64. Take My Wife, Please

Jason increases his workload from the Adventure Society’s jobs hall, prioritizing contracts near Greenstone and adding extra village notices while in the delta. He earns multiple income streams—contract pay, monster loot, and quest rewards—while maintaining goodwill by healing locals.

At the hall, Jason files a bog shambler contract with Albert. A Magic Society scholar, Clive Standish, approaches, introducing himself as an adjunct assistant to the deputy director. Jason derails the conversation with a fabricated accusation about Clive and a nonexistent wife, then slips away, leaving Clive baffled.

In a delta village inn, after a day of monster hunting and healing, Jason meditates. He reflects on Rufus’s three pillars for growth—training, danger, and meditation—and how constant combat plus daily consolidation has begun accelerating his advancement. His feast-related abilities, especially Feast of Absolution used tactically before kills, boost his endurance and progress. During meditation, Feast of Blood advances to Iron 2, reinforcing his belief that diligent cycles of risk and reflection are working.

Jason reviews his status, noting steady gains in vision and other abilities but that true progress to bronze requires awakening all essence powers. He considers sources for awakening stones: rare Adventure Society rewards, competitive contribution contracts, or expensive auctions, and resolves to be patient and keep performing.

Returning to the city, Jason stops by Jory’s clinic, then his upscale inn. There, Clive—who fell asleep waiting for him—gets scolded by the landlady, Madam Landry. Seizing the moment, Jason repeats the “wife” routine, further confusing Clive and prompting Madam Landry to eject him. Clive is left on the street, still uncertain why Jason keeps dodging him.