Chapter 47 Selling the Spoils

The inn’s accommodations could not compare with the star-rated hotels of Xia Nan’s previous life.

But compared with sleeping in the wilderness, exposed to wind, rain, and monsters, they were paradise.

At the very least, no companion on night watch would shake him awake in the middle of his sleep and force him to fight an ambushing monster with messy hair and barely open eyes.

For the first time in days, Xia Nan slept soundly.

Still, he did not allow himself to sleep in.

At the first hint of dawn, he forced himself out of the warm bed through sheer willpower.

For an adventurer, the first day after finishing a quest was often the busiest.

Turn in the quest.

Sell the spoils.

Repair the equipment.

Replace damaged supplies.

One task after another stacked up inside Xia Nan’s head like items on a checklist.

Even if it took him the entire day to finish everything, he would gladly do it.

Because once all of that was done, he could finally walk around with a heavy purse, a full sense of accomplishment, and absolutely no guilt while enjoying his hard-earned “vacation.”

After washing up, Xia Nan left the tavern.

With a heavy backpack strapped to his shoulders, he headed for the Adventurers’ Association in Rivervale Town.

The Association was still the same treehouse-like building with its distinct Misty Forest style.

And it was still just as busy.

Xia Nan had gotten up as early as he reasonably could, but by the time his boots stepped onto the dark-brown oak floor near the entrance, the place was already packed with adventurers.

Some carried bulging packs just like his, clearly here to turn in completed quests.

Others stood in groups of three or five beneath the quest board, leaning together every so often to exchange quiet words.

Then Xia Nan noticed something else.

A half-orc over two meters tall was strolling toward the Association from farther down the street.

He was huge.

Muscular.

Covered in mud and obvious traces of battle.

And in one hand, he carried the grotesque severed head of a monster.

Fresh blood was still dripping from the torn neck.

Clearly, the half-orc had just come straight from a hard fight.

The smell of blood pouring off him was bad enough.

Combined with the stench of someone who had spent several days in the wilderness without bathing, it became downright vicious.

Passing adventurers wrinkled their noses and gave him a wide berth.

Xia Nan watched the half-orc’s reaction.

There was no anger.

No embarrassment.

Not even mild annoyance.

The man looked delighted.

Completely, shamelessly delighted.

That leisurely, self-satisfied expression immediately reminded Xia Nan of a fisherman who had finally caught a huge fish and would gladly take a detour through a dozen extra streets on the way home just to make sure the entire town saw it.

Xia Nan even suspected that if someone walked over right now and asked what kind of monster it was or how the fight had gone, the half-orc might grin so hard that his two protruding tusks disappeared down his throat.

Unfortunately for him, he never made it inside.

The moment he reached the entrance, several staff members who had apparently heard about his approach came rushing over.

They “politely” asked him to leave.

He could come back after cleaning himself up.

The half-orc was not bothered in the slightest.

If anything, he looked even happier.

Apparently, his true objective had already been achieved.

Xia Nan looked away, faintly amused.

After spending so many days in the oppressive atmosphere of the Misty Forest, that ridiculous little scene loosened something in his chest.

“Ding.”

A clear chime pulled his attention back.

The adventurer who had been standing ahead of him had already collected a purse from the counter and left.

Xia Nan stepped forward.

The receptionist was familiar.

Short hair.

Listless expression.

Head drooping so low she looked one breath away from falling asleep on the counter.

“Quest number?” she asked weakly.

“387H. The collection quest for glowgarlic vine.”

Silence.

The girl did not respond immediately.

Her hands moved beneath the counter for a moment.

Then she finally said, “Number 387H. The deadline has passed. The client chose not to extend the bounty, so the quest has already been withdrawn.”

Just as expected.

Xia Nan had prepared himself for that answer, but disappointment still flickered through him.

Normally, three days would have been more than enough to travel from Rivervale Town to the outskirts of the Misty Forest and back.

The deadline had been generous.

The problem was that no one could have predicted he would encounter the half-elf’s party, accept their commission, and continue deeper into the forest.

That detour had earned him 100 gold and a considerable amount of loot.

But it had also cost him the glowgarlic vine quest.

Part of the reason he had rushed back to Rivervale Town through the night was because he still hoped to turn it in.

Unfortunately, by the time he reached town, the Association had already closed.

There had been nothing he could do except come back this morning.

“Understood. Thank you.”

Xia Nan nodded and turned to leave.

Then the receptionist lifted her eyes and gave him a brief look.

“I heard Lady Edwina’s new antidote works pretty well. She’s preparing to produce a second batch.”

Xia Nan stopped.

“You could try asking at her shop. You might still have a chance.”

He blinked.

