There were sure to be other lessons to come, but for now, their first ranging had come to an end. While Goblins getting too close to town seemed to be a problem in Salzburg, it did not seem to be much of a concern here in Wensberg as the gates were wide open and the guards did not seem to be checking the people coming and going that closely. If they could afford to have such lax security, then things must not have been going too badly for them.

Before they reached the gate, Pawel turned to the children and said, "Here we are, kids. Weinsberg. I guess it's what you'd call the capital of Lower Midgard." He pointed past the walls. "That castle on the hill there belongs to Duke Alphäus, the High King's viceroy here. If we weren't aimin' to get home, I'd say you could make good money after retirin' from Adventurin' workin' as one of the Duke's men."

Zsuzsanna, who had not done a lot of talking since they came to the World, looked to Zofiya and asked, "Weregild?"

Just by looking at them, it was obvious that they were Adventurers, so the guards just waved them on through the gate. Because Weinsberg was built around Castle Rundstahl, it had two town squares, one on the west side toward Axios and one on the east side toward the Trial Gate to the Andores. The Adventurers' Guild Hall was on the west side of the city, favoring the traffic coming in from Axios. It meant they did not have far to go. The Weinsberg Guild Hall was of course smaller than the one in Axios but not by much. Weinsberg was the biggest city between Axios and Mihrdat, so Adventurers would often operate out of Weinsberg well past the time they cleared the First Trial. For a combination of safety, affordability and convenience, you could not do much better, which is exactly why Pawel was in a hurry to get the children settled here.

They went straight to Guild Hall and the reception desk. There were six clerks compared to Axios' eight, which was a good representation of the difference in scale between this branch office and the main headquarters.

The receptionist looked at them and said, "Pardon me for saying so, sir, but should I assume, um, budgetary limitations?"

Pawel frowned a little at the thought, but said, "Yeah, it'll do for now, but see that your don't dawdle on findin' us a halfway decent lodgin' house."

Pawel then pulled out the letter from Iberico and told the receptionist, "This is from Axios explainin' that we've been given an advance on our per diem for Ment'rin'. We'll be expectin' our pay to pick up tomorrow."

That should have concluded their business, but something gave Pawel pause. He gave the receptionist a once over. You came to be accustomed to seeing clerks come in particular types. This one was more of the stiff, professional sort, possibly a little under her station for whatever circumstances. The ones who had rising above their raising and those who were made to step down from their pedestal always had a way of standing out.

Speaking of standing out, the 'von' got Pawel's attention. Some Burghers used it, but only if they did not have a surname, which most did these days.

Zofiya stepped forward, taking Pawel's arm in hers as she said, "I think you've made Miss Frieda's acquaintance quite well enough, Pawelek. Right?"

She jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. He realized a little too late how his actions could be open to misinterpretation. Best to cut his losses.

Before things could turn into a scene, he waved goodbye to the receptionist, saying, "Tomorra mornin' then."

Maybe it was just Pawel's imagination, but there was a hint of a smile on the receptionist's face, a bit of playfulness in the way she said it. It would be exceedingly unwise to explore that possibility any further, though.

Pawel glanced at Zofiya before they both stood up and walked into Frobert's office. Unlike Iberico, Frobert was tall and brawny, bald-pated with bushy muttonchops that now blended into an equally bushy moustache. Why he did not simply commit to a full beard was a mystery, but perhaps he wanted to give his barber something to do. He had formerly been the Guild's master-at-arms here in Weinsberg and did not seem all that well-suited for an administrative role like chapter master, but here he was.

Frobert stood up from his desk as Pawel and Zofiya walked in, saying, "As I live and breathe, Pawel Adamowicz and Zofiya Valadko back in my city after all these years."

He shook Pawel's hand and despite being a rough lowborn sort, he had been trained in enough gentility to kiss Zofiya's hand.

The secretary promptly returned with two young Adventurers, a big Pacific Islander boy and a girl Pawel assumed was a Gypsy. Frobert introduced them, saying, "Young Master Anthony Toni, Fighter, and Miss Parvin Ebrahimi, Cleric."

The girl eyed them suspiciously and asked, "Who are you?"

The girl cocked her head.

So she had been paying attention to the Guild's lectures. Smart kid. The Clerics usually were.

Pawel tried not to roll his eyes .

Despite only having been in the World for six months, the girl spoke like a grizzled veteran. Even with all the examples Pawel had seen, even with his own experience, it was a little surprising seeing someone so young having already taken such a hard edge.

Pawel gave him a look for the interruption, then crouched down a bit so he could meet the girl at eye level and told her, "Three of those ten Rooks are our kids. You get me? Our kids. We ain't lettin' 'em go an' whoever sticks with 'em is alon' for the ride as far as we go. God willin', that means gettin' home."

Pawel glanced at the boy and then asked the girl, "Don't he have some say in this?"

The two exchanged looks and the girl said, "He agrees to it."

Pawel straightened up and turned to Frobert, saying, "Looks like we got a deal then."

The girl took his hand, still looking somewhat suspicious of him.

The girl looked to her companion and said, "Right now there's only one person I trust."

Pawel shook the boy's hand, saying, "Guess it's a good thing you're part of the deal, huh?"

The boy simply nodded. If he only spoke when had to, this apparently was not one of those times.