FB: Chapter 56 – Back To The Poorhouse

“This is the confirmed list of legendary poisons,” the information broker said and pushed a list towards me. I was paying 100 platinum for this information. I picked up the list and looked it over. There were twelve monsters and three alchemical concoctions listed. Their effects and where they could be found was also listed.

I had one of the alchemical concoctions of Refined Dark Lotus Sap which halved SP regeneration already. The location of the two alchemists was listed. I would have to pay them a visit to purchase some legendary poisons.

The list of monsters was much harder. I would have to pay for an expedition with NPCs escorting me. Very high level and capable NPCs. These weren’t monsters that I could easily cheese. Looking over the list, I picked out the seven poisons that would be the least troublesome. I folded the sheet of information and put it away in my inventory.

“And the other pieces of information?” I asked. I had paid another 200 platinum to get all information on the next title in the Champion track and the titles in the Poison track.

“There is no information on the next title that is granted for the Champion track,” the information broker said. That was quite interesting. “I am putting my reputation on such a claim, with the only exception being the Human Emperor and powerful forces that have members that exceed level 200, who have information we do not have access to.”

If I found any information in the future in a place they should have had access to, the union of information brokers would owe me a massive refund and a favor. I was paying for their premier service in the Capital. If they couldn’t find any information, then they were saying no such information was known, not counting their exceptions.

“And the poison title track?” I asked. They pushed over another sheet of paper. Consuming ten legendary poisons would have all the poisons neutralize each other would give the next title of Poison Expert. After that was Poison Grandmaster, one had to endure three divine poisons. Once one would become a Poison Grandmaster, the effects of the title were unknown.

“Divine poisons, three of them,” I muttered. That would be very troublesome. The monsters in that weight class were around level 500. Also going to the dark gods would be a bad idea.

“I did ask around hoping to find information on any divine poisons to sell you. A cursory investigation has yielded no results except stories,” the information broker said and pushed me a stack of papers. Lots of in game lore where a divine poison was used. I would have to read these in my spare time. Not that I had much of it with everything I had to do.

“And for my final request?” I asked. I had to pay 2,000 platinum for their premier service and hazard pay. This was the kind of information that was politically dangerous to have. The information broker didn’t say anything as they pushed across another a couple of sheets of paper instead of a stack.

I looked it over. The list of individuals who were followers of a dark god. There were hidden people among the NPCs. The information brokers union worked with these people occasionally, getting information about unique items and lore.

There was a list of 6 names along with their roles in society and known locations. Four of them were active criminals, that operated in specific areas of the Human Empire, looking to undermine it. The other two were recruiters for their respective dark gods, operating out of specific locations. One was in a city and the other was in a mountain fortress.

Then there were the list of locations that had monster rated individuals like the Arch-Mage Blight that most likely possessed a pendant of a dark god. That list had 87 different names and locations on it. I recognized a few of them.

“And my payment for discretion on all matters related to myself?” I asked. I had paid another 1,000 platinum for a complete blackout from the information brokers union in regards to myself. That should block anyone from inquiring about me from the NPCs.

“It has been accepted. No licensed information broker will sell information that pertains to you, and your name has been put on our list,” the man said, and I nodded. Keeping information secret from other players would be useful. Make them work that much harder to figure out what I was doing and asking about. It would also make our counter intelligence efforts easier as well.

By the time anyone would be able to afford a 100,000 platinum fee for the information union to break their silence, it would still be way too much. Even a super-guild would balk at such an amount. I didn’t want people trying to work out what I had done previously by paying a small amount. Now I was upping the cost of investigating me to an insane degree. Thankfully such a payment only needed to be done a single time.

I got up and left the information broker and made my way to the Adventurers Union. This was the place that people could come to offer and take on adventuring quests. My need to go and collect 9 legendary poisons would certainly meet the requirement for the types of quests that were offered here. There were high level NPCs here as well, waiting around. In time players could also join to complete their own quests and post their own quests.

