Chapter 53 - 51: Adventurer Association

Chapter 53: Chapter 51: Adventurer Association

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Lu Wei’s trio set off on their return journey as planned.

They had left the vast majority of their supplies and food at the Dome Pillar, where Lu Wei had personally found a spot to dig a hole and bury them.

The newly freed space in their backpacks was perfect for carrying the loot they planned to take back to town and sell.

"We have three main tasks when we get back."

"Upgrade our equipment, recruit employees, and purchase supplies."

"Time is tight and there’s a lot to do, so we’ll need to split up."

"After we get back, we’ll sell the loot first, then we’ll each go buy the equipment we need."

"After that, I’ll handle recruiting employees, and I’ll leave procuring the supplies to Furen... I’ll arrange things with Old Yor. When the time comes, you’ll just need to take inventory of the goods and then pay for them."

"Bai Ya, you’ll go to the market and memorize the latest buyback prices for all sorts of materials."

"The next time we go into the forest, we’ll try to get the house built..."

Walking along a narrow game trail with his head held high, Lu Wei chattered on, laying out their upcoming tasks. Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, and a stream trickled nearby—he looked as carefree as if he were on a picnic.

His mood was a far cry from the cautious tension of their journey in, where he’d felt like a monster could leap out at any moment.

Clearly, the massive battle from two nights ago had drastically improved his mindset.

You could say it was like being invited upstairs.

The first time is a struggle.

The second time, you only pretend to resist.

The third time, you know the way by heart.

The fourth time, it feels like coming home.

In short, it was a feeling of conquering the self.

Similarly, having been through a life-and-death crisis, Furen and Bai Ya no longer found the forest so terrifying. Their steps were light, and they each began to plan what they would do when they got back.

Furen: ’Should I bring a gift when I go see Clara? Oh, right! Since she wants to learn how to write, I’ll give her a pen! She’ll definitely love it!’

Bai Ya: ’I can’t keep holding the squad back. My Perception might be low, but there’s definitely nothing wrong with my Intelligence. Learning Combat Skills should be a breeze.’

Well... it was hard to say whether Furen had grown "decadent" or Bai Ya had grown "diligent."

In any case, judging by the current situation, it seemed Bai Ya was the one who was more eager to become "the greatest warrior on the continent."

If Lu Wei had known their true thoughts at that moment, he would have most likely spouted some more sagely advice to remind Furen to stay true to himself.

"Women only slow down the speed at which you draw your sword," or something to that effect.

Too bad he didn’t have Mind Reading Magic.

Not that he could live up to that standard himself.

’If I have time, maybe I can take a stroll down Pigeon Lane.’

’A little relaxation is essential after a stressful adventure.’

’Of course, if it’s too expensive, then... Hmm?’

Suddenly, a faint scent of blood reached his nose. Lu Wei immediately banished his stray thoughts and cautiously stopped in his tracks.

Furen and Bai Ya quickly stopped behind him, asking in confusion, "What’s wrong?"

"Over there. There’s a smell of blood near the stream."

Lu Wei pointed, frowning as he replied, "Something must have died."

Upon hearing this, Furen’s expression immediately turned serious. He drew his Longsword. "Should we go check it out?"

"...Let’s not."

Lu Wei considered for a moment and decided there was no need to get involved.

After all, it was common for animals to be killed by predators in the forest. It was most likely just the carcass of a deer or a wild boar.

Besides, the Adventurer’s Manual said—

[Do not engage in any extraneous actions without confirmed intelligence or a guaranteed reward!]

Curiosity killed the cat. Countless Adventurers had lost their lives by sticking their noses where they didn’t belong.

’So we can’t go!’

’This is what discipline looks like in a mature Adventurer Squad!’

...

...

The rest of the journey back was uneventful.

Perhaps because they were more familiar with the route now, or perhaps because they were eager to get back, Lu Wei’s trio arrived in Heitai Town just after noon.

It was almost two hours faster than their trip out.

