Chapter 76

In the incident where the rampaging hippopotamuses, which had undergone a group transformation, were deliberately set loose, Rishi, who was in charge of the Bloodflow River branch office, was arrested, and other staff members were also held accountable for their management responsibilities.

Subsequently, in the courtroom of the Temple of Justice, additional crimes such as embezzlement and bribery were revealed one after another, proving that the branch office had been involved in criminal activities for a long time.

As a result, almost everyone, except for a few people from the purchasing department who were not involved, was sent to prison. Furthermore, several members of the Public Security Division, who were supposed to be auditors, were also arrested for receiving benefits.

Due to this, the Adventurer's Bureau was thrown into considerable turmoil, with the bureau scrambling to address appointment responsibilities and replenish personnel. The Bloodflow River branch office was closed for about three days, but the following week, it reopened with a refreshed staff.

The hunting ground system that had been in place before was recognized as effective and was allowed to continue to some extent. Specifically, the reservation system for the downstream hunting grounds remained unchanged. However, long-term exclusive use was no longer permitted, and there would be a weekly rotation. The upstream hunting grounds would operate on a lottery system to ensure as fair a distribution as possible. Additionally, the Adventurer's Bureau announced that branch office staff would be transferred within two years at the longest, demonstrating a strong resolve to prevent a recurrence.

The release of rampaging hippopotamuses into the quarry riverbed continued as well. However, the area was not as bustling as before, and more adventurers were now targeting the red sand iron kicked up from the riverbed after the monsters were defeated.

About a week after the incident, the Bloodflow River hunting grounds had begun to settle down. During this time, Thor and his companions had been diligently piling up stone mountains.

Thanks to the ample skill points earned from the intermittent rain, Mue and Sora's lower branch skills had grown to level 3. They had also crafted red iron chestplates for Thor, Sora, and Mue using the sand iron they had collected bit by bit. Mue's chestplate, being young, was made thinner and lighter. There were also plans to make red iron swords, but since they would not match the maximum sharpness of the cast iron swords they were currently using, only new knives were provided. Additionally, a red driftwood, which had turned red, was given to Sora, allowing him to graduate from his sapling staff.

Other notable achievements included the successful recovery of a frozen spirit core from a large red water spirit, and the acquisition of both large and small rain crystal stones. Since the next hunting ground would be a wasteland, they kept the crystals for water supply instead of selling them. For now, Mue was particularly fond of the smaller one, using it as a toy to spray water. Overall, their equipment had improved, and their skills had grown to a satisfactory level. They were well-prepared to move on to the next stage.

On this clear day, the stone mountains finally formed a continuous line to the opposite bank. Though it looked rough, it functioned as a respectable bridge.

This bridge was likely quite inconvenient for the Adventurer's Bureau, which continued to operate a reservation system. However, it was tacitly allowed, probably because it was known that only a few people could use it, and once Thor graduated from this hunting ground, maintenance would become difficult.

The men stood in silence, gazing at the newly completed bridge. Rorolf finally turned his gaze away from the stone mountains after Thor patted his shoulder.

"Shall we go?"

Rorolf, looking as if he had just woken from a dream, smiled quietly and nodded. The vanguard was led by Diarg and the three brothers.

"Excuse us."

"Here we go!"

"Remember when we first came here, bro?"

"Yeah, it's finally time, guys!"

Tapa and Tari, the twins, remained behind to guard the bridge this time.

"Good hunting."

"Enjoy yourselves."

Next were Thor and his companions.

"Come on, Thor will carry you."

"Mue can go alone, but if Thor wants to carry me, I can't say no."

"Mr. Yuril, be careful of your footing. It's quite slippery."

"Sure. Oh, what a nice breeze."

The two-person team of Bettina and Godan saw them off. They had quickly risen to E-rank and often visited the riverbed, though not for the bridge but to meet Thor and his companions.

"We plan to hunt the hippopotamuses by lottery, so wait for us. We'll catch up soon."

"Take care, Master Mue."

Waving goodbye to the four, the two parties set off along the empty embankment. They were surprised by the figures advancing on the opposite bank, and voices began to rise one after another.

Amidst the envious gazes, Thor and his companions slowly made their way upstream.