"An investigation request."
"Specifics?"
"Monsters have been pouring out of the Nazul forest recently.
Based on the reports of some mages, a surge of unidentified magic was detected a week ago.
Reward is ten silvers from the guild. Enough for a person to live for two months."
A week ago in a forest…
It couldn't be the Eldritch Magic that isekai-ed me, right?
"So, you in?"
I ask for clarification on the contents of the request. "I presume we're trying to locate the source and not fight any monsters?"
"Pretty much, if we find anything suspicious, we report back to the Guild."
Ten silvers…
"Seems a bit suspicious. It's way too lucrative a quest for rookies like us," I reply. "It's like they're asking us to walk into another goblin colony, but with lower pay this time," I joke.
In all honesty, I'm getting some bad vibes, similar to the ones I got from the goblin cave.
"Oh…" She sheepishly rubs the back of her hooded head. "I forgot to tell you, but I'm a Bronze-rank. The request is Bronze-ranked. Don't worry, a Wood-tag like you can join, it's not a very difficult one on paper, I made sure of that."
I let out a stupid "What?"
This girl has been a professional all along!?
I mean, I know she's skilled, but I assumed it's because she's of a noble lineage or completed special training or whatnot. Genuinely, I didn't expect her to be a veteran, even though in retrospect, that is the most plausible explanation.
Guess I'm being influenced too much by light novels. No way the person in front of me is some princess or legendary warrior playing adventurer for fun.
That stuff only happens in trash isekai.
Hold on, I'm in an Isekai!
She nods her head with closed eyes in response to my surprise. "Yeah, figured that's how you'd react."
Hold on, if she's Bronze-rank, does that mean… that Kael, Serena and the dipshit Eric were also Bronze-rank?
I confirm my suspicions: "Wait, were those guys also-"
"No, they weren't," Alin denies. "All of them, including the mage, were Wood-ranked."
Eh? They were Wood-rank?
"Why did you form a party with them then?" I ask.
"They looked like they had good character and potential; unfortunately, their hubris got the better of them."
"Ah."
Makes sense.
Speaking of our old party, I wonder how the other survivor's doing.
"What about Serena? How is she doing?"
"Dunno," the ranger half-heartedly shrugs. "Dropped her off at a nearby inn, haven't seen her since."
"I see."
"So, are you in or not?"
"Are we on any time constraints?"
"No, but we should hurry. One week is long enough for traces to vanish, but not disappear completely.
If we waste too much time, investigating will be much harder."
Hmm… Alright, why not? An investigation mission sounds a lot safer than the previous goblin slaying quest.
"Before we go, I'd better get some equipment. What I'm wearing is not suitable for a fight."
"Very well. I'll meet you here tomorrow morning. If you don't show up on time, I'll take on the quest by myself."
"Alright, I'll see you later."
I wave goodbye and start my impromptu shopping trip.
I made my way from the outpost to the blacksmith.
It wasn't too far. Lots of businesses are close to the outpost, such as apothecaries and gear shops.
Doesn't take a genius to know why they're stationed so close. Adventurers need those supplies.
Ralph gave me a tour of the town before and introduced me to a few of the folks around here.
Quite a small community. Excluding adventurers, there can't be more than a few hundred people.
With the money from the goblin request on hand, piled up with the chump change from doing the odd slime exterminating side gig, I can finally afford to splurge a little.
Two minutes down the road, I enter the first shop.
The blacksmith's store is housed in an unassuming building, but the inside leaves quite the impression.
Several shelves and tables full of weapons and armor straight out of a typical fantasy blacksmith's, arranged in no particular order:
A metal helm next to a pair of leather boots, a shield beside a halberd, chainmail next to a quiver of arrows.
Despite the number of bizarre combinations, the goods are all neatly in place. Not a single item was haphazardly thrown or crammed into a space.
A contradiction if I've ever seen one.
Ignoring the displays, I stride over to a man polishing a sword.
I make my presence known to the owner. "Excuse me?"
The owner, Garv, looks up. He is a stout man with impressively muscular arms.
Same can't be said for the beer belly and his badly shaved whiskers.
I half suspect he's of dwarven blood.
Looking up from his work, Garv greets me: "Oh, you're the brat crashing at Ralph's place. What can I do for you?"
"Yup, I'm looking to get some armor for myself."
"Any requirements?"
Getting straight to business, eh? Not the sociable type I reckon, but it's fine. I'm not exactly chatty myself.
"Light and maneuverable, but can protect me from a stab in the back."
"Your budget?"
"Twenty-five silvers."
"Hmm…" He strokes one of his whiskers. "Wait here."
The blacksmith goes into the back of the shop and comes out with a crate full of leather pieces.
He plops it down and glances at me for a brief moment. Then his thick fingers begin rummaging through the pile until pulling out a chest piece and several joint protectors.
Looks a bit like the basic gear one wears for airsoft or paintball battles.
"Here, try it on."
He thrusts the chest piece into my arms. I hold it in my hands and take a good look.
Incredibly basic, literally thick pieces of animal hide.
It covers my vital organs, joints and thighs.
However, it's light. More importantly, it'll give me some protection. After seeing how Kael and Eric pathetically died, I've decided to play things more safely.
Satisfied, I ask for the price.
"That'll be ten silvers."
I part with 40% of my goblin slaying spoils and mutter a quick 'thanks, have a nice day.'
Before I can take two steps away from the counter, Garv calls out to me.
"Wait."
I turn around to see what he wants.
