"..." Eleanor.

"Wait, I think I misheard. Did you just say you want me to take you to the 5th layer of Lightning Hell?" Eleanor blinked and looked at Victor for confirmation; she thought she had misheard.

"Yes, that’s exactly what I said," Victor said with a calm expression.

"I see, I see," Eleanor nodded her head several times and then put her palm right in front of Victor.

"What?" Victor was puzzled when he saw the open palm in front of him

.

"200 Tier 0 cores and 50 Tier 1 cores. Hand them over," Eleanor said seriously.

"????" Victor blinked at her with question marks practically floating above his head.

"That’s my fee for taking you there, not a dime less," Eleanor said while crossing her arms under her ample chest.

"Why the hell is it so expensive?" Victor exclaimed as he still handed her the cores.

"Heh, I love rich customers. Sigh, being a noble and being low on funds is really uncomfortable," Eleanor said with a sigh.

"Huh, you are also a noble?" Amber asked with a surprised look as she looked at her up and down once again.

"Hah, let me tell you something, this young miss is from a very powerful family," Eleanor said with an arrogant and smug look, but Victor’s next words froze her expression.

"Then why are you desperately scavenging money from people like me, like a destitute?" Victor asked with an odd expression.

"I am not a pauper, I just need some money. I am low on funds..." Eleanor said with a pout.

"Aren’t nobles supposed to be rich and haughty? Why do you need to earn more?" Victor asked, but Eleanor kept her mouth shut.

"Can you give me a discount?" Victor asked.

"Not a chance. The money also includes my bodyguard services," Eleanor explained.

"Bodyguard?" Victor said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. When you realize how dangerous those places are for a newbie like you, it will already be too late. The fee is for me to save you if you get in trouble and guard you against monsters," Eleanor said and looked at Victor, who was already walking away.

"Hey, why the hell are you leaving?" Eleanor said in pani

c.

"Looking for someone cheaper. I don’t need bodyguards," Victor said without looking back.

"Fine, how about this, you pay me the normal price for a tour, and I will charge the bodyguard fees only if I need to defend you," Eleanor said, which caused Victor to stop.

"Wow, you are really desperate, huh?" Victor looked at her, and she pouted but then agreed. "Fine, I agree."

"Why are you being stingy? It’s not like you are short on monster cores," Amber walked closer to Victor and asked in a low voice. After Victor had confirmed her loyalty, he had shown his stash of resources, which nearly made her eyes pop out, especially the sheer tons of Obsidian which could cause other nobles to attack him if they learned about his stash.

"Just because I have money, it’s not like I will give it to someone for free," Victor said with a snort. Yeah, he did not deny being stingy. Being poor in his last life, he knew how hard it was to earn money, especially resources from the game which were magical.

Victor and Amber then jumped on the Pegasus while Eleanor followed with a glint in her eye.

’Hehe, I will be rich,’ Eleanor thought, already imagining saving Victor and getting an enormous payout. Yes, she was charging far more than a normal bodyguard mission; in short, she was scamming him.

--------

After flying on the Pegasus for some time, they arrived in front of a huge building which was surrounded by smaller buildings.

Amber blinked and said, "I did not expect there would be buildings out here in the middle of nowhere."

"These are buildings belonging to mercenaries who have set up bases, and they are the ones who monopolize most of the resources of the Lightning Valley. If you want to enter, you need to ask their permission and buy quotas from them."

"They are also the ones who select guides and give them quotas to bring customers. Without guides, it’s difficult to get in."

Eleanor calmly explained.

"Wait, if they monopolize it, won’t the nobles of various kingdoms be displeased and retaliate?" Amber asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Not really. Most nobles don’t care about what happens outside the kingdom, and the mercenaries also give face to nobles... of course, only to powerful nobles. They won’t give face to ordinary ones, as some of the mercenary guilds have rich heritages and have been established for centuries, and no one wants to provoke them without any solid reason," Eleanor calmly explained.

"I see," Amber nodded as she looked around. This was the first time she had set foot outside the kingdom, so she was curious. The first thing she noticed was that the lightning in the sky cracked more frequently.

After walking closer toward the mercenary buildings, Victor silently observed the scenery. There were many people wearing different uniforms, indicating they belonged to different factions. Everyone exuded a confident and arrogant aura, suggesting they hailed from influential backgrounds.

"You two be careful, there are people from other kingdoms as well," Eleanor warned, and both of them nodded silently.

Most of these people were between Tier 0 and Tier 1, with only a few in the Tier 2 category.

There was not a single Tier 3 at the scene, which made Amber sigh in relief.

"Follow me, I will take you to get the permission slip first. There are checkpoints you need to pass to enter the first layer," Eleanor led Victor and Amber to a small stall.

"Senior, I have brought you potential customers. They need slips," Eleanor said as she knocked on the table.

"Oh, it’s you, Eleanor. Not bad, you got more customers. You will certainly rank as a top guide soon if you keep bringing business like this," the woman said with a smile as she handed over two tickets.

Just as they were about to leave, a booming and sarcastic voice stopped them. "Eleanor, I did not think you would get customers."