Chapter 185: Why Must Women Make Things Difficult for Women

Dusk was settling as the last sliver of afterglow faded from the horizon. Warm lights began to shine from windows along the streets and alleys, and the air filled with the scent of cooking dinners and a growing chill.

“Ah, someone’s here.”

“So annoying.”

“I hate it most when adventurers show up right before closing time.”

“She could have come earlier, or she could have come later.”

“But no, she had to pick this exact time.”

“She really has no consideration for us workers.”

The Adventurer Association’s great hall was empty. When the Magic Clock on the wall pointed to 6:58, the massive, three-meter-tall doors were pushed open yet again.

Kaelin stood behind the wooden counter, watching Bai Ya rush in. She muttered her complaints under her breath.

But when Bai Ya reached the counter, Kaelin immediately put on a perfectly professional smile.

“Adventurer Association, Heitai Town branch. Kaelin, Receptionist number 3. Welcome home.”

“Whew… hello.”

Bai Ya leaned one hand on the counter’s edge, patting her chest as she caught her breath. “I finally made it,” she said, relieved. “It’s not seven o’clock yet, is it?”

“One minute left,” Kaelin answered truthfully.

Bai Ya froze. “Oh, then I’m not keeping you from getting off work, am I?”

“…”

‘What a thing to say.’

‘You really don’t have a clue, do you?’

“Please rest assured. We provide full service to any Adventurer who walks into the Association before seven o’clock.”

Rolling her eyes internally, Kaelin smiled and nodded. “It’s our duty. Serving you is my honor.”

“Oh, I see. That’s good then.”

Bai Ya breathed a sigh of relief and set a cloth bag on the counter. “Please exchange these for their bounty.”

“Of course…”

As her gaze fell on the bulging bag, a flash of surprise crossed Kaelin’s eyes.

As an experienced receptionist, she could tell from the smell alone that the bag was mostly filled with goblin and Kobold ears.

That in itself wasn’t unusual.

But a bag this large…

“Let me take a look.”

After a moment, she nodded and reached out to untie the bag’s drawstring.

A thick, rotten stench immediately billowed out, so strong it made her recoil half a step.

Across the counter, Bai Ya, who had already covered her nose with a handkerchief, quickly offered an embarrassed apology:

“I’m so sorry. Some of them have started to rot, so the smell might be a little strong.”

‘Ah, what a timely warning.’

“It’s alright…”

Kaelin managed a strained smile as she pulled a Bird Beak Mask from under the counter and put it on.

It was a piece of leather “anti-poison Equipment,” with glass lenses for the eyes and a beak-shaped filter over the nose and mouth, stuffed with cotton, medicinal herbs, and mint powder.

Although it was called an “anti-poison mask,” it was actually quite poor at filtering out toxins. Its main purpose was to neutralize foul odors.

After all, the spoils adventurers brought back often came with all sorts of unpleasant odors.

Some adventurers were just plain smelly themselves.

Without the masks, it would be difficult for the receptionists to maintain their smiling service.

And showing even the slightest hint of annoyance or disgust during a transaction would damage the Adventurer Association’s reputation.

Frankly, Lu Wei could spend a lifetime just trying to master these details.

“Alright, I’ll start tallying them up for you now~”

With the mask on, Kaelin’s voice was slightly muffled.

Eager to get off work, she didn’t ask any further questions and immediately began sorting the ears from the bag.

She sorted out the ones that didn’t meet the standards, leaving only those eligible for exchange. In less than ten minutes, the two hundred-odd ears had been separated into two piles.

“Okay, I’ve finished the count.”

“These can’t be exchanged for a bounty due to various stages of decay. You can take them back, or we can dispose of them for you.”

“These are the ones that qualify. In total, there are 130 goblin right ears and 43 Kobold right ears.”

“In addition, there’s one bear goblin’s nose and two Elite Level goblin right ears.”

Looking at Bai Ya, Kaelin asked for confirmation, “Are those numbers correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Bai Ya nodded. She had been keeping a mental count as well, and the numbers matched.

The loss of forty-four ears was perfectly acceptable.

At least the two Elite Level goblin right ears and the bear goblin’s nose were undamaged.

“Alright, then please present your Adventurer’s Badge.”

The Bird Beak Mask bobbed. “I’ll process the registration now and convert this into your bounty and points.”

“Here you go… Oh, right.”

Bai Ya handed over her badge, but a thought suddenly occurred to her:

“Can the points be credited to someone else’s account? I can provide his badge number.”