"Take this as well."
In his usual gruff manner, he shoves a shortsword and scabbard into my hands.
"A sword?"
I hold it stupidly in my hands, unsure why he's telling me to hold it.
"First time service, your physique has potential," he bluntly replies. "I don't know what profession you have, but it wouldn't hurt to try your hand at a sword."
Wow! Turns out it's free!
See everyone? It pays to be polite to others.
"Thank you! I'll be sure to come back again!"
Now that I've acquired a modicum of extra protection and a free weapon to boot, it's time to move on to the next and only item I need.
The next stop was Auntie Heather's. Both the name of the shop and its proprietor. Another person Ralph introduced me to.
No, she is not a hag, as far as I know.
But she is a sweet neighbourhood lady type who has a talent for baking pies. Apparently she learnt them from her father back in Brooks.
Not sure why she's in a middle-of-nowhere village when she could open up a bakery of her own somewhere nice.
However, who am I to judge her life choices? I practically became the enemy of the world just by developing a taste for Lovecraftian TTRPG monsters.
I walk up to a quaint little wood shop bursting with flora and fauna of all kinds.
Being careful not to make skin contact with any of the plants, I walk up and open the door.
More plants greet my view, and the walls are lined with glass vials containing all manners of concoctions I can scarcely envision the usage of.
To add to the chaotic mess, sitting out of place by the windows is a table of stacked pies. Judging from the smell, I think they're filled with blueberries.
Personally, I'm more of an apple pie guy. But damn, do those pies smell nice!
"Hello there, love! What can I do for you?"
"Hey there, Auntie Heather. I'm looking to buy some healing potions and a few antidotes."
Unlike the image one gets from the usual stereotypes of a middle-aged, creepy apothecary woman, Auntie Heather looks no older than late thirties to early forties.
Despite the mess, she dresses like a very neat Victorian woman with her brown hair up in a well-tied bun.
With a smile on her face, she asks me, "How many do you need?"
"Six healing and three antidotes."
Auntie Heather smiles. "Coming right up."
"That'll be a total of one silver."
Hunh, potions are surprisingly cheap. I had thought the amount I purchased would be worth at least double.
I happily part ways with silver.
After taking the money, she goes to one of the packed shelves and takes half a dozen red vials and three green vials.
She then takes out a waist pouch and neatly puts them all inside, each attached to and seperated by a strip of leather to prevent them from clinking against one another.
"The pouch is free, consider it a first time customer bonus."
"Wow, thanks!"
The gifts don't just stop there.
"Would you like a slice of pie?" she asks.
"Sorry, I already stuffed myself at the outpost."
"How about a small slice then?"
Hmm… I already rejected her once, it'd be rude to do so a second time.
"Sure."
She goes to the window and slices a small piece. A glimpse of the dark filling has my mouth pool with saliva.
She hands it to me on a napkin. The wonderful, sweet, fruity scent invades my nostrils and makes me swallow hard.
"Here you go, enjoy."
"Thanks, Auntie Heather!"
The apothecary woman smiles. "Come back any time, dear."
I walk out the door and unceremoniously cram the pie into my mouth in one go.
Bad idea.
The moment I shove the delicious morsel into my mouth, my tongue suffers third degree burns.
'Phew!'
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Bit by bit, the heat subsides and I manage to actually enjoy the treat.
As I walk, I ponder my interactions with the local village folk. More like town folk, given the size of this place….
The people are so nice: a sword and a pouch… Oh, can't forget the pie I stuffed into my mouth!
My cheeks are bulging like a chipmunk's.
Stuffed with a rosy sense of gratitude and sweet pie filling, My logical faculties are shut off for a moment as I skip through town.
Suddenly, I realize something.
Wait…
My cynical thinking kicks in.
The only way anyone can give stuff away for free is if they have plenty of money—or ill intentions.
Could it be that those lovely people ripped me off and are giving me these things to lure me back to purchase more overpriced items…?
The thought sends shivers down my spine.
Damnit! My grandmother always nagged me all the time to watch out for these kinds of people! Can't believe I still fell for their insidious tactics!
You know what? There's no point in going back and demanding a refund. I don't know what the standard price for a loaf of bread is, let alone medicine and armor.
I also don't want to paint a bad image of Ralph after all the help he's given me. If I show up demanding refunds and calling them con-artists, they might smear Ralph's name and credibility with bad rumors.
Besides, those are the only apothecary and blacksmith in the entire town. No point trying to find another one. Even if I rushed to Brooks, the shops would all be closed by the time I arrive.
'Sigh…'
Ignorance is bliss? More like ignorance is sin.
Ah, whatever. Next time I meet Alin, I'll ask her about the economy, sale prices of standard adventuring gear and whatnot.
If they didn't rip me off, great. If they did, well, I'm never going to their shops again. Even if it's far, I'll find more credible and better alternatives.
With my shopping done, I still have a good amount of sunlight left. It's not even noon yet.
I decide to head to the guild to pick up a local slime extermination quest to warm myself up.
Thanks to my upgraded Eldritch Bullet, I make short work of the slimes. It takes me barely two minutes to eradicate the pests eating at the crop fields. Due to the innate weakness of slimes, I am unable to test the Bullet's limits.
Honestly, I don't even know why I bothered with that request. Gave me a few coppers at best.
Not that I'm complaining, better overkill than no-kill.
With the request done, I make another trip to the outpost, collect the reward and go back to the ranch.
The next morning, I head to the outpost and met up with Alin.