Chapter 67: Chapter 63: Minotaur?
A languid atmosphere filled the Adventurer’s Association at noon.
After a rowdy morning, even the most energetic adventurers would often choose to return to their inns for a nap, saving their drinking and boasting for the evening.
The sweltering summer heat only made people more listless. The Association was nearly empty, and most of the receptionists behind the counter were dozing off.
CREAK—
The soft sound of the door opening startled a receptionist who had been nodding off. She looked up to see a five-person Adventurer Squad before her.
Like most squads returning from the field, they were in rough shape. They were travel-worn, and most of them were injured.
Bain carried a cloth sack to the counter where they had accepted the quests. "Hello, we’re here to turn in quests E1029 and E1033."
The journey back had taken considerable time. Everyone except Lin Mo was badly injured, and their mobility was still limited even after drinking what little Life Potion they had. It had taken them two and a half days to finally reach the town.
Fortunately, the rest of the trip was relatively smooth. They only encountered a few groups of Goblins, which Lin Mo handled with ease.
"Could you please present your adventurer identification..."
The staff member behind the counter immediately became fully alert and responded with a smile.
A receptionist position at the Adventurer’s Association was stable, the pay wasn’t low, and it came with high commissions. It was an excellent job under any circumstances, to say nothing of the current difficult times.
As such, the Association’s standards for them were high. Not only was the hiring process rigorous, but their work attitude and efficiency were also subject to regular review. Failing an evaluation or receiving too many complaints from adventurers could easily result in dismissal.
Therefore, those who managed to keep their positions were, without a doubt, professional and service-oriented, regardless of their individual performance.
Bain produced his adventurer Identity Card, and Lin Mo placed his own card on the table as well.
As for Evan and the others, this wasn’t necessary since they were all in Bain’s squad.
"Alright, one moment, please... Quests E1029 and E1033 are confirmed complete. Would you like us to buy back your excess materials?"
"Buy them back."
"Alright, the total quest reward is 22 Gold Coins. In addition, you have 34 Goblin ears, 7 Cat Demon’s Claws, and one claw from a sub-adult Curse Patterned Cat Demon, which totals 5 gold, 58 silver, and 50 copper."
As for the horns from the two Minotaurs and the claw from the adult Curse Patterned Cat Demon, those belonged entirely to Lin Mo, and he had no intention of selling them to the Association.
Although the Adventurer’s Association offered reasonably fair prices for materials, he could still earn at least 15% more if he found the right connections and sold to someone with a greater need.
As per their prior agreement, Lin Mo received thirty percent of the total, which came to 8 gold, 27 silver, and 55 copper.
Including this amount, his total net worth was now only 13 gold, 75 silver, and 13 copper—not even enough to buy a single Life Potion.
It couldn’t be helped. Even though he had bought his weapon and Leather Armor at cost, they had still cost him a lot. And it wasn’t like you could run into a 100-Gold-Coin rescue mission every day.
Normally, one had to accumulate wealth slowly, one quest at a time. Even a veteran adventurer like Bain had to complete several quests just to afford a suitable weapon.
"Oh, right, the money for the Life Potion..."
Bain took out 15 Gold Coins and handed them to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo took thirteen of them and handed the remaining two back to him.
"I drank a little of it earlier. This is enough."
Bain didn’t refuse. Factoring in the cost of two Life Potions, their squad had actually lost money on this expedition. Having an extra two Gold Coins would make the coming days a little easier.
Being an adventurer was never a profession for getting rich quick. Behind the seemingly high income lay countless hardships. Accidents could happen at any time while out on an expedition. If a weapon or piece of Armor was damaged or lost, the profits from one or even several quests would be completely wiped out.
If the situation was even worse, one would be forced to use an incredibly expensive Life Potion. Some didn’t even get the chance to use a Potion before dying at the hands of a Demon.
The fact that the entire squad had returned safely this time was all thanks to Lin Mo; they had been incredibly lucky.
"We’re going to head back to the inn to rest. See you later."
After saying that, Bain waved and left the Association.
Lin Mo glanced around the main hall. It seemed to be Lena’s day off, as he didn’t see the silver-gray-furred cat-girl anywhere.
Having just returned, he was in no hurry to accept another quest. Lin Mo ordered a cup of barley tea, drank it all in one go, and after slightly dispelling the summer heat, he left the Association and headed toward Copper Hammer Street.
...
Business was always slowest in the afternoon.
Unlike most people who grew drowsy during the languid afternoon, the energetic Dwarf Blacksmith Edgar was full of vigor. With no customers in the shop, he was holed up in his forge, the sound of his hammering ringing out. CLANG, CLANG.
’That kid who made me lose money on his gear... he hasn’t been back in a while, not since he came by that morning to get a protective coating on his weapon.’
’Even if he was out on a quest, he should be back by now for equipment repairs.’
’I hope he didn’t die in the jaws of some Demon. Otherwise, this "investment" of mine will be a huge loss.’
"Boss, there’s a customer here for you," the shop assistant called from outside the door.
"Hang on, let me just finish hammering this ingot..."
Edgar said, swinging the hammer in his hand once more.
"Stop hammering. I brought you something good."
The next moment, however, the forge door was pushed open. A familiar figure appeared, followed by a shop assistant with an anxious look on his face.
"Boss, the customer insisted on coming in..."
Edgar waved a hand, dismissing him. The assistant let out a sigh of relief and closed the door behind him.
The young Dwarf put down his hammer, hopped off the forging platform, and walked up to Lin Mo. He looked him over carefully, then jumped up and thumped him on the chest.
"So you are alive... I thought you’d been turned into Slime droppings by now."
"Do Slimes even have droppings?"
Lin Mo paused for a second before saying, "That’s not the point. See if this stuff is worth anything."
As he spoke, he unslung two massive axes from his back, each one nearly as tall as he was.
Only then did Edgar notice the colossal items he’d brought. He took one of the Heavy Axes with great interest, tapping it here and there with a small smithing hammer.
"The material’s not half bad... Where’d you get this thing?"
"Looted them after I killed a couple of Minotaurs."
"Oh, Minotaurs, huh..."
Edgar nodded. For a Minotaur’s physique, it wasn’t surprising they would use an axe this big.
He wiped the dust from the face of the axe, his mind finally pulling away from the large piece of iron he had been working on.
Then, a thunderous roar echoed all the way to the front counter.
"MINOTAURS?!!"