“I’m sorry, but according to regulations, that can only be done by the account holder in person.”

“Oh, alright then.”

Bai Ya nodded in resignation. “Just proceed, then.”

“Of course. Please wait a moment.”

Kaelin took the badge, used its number to find the corresponding ledger, and began processing the transaction.

Another ten minutes passed. She set down her quill and began to count out the money, reciting the totals as she went:

“130 goblin right ears: 130 points, bounty of 6 silver and 50 copper coins.”

“43 Kobold right ears: 129 points, bounty of 6 silver and 45 copper coins.”

“1 bear goblin nose: 100 points, bounty of 1 Gold Coin.”

“2 Elite Level goblin right ears: 120 points, bounty of 1 gold and 2 silver.”

“The grand total is 479 points and 3 gold, 4 silver, and 95 copper coins.”

“Here you are.”

“Also, since your points have met the requirement, your badge has been upgraded from Bronze to Black Iron.”

“Here is your new badge.”

Kaelin pushed the bulging coin purse and a black badge across the counter to Bai Ya. She spoke quickly, her only thought now being to get off work as soon as possible.

Bai Ya picked up the Black Iron Badge and examined it with interest, asking curiously:

“How many points do I have in total now?”

“495 points,” Kaelin said, glancing down at the ledger.

“And I can upgrade to a Silver Badge once I reach one thousand points, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“And then I get to make a wish?”

“It’s an upgrade bonus.”

Kaelin corrected her. “We will do our best to fulfill your request, within our capabilities.”

Bai Ya looked confused. “And what counts as ‘within your capabilities’?”

“…”

‘Why do you have so many questions?!’

‘It’s already 7:20!’

Kaelin took a deep breath. “That depends on the nature of your request.”

“Oh, I see. But I haven’t thought of one yet.”

Bai Ya scratched her head sheepishly.

???

‘Then go home and take your sweet time thinking about it!’

‘Why must women make things so hard for other women?!’

…

…

By the time Bai Ya left the Adventurer Association at 7:30, the sky had gone completely dark.

The night had stained the entire town like thick ink. The cold moonlight and sparse starlight barely managed to trace the dark silhouettes of the buildings.

The small plaza outside was nearly deserted, save for a few figures lingering before the “Hiring Board” on the eastern side.

Clearly, they were more poor souls whose dreams of adventure had been shattered.

Clutching her coin purse, Bai Ya worried that Lu Wei might have gone home and eaten without her, so she trotted all the way back to their small wooden cabin.

But when she arrived, she found that Lu Wei still hadn’t returned.

‘It’s so late. What on earth could he be doing?’

She checked all around the house but found no trace of Lu Wei. With nothing else to do, she returned to the front yard, lit the stove, and reheated the meat stew, which had already gone cold.

BUBBLE BUBBLE~

Bubbles rolled in the pot, and a rich aroma drifted through the air.

As she waited by the stove, Bai Ya eventually hugged her knees and drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up, the fire had died out, and the stew was cold once more.

But Lu Wei still hadn’t returned.

‘Could he have gone to Pigeon Lane?’

Seeing the large moon now high in the sky, Bai Ya finally started to panic. A sense of unease began to spread through her.

Forgetting all about dinner, she grabbed a kerosene lamp and hurried out of the small courtyard.

And at the same time she was searching all over Heitai Town for Lu Wei, the only person in town who knew what was happening had just left the alleyway of the Silver Moon Corridor.

“Hmph. It seems I underestimated him.”

Behind a second-floor window draped with a thin gauze curtain, Freya silently watched Mirana’s departing figure, her eyes seemingly colder than usual.

“My Lady.”

Behind her, Gante asked cautiously, “What should we do now? Should Cersei and I try again?”

“Try again?”

Freya turned and shot him a look. “You couldn’t bring him back today. What makes you think trying again would be any use?”

“Er…”

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Gante’s face as he explained in a low voice, “We were afraid of injuring Young Master Furen today, that’s why…”

“Enough. Shut up.”

Freya cut him off coldly before he could finish. “What you need to do now is not go and embarrass me again, but to immediately find out his true identity.”

Gante froze. “But… haven’t we already investigated him?”

Freya sneered. “So you’re saying you knew all along that he was a Priest?”

“Ah, no, no!”

The realization dawned on Gante, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He quickly lowered his head, stammering out an assurance:

“My Lady, I understand!”

“I’ll get on it right away! I’ll be sure to find out who he really is!”