Jackal exhaled before shaking his head. “Forget it. We’re here.” He stopped in front of a building that didn’t have any holographic weapon hovering over it. Despite that, it was still taller than the rest of the buildings and their images combined. “This is the mission area. You can accept tasks here to earn geums, which are required to hire the mentors and purchase or rent weapons.”

“So, it’s like an adventurers’ guild,” Tafel said, staring up at the building. She turned her head to the side to look at Jackal. “What about a place where we can sell things for geums?”

“You probably haven’t explored the function yet,” Jackal said as he raised his left hand. He pointed at his root bracelet. “You can sell things directly to the tower. Everything has a base price, but if you’re looking for better deals, there are dedicated marketplaces. The Water Lord established a residence that acts as a market; anyone can enter, but when an item is sold, the Water Lord collects a percentage of the sale. You can enter this residence at any wooden tablet.”

Jackal’s voice lowered to a whisper. “Of course, that marketplace is filled with people from higher floors. A more newcomer-friendly market is hosted by the Virtuous Hand, an upcoming guild. There’s no sales tax, and since the customers are usually from the lower floors, the items are weaker but cheaper and more suited to your needs. Not only that, but the Virtuous Hand was established by the people for the people. Why should a lord profit off the most basic of necessities? People should be able to sell and trade freely.”

“Are you a part of the Virtuous Hand?” Tafel asked, raising an eyebrow. “We’ve heard about them before from Ashley.”

“From the Light Lord?” Jackal asked, his brow furrowing. “I imagine she had nothing nice to say about us, calling us rabble or painting us in a bad light because we’re trying to dismantle the biased system they’ve created.”

“Basically,” Tafel said. “She said the Virtuous Hand were trying to upend the order of the tower.”

Jackal nodded. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” he said. “Such a corrupt system shouldn’t be allowed to exist, don’t you agree?”

Tafel’s eyes shifted to the side. “Eh….”

“If you’re looking for allies, you won’t find them here. They might be friendly, but both of these women are despots.”

Jackal glanced down at the spider Tafel and Lindyss was sitting on. “Did your mount just speak?”

“That was Stella,” Tafel said, leaning forward to get a better look at the spider’s head. She couldn’t see the fairy queen, so it was likely the tiny creature was hidden inside the spider’s mouth or something. She had entered it with Vur after all. “But the spider speaks too.”

Jackal furrowed his brow. “And are you despots?”

“That term has a pretty negative connotation, doesn’t it?” Tafel asked. “I’m a demon lord, but I’m not oppressive or anything. The demons I rule over just listen to me because I was the strongest one there who was interested in ruling.” She tilted her head to the side and rubbed her chin. “Alright, I know that sounds bad, but it really isn’t.”

Jackal turned his head towards Lindyss. The cursed elf snorted. “If you believe the words of a fairy, then you’re not as smart as you think you are.”

“In other words, I might find an ally in you?” Jackal asked, raising an eyebrow.

“With a little something called money, you can find allies anywhere,” Lindyss said, flashing a smile at Jackal. “If you don’t have any money, I know a place where you can sell your soul for geums.”

“Ha-ha-ha.” Jackal let out a dry laugh. “If I’m ever short on cash and have already sold all the blood in my body, I’ll look for you to sell my soul.”

Tafel blinked at Lindyss. “Where are you getting all this money to purchase souls?”

“Isn’t there a place to earn money right there?” Lindyss asked and pointed at the building they had stopped by. “Shouldn’t you, as an adventurer, be more curious about what the tower has to offer? Go and complete a few tasks.”

Tafel rubbed her chin. “I am curious, but do we have that much free time?” she asked. “The Gluttonous Gourmets and the dragons are on a way higher floor.”

“So what?” Lindyss asked. “Vur’s asleep. If you don’t bother him, he won’t care how long you take; he might even appreciate you taking your time. The tower does make a good point. When else will you be able to try a different assortment of weapons to find the one that suits you best?”

“Yeah, but none of these weapons are meant for magicians,” Tafel said. “We’ll have to go to the thirtieth floor for those.”

“If you’d like,” Jackal said before Lindyss could reply, “I can get you the weapons found on the thirtieth floor. Although you won’t have access to any mentors, the training grounds provided on this floor should be more than enough to test out the various weapons.”

“You’d do that for us?” Tafel asked.

“Absolutely. After all, you saved my life. Just acting as a tour guide isn’t enough to repay you.” Jackal grinned. “Of course, if you’re willing to join the Virtuous Hand, there’s much more that we can offer.”

“Can you really get rid of the system the lords created by using the same methods as them?” Stella asked from her spot inside the spider’s mouth. “Isn’t scouting someone strong with the promise of benefits straight out of their playbook?”

“It’s hypocritical, but it’s a necessity,” Jackal said and nodded. “The lords play dirty. It’d be foolish to fight them thinking you could keep your hands completely clean. However, there’s a difference between the lords and I. The lords act in selfish manners to maintain their power. Once the Virtuous Hand overthrows them, we won’t seek to maintain power. We’ll distribute knowledge throughout the tower, letting people know the best way to advance. We’ll create an environment where it’s possible for anyone to become as strong as a lord regardless of their status. Once the weaker clans and guilds grow as strong as us, the Virtuous Hand will welcome them as allies with open arms.”

“Is that so?” Lindyss asked, her question sounding more like a statement.

Jackal narrowed his eyes. “I’ll make it so.”

“Well, good luck,” the cursed elf said. “Like I said, if you want our help, pay us. Now, about those weapons you were about to get for us?”