He Xi gave him a once-over. "You have information?"
"More or less." The man scratched the back of his head. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ralph, a local from Dart. I know a few ranger tricks and usually do some peripheral scouting work for the guild."
He pointed at the commission slip in Kazmir's hand. "The information for that commission you just took, the one about the two ogres—I was the one who submitted it."
Ulag's eyes widened. "You're responsible for scouting? Did you slack off, brat? I remember when I came here a few years ago, there were a lot more ogre commissions than this!"
"I didn't slack off." Ralph gave a bitter smile. "In fact, this year I've been making rounds on the outskirts every day until it was nearly dark before returning to town. I don't know where the problem is."
"In past springs, ogres would migrate from the hills in the southwest to forage. They came in groups of three or five, so they weren't exactly uncommon. But ever since spring began this year, their traces have become rare instead."
"Two days ago, I found signs of a temporary camp to the east—around six of them. Someone took the commission after I reported it. Other than that, there's only the two-ogre one you have."
He paused. "What I mean is, if you need it, while I'm tracking signs during my daily searches, I can keep an eye out for the ogres' movements too. I'll notify you the moment I find anything."
Kazmir raised a brow. "Thank you for the offer. But speaking of which, how are we calculating the fee?"
In his view, people who came to offer information on their own either wanted a cut or wanted to tag along with the party.