Chapter 26

The Four Northwest Towns lay from south to north in this order: Rye Town, Glimmerstone Town, Gold Rush Town, and Dragon Roar Town.

Rye Town was the only place in the region with vast stretches of fertile land untouched by negative energy. Agriculture flourished there, and all the high-end agricultural products in the Four Towns came from Rye Town.

There were many low- and mid-grade gem mines near Glimmerstone Town. The veins occasionally yielded rare, precious gems, making it the easiest place in the Four Towns to get rich overnight. It also had the largest concentration of adventurers and criminals. Another way to put it was that Glimmerstone Town was more or less the heart of the Four Northwest Towns.

There were gold veins near Gold Rush Town. Though the gold was low-grade and the yield small, the allure of gleaming yellow gold was hard to resist. The town drew in countless people hoping to strike it rich. Most of them were actually quite poor, but their presence still helped the town prosper. In reality, though, Gold Rush Town's main exports were copper and iron ore.

Dragon Roar Town stood at the northernmost edge of the Four Towns. It was located at the mouth of a narrow mountain pass. Beyond it lay a relatively less barren region of the Desolate Mountains, teeming with all kinds of monsters, from goblins to dragons. The town's main exports were materials harvested from these monsters. As for how many bones lay buried behind those materials, left by people who had died in the monsters' bellies, who cared?

According to the original plan, Gerald—or rather, Sui Xiong—was supposed to head to Dragon Roar Town and visit the dragon's lair deep in the mountains. There, he would hold friendly, constructive negotiations with the "Tyrant of Extreme Cold," a dragon that had been causing the residents trouble for over fifty years. He would get it to move elsewhere, then collect a five-thousand-gold reward for the successful negotiations. But now, they had something more important to do.

Find treasure.

"Driving out a dragon on one hand and hunting for treasure on the other—both sound fun, like something out of a classic Western role-playing game," Sui Xiong said cheerfully. "The only question is, which one's the main quest? And... does this game's quest system have a time limit?"

He wasn't worried about failing the quest. After more than ten days of adjustments, he had finished modifying his jellyfish body. It was nearby, ready to unleash its full power at any moment.

When he gave it his all, there was nothing to fear!

Sui Xiong's new physical form looked like a huge, translucent balloon. His massive body was big enough to support a village on top, with many powerful tentacles hanging beneath it. Dozens of sets of spiral fins were spaced across his body, propelling him in any direction. Dense magical runes covered his form, allowing him to float effortlessly in the air and change color at will, creating an effect much like invisibility.

For instance, Gerald was currently taking care of business at the Adventurers Guild in Gold Rush Town, while Sui Xiong's enormous body—large enough to flatten the entire town if it fell—floated two or three hundred meters above the ground. He narrowed his eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze and warm sunlight as he absorbed an endless supply of magic from the air and sun, steadily building up his strength.

Yet not a single resident of Gold Rush Town could see the gigantic monster in the sky.

"To be a top player, you have to grind every day without slacking off. Even if you can't find suitable monsters to fight, you should at least keep your character farming. Remember, if you go against the current, you'll fall behind. Even the best player will get caught up to—or left far behind—if they stop leveling for a while. It's like writing web novels. Take a year off, and you'll find your popularity has plummeted. Your follows and views won't even be a fraction of what they were. The past is a lesson for the future!"

In a frigid current cold enough to freeze an ordinary person to death, the enormous Floating Jellyfish silently yawned, growing drowsy.

He wasn't worried that Gerald would run into danger. That big fellow seemed—maybe, possibly, actually—pretty capable in a fight. And even if Gerald did run into something he couldn't handle, the soul clone Sui Xiong had left inside the Bone Bracelet could step in.

"Sir, this is the reward for the 'Eliminate the Orc Wolf Rider Band' quest." The half-elf woman working at the Adventurers Guild held out a metal token glowing with magical light in both hands, her face full of respect.

Anyone powerful enough to defeat a band of bandits that had terrorized the Four Towns for years deserved respect. If they weren't so different in stature, she might even have tried to seduce the young strongman. Even if she couldn't land a steady provider, one passionate night and a child with giant blood would still be a good outcome!

In this world, bloodlines were commonly passed down. The descendants of the strong were bound to start with an advantage over ordinary people. If they worked hard and had a little luck, they could pass their bloodline down through generations and build a family that others would look up to.

The most influential family in the Four Northwest Towns was just such a family. They usually stayed in the shadows and avoided the spotlight so they wouldn't become a target. But every major organization treated them with respect. They consulted the family on important matters, and whenever a prize was too valuable to keep to themselves and had to be shared, they invited the family first.

The young woman didn't expect to found a family like that herself, but that didn't stop her from indulging in a little daydreaming.

Gerald accepted the token, engraved with magical runes, and checked it briefly. Once he confirmed the information was correct, he could use it to claim two thousand gold coins at the Temple of the God of Commerce. He couldn't help smiling.

