‘I expected something more impressive from the Order of Life’s Rose and the Holy Temple of reat Mother.’

  The prayer room had been simple and small, with little to no decorations, and the statue on its plinth was utterly minuscule. Adam dropped down onto his knees, pg his hands together, before he began to pray to Mother Soza.

  ‘I’m sorry for being so eager for death this year. The Iyr’s corruption is-,’ Adam winced, inhaling deeply for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh. ‘I apologise for what I’ve dohus far. I’ll do my best to refley mistakes in life and do better. If you ever need any help, let me know. I know that you’ve quietened down from the world, but I have only a deep respect for you.’

  “How do you feel?” Mother Priest asked, esc Adam back to the courtyard of the temple.

  “Normal?” Adam replied. “I don’t feel anything different.”

  Mother Priest smiled, bowing her head, before they finally arrived at the courtyard. “Would you prefer to stay withiemple, or would you like to settle yourself within an inn?”

  “I think an inn might be a wise decision,” Adam replied, his lips f a small, awkward smirk. “I appreciate all you’ve done for us, Mother Priest. I won’t fet it.”

  “I should hope that you do not,” Mother Priest said, gng aside to Vonda. “We will deal with Vonda’s matters withiemple today. You should prepare the donation you promised.”

  “Right,” Adam replied, letting out anh, before returning back to his group. ‘Four thousand gold. It’s a good thing ted so many jobs from the nobles, otherwise we’d be screwed. As much as I don’t like them, they are paying us for some magical items. Well, roviding them a service, and we are overcharging them.’ A small smile appeared on Adam’s face. ‘Yeah, that’s right, we should keep auing ons off to make .’

  “What trouble are you thinking of now?” Dunes asked, patting Adam’s back.

  “I just realised there were some magical items which were being aued off in Red Oak and I fot.”

  “There have been magical items aued in Red Oak?”

  “Yeah, I set it up before we left. The Iyr’s in charge of taking the ons to Red Oak to au off. I’ve fotten the Enter is making magical ons to au off monthly, and I didn’t take it into sideration when I was w about money.” Adam smiled even wider. ‘Yeah, that’s right. We should au them off to nobles and squeeze them dry. If we don’t make enough at the aus, we’ll just set up our own aus and charge people ary fee to make . Ah, or maybe we should give the people who spend the most the ability to spend even more in other ways?’

  “Why do you have such a greedy smile iemple?” Dunes fshed a cheeky smile.

  “Hah! If we’re talking about greedy, how could I pare to…” Adam felt Dunes’ hand against his shoulder. Adam met the Aswadian’s eyes, as though daring Adam to tinue. “So what if I’m greedy? Do you know how expeting kids through uy is?”

  “Does the Enter not pay you enough?”

  “Do you know how much I want to spoil my kids? Even all the gold in the world isn’t enough!”

  Lucy’s eyes remained focused on Adam, her will to live slowly crumbling as Adam tio cause trouble in the order. ‘Just you wait, Adam. Just you wait.’

  “Are you fighting with the ain, Mister Adam?” Alex asked.

  “I’m not fighting with them,” Adam assured. “They’re going to help us head to the business. Would they help us if we were fighting them?”

  “No?”

  “Right, right, so that’s why we aren’t fighting. It’s not like I fight against everyone we e across.”

  Alex blinked, narrowing his eyes. “Yes. You do.”

  “I’m only fighting for…” Adam cleared his throat, realising how bad that would sound. “You’re right, but sometimes there’s a o fight, and sometimes there isn’t.”

  “…”

  Adam retreated away. “Jurot… Kitool, you should be in charge of dealing with the children. They’re too scared of the rest of us, and they think I’m an idiot.”

  “Okay.”

  “It hurts that you don’t deny it.”

  “We Iyrmen ot lie.”

  Adam let out a winced gasp, before shutting his mouth tight. “That was mean.”

  “It is true.”

  “It be true and it be mean.”

  “Yes.”

