Chapter 43: King’s Pressure
I felt a bit reluctant this time, but I couldn’t just let things sit unused in my Magic Bag, so I headed to the Adventurers Guild.
I greeted the old guy at the purchasing counter, who was looking over some Medicinal Herbs brought in by an Adventurer.
He asked, “The back?” and when I nodded, he pointed me towards the dismantling area.
As usual, Mii-chan, riding on my shoulder, was the center of attention, but I coolly ignored it and headed to the dismantling area.
There were no other customers today, so the old guy in charge of dismantling came over right away.
“You’re late, aren’t you? Did you catch any Chiki-Chiki Birds?”
“I was over by Osius Village. I’ve got some big stuff, so I’ll need a large space, please.”
“You always bring things in bulk,” he said, gesturing to a wide space in the center. I took the items out of my Magic Bag and lined them up.
Orc King: 1
High Orcs: 2
Orcs: 5
Forest Wolves: 7
Big Elk: 1
Horn Boars: 2
Hedgehogs: 9
Chiki-Chiki Birds: 6
Red Chickens: 2
Kokekkos: 8
Sprint Birds: 4
“Whoa, an Orc King?! You said Osius Village, right?”
“To be precise, it was about a three-day journey deep into the forest from Osius Village. The High Orcs and Orcs were from a similar area.”
“As long as it’s not around this town, that’s fine.”
Well, no kidding. If something like that was wandering around here, you wouldn’t be able to camp in peace.
“Oh, Chiki-Chiki Birds and Red Chickens, huh? The bigwigs have been clamoring for them.”
“And you’re selling them at a higher price because of that, I bet.”
“Of course! It’s the Adventurers Guild’s job to protect Adventurers’ earnings. Your cat does good work.”
I figured they’d sell items demanded by the rich patrons at a high price, but I kept quiet.
I left my Guild Card and headed to the dining hall, quenching my thirst with an ale for the first time in a while.
〈Hey! Someone brought in an Orc King!〉
〈Don’t be stupid! Is there an Orc King around here?〉
〈Yeah, yeah, there aren’t even any High Orcs.〉
〈You gotta go to the forests in the countryside to find big game.〉
〈The area around this town is, at best, a D-Rank hunting ground.〉
〈This is the kind of place where hunting an Orc would cause a huge uproar.〉
〈Believe what you want, but go check the dismantling area! You guys have probably never even seen an Orc King.〉
〈Yeah, yeah, I’m just a humble Medicinal Herb-gathering Adventurer.〉
〈At least learn to hunt a Horned Rabbit before calling yourself an Adventurer.〉
〈It must have been brought in from one of the surrounding villages.〉
〈Hey, it’s the Guild Master.〉
Hearing the Guild Master’s voice, I looked towards the reception area and saw him walking straight towards me.
I had a baaad feeling about this.
“Are you the one who brought that in?”
“Yes, but it was deep in the forest near Osius Village.”
“I heard that, but did you do it alone?”
“Well, I have Mii-chan, an expert mouse catcher, with me.”
The Guild Master glanced at Mii-chan and snorted.
My Guild Card was clutched in his hand.
“You’re promoted to E-Rank.”
“Again?”
“If you can hunt that alone, it’s only natural. I wouldn’t mind raising your rank one more time.”
“I refuse. Besides, F-Rank is plenty for me.”
“Work hard with your cute Mii-chan.”
“At catching mice?”
The Guild Master snorted again and left. What did he even come here for?
At this rate, trying to sell Honey here seems like it’ll be a hassle, so I’ll sell it in another town.
The head dismantler brought me the assessment sheet. I checked it and approved.
Orc King: 1, 260,000 Dahla
High Orcs: 2, 130,000 Dahla x 2 = 260,000 Dahla
Orcs: 5, 70,000 Dahla x 5 = 350,000 Dahla
Forest Wolves: 7, 78,000 Dahla x 7 = 546,000 Dahla
Big Elk: 1, 155,000 Dahla
Horn Boars: 2, 160,000 Dahla x 2 = 320,000 Dahla
Hedgehogs: 9, 24,000 Dahla x 9 = 216,000 Dahla
Chiki-Chiki Birds: 6, 55,000 Dahla x 6 = 330,000 Dahla
Red Chickens: 2, 20,000 Dahla x 2 = 40,000 Dahla
Kokekkos: 8, 16,000 Dahla x 8 = 128,000 Dahla
Sprint Birds: 4, 35,000 Dahla x 4 = 140,000 Dahla
Total: 2,745,000 Dahla
It came out to a pretty good price, but it’s still far from enough to buy the clothes I want.
That said, if I make a killing, I’ll stand out, so it seems better to bring in fewer items.
Rather than the number, it seems better not to hunt prey stronger than Orcs.
I’ll earn by numbers with small fry and keep it under 1,000,000 Dahla per trip.
〈Hey, they say a single kid brought that in.〉
〈That’s a bit much.〉
〈What were you looking at? The Guild Master confirmed it, didn’t he?〉
〈And he’s E-Rank! Bronze at that age!〉
It looked like it was about to get noisy again, so I picked up my Guild Card at the reception, cashed out the full amount at the exchange counter, stored it in my Magic Pouch, and promptly left the Guild.
