Chapter 477 - 467: Division of Labor

Moira Lynch smiled as she pulled her hand from the other woman’s grasp. "Sorry," she said, "I’m not a fan of people being so enthusiastic. As for my hometown, I live in a remote place, and I’m the only one in my family, so we’re probably not from the same area."

Hearing the distance in Moira Lynch’s tone, an awkward expression crossed Eri’s face.

But she was a B-rank adventurer, after all, and had seen plenty of situations like this. Adventurers were constantly out completing all sorts of missions. This was especially true for higher-ranked adventurers, whose missions were increasingly dangerous.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to take on safer missions; The Adventurer’s Guild simply had regulations for accepting quests. Unless there was a special need, high-ranked adventurers were prohibited from accepting missions two or more ranks below their own.

Of course, some adventurers disdained such a practice anyway.

It was for this very reason that many high-level adventurers had such aloof and arrogant personalities.

This even gave rise to a group of solo operators who preferred to work alone, completing missions by themselves. As a result, their abilities were often more powerful and comprehensive.

In the business, they had a name for people like that: "Lone Wolves."

As far as Eri was concerned, the Moira Lynch standing before her was probably one of them.

What she didn’t know was that Moira Lynch wasn’t a Lone Wolf; she just found Eri’s excessive enthusiasm uncomfortable.

"Since everyone is here, let’s start assigning the tasks."

As the only A-rank adventurer present, the others automatically considered him the leader.

Moira Lynch had no objections. As long as the mission got done, she didn’t care.

’Besides, he’s an A-rank adventurer. What right do I have to question him?’

Seeing that no one else had objections, Aiden Hayes continued, "This mission is split into two parts: gathering and escort. I’ll be responsible for the escort, and I’ll select two B-rank adventurers to act as my assistants. The remaining B-rank adventurer and the rest of the team will handle the gathering task."

No one objected.

At this, Aiden Hayes looked at Moira Lynch. "Before you arrived, I had already decided on them as my assistants."

As he spoke, Aiden Hayes pointed to Eri and Kent, his tone taking it for granted. "The Talents of these two might be able to assist me. Alternatively, you could tell me your Talent. If your Talent is a better fit, I can swap one of them out for you."

When the other two heard Aiden Hayes say this, they immediately shot hostile glares at Moira Lynch. Their fierce expressions made it clear that if she so much as nodded in agreement, they would rush over and teach her a lesson.

"I’ll pass," Moira Lynch said, shaking her head. "My Talent is combat-oriented."

As she spoke, a bone-chilling cold suddenly emanated from Moira Lynch. Even on the scorching world of Pyralia, the frigid air made everyone in the living room shudder involuntarily.

"So it’s an Ice Talent. No wonder you managed to capture two A-rank wanted criminals. I originally thought you were just lucky. It seems I underestimated you."

Moira Lynch could clearly sense that after she revealed her Talent, Aiden Hayes’s tone had changed, and his attitude had softened considerably.

Once the tasks were assigned, they set off immediately.

The mission was straightforward: escort a shipment of goods through Redrock Canyon. The route itself was flat and presented no real dangers. However, the client worried that their business rival had learned about the shipment and would try to cause trouble. That’s why they had hired protection, specifically requesting adventurers who were B-rank or higher.

The gathering task, on the other hand, was to be carried out within Redrock Canyon. It involved a stone that looked just like a Ruby, called Red Rock Crystal.

On Pyralia, Red Rock Crystal was considered a budget-friendly substitute for Ruby, but a high-quality specimen could be just as valuable.

The client was a jewelry designer who had requested the collection of two hundred B-grade or higher Red Rock Crystals.

In addition to this collection quest, there was another one: gathering Fire Burning Grass.

This grass also grew in the canyon and was considered a local specialty of Pyralia.

Fire Burning Grass was entirely red, its leaves covered with a network of black veins. The plant was wreathed in red flames, and anyone picking it had to wear special gloves to avoid the risk of being burned.

Once everyone was clear on their respective tasks, the group departed.

They had to cross Redrock Canyon, deliver the cargo, and leave enough time for gathering on the way. The round trip would take about twenty days—the timing was perfect.

Not long after their departure, they were outside the city. The surroundings became barren. The few trees that existed were completely bare, creating a desolate scene from afar.

Just then, Hugh Finch poked Moira Lynch and whispered, "Moira, look. What is that over there?"

Moira Lynch looked in the direction Hugh Finch was pointing and saw a patch of white. Upon closer inspection, the objects looked strangely familiar.

"Those are Extremely Hot Mushrooms," an adventurer near Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch said. "They’re practically running rampant on Pyralia because of the temperature. The catch is, you can’t use machines to harvest them—it has to be done by hand. If you do, the spores fly everywhere. Pyralia has to spend a fortune in manpower and resources on this every year."

He was a native Pyralian, so he knew the local situation better than anyone. In fact, that was why he was on the team—his familiarity with Redrock Canyon made him a valuable guide.

"Are the harvested Extremely Hot Mushrooms just casually piled up here with no one managing them?" Moira Lynch asked.

"Who would manage them? And how?" the man sighed. "Just harvesting them is a huge hassle. Processing them further would just be a waste of more money and manpower."

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to solve the problem; the cost was simply too great.

"If you can’t solve it here, why not ship them to other planets? Like ones with colder climates," Hugh Finch suggested.

The man shook his head, smiling. "You’re both too naive. The higher-ups would never approve a deal that’s clearly a money-loser. Rather than sending them to other planets, they’re more willing to watch the Extremely Hot Mushrooms pile up in one spot until they’re completely air-dried."

With Pyralia’s hot and arid climate, the ultimate fate for these Extremely Hot Mushrooms was to be air-dried and eventually buried.

Hearing this, Moira Lynch thought, ’What an absolute waste.’

’After all, back on Caelus, these Extremely Hot Mushrooms are a hot commodity.’

At that moment, Hugh Finch shot Moira Lynch a meaningful look. She understood immediately and nodded, a determined glint appearing in her eyes.

Once the convoy was a safe distance away, Moira Lynch immediately unleashed her spiritual power, pulling the entire patch of Extremely Hot Mushrooms she had just seen into her storage space.

To Moira Lynch’s pleasant surprise, the mushrooms weren’t just on the surface. There was a huge amount underground as well—about half were fresh, and the other half were already air-dried.

’The air-dried ones are fine, too.’ She wasn’t picky. Since it didn’t affect their usability, she swept them all into her space.