Processing the Spoils

The accommodations at the inn were nowhere near as good as the star-rated hotels from his Previous Life, but compared to sleeping rough in the wilderness, they were undoubtedly far better.

At the very least, he did not have to worry about being shaken awake in the middle of the night by the companion assigned to keep watch, then fighting ambushing Monsters with messy hair and bleary eyes.

Xia Nan finally had a good night's sleep after so long.

But he did not oversleep.

Early the next morning, while the sky was still barely light, he forced himself out of bed through sheer willpower.

For an adventurer, the first day after completing a mission was often the busiest.

Turning in missions, disposing of spoils, repairing equipment...

Countless urgent matters piled up in Xia Nan's mind like a list.

Even if it took an entire day to deal with them all, he was more than willing.

Because only then, after a hard day's work, could he enjoy the hard-won "vacation" before him without a care, with a bulging wallet in his pocket and a full Sense of Accomplishment in his heart.

After washing up a little, he left the inn.

With a somewhat heavy Backpack on his back, Xia Nan headed to the Adventurers Association in River Valley Town.

It was still that treehouse-like building full of Thin Mist Forest style, and it was just as busy as ever.

Though he had gotten up as early as possible, by the time he stepped onto the dark brown Oak flooring outside the association, all manner of adventurers already filled his view.

Some, like him, carried bulging bundles on their backs and looked as though they had risen early to turn in missions. Others gathered in groups of three or five beneath the mission board, occasionally leaning in to whisper among themselves.

Xia Nan even spotted an exceptionally burly Half-Orc over two meters tall, carrying a hideous Monster head in one hand as he slowly swaggered over from the distant street.

The mud and dust covering his body could not hide the traces of battle, while blood still dripped from the severed neck of the head in his hand.

He had clearly just finished an intense fight.

The thick Blood Scent radiating from him, mixed with the stink of not having bathed for many days in the wild, made passing adventurers frown and dodge away.

But from Xia Nan's observation, the Half-Orc showed no anger at the disgusted reactions around him.

Instead, his face was full of contentment and enjoyment.

He carried himself like a fisherman who had finally caught a huge fish and would gladly take a detour through a dozen streets on his way home so the entire town would know about it.

Xia Nan even suspected that if someone went up and asked the Half-Orc about the Monster's name or how the battle had gone, he might grin so hard that his two protruding fangs would disappear into his stomach.

In the end, the Half-Orc still failed to enter the Adventurers Association.

The moment he reached the entrance, staff who had rushed over after hearing the news "politely" asked him to leave and return after cleaning himself up.

Yet he still wore a delighted expression, clearly having achieved his goal.

Xia Nan withdrew his gaze.

The absurd sight before him eased the somewhat stifled mood he had developed after spending so long in Thin Mist Forest.

"Ding-ling."

The crisp chime pulled him back to reality. The adventurer who had been ahead of him in line had already left the counter with a money pouch in hand.

He composed himself and walked to the front desk.

It was still that short-haired girl with the listless expression, head lowered as if she might fall asleep any second.

"Mission number?" the girl asked weakly.

"387H, the Firefly Garlic Vine gathering mission."

Silence.

The girl did not reply. She merely operated something beneath the counter with both hands.

Only then did she slowly speak again.

"Number 387H. The mission has expired. The issuer did not choose to extend the bounty, so it has been withdrawn."

Just as expected...

Although Xia Nan had been prepared, he still felt a faint sense of disappointment.

Under normal circumstances, three days were more than enough for him to make a round trip between River Valley Town and the outskirts of Thin Mist Forest. The time limit had been generous.

But who could have expected that he would encounter the Half-Elf party during his adventure and accept their commission to venture deeper into the forest?

Though he had gained 100 Gold Coin and plenty of spoils because of it, the original mission to gather Firefly Garlic Vine had expired.

He had rushed back to town overnight yesterday partly because he had hoped to turn in the mission in time, but the association had already closed when he arrived, so he could only come now.

"I understand. Thank you."

Xia Nan gave the girl a slight nod and was about to leave.

Unexpectedly, she raised her brows and glanced at him before adding, "I heard The Lady Edwina's new antidote works quite well. She's preparing to make a second batch."

"You can ask at her shop. There might still be a chance."

Xia Nan could not help pausing, then pondered inwardly.