Then he thought about it.

Glowgarlic vine was not especially common.

Even if Edwina no longer needed it urgently enough to maintain the original premium bounty price, she should still be willing to buy some at the normal market rate.

The receptionist’s suggestion had opened another path for him.

“Thanks for the tip.”

Xia Nan thought for a moment.

Then he slipped a gleaming silver coin from his pocket.

Covering it beneath his fingertips, he silently pushed it across the counter.

Whoosh.

The silver coin vanished.

So fast that Xia Nan almost wondered if he had imagined it.

The receptionist, who had looked half dead only moments earlier, suddenly sat straight up.

Her drooping eyelids lifted.

Her entire posture transformed into that of an exemplary employee.

Then, as if talking to herself, she casually remarked, “Lady Edwina likes liquor. Strong liquor. Bring her a couple of bottles sometime, and maybe she’ll even give you a discount when you buy something.”

Xia Nan’s eyebrow rose.

He gave a quiet nod.

Then he turned and left.

…

Thud.

Xia Nan’s thick leather boots struck the stone-paved road with a dull sound.

He stood among the morning crowds of Rivervale Town with a bottle of Lava’s Sigh in one hand.

The strong liquor had cost him two silver coins at the White Chickadee Tavern.

In front of him stood a herbalist’s shop.

It was not large.

In fact, it was only about half the size of Rockhammer.

But compared with the straightforward practicality of the smithy, this place was almost delicate.

Its design clearly borrowed from the Adventurers’ Association’s Misty Forest aesthetic.

The building itself was made of dark oak, but thick vines and lush greenery covered the surrounding walls and decorations.

If the Association looked like an enormous treehouse, this shop looked like an oversized clump of forest shrubbery that someone had somehow turned into a building.

A vertical sign stood beside the entrance.

On it was a simple drawing of a slightly tilted iron cauldron filled with thick green liquid, a ladle stirring inside.

Beside the picture, written in the Common Tongue, were the words:

Verdant Crucible.

Xia Nan mentally rehearsed what he planned to say.

Then he cleared his throat and pushed open the door.

“Ding-dong.”

A soft, pleasant bell rang overhead.

Warm air flowed toward him, carrying the dense but refreshing scent of herbs.

The interior was every bit as neat and charming as the exterior.

A brown wooden counter divided the shop in two.

Shelves lined both sides, filled with bottles, jars, packets, and containers of every size.

The merchandise looked similar to what the alchemist’s shop in the Association sold, but the prices were noticeably lower.

There were no Healing Potions.

Instead, Xia Nan saw a variety of medicinal patches and tonics whose purposes he could not even guess.

Behind the counter stood a slightly plump woman with curly hair.

She was focused entirely on the cauldron in front of her.

Every so often, she lifted some liquid with an iron ladle and studied it carefully, apparently checking the potion’s quality.

When the bell rang, she did not turn around immediately.

“Sorry. Please wait a moment. I’ll be right with you.”

Her voice was gentle and unhurried.

Xia Nan was not in a rush.

He placed the bottle of Lava’s Sigh lightly on the counter and waited.

Around two minutes later, the white vapor rising from the cauldron thickened.

The woman finally stopped stirring.

She carefully removed the ladle, covered the cauldron, then took a handkerchief from her waist and wiped her hands.

Edwina turned to greet her customer.

Then she saw the bottle on the counter.

The White Chickadee Tavern’s label was clearly visible.

Her eyes brightened immediately.

When she looked at Xia Nan, her already gentle tone softened another degree.

“Welcome to the Verdant Crucible. What can I do for you?”

Xia Nan had already prepared his explanation.

“It’s like this. A few days ago, I accepted the Association’s bounty to gather glowgarlic vine. Unfortunately, by the time I returned to Rivervale Town, I’d already missed the deadline.”

“One of the Association’s staff members mentioned that you might still need some glowgarlic vine, so I thought I’d come over and try my luck.”

As he spoke, his gaze briefly shifted toward the bottle on the counter.

“I happened to have a very good drink at the inn last night. Since I was coming over anyway, I brought a bottle with me. I hope it’s to your taste.”

“Of course.”

Edwina smiled warmly and accepted the bottle.

“That’s very thoughtful of you.”

Then she nodded.

“And you’re in luck. I do need another batch of glowgarlic vine. I was actually planning to post another request at the Adventurers’ Association in a few days.”

“If you have extra, I’ll buy it at the original bounty rate.”

Xia Nan quietly relaxed.

Perfect.

He removed the backpack containing the glowgarlic vine and handed it over.

Edwina checked the contents.

“Hmm… Thirty-two clusters in total.”

She began counting.

