TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The small city of Ertta served as a kind of crossroads leading to the Western Count Morris territory.
Normally, cities develop because people need to gather for so reason and create a community.
This was a mandatory stop for rchants taking risks to conduct deals near the northwestern wastelands and for those heading to the harbor city in the westernmost area to buy seafood and specialties.
Even though the city wasnt very large, its streets were bustling with rchants and rcenaries.
While rchants also gamble with their livelihoods when it cos to money, they aren't the type to rush into a flaming pit without armor, hence, they naturally needed nurous rcenaries for protection.
There are so many people, especially rcenaries.
But what's the difference between adventurers and rcenaries?
-Just a guild difference, right?
-For starters, there are more a**holes among rcenaries. They backstab a lot.
-Why are you curious about that now lol?
-Just saw it and spat it out, didnt you?
-There are a lot of people playing as rcenaries instead of adventurers, right?
Han Se-ah, observing the bustling street filled with rcenaries, threw out a question.
Whether she casually asked the stream or blurted it out of curiosity, I wasnt sure.
Responding to Han Se-ah's mumbling, it wasn't but Lily Depp who answered.
Walking along, with a long spear on her back, she began explaining next to Han Se-ah.
...Does Han Se-ah possess so kind of charm that entices won?
The speed at which the two are becoming friends is no joke.
In fact, theres not much difference. After all, rcenaries can register as adventurers, and adventurers can register as rcenaries. It's just that the guilds emphasize different requests.
Oh, is that so?
Most of the requests from the Adventurer's Guild are related to monsters and involve requests from the Magic Tower, while the rcenary Guild often takes requests from rchants or territorial battles.
Although we are high-level adventurers, were also registered as bronze rcenaries in the rcenary Guild, so we accept upper-level escort requests whenever we are heading west.
"Upper-level escort requests? Arent those also available at the Adventurer's Guild?
Well, in the adventurer's city, there's no rcenary Guild. With a monster-infested tower embedded in the middle of the city and a large branch of the Magic Tower present, why would a branch of the rcenary Guild establish there?
They would just have their rice bowls snatched away by the Adventurer's Guild and be pushed out. However, in this city, where only rchants wander around without any monsters or beasts nearby, theres a rcenary Guild and no Adventurer's Guild.
Han Se-ah and the party nod to Lily Depp's explanation.
Although the explanation was lengthy, the point was all about money, which, as adventurers who earn through requests, was very easy to understand.
She gave stories of adventurers who doubled their rewards by taking overlapping quests from both the Adventurers Guild and the rcenaries Guild, those who t ignorant bandits while heading west and earned extra inco, and those who were betrayed by rcenaries thinking adventurers were easy targets but got a taste of their own dicine.
With Lily Depp's sudden storytelling session, both the party and the viewers were unwittingly drawn into rapt attention.
Even if so of the viewers, who were gars, beca rcenaries, their ranks would rely be at the level of wooden or copper rcenaries, thus the stories from a silver were bound to be interesting.
"It might be ti to scatter and gather information?"
"Oh, right! We should."
Only Katie, who was under Rebecca, a gold rcenary, had the presence of mind to remind us what we should be doing.
Prompted by Katie's words, Han Se-ah hurriedly began dividing the group.
Myself, Han Se-ah, Grace, Irene, Katie, and with Lily added, we made six.
To hear rumors, pairing up into three teams seed the best approach.
Moving solo was too chaotic, and, excluding , the visibly striking beauties would likely attract inconvenient incidents when dealing with rcenaries.
However, moving in threes seed inefficient.
Everyone seed to have similar thoughts as they exchanged glances, then Irene spoke up first.
"Then, it seems like we should move in pairs. As for the ti, umm... how about we gather at the inn before the moon fully rises?"
The group nodded in agreent with Irene, having no objections to her suggestion.
Then, they exchanged glances, seemingly contemplating how to divide the pairs.
In the midst of this, while watching Han Se-ah, who was sending a strong gaze towards Grace
"I'll go with Roland."
"...Huh?"
Lily Depp stepped closer to quite naturally and crossed her arms.
