The middle-aged man in the cowboy hat's eyes lit up upon seeing what Ye Feng produced. "Little brother, my name is Tie Niu, pleased to meet you!"
"Oh~ my name is Ye Feng. Tell me about the Explorer's Guild's organizational structure!"
Ye Feng waved his hand.
"It's like this, the Explorer's Guild's organization isn't complex. From top to bottom, it's the Guild Master, Vice Guild Masters, Guild Master's Assistants, and Stewards."
"The Guild Master is Wu Ye Lan. There are four Vice Guild Masters. Three of them are the patriarchs of the Explorer's Guild's four major families: Zeng Jing of the Zeng family, Huang Ren Xin of the Huang family, Miao Feng of the Miao family, and the relatively low-key Lu family, Lu Yi!"
"Guild Master's Assistants are basically confidantes chosen and cultivated by the Guild Master and Vice Guild Masters. The weakest among them is at least Gold Rank One!"
"Stewards are generally classified by strength, namely Bronze Stewards, Black Iron Stewards, Steel... Stewards' strength usually doesn't exceed Gold Rank One, with occasional exceptions!"
"Below the Stewards are quite a few exploration teams... Smaller guilds in remote areas are usually headed by Bronze Stewards..."
Tie Niu took a big gulp of beer and explained to Ye Feng with a chuckle.
"What does the Lu family do?"
Ye Feng frowned slightly and inquired. The other three Vice Guild Masters each managed a crucial resource of the Explorer's Guild, but Tie Niu hadn't mentioned the Lu family.
Moreover, mentioning the Lu family brought to mind that person named Lu Sao Mei from the Ice City...
"The Lu family is responsible for the auction matters of the Explorer's Guild!"
Speaking of this, Tie Niu lowered his voice. "Little brother, you're here for that auction item too, aren't you?"
"That auction item?"
Ye Feng looked at him with some confusion.
"Little brother, stop pretending. This isn't a secret anymore..."
Tie Niu glanced around. "This week, the number of explorers visiting the Explorer's Guild has significantly increased. Most of them are here for that rare auction item, the Strengthening Fruit."
"Strengthening Fruit?"
Hearing this, Ye Feng was quite surprised.
"Exactly... I don't know who spread the news..."
...
As Ye Feng was curiously inquiring about the Explorer's Guild from Tie Niu,
In a secluded wooden house,
Miao Pang Zi stood respectfully before a gaunt, white-haired, yet spirited man.
The man was Miao Feng, the Guild Master of the Miao Miao Explorer's Guild and one of the four Vice Guild Masters of the Explorer's Guild.
"The Gold Rank Two medal you just described is indeed the one personally awarded by Guild Master Wu Ye. Where is the owner of that medal now?"
Miao Feng looked quite surprised, unsure if it was because Miao Pang Zi had seen the Gold Medal, or because of the Gold Medal itself.
"His name is Ye Feng. He should have only recently joined the Explorer's Guild in the past few days. He's accompanied by two beautiful women and has arranged accommodation at the Miao Miao Explorer's Guild building!"
Miao Pang Zi replied quickly.
"Don't tell anyone about the Gold Medal. Keep a close eye on that person's movements, and don't provoke him!"
Miao Feng frowned slightly and said.
"Yes!"
Miao Pang Zi nodded slightly and quickly turned to leave.
After Miao Pang Zi left, a light flashed in Miao Feng's hand, and a Gold Medal appeared. If Ye Feng were present, he would undoubtedly be astonished, because the Gold Medal in the other man's hand was exactly the same as the one he had found in the Goblin Kingdom...
"Flame Ranger, oh Flame Ranger... you disappeared for over twenty years... there's finally a lead..."
...
Late at night,
Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and Qiao Ying were fast asleep in their guest rooms at the Miao Miao Explorer's Guild. Meanwhile, Wu Ye Ling, in an ancient building located in the core area of the Explorer's Guild, was wide awake.
"Uncle Liu, is there any news about Grandpa yet?"
Wu Ye Ling looked at Liu Lao Tou beside her, her expression filled with worry.
"I don't know what happened to the old Guild Master. He left suddenly... and it seems he didn't tell anyone..."
Liu Lao Tou's expression was extremely serious.
...
The next day,
After breakfast, Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and Qiao Ying parted ways. Ye Feng went alone, while Xiao Xiao and Qiao Ying went together.
Since the Explorer's Guild was a bustling metropolis, the two girls, Xiao Xiao and Qiao Ying, preferred to visit places like accessory shops and snack stalls.
Ye Feng, however, wasn't very interested in these. He was more curious about the local culture and strange phenomena, especially the auction of the Strengthening Fruit, which was rumored to be held in a few days. So, he decided to explore on his own...
Of course, Ye Feng had given Xiao Xiao plenty of Arcane Yuan Coins, considering the high cost of living in a big city...
...
"Honey, look, it's that kid again! The one who dared to hit us yesterday!"
Ye Feng was looking at a roadside stall when he suddenly heard an indignant female voice. He turned his head and saw Zhu Rongrong, the woman from yesterday.
"Kid, I was drunk yesterday, and you actually dared to... Ah... Ah..."
Before the Tadpole Man next to Zhu Rongrong could finish speaking, he let out a scream. Ye Feng had already taken him down. Zhu Rongrong was no exception.
After finishing, Ye Feng returned to the roadside stall, as he found a marble game there quite interesting.
Many people by the stall saw this but didn't react much, apparently accustomed to it.
Some explorers even kicked the Tadpole Man, Lin Guangming, aside to avoid blocking the already crowded path. Of course, some also took advantage of the chaos to steal items from the Tadpole Man and Zhu Rongrong...
Behind a large concrete pillar not far from Ye Feng,
"Brother Zhuzi, why are you stopping me? That kid just now was definitely a fat lamb. Look at the big box he's carrying and the clothes he's wearing..."
"Are you an idiot? That tadpole-eyed man is Lin Guangming, a solid Silver Intermediate. Yet, he was quickly taken down by that young man just now. You still want to steal from him? You're looking for death!"
"Holy crap, really? I didn't sense any Arcane energy fluctuations from that kid just now... Alas, Brother Zhuzi, wait for me..."
"If you want to die, don't drag me with you!"
...
On the other side,
"Sister Qiao Ying, this is Tanghulu. It's delicious. Big brother took me to eat it before!"
"But the fruit inside is strawberry, which is even tastier!"
Xiao Xiao was handing Qiao Ying a Tanghulu with a strawberry core. Qiao Ying, carrying a bag in her hand, immediately took it and started eating.
Xiao Xiao and Qiao Ying strolled through the bustling food street, happily eating Tanghulu, their eyes full of excitement and curiosity.
"Hmm?"
As Qiao Ying was looking at some small accessories with Xiao Xiao, she suddenly looked in a certain direction, her expression changing drastically.
"Xiao Xiao, can you go browse by yourself for a while? I have something to do!"
Qiao Ying bent down slightly and whispered into Xiao Xiao's ear.
"Oh, okay!"
Although Xiao Xiao didn't quite understand what Qiao Ying was going to do, she nodded.
"Mhm, be careful on your own!"
With that, Qiao Ying quickly disappeared into the crowd and walked in one direction.
...