As far as he knew, Firefly Garlic Vine was not a common plant to begin with. Even if she no longer urgently needed it and would not offer such a high price, he should still be able to sell it for something at market value.

The girl's reminder had given him a second option.

He thanked her at once. "Thank you for the advice!"

After thinking for a moment, he took out a gleaming Gold Coin from his chest, covered it with his fingertips, and silently placed it on the counter.

Whoosh—

In the blink of an eye, the Gold Coin vanished from sight.

The listless girl abruptly sat upright. Her half-lidded eyes opened fully, and she assumed the appearance of a diligent, dedicated employee as she muttered to herself, "The Lady Edwina usually likes strong liquor. Bring her two bottles sometime, and she might even give you a discount when you buy something."

Xia Nan raised a brow.

He silently nodded, then turned and left the front desk.

Tap.

Heavy leather boots landed on River Valley Town's stone-paved street, producing slightly muffled Footsteps.

Xia Nan held a bottle of strong liquor called "Lava's Sigh," which he had just bought from White Tit Tavern for two Silver Coin.

Standing amid the bustling street, he looked at the Herbal Shop before him.

The shop was not large, only half the size of Rock Hammer.

But it was especially exquisite in design.

It seemed to imitate the Adventurers Association's Thin Mist Forest-inspired style. The little building was also made from dark Oak from the forest, but it was decorated all around with an abundance of vines and greenery.

If the association was a giant treehouse, then the shop before him was like a large cluster of bushes one might find anywhere in the forest.

A vertical sign stood by the entrance. It bore a simple drawing of a slightly tilted little Iron Pot full of thick green liquid being stirred with a ladle, with words in Common Tongue written beside it—

Green Grass Crucible.

After organizing his words in his mind, Xia Nan cleared his throat.

Then he pushed open the door and entered.

Ding-dong.

A light, pleasant chime rang beside his ear.

A rich herbal scent with a faint fresh fragrance flowed into his Nostrils along with the warm air inside.

The shop's interior was likewise small and refined.

A brown wooden counter divided the space in two, while many bottles and jars were displayed on the shelves to either side.

The goods seemed similar to those sold in the alchemist's shop at the association, but the prices were much cheaper.

There were no Healing Potions, but there were many additional medicinal patches and tonics whose uses he did not know.

Behind the counter, a slightly plump, curly-haired woman was intently stirring the crucible before her.

From time to time, she scooped up some of the potion with an Iron Pot spoon, seemingly checking its color and quality.

Hearing the door open, she said in a gentle voice without hurrying, "Sorry, please wait a moment. I'll be right with you."

Xia Nan was in no rush. He simply set the bottle of Lava's Sigh gently on the counter and waited patiently.

About two more minutes passed.

As the white smoke rising from the crucible grew thicker, the woman finally stopped stirring. She removed the spoon and carefully covered the pot with its lid.

Then she took a handkerchief from her waist and wiped her hands.

Edwina turned around, about to greet her customer.

Then she noticed the bottle of strong liquor on the counter bearing the mark of White Tit Tavern.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

Turning her gaze to Xia Nan, her voice grew even gentler as she asked, "Welcome to Green Grass Crucible. What can I do for you?"

Having prepared his words in advance, Xia Nan replied, "It's like this. A few days ago, I accepted the association's bounty to gather Firefly Garlic Vine, but by the time I returned to River Valley Town, I had already exceeded the mission's time limit."

"I heard from the association staff that you still seem to need Firefly Garlic Vine, so I came to try my luck."

As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward the Lava's Sigh before him.

"I happened to have a good drink at the inn last night, so when I had the chance today, I brought you a bottle. I don't know whether it suits your taste."

"Of course." Edwina smiled warmly and accepted the bottle. "That's very thoughtful of you."

"I really do need an additional batch of Firefly Garlic Vine. I had originally planned to trouble the Adventurers Association again in a few days... If you have any to spare, I can buy it at the bounty price."

Xia Nan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He took off the Backpack containing the Firefly Garlic Vine and handed it to her.

"Mm... There are thirty-two clusters of Firefly Garlic Vine in total. That comes to thirty-two Gold Coin. Please take it."

Edwina handed Xia Nan a money pouch marked with the Green Grass Crucible emblem.

Feeling its pleasing weight in his palm, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in satisfaction.