“That’s thirty-two gold coins. Please make sure the amount is correct.”

A purse bearing the Verdant Crucible’s emblem landed in Xia Nan’s hand.

It was heavy.

Very pleasantly heavy.

The corners of his mouth rose before he could stop them.

Then Xia Nan suddenly remembered something.

He reached down and removed a small cloth pouch from his waist.

Faint green stains still marked the surface.

Edwina looked over.

“This is…”

Sunlight from the window flashed across her rimless spectacles.

A trace of surprise appeared on her round face.

“A rust monster?”

Her eyes shifted to Xia Nan.

“You went to the Underdark?”

She carefully pinched one of the dark-purple venom glands between her fingers and held it beneath the light.

Xia Nan did not answer.

He simply looked at her and blinked.

Edwina immediately understood.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Realizing she had asked too much, she gave him an apologetic smile and returned the venom gland to the pouch.

“It’s just that these are quite dangerous for ordinary adventurers, and I don’t see them very often.”

She considered the glands for a moment.

“I’ll give you the market price. Six gold each. Four glands comes to twenty-four gold. How does that sound?”

“Deal.”

Xia Nan did not know the exact market price.

But since she had already volunteered that figure, he saw no reason to haggle.

His little treasury swelled yet again.

…

By the time Xia Nan finished at the Verdant Crucible, the morning was already well underway.

The sunlight had become fierce.

He walked along the street with his backpack over one shoulder, mentally organizing his next task.

[Next, I’ll sell the smaller odds and ends. Compasses and things like that.]

Before encountering the half-elf’s party, Xia Nan had fought two unfortunate adventurers in the clearing where he found the glowgarlic vine.

Their weapons and armor had been too heavy to carry back.

The purse containing what seemed to be their entire savings, 53 gold and 6 silver, was another matter.

So were the smaller items that fit easily into his backpack.

Those should at least be worth a few decent meals.

Unlike his previous trip, when the unknown value of the malachite had forced him to find someone reliable enough to appraise it, Xia Nan had not picked up anything this time whose value was impossible to estimate.

So rather than returning to the meticulous but stingy Fey Wind, he chose somewhere with better value.

Kukunur’s General Store.

The owner, Kukunur, was an exceptionally cheerful gnome.

The moment Xia Nan entered, Kukunur enthusiastically launched into an introduction of everything his shop could do.

And just as the Adventurer’s Handbook claimed, his prices were fair.

Very fair.

The miscellaneous items Xia Nan brought in sold for a surprising total of 3 gold and 7 silver.

Technically, the exact amount should have been 3 gold, 6 silver, and 5 copper.

Kukunur simply rounded it up.

[No wonder an otherwise ordinary general store made it into the handbook.]

Xia Nan quietly approved.

[He really is generous.]

By then, most of the morning was gone.

And nearly everything Xia Nan needed to sell had been sold.

His little treasury, which had taken a painful hit when he bought weapons and equipment after his first quest, had now reached a completely unprecedented level.

The two adventurers – 57 gold and 3 silver.

The glowgarlic vine and rust monster venom glands – 56 gold.

The half-elf’s commission – 100 gold.

Add the twenty-odd gold he had already saved, and Xia Nan’s total wealth had reached an astonishing:

236 gold, 2 silver, and 7 copper.

It still was not enough to buy a full Radiant Resistance Potion.

And apparently, it would only cover about one-seventh of a complete suit of heavy plate armor.

But Xia Nan was already more than satisfied.

This was money he had accumulated after only two quests.

Two.

For the first time, he even found himself seriously considering buying another full Healing Potion as an emergency reserve.

Then a thought suddenly hit him.

“Right!”

He remembered what Wood and the half-elf had told him during the last quest.

Instead of leaving immediately after completing the transaction, Xia Nan turned and began examining the general store’s shelves with sudden purpose.

Kukunur noticed.

“Looking for something?”

Xia Nan hesitated.

Then he glanced toward the empty doorway.

No one was there.

He leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“Do you sell combat techniques?”

“Of course!”

Kukunur answered so loudly that the secrecy was instantly ruined.

The gnome barely reached Xia Nan’s thigh, but that did not stop him from slapping his chest with confidence.

Then he suddenly ducked beneath the counter.

Something heavy scraped against the floor.

A moment later…

“Thud!”

A gigantic cardboard box covered in dust slammed onto the counter.

Kukunur had to stand on tiptoe just to get it up there.

A cloud of dust exploded into the air.

“Cough! Cough…”

The gnome waved one hand frantically in front of his face.

“Combat techniques… Cough… They’re all in here.”

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he announced the price.

“Three copper coins a pound. Buy ten pounds, and I’ll give you thirty percent off.”