I left town immediately and headed north on the Tanzas Highway.
I tried a light run on the Tanzas Highway, and with Mii-chan in the carrier on my back and Hoo-chan and the others running in front and behind, everyone looked at me in surprise.
Hoo-chan was just at a light trot, but as expected of Forest Wolves, they’re fast, so fast.
I saw a carriage with guards up ahead, so I entered the grasslands and headed north, trying not to stand out.
The next major town is Emden in the Krux territory, but first, I need to test grinding with the stone mill.
Inside the Camping Barrier, I placed the stone mill on a spread-out Medicinal Herb Pouch, crushed the bone-dry Gold Mash into small pieces, and put them into the hole at the top of the mill.
I inserted the rod for turning it and slowly rotated it clockwise, and the Gold Mash I’d put in the hole gradually disappeared downwards.
I did it just like in the video I saw at the local museum when I was in elementary school. Studying really pays off.
In the groove on the lower side of the mill, the ground-up powder slowly came out and accumulated.
When I pinched some with my fingers, it was coarse, perhaps not ground enough… and I didn’t have a tool to gather the powder.
I went outside, gathered some grass stalks, pounded them, made a small broom, and carefully swept the powder together.
After repeating the process three times, I lightly sprinkled the fine, kinako-like powder with my fingers onto a piece of bread with some of my stockpiled meat and took a bite.
The aroma that wafted through my nose was indescribable, and the taste of the meat as I chewed was vastly different from usual, though the toughness of the meat hadn’t changed. However, the flavor was reminiscent of high-quality beef.
I’d like to try it in soups or stews with vegetables, but I don’t have any on hand.
When I get to Emden, I’ll get a set of convenient tools for grinding powder and a container for sprinkling it.
And I’ll buy two or three small stockpots, stock up on stews and soups, and resolve to improve my diet.
Walking on the highway with Hoo-chan and the others would cause various problems, so I walked north through the grasslands beside the highway.
Doing so increases the probability of encountering Beasts, making it a journey of subjugation.
Horned Rabbits, Horn Boars, and the like are stored in the Magic Bag for Hoo-chan and the others’ meals.
For Goblins, I use Dominate to order them not to move, give them a quick stab from behind, and then leave them.
Even when Howl Dogs or Horndogs occasionally appeared, I ordered them all to freeze with Dominate, then had them die, and tossed them straight into the Magic Bag.
Even if I don’t feel like hunting, prey comes to me on its own, so my stock keeps increasing.
From the perspective of a serious Adventurer, I’d probably seem like a guy who’s just messing around.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
The distance between Zandra and Emden is three days by carriage, but walking leisurely through the grasslands, I arrived in two days.
As soon as I entered the town, I went straight to the market, asked for the location of a shop selling cooking utensils, and headed there directly.
I bought three small stockpots with lids and a container for sprinkling seasonings, then searched high and low for a brush.
Once I had everything I needed, I went to the market, tasted some stews and soups, and if I liked them, I bought them in bulk.
I bought portions for 10 or 20 people, so the old guys and aunties at the food stalls were surprised, but I didn’t mind.
After stocking up generously on skewered meat, steaks, and bread with fillings, I headed to the Adventurers Guild.
To avoid being looked down upon, I hung my short sword at my waist, sat Mii-chan in the carrier on my back, and opened the door to the Adventurers Guild.
Straight to the old guy at the purchase assessment counter… there was a line.
Because shopping took a while, I’d forgotten it was the time when Adventurers return, but I hate waiting, so I left the line.
Having come this far, it’s an Adventurer’s duty to wet their throat before leaving.
There was a line in front of the counter too, but I couldn’t leave without drinking an ale.
《Master…》
《What’s wrong, Mii-chan?》
《Someone’s pulling my whiskers. Is it okay if I scratch them?》
《Get on my shoulder.》
Mii-chan jumped onto my shoulder, so I quickly turned around, and there was a guy reaching for her tail.
“Do you need something with my tamed beast?”
“Don’t bring a cat into the dining hall!”
“Even so, don’t you dare lay a hand on someone else’s tamed beast. Besides, it’s registered to me, so it’s my business where I take it. You have no right to tell me what to do.”
“A punk Tamer who can only Tame cats is talking pretty big, huh?”
That piece of shit… I’ve tested it on Goblins, but I’ll make him my first human test subject.
“Punk Tamer, huh?”
Smirking, I stared into his eyes and tried glaring at him, imbuing it with the intent of King’s Pressure 《I’ll torture you to death》.
He only managed a choked “Wh-?!” before he crumpled to the ground, trembling uncontrollably as a puddle started forming at his crotch.
The guys behind that piece of shit, perhaps reacting to the killing intent, also caused a huge commotion; some drew their swords, others started to flee.
Dispelling my killing intent, I tauntingly asked the piece of shit, “What’s wrong? Scared of a punk Tamer?” But his eyes weren’t focused, so I left him alone.
The people who had been lining up at the counter had also scattered and fled, so, feigning ignorance, I ordered an ale and some snacks.