Then, as if recalling something, Xia Nan took out a small cloth pouch from his waist, its surface still faintly stained with a little green liquid.

"This is..."

The two rimless lenses perched on Edwina's nose glinted slightly under the sunlight from outside.

A hint of surprise appeared on her round, plump face.

"A Rust Monster? You went to the Underdark?"

She carefully pinched a dark Purple Poison Gland and examined it closely under the sunlight.

Faced with the Shopkeeper's question, Xia Nan did not answer. He merely blinked at her in silence.

"Oh, sorry." Realizing she had misspoken, Edwina smiled apologetically and returned the confirmed intact Poison Gland to the pouch. "After all, this thing is rather dangerous for ordinary adventurers, and I do not see them often here."

"I'll give you market price. Six gold each, so twenty-four Gold Coin for all four Poison Glands. How does that sound?"

"Fine."

He did not know the exact market price, but since she had said so, Xia Nan did not haggle and agreed readily.

His little treasury surged again.

By the time he had turned in the mission, it was already morning.

The sunlight was fierce.

As Xia Nan walked down the street with his Backpack on his back, he thought, Next, I'll deal with the odds and ends on me, like those compasses.

Before encountering Wood and the Half-Elves, he had fought two unlucky adventurers in the clearing where he found the Firefly Garlic Vine.

Aside from the money pouch that seemed to contain the pair's entire savings—53 Gold Coin and 6 Silver Coin—their weapons and armor had been too heavy to bring back.

But there were also a few small items that had disappeared after being stuffed into his Backpack.

They should at least fetch enough for a few meals.

Unlike last time, when he had Malachite of unknown value that needed appraisal, Xia Nan had not obtained any spoils during this mission whose exact price he could not determine.

Therefore, compared to the meticulous but stingy Fairy Wind, he chose the better-value Kukunur's General Store.

The owner, Kukunur, was a rather cheerful Gnome. As soon as Xia Nan entered, he enthusiastically introduced the shop's services.

And just as the [Adventurer's Manual] had mentioned, the prices were quite fair.

They were only a bunch of miscellaneous trinkets, yet together they sold for 3 Gold Coin and 7 Silver Coin—the actual price had been 6 Silver Coin and 5 copper coins, but Kukunur rounded it up and waived the remainder.

No wonder his business skills are mediocre, yet he still made it into the manual. He really is generous.

Xia Nan thought to himself.

By now, after an entire morning, he had disposed of nearly all the spoils he needed to sell.

The little treasury that had shrunk drastically after his first mission due to buying weapons and equipment had now swelled to an unprecedented level.

From the adventurer duo—57 Gold Coin and 3 Silver Coin

From Firefly Garlic Vine and Rust Monster Poison Glands—56 Gold Coin

Reward from the Half-Elf mission—100 Gold Coin

Adding the more than twenty Gold Coin he had originally saved, Xia Nan's total savings had astonishingly reached—

236 Gold Coin, 2 Silver Coin, and 7 copper coins.

Though it was still only enough to buy most of a bottle of [Radiant Resistance Potion], or one-seventh of a set of Heavy Plate Armor.

He was already extremely satisfied.

After all, this was the savings he had accumulated from only two missions.

Xia Nan was even considering whether to buy another full Healing Potion in case of emergencies.

"Right!"

Recalling the information he had obtained from Wood and the Half-Elf during the previous mission, Xia Nan did not leave the store immediately after completing the transaction.

Instead, with a strong sense of purpose, he carefully scanned the shelves throughout the general store.

"Is there anything you need, sir?"

Seeing this, Kukunur asked enthusiastically.

Xia Nan hesitated for a moment, then turned to glance once more at the empty doorway.

Leaning closer, he asked tentatively,

"Do you sell 'Combat Skills' here?"

"Of course!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Gnome, who only came up to Xia Nan's thigh, puffed out his chest and declared loudly.

Then he suddenly ducked beneath the counter, accompanied by the sound of something heavy being dragged.

Then...

"Bang!"

Standing on tiptoe, Kukunur heaved a huge cardboard box coated in dust onto the counter.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

Choked by the dust swirling through the air, he coughed as he spoke.

"Combat Skills, cough... they're all in there."

"Three copper per pound. Buy ten pounds and I'll give you thirty percent off."