Chapter 183 - 182: Deep into Blackwater Swamp

Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Deep into Blackwater Swamp

The wooden staircase to the third floor was old and let out a "CREAK, CREAK" with every step.

Hesia led the way, with Bruce following listlessly behind him. Even the sound of his paws on the stairs was much fainter.

"Hesia, can I have a piece of rib when we get back? Just one!"

"Didn’t you eat ten whole salmon tonight? You’re still not full?"

"I was full then," Bruce whimpered pitifully, "but after breathing all that fire, I feel like my stomach’s completely empty."

Remembering how hard the creature had worked that evening, Hesia relented. "Fine. If you can still eat, you can have both of the smoked ribs."

"WOOF!" Bruce instantly perked up. His tail shot straight up with a SWISH, and he bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He began pacing back and forth excitedly in front of Hesia’s door.

CREAK—

Just then, the door to the adjacent room was pushed open a crack.

Hayley, with her messy chestnut hair sticking up in every direction, poked her head out sleepily. She was wearing baggy pajamas, clearly having been woken by the noise on the stairs.

Seeing Hesia, she quickly rubbed her eyes, trying to look more alert. "Mr. Galen! You’re back, perfect timing. Are you free to go to the Adventurer Guild with me tomorrow morning? I want to see if I can recruit some suitable temporary members for our party."

She seemed to remember something and added, "Also, I asked about that thing you wanted me to find out. That supplementary quest, the one that pays per webbed toe, was supposedly proposed by a new director of the merchant association. Old Nick said that director often shows up at the Adventurer Guild in the mornings."

’A merchant association director?’

Hesia had already planned on visiting the local Adventurer Guild, but after hearing what she said, he knew he had to go.

"Alright. I was planning to check it out myself," Hesia agreed with a nod.

Hayley let out a sigh of relief as if she’d just completed a vital mission. "That’s wonderful! See you tomorrow morning, Mr. Galen! Get some rest!"

...

「The next day, at the Trout Town Adventurer Guild.」

Trout Town was controlled directly by a merchant association rather than a noble Lord, a fact made abundantly clear by the size of its Adventurer Guild.

The Vilan Clan, which owned the guild, hadn’t partnered with local powers to establish this branch like they had in Rose Town. This guild wasn’t even half the size of the one in Rose Town.

A sparse scattering of Adventurers stood around the hall in groups of two or three. Their conversations all revolved around how to most efficiently kill a group of Frogmen and claim the reward of ten silver scales.

Hesia scanned the room but didn’t see anyone who looked particularly formidable, like Zande in his suit of Fine Plate Armor.

He glanced around, using [Assessment Skill] on a few of the more capable-looking Adventurers. Their levels were all below 15.

’Looks like that guide, Mudfoot, was right. The Adventurers in Trout Town are generally mediocre.’

While Hayley went to the counter to speak with the person in charge, Hesia walked over to the quest board.

Aside from the usual miscellaneous jobs like finding items and delivering letters—similar to the ones in Rose Town—some of the Bronze-rank quests had a distinctly local flavor.

[Miscellaneous] Dockhand

The tide of the sockeye run is here, and the Twilight River is slapping gold onto our docks! We’ve got holds full of migrating sockeye flopping around in barrels! I need hands, and don’t you go telling me you can’t stand the fishy smell or the slime. Ain’t that the same stuff you find on those damn Frogmen? The difference is, these sockeye will make you money, while Frogmen will just beat you until you’re laid up in bed.

Reward: Unload fish baskets from the ship to the shore and stack them neatly! Payment is based on the total number of baskets moved—5 copper nails per basket!

Client: Shane

Hesia read the request with interest. But what was even more interesting was the faint fluctuation of Magic Power he felt coming from the parchment.

[Labeling Skill]!

Don’t trust that foul-mouthed Old Shane! His "stack them neatly" means making you pile the baskets higher than your head, and if they fall, you don’t get paid! —The fishing boat "Red Nose" is hiring dockhands, no neat stacking required, wages paid in cash!

...

Just as Hesia was about to look at the other requests, the noise in the hall suddenly quieted.

A commotion started near the entrance, and the Adventurers spontaneously parted to form a path.

Hesia turned to see a brown-haired young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, entering the hall. He wore a well-tailored dark blue coat and was flanked by two guards.

With a gentle yet confident smile, he walked straight to the center of the hall.

"Brave Adventurers, good day!" The young man’s clear voice instantly captured everyone’s attention. "I am Elton, a director of the local merchant association."

He surveyed the room and bowed slightly. "To see you all gathered here for the safety of Trout Town... on behalf of the merchant association, and all the townspeople who rely on the Twilight River trade route to survive, I offer you my most sincere gratitude!"

A ripple of agreeable murmurs went through the hall.

Elton straightened, his tone turning grave. "I know that the recent Frogman infestation has blocked our trade routes and brought overland transport to a halt. This isn’t just a loss for the merchant association—it’s a loss for every single one of us."

"I also know that sending you all out to fight them piecemeal is inefficient and dangerous. But for now, it’s the safest approach we have. We must first secure the areas near the trade route so that supplies and caravans can get through. Every Frogman you kill is a contribution to the peace and safety of Trout Town!"

"Rest assured!" Elton raised his voice. "The merchant association’s promise will stand! As long as the trade routes are not safe, this request will not be rescinded! Your every effort will be rewarded accordingly!"

He raised a hand, his fist clenched tightly.

"For the prosperity of Trout Town, and for your own glory and fortune! We’re counting on you!"

"YEAH!!"

"Well said, Mr. Elton!"

"Let’s kill those slimy Frogmen!"

The crowd erupted with enthusiastic cheers.

Just then, Hayley returned from the counter, a hint of disappointment on her face. "It’s not looking good. Most of the experienced Adventurers here are only willing to clear out Frogmen near the trade route. They don’t want to go deeper into the Blackwater Swamp."

She noticed Elton, who was now surrounded by others. "Is that Mr. Elton?"

Hesia glanced over. "Yes, he just introduced himself."

"I heard about him while I was asking at the counter," Hayley said, lowering her voice. "It was Director Elton who pushed back against everyone to raise the total reward to one hundred and fifty Golden Shields and implement the pay-per-webbed-toe system. He argued it was the best way to mobilize the most people and, at the very least, secure the areas around the trade route."

Hesia grew thoughtful.

It was indeed the most pragmatic strategy given the circumstances.

But it also meant that as long as there were plenty of Frogmen to kill near the trade route, almost no one would be willing to venture deeper into the swamp to investigate.

At most, they might cross the trade route to check out the shallows to the east.

"So you didn’t find anyone willing to go deeper?"

"Well, there were a few," Hayley sighed, "but... they didn’t look nearly strong enough."

"Then there’s no point."

Hesia agreed. Bringing underpowered teammates into an unknown region could sometimes be more dangerous than having no teammates at all.

"In that case, let’s just go in and take a look ourselves tomorrow morning. Remember to let the guide know."

"Understood! I’ll contact him and have him get the boat ready." She paused, then gave a determined smile. "With you here, Mr. Galen, I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this!"