Chapter 37 of 100

Chapter 37

21 min read5,271 words

Buying some eggs was naturally a small matter that could be done easily. Although he didn’t know how many to buy—having been too happy to ask at the time—eggs weren’t expensive, two for a copper coin, so he bought thirty and even picked up a basket on the way.

The plump owner of the Fireplace Inn greeted Zhao Mai enthusiastically, waving to him. They met every day, three times for meals and a few more times when entering and leaving the inn, which had fostered a neighborly relationship.

"What’s with all these eggs? Do you think my eggs aren’t good enough?"

"It’s not about the taste; I’m just doing a favor for someone else." Zhao Mai guessed and answered the owner’s question.

After a few pleasantries, Zhao Mai climbed up the stairs. Reserve Grain sniffed the air and suddenly barked loudly, then rushed up. Zhao Mai put down the eggs, drew his short sword, and followed.

The door to the room was wide open, and the place was a mess, with drawers and cabinets overturned. Reserve Grain quickly checked every corner, while Zhao Mai lifted the bed. The bag of fine salt that was originally under the bed was indeed gone.

It was obvious that they had been robbed. Fine salt was expensive, but the cost was negligible, so Zhao Mai’s loss wasn’t significant. The truly valuable items were his mobile phone, car keys, fate gold coin, and universal language dictionary, which he always carried with him.

The first suspect was "Mad Rat" Green. Just the other day, he mentioned wanting to sell some things and needed to do it through an "untraceable" channel. This easily suggested that it was some kind of "stolen goods," small in size but high in value.

For over two weeks, Green had come every day, busy until night, and it was easy for him to understand the situation without much effort. Even if he hadn’t noticed the salt under the bed before, he might have looked for it after Zhao Mai asked that question. Nothing else was stolen from the room, not even the axe on the table, which was telling.

But why did it look like a mess instead of a stealthy theft? From daily interactions, it was clear that Green was a smart person and didn’t show any greedy traits. If he wanted the bag of salt...

Forget it, no need to speculate on what he would do. The current issue was how Zhao Mai should handle it.

"Grain, come here, smell this. There was a leather bag of salt here; can you find where it went?"

Reserve Grain crouched on the ground, sniffing around the bed, then looked up excitedly and barked twice. Zhao Mai followed, watching the dog sniff and walk. As they passed downstairs, he said to the plump owner, "There was a thief in my room who stole my things. I think you have some responsibility in helping me get them back."

The plump owner was clearly taken aback, his face showing obvious anger. He immediately put down what he was doing, wiped his hands on his apron, and thundered up to the second floor.

Zhao Mai didn’t need to follow the plump owner up. In such matters, a well-connected inn owner would handle it more smoothly than Zhao Mai. The druid wanted to know who had targeted him to take the next steps in defense.

Reserve Grain followed the street, constantly weaving through alleys, moving further away from the town center. The people here had more suspicious and cautious looks, not very welcoming to a sudden appearance of a man and a dog. Zhao Mai kept his attention on the surroundings, assessing the identities and abilities of the people around him, always ready to deal with any sudden events.

The main roads of Nibo Town were clean and bustling, with registered adventurers always on the lookout for troublemakers, ready to earn some rewards. It was naturally safe there. But in these dark alleys, narrow, dark, and unknown, being a victim was never a good thing, regardless of whether the culprit could be brought to justice afterward.

When they encountered such places, they quickly passed through. The man and the dog ran through half the town and arrived at a house with a small yard. Reserve Grain indicated that the bag of salt had definitely gone into this house.

It was a two-story house with a fireplace, with a pointed roof that might have a small attic. The windows and doors were tightly closed, thick curtains blocking the warm sunlight and prying eyes. The waist-high iron fence around the yard had some onions and carrots planted. There was no guard dog, only a rusted iron sign that read, "Private Property, Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted."

If you looked closely, there was a similar sign on the door. Zhao Mai touched the hilt of his sword and paced in front of the yard gate. He roughly understood the other party’s intentions, so he called Reserve Grain and left directly.

Three spies from the Iron Claw Guild put down the curtains and sighed regretfully. "Alright, put everything away. That guy is cautious and didn’t come over."

"Did he notice us?" A short, sharp-nosed man put down his crossbow, disappointed. "He shouldn’t have been able to sense our presence, right?"

The middle-aged leader shook his head. "Probably not. I think he might be worried about dealing with any potential trouble, so he temporarily retreated. He might go find some help, so don’t let your guard down, got it?"

"Yes, boss!" A thief responded. "But, boss, that kid’s dog is really good! I deliberately stepped on many strong-smelling things on the way back, covering up as much as I could!"

"There are always some exceptionally talented individuals, like our Grand Master." The middle-aged man scolded him. "You’re still too greedy. You had a mission, yet you went and stole. If you delay the Grand Master’s affairs, we’ll have no way to explain!"

"It won’t delay anything." The short, sharp-nosed man smiled. "I heard them say they wanted to sell some things, and it turned out to be a bag of elven alchemical salt, over thirteen pounds, worth more than 800 gold coins!"

"Alright, I get your point." The middle-aged man said. "Since no one died, a simple theft won’t attract too much attention from the town, so the risk is still manageable. Actually, if that kid had rushed in, we could have taken care of him, which would have been the best outcome. This town is really nice; as long as you put up a 'No Trespassing' sign, intruders are fair game. I really like this rule."

"Uh, boss, that rule is probably to prevent theft..."

"Exactly, to prevent your kind." The middle-aged man smiled slightly, distinguishing himself from the thieves. He then said to a subordinate leaning against the wall, "Go check on the guy we caught and try to persuade him. A good thief doing something with a burst of righteousness, trying to steal back our loot!"

"That guy’s nickname is Mad Rat. He used to be a famous cheat, and everyone who met him would lose big. Later, for some reason, he quit and never gambled again, retiring safely." The short man said to his companion. "I’ll go with you to persuade him. If he doesn’t cooperate, he’s trying to double-cross us. According to the rules, he should be killed with three stabs."

"Go ahead, I’ll think about the plan." The middle-aged man waved, sending his subordinates off to work.

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