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Raei Translations
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I was the only Lily Depp knew in our group.
Han Se-ah couldnt argue regarding this.
After all, what can you say about wanting to stick with the only person you know when you've only known the others for just a day or two?
Thus, in pairs, we scattered in different directions towards the market that dimly lit up as the sunset and darkness crept in.
Being a city of rchants, magic lights were set up, ensuring it wasnt dark even after the sun set.
It gave the vibe of a vibrant night market.
Lets go this way, Roland!
Alright, got it.
Lily Depp, who even linked arms with , was seriously focused on gathering information.
Probably concerned about her teammates.
Though Han Se-ah might be plotting sothing herself.
After all, there was a cara hovering above my head.
It feels like the side quest suddenly beca about love and war, huh? A friendly female acquaintance turns out to be an incredibly strong rival.
-Why are you so serious on the love front?
-Please proceed with the side quest, maam!
-Still, stalking Roland is more fun than gathering information, so isnt it alright?
-You ignorant folks, this is a cliffhanger, a cliffhanger!*
-Isnt it night market, not cliffhanger? (Really dont know)
"Look, attaching 'really dont know' is not an invincible cheat key. You may not have been caught by the AI, but youve been caught by my eyes, so go cool your head for about 30 minutes.
Teaming with Grace, she naturally began sothing that looked more like relationship counseling than information gathering.
Glancing at the stream I had opened in a corner of my view, I could feel laughter about to leak out.
The viewers were still unaware that Grace and I had crossed a certain line, and watched as if they were viewing a web drama.
Indeed, the love stories of NPCs, who seed more human than actual humans and were beautiful to boot, were bound to attract interest.
Roland? This is a place rcenaries often co to drink. Lets go in.
Yeah, sounds good.
Lily led to a shabby inn while I was watching the stream on the side and following her.
It was obviously more worn down than the inn we had booked rooms in, but judging by the loud, bustling voices bursting out, it seed like a place heavily frequented by rcenaries.
Creeaak-
As we pushed open the un-oiled wooden door, for a brief mont, all eyes converged on us.
Although Lily, being a star-bearing beauty, attracted attention, no rcenary dared to start trouble or strike up a conversation, seeing that we were openly carrying weapons.
Perhaps because it's a city with many rchants, there were probably more escort requests than hunting or war ones.
Seems like they had to temper their attitudes a bit to earn money.
"Three more beers here!"
"Uheheh, so I picked up the tab and that woman was gulping down--"
"What the hell, its not the rcenary who's gone missing, but the client...?"
"Shit. This request really went south."
As rcenaries noisily voice their complaints, a small boy rushed over as we took a seat at a table.
"Welco! What can I get for you two?"
"Two ales, and enough sausage for two to eat well."
"Yessir~"
The boy, occasionally glancing at the large man at the counter - perhaps this is a family-run inn - poses a question to us.
Without saying anything, Lily naturally orders two ales.
The nu isnt particularly important, so I nod without further comnt and focus on the chatter of the rcenaries around us.
"Did you hear? A ship heading from the western port to the northern port sank."
"Ha, these damned pigs raising the passage fee these days..."
"The boss upstairs seems to want to bulk up a bit, you thinking of going?"
"That damn, when will we get to touch silverware? Done so many requests already."
"Theres a street behind the Rusty Horseshoe Inn where the harlots gather"
Leaning back lazily in the chair and stretching out while waiting for the food, the surrounding din of diverse conversation reaches us.
From gossip and banter to drunken grumblings and joyful revels.
The tales weaving through this inn, common to adventurers, were varied.
Of course, I don't expect to find a perfect clue about Lily's missing party mbers by doing this.
What I want is just two things.
One, people complaining about orcs sightings or attacks by unknown beings, and second, soone who might trigger Han Se-ahs quest window.
Its natural to take advantage of having a player with a quest window in the team.
"Roland, should we try talking to those guys who ntioned the missing client?"
"Hmm, it seems the most relevant, at least."
Well, we should at least try to find so clues.
As the small boy, holding a glass as big as his own head, wobbles over, I rise from my seat and head towards a secluded table.
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