  “Hu…” Adam began to pretend to cry. “Well, please inform them that we’ll be heading to an inn, and we’ll be heading out in a few days to the business. We’ll give them some spending moo buy some gifts, speaking of which…” Adam pulled out his book and wrote within it, before slipping it bato his shirt. “We’ll have Vasera and…”

  Adam gnced around. “Where’s Vasera?”

  “She did not wish to step withiemple out of guilt,” Jurot said.

  “Oh…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Fair. Jurot, why don’t you find her again, and we discuss another job for her.”

  Jurot remained silent for a moment, w if Adam had let it slip on purpose. “Okay.”

  The group prepared the children to leave, making sure they had fiheir prayers iemple, and each had slipped at least a silver to the temple on Adam’s insistenbsp;

  “What do you mean? I gave you the and yiving the to the temple, so Mother Soza knows it’s from you,” Adam said, rubbing Poppy’s head. ‘This kid is too smart.’

  “Executive Adam,” called a voibsp;

  Adam turo spot a pretty woman with short hair, dark eyes, and a rge build, the kind of build which would have bee for a member of Bck Mountain. “Yes?”

  “I am Fourth Hope Willow, and we will be assisting you,” she said, extending out a hand.

  Adam grasped her forearm. “It’s good hat we’ll be having a Hope assisting us.”

  “roup will apany you beginning now,” she said.

  “Ah. Right. Yes. Thank you so much. We’ll try and deal with your lodgings too.”

  “There is no he purse of Life’s Rose will deal with our own lodgings.”

  “Absolutely not,” Adam replied. “The business will not allow it. sider it a tinuation of our donations to Life’s Rose.”

  “It is fine, Executive.”

  “No, no,” Adam replied, inhaling deeply once more. “The business’ purse is not so light that an apanying Hope, or their Rays, will have o spend the of the Holy Temple of reat Mother. Please take our position in this matter into sideration, for what will they say when they hear that we allowed sudecy occur?”

  “…”

  “I don’t care if you like it, Fourth Hope, but we’re going to spend our to make sure you’re taken care of on the way to the business.”

  Fourth Hope only bowed her head, still slightly fused as to why Adam seemed to be wanting to fight to spend gold on the order’s members, but she decided to let it pass. She looked towards Dunes, who fshed a smile towards her, before they tio prepare the children.

  The group made their way out, going to the side of the isnd once more, before the bridge of light was formed again. The Fourth Hope rode her steed forward, leading the wagons.

  “Where do you wish to stay?” Willow asked.

  Adam looked to Jurot, who looked to Kitool, who thought for a moment. They o find a pce which would be acceptable for the Hopes and Rays. Adam gnced around, noting how quickly the people seemed to be moving.

  ‘I thought this pce was meant to be slow going…’

  “Vasera?” Adam asked, staring at the woman while she was drinking in the er. He hadn’t expected to see her in the inn, sidering all the fine woods, as well as how it appeared to be almost like ae rather than an inn.

  “You’ve finally e out have you?” Vasera gowards the other Hope, raising her brow towards them. “Yht quite aeemed guest.”

  “The Fourth Hope is going to be leading us back to the business.”

  “So you don’t need our help?”

  “Actually, I was going to find you to speak with you. Executive Kitool, why don’t you get us set up in the inn?”

  “Okay.”

  Adam made his way to Vasera, kig up a seat beside Rook, leaning ba his chair. “We’re hoping there isn’t going to be a mess on the way back, but you know how the Aldish are.”

  “Treacherous kotha.”

  “Exactly. So… how much for your assistance?”

  “One hundred gold per head for one month.”

  “One hundred gold per your head, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Adam held out his hand, not needing to barter with her, even though she did owe him a favour. However, as far as Adam was ed, she had gone a long way to paying off that debt.

  “Where’s the priest?”

  “She’s being a Mother.”

  “gratutions,” Vasera replied. “Is that your seventh child then?”

  “Not that kind of Mother.”

  “…” Vasera tilted her head slightly.

  “The priestly rank,” Rook expined.

  “Oh! gratutions to her! We need more drinks!”

  Even Vasera...

  Looks like all the issues are solved and Adam won't be in trouble with any of the orders!