Chapter 75: The Price of Wild Treasures
“Wow, we managed to gather more wild treasures than I expected.”
“And we collected some herbs too, so it was a two-for-one deal,” Rio replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
While we did come across some clusters, there weren’t any trees like those in the Heavenly Wolf Garden where multiple mushrooms grow on a single trunk. It seems that over-concentration isn’t a good idea after all.
“But…”
“…Is something wrong?”
Rio tilted her head, a look of concern crossing her face. I sensed a large presence in the distance. I’ve gotten better at detecting both presence and Magic Power, able to sense them from several kilometers away now.
“Could that be the monster that took down the Silver Wolf?”
“You found something, didn’t you? I can’t feel it from this distance, but if you think so, it probably is. So, what do we do?”
“Hmm… It might not be any less formidable than the monsters deep in the Forest of Enchantment.”
“Oh, really? That’s impressive.”
I’ve heard that even my master struggles against the monsters at the very depths of the forest, and we’ve never fought them ourselves. However, there are certainly troublesome creatures that take us quite some time to hunt, even when we team up. Among them, the Earth Dragon was the most challenging. I believe we could defeat it more easily now than before, but I don’t particularly want to face it again. Even if the battle time has halved from two full days, it’s still a grueling experience.
“Yeah, let’s avoid it if we can.”
“That sounds good.”
“If we do run into it, we can use some random prey from the Dimensional Box as bait to escape.”
“Haha, true. We have plenty of substantial prey.”
“Alright then, let’s head back soon.”
“Yeah, the sun is setting, so let’s do that.”
We distanced ourselves from the large monster’s presence and began our journey back to the village. Along the way, we spotted a bear monster, but it noticed us and fled, so we let it be. From what I heard at the Guild, they tend to be aggressive, but I wonder why that is?
A day passed, and it was now evening. Today, we harvested a bounty of herbs while collecting wild Heavenly Wolf Mushrooms, our faces beaming with satisfaction. The deeper we went, the fewer people we encountered, making it a hidden gem.
“Since we’ll only be staying at the inn for one night, let’s sell some of our finds at the Guild today.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll pass through the Heavenly Wolf Forest and head to Craftsman City Raven, right?”
“Yeah. I want to gather some furniture for camping, and it’s a hassle to keep going back to the border town.”
“Haha… I completely agree.”
As usual, we slipped through the entrance of the Guild and made our way to the buying counter. Today, I planned to sell a variety of items. I also wanted to get my hands on some Silver Wolf pelts.
…Huh? You want me to skin it myself? No way, that sounds like too much trouble.
“Excuse me, I’d like to sell some items.”
I spoke casually, and a staff member who was free approached us.
“Yes, please go ahead.”
First, I presented some of the herbs we had gathered, and then it was time for the main event: the Silver Wolf.
“Eh!?”
The staff member took a startled step back, drawing the attention of others in the Guild. Not wanting to dwell on it, I placed six pelts on the counter.
“I’d like the pelts, please.”
“…Ah, yes. Um, what about the meat?”
I could faintly hear the staff’s hesitant voice amidst the murmurs in the Guild. Can you even eat wolf meat? Just hearing about it makes it sound tough and unappetizing.
“Can you eat the meat?”
It seemed Rio was thinking the same thing.
“Y-Yes. High-rank monsters often have delicious meat. The Silver Wolf is also edible.”
“Oh, then I’ll take the meat from three of them. The rest can be sold.”
“Understood.”
“And I’ll sell this as well…”
I carefully pulled out a sizable wild Heavenly Wolf Mushroom from my pocket. I had gathered more than I expected, and my curiosity piqued about how much it would sell for.
“W-Wild!?”
The staff member’s surprise was even greater than when I presented the Silver Wolf. The encounter rate for Silver Wolves is definitely higher; they attack as soon as you get close.
“I-I apologize. We need to process and appraise this, so could you come back tomorrow?”
I received a Trade Token in exchange and left the Guild, ignoring the curious and doubtful gazes directed my way.
The next day, after collecting our spoils and rewards at the Guild, I eagerly checked the quality of the Silver Wolf pelts.
“Wow, it’s fluffier than I expected!”
“It feels nice,” Rio chimed in.
The size was impressive; even one pelt would be enough to lie on without hanging off the edges.
“And it’s a wild one too.”
“It sold for more than I thought.”
I had brought in two wild mushrooms, each fetching 53,000 Fron and 120,000 Fron respectively. The price was so high that I couldn’t help but wonder if the wild mushrooms I had eaten at the inn recently were fakes. I had heard that the deeper you go, the more valuable the finds, but this was beyond my expectations.
“Alright, let’s get going.”
“Yeah. It was a peaceful and lovely village.”
“True… but it was a village that made you hungry just by being there.”
“Haha!”
Even now, the faint aroma of mushrooms wafted through the air, and I admired how well the villagers endured it. Or perhaps they had simply grown accustomed to it.
Just as we were about to leave the Guild, a voice called out to us.
“I’m looking for the adventurer who brought in the wild Heavenly Wolf Mushrooms yesterday. Do you know where they are?”
A plump, imposing man stood there, exuding an air of authority. He seemed more like someone giving orders than an adventurer himself, and he didn’t appear particularly powerful.
I felt a vague sense of unease, but I had to pass by him to exit. Moreover, I noticed the staff member he had cornered glance our way.
As our eyes met, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something ominous was about to unfold.