Chapter 145: Outside the Tower 5
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 some reason and create a community.
This was a mandatory stop for merchants 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 merchants and mercenaries.
While merchants also gamble with their livelihoods when it comes to money, they aren't the type to rush into a flaming pit without armor, hence, they naturally needed numerous mercenaries for protection.
There are so many people, especially mercenaries.
But what's the difference between adventurers and mercenaries?
-Just a guild difference, right?
-For starters, there are more a**holes among mercenaries. They backstab a lot.
-Why are you curious about that now lol?
-Just saw it and spat it out, didnt you?The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
-There are a lot of people playing as mercenaries instead of adventurers, right?
Han Se-ah, observing the bustling street filled with mercenaries, 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 me 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 some kind of charm that entices women?
The speed at which the two are becoming friends is no joke.
In fact, theres not much difference. After all, mercenaries can register as adventurers, and adventurers can register as mercenaries. 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 Mercenary Guild often takes requests from merchants or territorial battles.
Although we are high-level adventurers, were also registered as bronze mercenaries in the Mercenary 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 Mercenary 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 Mercenary 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 merchants wander around without any monsters or beasts nearby, theres a Mercenary 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 Mercenaries Guild, those who met ignorant bandits while heading west and earned extra income, and those who were betrayed by mercenaries thinking adventurers were easy targets but got a taste of their own medicine.
With Lily Depp's sudden storytelling session, both the party and the viewers were unwittingly drawn into rapt attention.
Even if some of the viewers, who were gamers, became mercenaries, their ranks would merely be at the level of wooden or copper mercenaries, thus the stories from a silver were bound to be interesting.
"It might be time to scatter and gather information?"
"Oh, right! We should."
Only Katie, who was under Rebecca, a gold mercenary, had the presence of mind to remind us what we should be doing.
Indeed, the love stories of NPCs, who seemed more human than actual humans and were beautiful to boot, were bound to attract interest.
Roland? This is a place mercenaries often come to drink. Lets go in.
Yeah, sounds good.
Lily led me 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 seemed like a place heavily frequented by mercenaries.
Creeaak-
As we pushed open the un-oiled wooden door, for a brief moment, all eyes converged on us.
Although Lily, being a star-bearing beauty, attracted attention, no mercenary dared to start trouble or strike up a conversation, seeing that we were openly carrying weapons.
Perhaps because it's a city with many merchants, 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 mercenary who's gone missing, but the client...?"
"Shit. This request really went south."
As mercenaries noisily voice their complaints, a small boy rushed over as we took a seat at a table.
"Welcome! 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 me saying anything, Lily naturally orders two ales.
The menu isnt particularly important, so I nod without further comment and focus on the chatter of the mercenaries 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 members by doing this.
What I want is just two things.
One, people complaining about orcs sightings or attacks by unknown beings, and second, someone 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 mentioned the missing client?"
"Hmm, it seems the most relevant, at least."
Well, we should at least try to find some 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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