“How can the Adventurers Union help you?” a clerk asked from behind the desk inside the private officer where clients were received inside the building.

“I have a need to visit two alchemists and then seven monsters. The expected monster level is at most 200,” I said.

“You will require an elite team then. And this is basically a chain quest. Do you expect any directed opposition?”

“Nothing beyond threats associated with my titles. Any other threats would be weaker than the monsters we are going after,” I said, and the clerk nodded. These questions were necessary to price out the quest I would be issuing. The main criteria were the levels of monsters or people that would be my opponents in completion of the quest. I was capping the level at 200, which meant if anything above that level showed up, the team was allowed to retreat if possible and not suffer a penalty for breaking the quest contract.

“Do you require experience from these expeditions?”

“No, only specific items from the corpses of the monsters, and to protect me while I speak with the alchemists in question. Both of them are quite powerful in their own right and if I approach them without an escort, I might be used as an ingredient,” I replied. The clerk nodded at this.

The two alchemists I needed lived in the wilderness. I also planned to recruit at least one of them in order to help harvest the legendary poison from the monsters, while giving them the rest of the corpse as payment. It wasn’t easy to get high level ingredients for alchemy, so they would probably accept. Without their help, harvesting the poisons properly would be too troublesome.

“Are you visiting any black zones? This is the current list of black zones,” the guild clerk said and pulled out a list. I looked it over and shook my head. Black zones were those that were currently in conflict with the Human Empire.

“We might get close to a few, but I don’t need to go into any of them,” I said.

“That is fine,” the clerk said. “We can accept your request as an S rank quest. The price would be 2,000 platinum as the initial payment with another 1,000 platinum for completion,” she said. That was a bit more than I wanted. I could afford it, but it would negate my recent windfall. Still, I really wanted the next level in the poison title track.

This also couldn’t be negotiated. The Adventurers Union was created to have stable prices for high risk quests. The adventurers were also required to behave to a certain standard. They weren’t allowed to ask for money from clients or any resources unless it was part of the quest. They were meant to be paid professionals.

I was only able to post an S rank quest through the union since I was a noble. One of the many benefits of being recognized as a noble in the Human Empire. It acted as the base requirement to get into a lot of locations and put up requests without developing the necessary background with that organization first.

The clerk brought up a contract which I looked over and signed. I then paid the 3,000 platinum. The final 1,000 platinum would be held in reserve by the union, but it was just easier to pay it all at once. Easy come, easy go, I thought with a sigh. “I also have verified information quests that I wish to post as well anonymously.”

These types of quests could be fulfilled any time if the information was discovered while on another quest, like a bonus. It offered a higher payout than selling information to the information brokers. Some adventurers didn’t even bother to do that. They horded knowledge in order to be able to cash in themselves when the time came.

Verified information meant that the adventurer in question was willing to stake their reputation on the information they had recovered and the guild would determine how much would be paid out from the quest if the information wasn’t complete.

“Divine poisons. Where they are, how to get them, and what they do,” I said.

“That would be considered a SS rank verified information request, since it deals directly with gods or very high level monsters,” the clerk explained. Anything over level 300 was considered SS rank and anything over level 600 was considered SSS rank in terms of quests. Basically they were considered death sentences. “The price would be 2,000 platinum per divine poison.”

“That much? Just for information?” I asked in surprise. The clerk nodded.

“Yes. The risk is that high, so it must be priced in relation to the risk of getting such information. If a lower amount were offered for such information, it would undermine the credibility of the Adventurers Union. Even more so since we must stake our reputation upon its authenticity,” the clerk explained. I would have to put the money up front for the quest to be posted.

“I will hold off on that request for now,” I said, and the clerk nodded.

“Understandable. Your original quest will be posted. Once a team agrees to take it, we will reach out to you to schedule the quest,” the clerk said.

“Any idea on the timeframe?” I asked.

“Our teams can take quests as they desire, and they believe they are capable of. I can’t say anything beyond that.” That was annoying, but that was just how things worked.