No Merchant Without Guile

At the notary office, the middle-aged, portly man seemed to have been waiting for quite some time. He looked a little impatient, yet also somewhat smug.

Kana had not noticed the fat man's change in attitude. She went straight to one of the young female clerks at the notary office.

"Hello, I need to submit a Bounty Mission." Kana handed over her squad leader's badge.

The leader's badge was different from a member's badge. It also represented the entire squad's every operation with the Adventurers' Guild.

The young clerk smiled as she took the badge, then scanned it over the magic crystal beside her.

"The mission was to drive out the Goblins. May I ask whether you obtained the evidence?" The clerk was clearly following regulations.

"No. Something unexpected happened, so we had no way to collect the evidence. However, the target was indeed eliminated." Kana answered the clerk without hiding anything.

Evidence consisted of certain parts from a monster's body. Different monsters required different parts to be collected as evidence. For Goblins, it was the left fang of their two large tusks.

The Goblin's left fang was supposedly the source of a Goblin's strength. Although there was no evidence proving whether that was true, it had already become common knowledge among adventurer teams.

Therefore, only a Goblin's left fang counted as evidence.

"I'm very sorry, but according to Guild regulations, without evidence, there are no other conditions that can prove the mission was completed. In that case, the reward can only be determined according to the squad's rank!" the clerk said regretfully.

This regulation had also been established to protect people without any power, preventing unscrupulous adventurers from extorting improper profits from them.

Kana's pretty brows furrowed slightly. She was clearly dissatisfied with this answer. This was five Silver Coins—and five per person at that. Who knew how much they would have deducted? The most infuriating part was that they had not had time to collect the spoils. Otherwise, their reward would not have been discounted.

Dean and the other three watched quietly. They had no right to interfere. Only the squad leader had the authority to fight for their interests.

"Then... may I ask how much of the reward we can receive? I swear upon the badge of Kana's Squad that we perfectly drove out the Goblins named in the mission." Kana pressed the leader's badge against her chest as she spoke.

The clerk stared at Kana in surprise. To swear upon the squad's badge meant staking the squad's reputation. No squad with even a little renown would casually use its badge as collateral.

Clearly, Kana had enough confidence to prove that she had eliminated the Goblins. She had done it herself, personally exterminating the Goblins. For Kana, what was there to doubt?

"Well, I admire you, little girl. It takes courage to use your badge as collateral. In that case, I can raise your squad's reputation even further." The clerk winked at Kana and smiled.

Clearly, the clerk had high hopes for Kana's Squad. A squad that dared to take responsibility for its actions would surely become a famous high-ranking adventurer squad in the future!

"Kana's Squad has a mission completion rate of ninety-six percent, a reputation level of five, and currently has no reputation penalties. That is the highest reputation level for squad honors. The adventurer squad itself is a Junior Adventurer Team." As she spoke, the clerk looked over the squad members again. Her gaze lingered on Dean for a moment, and she revealed a faint, enigmatic smile.

Dean found it a little strange. Although the clerk was attractive, there was no reason for her to look at people like that. Dean had the feeling that he was... a toy that had been chosen.

Besides, if they were talking about being handsome, Lamore was more handsome. He had the kind of looks that attracted bees and butterflies. Any ordinary young girl only needed Lamore to speak to her a little before becoming ensnared by his handsome face.

It was not only Dean. Kana, Yanxi, Lamore, and even the fat man had all seen this scene—the way a mature older sister was showing "special interest" in an immature-looking boy.

Acting on instinct, Dean took a step back, yet he also felt that the clerk looked strangely familiar.

"Ahem, back to the matter at hand. In view of Kana's Squad's excellent performance, the Guild has decided to promote you to an official First-Rank Adventurer squad." The clerk cleared her throat and spoke to the four of them.

Kana and the other three brightened. Their squad rank had risen, which meant that far less money would be deducted.

"According to regulations, if there is no evidence proving that the mission was completed, the squad's reputation will be used as collateral. The employer only needs to pay between a minimum of five percent and a maximum of ninety percent of the reward." The clerk continued, "Based on Kana's Squad's outstanding performance, the Guild believes that seventy percent of the original reward can be paid."

It was a very fair decision, but neither side seemed particularly satisfied. Kana's Squad had lost thirty percent of the reward for nothing—that was a full six Silver Coins.

Sometimes, a squad's income for two weeks was not even as much as those six Silver Coins. Still, managing to secure seventy percent of the reward was already quite good.

Kana felt it was a little regrettable, but there was nothing she could do. Fortunately, the clerk had helped by promptly raising their squad's rank. Otherwise, the percentage offered by the Guild might have been only thirty or forty percent, or even less.

Of course, the squad's promotion was not something the clerk could grant simply because she said so. The Guild had carefully deliberated and decided that Kana's Squad was qualified, which was why it had given the clerk the authority.

"Wait!!!"

A gruff voice rang out. The tone of that "wait" seemed to contain extreme doubt and distrust—yes, it was deliberately suspicious.

It was the fat man, the owner of the farm and the employer for this mission. Judging by his appearance, the employer seemed to have changed his attitude entirely.

"I object to this conclusion. Seventy percent? Impossible, impossible. Since there is no evidence proving that these people dealt with the Goblins, how can you give them such a large reward? Besides, before this, before this, they were only a Junior Adventurer Team." Every one of the fat man's words was filled with doubt, especially the phrase "before this," which he deliberately emphasized.

"Thirty percent. I can only give that much. No, thirty percent is too much. Ten percent at most will do. Seeing as you came all this way and worked so hard, you need at least a little travel money." The fat man spoke without the slightest courtesy. Of course, he was clearly taking the greatest advantage of the situation.

The mere fact that there was no evidence was enough for him to make the most of the situation.

"And you, little girl. You actually dared to play tricks right under my nose. Is there some unspeakable relationship between you and this little man? Heh heh heh." The fat man spoke without restraint.

In an instant, half the Guild turned to look over. Their eyes, filled with curiosity and knowing adult expressions, roamed shamelessly back and forth between Dean and the clerk.

"Looks like this fat bastard doesn't merely want to pay us less. He also wants to ruin our squad's reputation—and even drag the clerk's reputation down with us!" Lamore moved closer to Dean and said with a frown.

(The End of This Chapter)