Even though he was already wealthy, how could a hefty, easy payday like this not put him in a good mood?

"I'd also like to post a quest and recruit two people," he said. "One should be a thief with a talent for mechanisms and traps, and shouldn't worship the gods of the night. The other should be a cleric with a talent for healing, and the same religious requirement."

The woman's eyes shifted as she figured out what he meant. With a playful smile, she asked, "Are you looking for companions to hunt for treasure? Why not bring along an experienced mage?"

"We've already got a mage," Gerald said, pointing to Palin, who was sitting nearby reading a book. "He's young, but reliable."

The woman took a closer look at Palin and shook her head slightly. She had worked at the Adventurers Guild for several years and had developed an unusually sharp eye. The young gnome mage might have talent and work hard, but he clearly wasn't very powerful.

Mages came in two types: academic and practical. The former knew many spells and techniques, and claimed that with enough preparation, they could crush any enemy. The latter specialized in applying magic in the field and claimed to be streets ahead of the academics in combat. That wasn't just boasting. In certain extreme, unexpected situations, a dozen academic mages might not be able to beat one practical mage. Each type had its strengths, and neither was inherently better than the other.

There was no hierarchy between types of mages, but there were certainly differences in the strength of individual spellcasters. That young gnome mage looked inexperienced, with a limited reserve of spells. Even if he wasn't a complete novice, he was still a long way from being a seasoned adventurer—or a battle mage.

Counting on a young man like him to be useful at a critical moment wasn't realistic!

"Honestly, I think you should recruit another spellcaster," she said quietly. "Better safe than sorry. And it would give the young mage a chance to learn useful things from his elders. There's nothing to lose."

Gerald thought it over for a moment, then took her advice.

"Then please wait a moment. I'll sort through the records and get you a list of candidates who meet your requirements."

"No need to go to so much trouble." A voice with a hint of forced cheer came from nearby. An old man in light leather armor, his face weathered by the elements, had walked over. "It's just a treasure hunt. With the big guy, the young mage, and me, three people are enough."

Gerald was taken aback. The man looked awfully old, and Gerald couldn't help doubting his abilities. The woman behind the counter, however, was startled and quickly lowered her head so he wouldn't see her surprise.

But Sui Xiong's spiritual senses had already seen her expression clearly.

"Gerald, that old man is probably no ordinary person. Be careful."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The old man remained calm under Gerald's scrutinizing gaze, showing no sign of nerves. "I'm Ryan, Ryan 'Quick Hand.' Surely that nickname proves what I can do. You won't find a better thief than me anywhere in the Four Towns."

Gerald frowned. "'Quick Hand' is an impressive nickname, but it doesn't say anything about traps and mechanisms. You're a sticky-fingered pickpocket, aren't you? I need an expert in traps and mechanisms."

This world wasn't a game, so there were no levels. Adventurers' abilities and reputations were usually judged by their nicknames.

Adventurers didn't choose their own nicknames. The Guild selected a few based on their past deeds, then let the adventurers choose one. The nicknames came in several tiers, and experienced adventurers could tell how strong someone was just by their nickname.

The lowest-ranked adventurers didn't have nicknames, like Palin at that moment. They were fresh out of the gate, with neither the kind of strength that inspired awe nor a record that commanded respect. They were complete rookies.

Once adventurers passed the novice stage, they earned a nickname of the lowest tier. These nicknames described some feature of their appearance or gear. For instance, Nien had once been known as "Baldy." It meant the adventurer had made a name for himself and counted as somebody, but had no particularly impressive achievements to his credit. He was merely familiar to people.

The next tier of nickname marked a convincing achievement. Gerald's old adventuring party leader had been nicknamed "Tiger Shooter" because he had once shot a tiger dead with his bow while alone, proving his strength. Others included "Wolf Chaser" and "Bear Slayer." Each was proof of a battle record.

Above that were nicknames that summed up an adventurer's specialty. Those who earned such a name excelled in a particular field and were considered among the best of their peers. Someone called "Quick Blade" was sure to have a fast blade. A rookie might see only a flash of steel before his head was cut off. Someone called "Fleetfoot" was bound to run incredibly fast; escaping his pursuit was nearly impossible.

The old man nicknamed "Quick Hand" was just such a person. His nickname proved that he had a pair of exceptionally nimble hands and was a first-rate pickpocket. But Gerald needed someone who could help him spot traps and disable mechanisms. No matter how good a pickpocket was, he wouldn't be much help with that.

Faced with Gerald's doubts, Ryan raised his brows, pride showing on his face. "Young man, it seems you don't know much about the Four Towns! I'm not called 'Quick Hand' because I'm only good at stealing. It's because no one in the Four Towns has hands faster or more nimble than mine, whether I'm stealing, disarming traps, or... fighting."

A flash of cold steel, and six or seven daggers had already embedded themselves in the ground around them. Neither the average woman behind the counter nor Gerald himself had seen how Ryan had done it.