Chapter 58

On the third day, after catching twelve frogs and two fish in the morning, Thor and his companions packed their belongings and set off.

Thor carried the folded tent and three frogs, while Sora was responsible for the two fish.

Since they couldn't carry the remaining frogs, they had to discard them.

Muu lounged on his favorite sled, and Yuril borrowed Sora's staff.

It seemed that a long staff wasn't embarrassing for her. Thor couldn't quite understand this feeling.

To avoid the steep and tiring banks where the spirit grass grew, they headed upstream, sticking to the riverbank as much as possible.

Along the way, they crossed several riverbanks and encountered a few adventurers who were just preparing to leave one of them.

Thor, struck by a sudden thought, approached and called out to them.

"Sorry to bother you, but can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

The adventurer, a middle-aged man accompanied by two women and a child, stopped and showed a wary expression.

"Are you leaving this place now?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"If so, can we use it after you're done?"

The man glanced at Thor's belongings and deliberately shrugged his shoulders.

Then, he placed his hands on his hips and answered in a bothersome manner.

"Well, we have a reservation next, so it's not possible."

"Reservations? Where do we make them?"

"Where? ... Oh, you're new, aren't you? Well, if you lend me those young ladies for a bit—"

The man's words faltered as he noticed the black adventurer's badge hanging around Yuril's neck.

Perhaps he didn't want to get involved with a party that included a C-rank member, so he abruptly cut off the conversation.

"... I'm busy. Look, just go away."

Thor, in response to the adventurer's dismissive wave, lightly bowed his head in thanks and started walking.

It seemed that the stories about Rorolf and the others weren't entirely false.

By mid-morning, Thor and his companions reached a large riverbank used for quarrying. They left the exhausted Yuril at the front of a hut and headed to the dismantling yard where materials were bought.

As they rounded the back of the office, a pungent, fishy smell wafted through the air.

In the back, several white tents were lined up, and in front of them, a few wooden stakes were set up.

Long stakes had ropes strung between them, and various pieces of meat and skin were hanging, swaying in the wind.

Closer to the front, long tables and barrels were scattered about, and a few men were busy cutting open the carcasses of large beasts.

Noticing Thor and his companions, one of the workers wiped his hands on his apron and approached.

"Welcome, are you here to sell something?"

While asking, the man in the apron guided them to an empty table and encouraged them to unload their belongings.

Thor lifted the dead red poison frogs, which had their hind legs tied with rope, and the worker hurriedly brought over an empty barrel.

Sora, freed from the weight of the two blowfish, stretched and puffed out her chest.

Having grown up in the countryside, she didn't find carrying this amount of goods for a whole day particularly tiring.

The girl, who had been looking around with interest, noticed the pile of crabs on the table and exclaimed excitedly.

"Wow, there are so many crabs! And they're so big!"

"Are those... maybe beetles? Sora?"

"Those are crabs. They live in the streams and can pinch with their claws. Muu's hair might get cut too."

Muu, whose head was tousled by Sora, laughed with slightly widened eyes.

"Thor, can we eat those?"

"Can we eat them? Are they tasty?"

"Boiled, they are very delicious. I recommend you try them when you return to the city."

"Crabs are a bit expensive... They don't come down to the lower reaches, do they?"

"Yes, they only appear in certain hunting grounds."

It seemed that the upper reaches were indeed the only place where they could be found.

Noticing the disappointed expressions on the girls' faces, the worker casually changed the subject.

"Thank you for bringing the frogs. By the way, we can also handle the evaluation of your kills. Would you like to settle everything here?"

Thor laid out the red-black tongues and the back fins tied with hemp rope on the table, and the worker's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the unexpected number of fish.

The man quickly finished the calculations, wrote down the numbers on a document, and asked Thor to sign it.

Then, he handed over the completed document and pointed to the log cabin.

"Please take this paper to the reception, and they will exchange it for money. Just be careful not to damage the document, as it will become invalid."

"Thank you. That's a big help."

As Thor and his companions returned, Yuril, who had been leaning against the fence in front of the hut, gave a light nod.

With her hood off, her neatly braided silver hair shimmered in the sunlight.

Her ice-like beauty, which usually kept people at a distance, softened when directed at Thor and his companions.

Thor was momentarily captivated by her beautiful expression, which seemed to bloom like a flower unexpectedly emerging from the snow.

However, Yuril didn't seem to notice and spoke in a clear voice.

"Over there, they seem to be selling something. Would you like to take a look?"

Now that she mentioned it, the sound of vendors and the bustle of a crowd could be heard from a corner of the square where carriages were lined up.

It seemed they were selling items brought from the city.

Perhaps because it was around noon, the air was also filled with the smell of delicious food.

"Sure, go ahead. Oh, if you find something light to eat, please buy it."

"Understood. Are Sora and the others coming with me?"

"Food? Then I'll go with Muu!"

"Okay, I'll go, I'll go."

After seeing the three off, Thor pushed open the wooden door and stepped into the office.

The man standing at the counter was the same green-feathered man from the other day.

He immediately recognized Thor and formed a smile with his lips.

"Hello, welcome back."

"I'd like to exchange this."

Thor handed over the document he received from the dismantling yard, and the green-uniformed Rishi quickly scanned it before looking up.

"How was the Blood Flow River hunting ground, Thor?"

"It's not a particularly enjoyable place."

"Yes, it's a place where monsters spawn, so it's far from enjoyable."

Rishi deliberately misinterpreted Thor's words.

"By the way, I've heard various rumors. Are they true?"

"People get bored, so there are many rumors. Which one are you referring to?"

"About the reservations for hunting grounds. That you can go to good places if you pay enough money."

"Oh, I see. Yes, if you have a preference, we can arrange it for you."

"Then, how much would it cost to move upstream?"

"Let me see..."

Rishi's assessing gaze quickly fell on Thor's belongings.

Noticing the high-quality blue-striped python mantle, his lips curled up even more.

"Well, at the current market rate, it would be about three gold coins for a week."

Considering that the average annual salary of an adventurer's guild employee is about five gold coins, this was quite a steep price.

Noticing Thor's pale expression, Rishi quickly retracted his smile.

Then, he switched back to his artificial smile and laid out the coins on the counter.

The results of three days of work were four silver coins, one large copper coin, and one medium copper coin—just enough for a one-way carriage fare.

"Thank you. We look forward to your next visit."

Thor, hearing the insincere words, pushed open the door and stepped outside.