level 5, my lord, " the young lady answered, continuing with her walk.
" Good training you are getting, Miss Darath. Hakon Kelin? " The noble ranker, clearly surprised by the control, spoke out.
" Yes, my lord. I am currently training under Mr. Kelin. Apparently, he is my father's childhood friend. " The young lady stopped completing her sentence while she opened a door.
" Thank you, " Franklin thanked while entering the room as the young lady closed the door behind him, staying out.
Franklin entered a large room. It even had internal floors. Franklin moved towards what seemed like the main desk of the director. He heard a rough voice booming from behind him.
" Franklin, what a pleasure, " a voice came from behind.
As Franklin turned, he saw an enormous man, roughly 7 feet in Height with a salt and pepper beard, he had a bald head with no trace of hair on his head. His presence was like holding a bomb in your hand ready to explode any second.
" Director" Franklin nods at the man greeting him.
The man moves behind the desk and takes his seat as he starts speaking " What does Derick want now? ".
Franklin takes one of the three empty seats opposite the director's chair " The duke wants to know about the strange been of light in the middle of a forest that appeared two days ago, " he answered, eyeing the director's face for his response.
" Tell the Duke that we sent a commander rank scout party on the same day the light appeared. Either they are dead, or they have lost their way, " the director said with concern evident in his voice.
" The duke proposes that if it is acceptable by the adventure society, he is ready to provide his personal guards for any help they can offer, " Franklin said with a sense of guilt in his voice.
" Franklin, what is Derick planning to do now? " The director asks with a sigh.
Franklin adjusts himself before he starts to answer the director " The duke wants it to mature into a tourist spot ".
" The king called me yesterday and ordered me to look into the place myself, and do you and your boss think that place is just a patch of land in the middle of nowhere? The strongest individuals in our race bombarded me with questions right before you entered this room, " the director said in a calm and controlled voice. Then he takes out a device similar to a smartphone and shows him his call history.
" Lord Commander Berklin? " Franklin pauses at the name.
" Yes, one of the three divine ranked humans. Who might be even older than the city of Derrus? Scroll up and you will be more shocked, " the director said with a calm voice.
Franklin scrolls up as he reads the name that was on the top his eyes widen in pure fear " Emperor Deodas. " He nearly shouts in pure surprise.
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