"Let’s go claim the Kobold bounty first," Lu Wei said after they finished lunch at a roadside stall in the market nearest the town entrance. He couldn’t stand the stench coming from his backpack any longer and decided they should head to the Adventurer Association to trade the pile of ears for Silver Coins.

Furen and Bai Ya had no objections, so the trio immediately set off for the Association branch located next to the Central Plaza.

At that same moment, two men they would certainly recognize happened to be walking through the main doors of the branch, carrying a large burlap sack.

"Cashing in a bounty!"

Slamming the sack onto the long wooden counter with a THUD, the two men boomed, their voices loud and clearly meant for everyone to hear.

This sort of thing wasn’t uncommon. Many Adventurers liked to show off after killing a powerful monster. Some even went as far as parading a monster’s head all over town.

It was just like an angler who’s landed a big one; the "if you don’t show it off, you might as well not have caught it" mentality was perfectly understandable.

"Heitai Town Adventurer Association, Receptionist Number Three, Kaelin. Welcome home, gentlemen."

Behind the counter sat a young, beautiful human woman in a standard gray uniform. Her smile was incredibly sweet, and her welcoming spiel was even smoother.

The service was better than what you’d get in a brothel.

This was one of the hallmarks of the Adventurer Association, rumored to boost the Adventurers’ morale and motivation.

"And what monster might this be?"

Glancing at the large sack, Kaelin had already guessed what was inside, but she asked with a smile all the same.

It was the only way to maximally satisfy an Adventurer’s vanity.

"Ahem."

Sure enough, the man with the bird’s-nest hair cleared his throat, straightened his back, and announced with immense pride:

"A bear goblin!"

At those two words, a clamor erupted in the hall. Many of the Adventurers who had been busy with their own affairs or browsing quests immediately turned to look, their faces full of astonishment.

After all, a bear goblin was a High Level Monster. Unless you were a Professional, you’d need a top-tier, well-equipped, and powerful squad to have any hope of defeating one.

"Incredible!"

"Is that the first bear goblin killed this month?"

"Just the two of them? They must have mastered some powerful Combat Skills!"

"I wonder when I’ll be that strong..."

Seeing the honest-to-goodness bear goblin head in the sack, the crowd broke into a flurry of discussion, much to the satisfaction of the bird’s-nest-haired duo.

Several people even looked eager to approach them, apparently hoping to invite them to team up.

Receptionist Kaelin, for her part, knew exactly what to do. She deliberately dragged out the registration process, taking a full three or four minutes before finally handing over a Gold Coin and their two Adventurer’s Badges.

"Here is your bounty and your badges. On behalf of the Adventurer Association, I sincerely thank you for your service to the Kingdom."

"We were just doing our duty."

The pair gleefully accepted their bounty and badges. After basking in the envious stares of the crowd for a while longer, they finally sauntered out the door, heading straight for Pigeon Lane with endless gratitude for the Goddess of Fortune.

About ten minutes later, Lu Wei’s trio walked in, led by Furen.

"This is where you cash in monster bounties."

"But not all monsters have a standing bounty. The specific list is posted over there, and the prices change from time to time."

"Oh, right, you two should register, too. That way you can accumulate points. With enough points, you can upgrade your badge Level and get better service..."

As he explained things to the other two, Furen’s face was flushed and his pace quickened. He couldn’t wait to bask in the astonished and envious gazes of the crowd.

After all, these were the ears of sixteen Kobolds!

’They might be Low Level Monsters, but a quantity this large is sure to attract some attention!’

"Cashing in a bounty! Sixteen Kobolds!"

With this thought, Furen strode to the counter, pulled the ears from his backpack, and puffed out his chest, ready to receive the wave of gasps and praise he expected.

But after waiting for a long moment... there was nothing.

Huh?

Furen froze. He furtively glanced around out of the corner of his eye, his expression growing baffled.

’That’s not right...’

’Why isn’t anyone looking at me?’

’This isn’t how it was supposed to go...’