Chapter 128: The Tamer Guild’s Offer

Qiu Nuoya crouched down beside the figure. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, he finally realized that the person on the floor was Long whose fast asleep while hugging a bottle of alcohol like a body pillow.

Meanwhile, Igor had apparently decided that sleeping properly on the bed was too much trouble. His upper body was half sprawled across it and he was completely passed out.

Just how much had the two of them drunk?

Well, judging by the number of empty bottles scattered around the room, the answer was obvious.

For the time being, Qiu Nuoya opened the curtains and windows wide, airing out the room that reeked of alcohol.

"You two, wake~ u~p~! We have guests!"

[ Urgh... ]

Long frowned as the bright sunlight fell across his face and rolled over in his sleep. Qiu Nuoya sat down beside him and gently shook his shoulder.

[ What is it? I only just went to sleep. ]

"Really? But some guests have come because they want to meet you, Long. You can keep sleeping if you want, but could you come to the living room?"

[ No. I’m still sleepy. If they want to meet me, they can come here. ]

Long stubbornly refused to open his eyes, and Qiu Nuoya sighed. They had probably been drinking with Igor until nearly dawn. Qiu Nuoya could already see that Long’s lifestyle was going to be a problem. Drinking was fine, but no one should let alcohol control them.

Since Long was larger than Qiu Nuoya, carrying him by himself would be difficult. Qiu Nuoya decided to ask Mochi to transport him instead.

[ Okay~ ]

As cheerful as ever, Mochi puffed itself up and lifted Long, carrying him all the way to the living room.

As for Igor, Qiu Nuoya simply left him where he was and gently covered him with a blanket.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I brought him here!"

The staff members of the Tamer Guild looked somewhat taken aback as Mochi carried in the dark skinned young man who was still fast asleep while clutching a bottle of alcohol.

"Um, who is this?"

"This is Long, the dragon who became my tamed monster. It seems he drank too much last night and won’t wake up, so I just brought him here as he was!"

The staff had probably come expecting to see a dragon brimming with dignity and majesty. Unfortunately, Long was looking rather pathetic at the moment.

"Dragons can take human form too? May we come a little closer...?" The guild staff approached cautiously. Once they realized that Long was completely fast asleep, they gathered around him and began examining and sketching the details of his hands and feet. One of them tried to stroke his limp tail, only to get smacked by it and let out an excited cry.

It seemed Long was a research subject to them. Well, if his existence could be of use to people, Qiu Nuoya had no complaints.

One staff member even took advantage of the chaos to poke and squish Mochi who was currently being used as Long’s bed and had become something resembling a "sofa that makes people useless." They really were dedicated researchers when it came to studying monsters of all kinds.

"Um, would it be possible to have one of his scales?"

"That would depend on what he says. But more importantly, you said something had been decided at the meeting, right? You mentioned something about my treatment. What exactly was that?"

"Ah, right! We almost forgot! First, please take this. After a meeting among the guild staff, we have decided to hire you as a temporary employee of the Tamer Guild. Please accept this." The staff member who had been so fascinated by Long hurriedly handed Qiu Nuoya a business card sized employee ID that resembled an Adventurer’s Guild card. Written on it was what appeared to be his position within the Tamer Guild.

[ Special Lifeform Protection Staff (Temporary). ]

But what exactly was a Special Lifeform Protection Staff member?

Qiu Nuoya tilted his head and stared at the card. The staff member then instructed him to hold his hand over it.

Qiu Nuoya did as he was told. For a brief moment, the card glowed brightly, and then his name appeared engraved on its surface. "Oh..."

Still fascinated, Qiu Nuoya stared at the card as the guild employee explained his new position.

Apparently, a Special Lifeform Protection Staff was someone responsible for protecting unusual monster individuals discovered in various regions. In a sense, the title was exactly what it sounded like. There were apparently other staff like him stationed throughout the country as well.

As for the employee ID card, presenting it at any Tamer Guild branch allowed him to receive various discounts and services. That would certainly be helpful.

"Although you will only be a temporary employee, you will still be working as a member of our staff, so of course you will be paid. Please understand that your wages will vary depending on the rank of the monsters you protect."

"Wait, I get paid!?"

"This is part of your job, after all."

What a stroke of luck! Of course, protecting ordinary monsters that could easily be caught anywhere probably would not earn him much money. Still, from now on, whenever he encountered a rare monster, he would make an effort to protect it whenever possible.

As Qiu Nuoya continued staring at the card, the employee held out another item. "Please take this as well."

It was an ordinary looking key.

"What’s this?"

"As you can see, it’s a key. Try inserting it somewhere and turning it."

"Huh? Where?"

"Anywhere will do."

Qiu Nuoya was confused by that answer. A key was normally used together with a lock. Without a lock, there was no purpose for a key, and there was currently no lock anywhere in sight. So where was he supposed to insert it?

"Nuoya, that is a magic key. When you turn it, a door will appear." Seeing Qiu Nuoya’s confusion, Viktor took his hand and guided the key toward empty space, making a turning motion with it.

A glowing rectangular door suddenly appeared in front of them, accompanied by the distinct sound of a lock clicking open.

"Oh!" A luminous door had appeared right before his eyes. Qiu Nuoya turned the doorknob and peered through it. On the other side was Elysium.