Chapter 13

Next, Al arrived at the Adventurers' Guild. The building was a large, two-story stone structure, with many taverns lining the surrounding area. Inside, it was quite spacious, with a long counter at the front. About twenty men and women, who seemed to be staff, were handling reception and administrative tasks. Perhaps because it was just before noon, there were not many adventurers seeking work. Looking around, he saw that numerous wooden boards, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, were hanging on the walls to the left and right. The jobs available were posted on these wooden boards, just as they were in the capital's Adventurers' Guild.

Al examined a larger wooden board hanging near the entrance. It was fixed in place with nails, indicating it was a permanent request. The board listed a reward of three silver coins for each goblin killed and seven silver coins for each lizardman. Next to this, there was also a reward of five silver coins for a lizardman's intact cheek. In the capital, the reward for a goblin was one silver coin, and for a lizardman, three silver coins—less than half of what was offered here. Al was impressed that even if the price of spellbooks was a bit high, they could still be sold. As he was thinking this, someone approached him from behind.

"Oh, it's Al. Have you settled in?"

It was Barbara. She had a sword at her waist but was not wearing armor today. Still, she was dressed in something that looked easy to move in, not a dress. Her voice was loud and echoed around the room, but the staff and other adventurers seemed used to her loud voice and did not pay much attention.

"Hello, Barbara. I came to register, thinking I might find some work. I had heard that the rewards for slaying barbarians and monsters were set high, but this is quite different."

"Yes, that's true. It's a great deal for adventurers who take on slaying jobs. However, in other places, the rule is to take the required parts and bury the rest, but here, you have to transport the corpses to the processing facility near the city gates to receive the reward. Be careful with that."

Al was even more surprised. Transporting corpses was a lot of work. Especially for lizardmen, which were about the same size as an adult human, it was not an easy task. He wondered why this rule was in place.

"Back when the city was first built, it seems that many people used to dispose of corpses by throwing them into the large river to the south. This led to a massive outbreak of lizardmen, causing a lot of trouble. Since then, this rule has been in place. If you're going to take on slaying jobs, you can hire a cart or a porter near the South Gate or West Gate in the morning. Some people even pull a handcart. No one likes carrying corpses, especially goblins, which are the worst. The smell lingers for days. Ugh, no way."

Barbara seemed to understand Al's question and answered preemptively. Indeed, a transportation spell might be convenient in this situation. He now understood why the staff had recommended it.

"Are there any villages around this city? What about slaying jobs there?"

According to the wooden boards, there were several frontier villages further south of the border city of Lester.

"No, if you're near a village, you can bring the corpses to the village, and they will take them and pay the reward. However, the reward will be slightly lower than in Lester."

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Are there any jobs related to ruins?"

Barbara tilted her head at Al's question.

"Ruins... Small ruins are sometimes found, but I've never heard of them being offered as jobs. I think if someone finds one, they keep it a secret and investigate it themselves."

"That makes sense. I'll register at the reception and look for jobs while searching."

"Ah, that's a good idea. Good luck."

Barbara raised her hand and waved as she left the Adventurers' Guild. Al watched her go and then approached one of the empty counters. A rather elderly woman was sitting there with a pleasant smile.

"Hello, my name is Al. I've moved here and would like to register. I have about three years of experience as a scout in the capital's Adventurers' Guild. Here is my letter of introduction, and this is the registration tag I received in the capital."

The woman took the rolled-up parchment and the tag with a string for hanging around the neck and began to check them. She then nodded slightly.

"Hello. Thank you for your courtesy, Al. Your real name is Alfred, and it seems you were quite trusted in the capital. I'll keep your letter of introduction for a week and return it to you. It says you can use magic. Would you like to register as a mage or a scout?"

"For now, I'd like to register as a scout until I get used to the place."

The Adventurers' Guild not only introduced jobs for fighters and scouts but also for retail store clerks, restaurant staff, transporters, and construction workers. It had a lot of elements of a job placement agency. While the Commercial Guild and the Craftsmen's Guild protected the interests of their members in their respective industries, the Adventurers' Guild protected the interests of registered workers. Al's main reason for registering was to have someone mediate if any problems arose. Of course, being remembered could also lead to priority in job assignments.

"Got it. Can you start work immediately?"

"Yes, but I might have some urgent matters for about a week, so I'd prefer not to take long-term or overnight jobs."

"Alright, I understand. My name is Quinta. If you have any problems, feel free to ask me. I noticed you were talking to Barbara earlier. Do you know her?"

The receptionist, Quinta, looked at Al's face intently as she asked. He smiled lightly.

"I met her on the way here."

"On the way here... I see. Did you hear about the Bloodied Thieves?"

"It's okay, I know about it. You don't have to hide it."

Al wondered how much was known about the Bloodied Thieves, or rather, the attack on the lord's second son, Narech. He wasn't sure if he was being tested or if she genuinely knew. He decided to play it safe and smiled again.

"I don't know the details, but I helped a little."

Quinta smiled wryly at this and then changed her expression to a warm smile.

"I see, being cautious is a good thing. I understand. I'll ask Barbara for more details. Unfortunately, there aren't any good jobs right now. The slaying requests are permanent, and there are regular jobs, so you can check the wooden boards on the walls. You should be familiar with that, right? If you're short on money, I can assign you a job at the processing facility. Are you interested?"

"The processing facility sounds quite challenging."

Quinta looked a bit disappointed, realizing that Al was familiar with the processing facility. If he hadn't talked to Barbara, he might have taken the job for the money.

"Yes, it's an important job where you process goblin corpses and other things that can't be helped into animal feed and fertilizer. The smell is terrible, but it's a safe job with regular pay. It's a good job, really."

She emphasized that it was a good job, indicating that they were short-staffed.

"I think there are some improvements needed. I'll ask for help if I'm short on money. For now, I'll look at the wooden boards..."

Quinta chuckled at Al's response.

"Got it. I think the same way. If you need money, let me know. Welcome to Lester, Adventurer Al. I look forward to working with you."

Thank you for reading.

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