Chapter 198: [198] The Guild House

Rodolph’s episodic moments of fainting and waking up ended up costing them more time than Ark would have wanted to lose.

Well, he was a native and a normal human. Although natives had lived in Eden all their lives, it did not mean they were so used to monsters.

Apart from the warriors among them, most natives stuck to following routes that had been marked out by the association and guilds as safe.

And even if they encountered monsters, it was definitely not on the scale of what Rodolph had seen that day.

By the time the carriage arrived at their destination, its wooden spokes abandoning soft earth for stone roads, the sun had painted the sky in a pretty shade of orange.

The orange light created a whimsical view that Ark was sure would stick with him for a while.

The property Soo-jin had bought them was large, very large. The fenced landmass alone seemed to stretch on for several meters, more than big enough for them to construct several other buildings.

And as for the building itself, Ark had thought this was where she would have cut her costs, but he was once again proven wrong.

The building was massive, with sturdy, grey stone walls, large aristocratic glass windows, and architecture that made it look more like a castle than a mansion.

The gate was already open, so they rode right into the place, and even Rodolph couldn’t help but gasp, his eyes glued to the environment.

There were fountains, flowers, trees, benches, and a whole lot of other items that created a serene environment.

And with the orange light from the sunset gleaming behind the building, it looked like something pulled straight out of a fantasy novel.

Well, this was Eden. Fantasy was already their daily lives.

"You... own this place?" Rodolph’s usually harsh voice had softened in the face of pure wealth.

"Of course we own it!" Olivia said proudly. She waved her hand forward, pointing from the very edge of the fence in the distance to the other end of the property.

"You see the entirety of this place, and even the dark forest? That is right, it all belongs to Kasket!"

Rodolph nodded attentively. "Impressive, truly impressive!" He had thought they were a small-time guild struggling for scraps. Never would he have imagined they were this rich!

Olivia smiled and leaned on Mountain’s armoured back. "Do you know how much this place cost our guild?"

Rodolph shook his head.

"Millions."

Rodolph’s eyes widened. "Millions?"

Olivia shook her head. "No. Multiple millions..."

"Damn."

Ark chuckled lightly as he turned his attention back to the place, allowing his eyes to sweep over the environment.

He could understand Rodolph’s amazement, even though he had not been able to shake his initial shock.

’Is this entire place really ours?’

It was hard to believe that it was... He made a mental note to thank Soo-jin later, as well as find out if there were any caveats to owning the property.

Although, knowing Soo-jin, there were always caveats...

Once they got to the entrance, Ark found Thalia already waiting for them alongside a little elf he did not recognize.

She did not look sleepy. If anything, it looked like she had been awake for quite some time, which meant she had been expecting them.

But there should have been no way to know what day he would return, and Ark was sure Olivia did not contact her...

’How did she know?’ Ark thought.

Rodolph parked the carriage in front, and a stableman came to guide the beasts and carriage to the stables.

He bowed to greet the man, his hands folded on his lap as he stared up at the building.

’It looks like she already hired some staff?’ Ark felt joy bubble up in his heart. Having people as relatable as Thalia was the reason he was not stuck doing work every single day.

’I knew she would be useful!’

Both Thalia and the little elf seemed to be wearing matching clothing. A black and white gown with a frilly bottom...

Ark froze. "A maid outfit?" He accidentally blurted it out as he got to her.

"Good morning, Guildmaster." Thalia responded with a smile. "It is good to see you back. I knew you would be alright."

"Of course. All I had to do was kill a wyvern while suffering mana reflux. It was nothing too stressful."

Thalia’s face flashed with worry, and for a moment, she seemed frozen.

"A... wyvern?"

Rodolph, on the other hand, was staring at him with wide eyes, unsure of whether he had just heard wrongly or if Ark was as mad as his nickname suggested.

"Big sis Olivia..." The little elf tugged on Olivia’s clothing. "What is a wyvern?"

Olivia smirked. Then suddenly raised her hands to scare the girl. "A wyvern is a little dragon that sweeps you off your feet and then—"

She snatched the girl from the floor and hoisted her into the air.

"Gahhh! They gobble you down like dumplings!"

"Ahhh!" The girl screamed while laughing as Olivia carried her around the place.

Thalia cleared her throat. "I see... your adventures never fail to surprise me, Guildmaster. As for the clothes..."

She grabbed the edges of the garment and swayed from side to side, her face serious as she stared at it.

Meanwhile, standing beside Ark, Rodolph’s face was beet red.

"I simply thought it was appropriate for the job I was currently doing."

"And what job is that?" Ark walked up to her, and side by side, the two of them began walking towards the building.

"Cleaning."

Ark pushed the door open, only to see a lot of cleaning tools piled up in the entrance.

He turned around to stare at the large property.

"You plan... on cleaning this place alone?" It was beyond absurd.

Thalia shrugged. "Well, I will have Tessa’s help."

Ark turned around to where Olivia was playing with the little elf. She looked just a little younger than Cracker. "Tessa?"

Thalia nodded. "She is Eva’s little sister. She told me to hire her to help around. The stableman will also help out with the cleaning. Apart from the two of them, we have no other workers..."

Ark cocked his head to the side. "Why didn’t you just hire more? You’re going to break your back working like this."

She was their current manager, not a cleaner.

"I didn’t want to hire too many staff without your permission..." Thalia said.

Ark immediately held her shoulder, his voice turning serious. He could understand her. She was being considerate of him, but—

"Please, Thalia, do everything without my permission..."

"..."

Thalia’s eyes widened a bit. Hearing Ark put everything on her shoulders meant he trusted her to be able to handle things herself.

A small smile appeared on her face, and her cheeks blushed slightly.

"Yes, Guildmaster."

Ark turned his attention back to the cleaning items, then he walked in and picked up a broom.

"Ark?? What are you doing?" Thalia asked, sounding concerned. He was the Guildmaster. She would rather die than see him sweeping the compound.

"I’m helping, of course..."

Ark tossed the broom out of the entrance, and just before it could touch the floor, a dark hand rose and caught it, just before his shadows appeared.

"Everyone grab a broom!"

He turned to Rodolph, who had not moved from the same spot.

"You too, Rodolph, you’re helping out!"