Chapter 405 : Many Ways To Make Money
「Boy, you’re finally here!」(Zelas)
As soon as we got to the Adventurer Guild, the guild master himself welcomed us from behind one of the reception counters.
The counters were manned by receptionists, mostly women, in formal suits, so it was weird to see an old man wearing a blood-covered apron among them.
No one was lining up in front of him. Well, it was only natural that you would rather talk to a beautiful receptionist than a grubby old man.
Thanks to that, we could talk to him right away.
「I’m done dismantling that big guy. You know what, that was so much fun! The morning sun had begun to rise before I knew it!」(Zelas)
He looked energetic for someone who had just spent the entire night dismantling a monster’s corpse.
「Fufu. As always, you’re unstoppable when it comes to dismantling rare monsters~」(Celine)
「I’ll take it as a compliment. Speaking of compliments, we should give this boy credit. He’s your disciple, right? He’s really something.」(Zelas)
「I know, right~?」(Celine)
Celine looked proud as if she were the one being praised.
「Alright, enough talk. Mark, you come with me. And, Liza, your break time’s over.」(Zelas)
「Aa-ahh, I wish I had a longer break, but I guess I have to go back to work.」(Liza)
The guild master had been manning the counter in Liza’s place when she was away to get me. The moment Liza replaced him, people started lining up in front of the counter.
「Finally, Liza-chan’s back!」
「Glad we no longer have to see that old man’s face.」(adventurers)
「Hey, I can hear you!」(Zelas)
Seeing this many adventurers had been waiting for Liza made me realize once again how popular she was.
They were cheering, celebrating the return of their goddess.
「These people are hopeless… Well then, Mark, follow me.」(Zelas)
「Can I come too? I want to have a look.」(Celine)
「If Celine onee-chan is going, I’m going too!」(Nicola)
「Yeah, sure.」(Zelas)
Honestly, it’s a huge help that Celine is coming along. I was a bit nervous to talk to the guild master one-on-one since I hardly know anything about him except for him being a monster freak.
By the way, Nicola came along so that she could skip her work at home.
The guild master led us through the back door and took us to the dismantling room.
On the large workbench in the center there were furs, meat, and bones neatly arranged.
「These are the kobold warrior’s fur, meat, and bones. The magic stone is valuable, so I stored it in a different room safely. As for the blood, I stored it in those bottles. It seems to have a higher mana concentration than regular kobold blood, so it can be sold at a high price to alchemists.」(Zelas)
「I see. Thank you, Sir.」(Mark)
「Wow. I’m not a butcher, but I can tell these are high-quality materials. Say, Guild Master, how much money are these materials worth?」(Celine)
「Can’t say specifically, but a lot of money for sure. Well, we can talk about that later. More importantly, Mark, I asked you this question, and I’ll ask you again. Do you want to be an adventurer?」(Zelas)
The guild master leaned closer to me and asked the same question he asked the other day.
He’s quite persistent, but…
「I’m sorry, Sir, but I told you I have no intention of working as an adventurer.」(Mark)
I looked him in the eye and answered firmly.
「Come on, please think about it!」(Zelas)
He grabbed my shoulders and begged me. I could smell the combination of the sweat of a sleep-deprived old man and the smell of monster blood.
Ugh, what a strong, unpleasant smell…
Yesterday, he begged me to let him dismantle the kobold warrior’s corpse, and now he begged me to join the guild as an adventurer.
He’s so pathetic for a grown-up man.
When I took a step away from him, Celine let out a sigh of exasperation.
「Guild Master, if you think he’s a kid who will do whatever adults say, you’re wrong.」(Celine)
「Ugh… I know…」(Zelas)
He slumped his shoulders and sighed in disappointment.
「Say, Mark, why don’t you want to be an adventurer? You have a talent for that, you know?」(Zelas)
「It’s a risky job, right? I don’t see any benefit in risking my life.」(Mark)
「It’s indeed a risky job, but someone as capable as you won’t die easily. You can earn a lot of money and make a living easily as an adventurer.」(Zelas)
Before I could reply to him, Celine interjected with a sigh.
「Hahh… It’s true that adventurers make a lot of money, especially high-ranked ones. Myself included. But, you know, Mark can earn plenty of money without even risking his own safety.」(Celine)
「Oi, Celine, you can’t compare the pocket money his parents give him for helping with their inn with the money you earn for completing quests.」(Zelas)
「You silly old man. I’m not talking about pocket money. Do you know where the E-grade potions in this town came from?」(Celine)
「Huh? Mostly from the merchant guild. Everybody knows it.」(Zelas)
「Yeah, but do you know where they get their stock of those potions? They buy them from him.」(Celine)
「Ho, hold on! So you say that Mark is the biggest potion supplier in this town!?」(Zelas)
「Yup~」(Celine)
Again, Celine folded her arms and smiled, looking proud as if talking about herself.
「Mark, is that true!?」(Zelas)
「Yeah. I make potions every day as my daily magic practice routine and sell them to the merchant guild.」(Mark)
To be exact, I sell a huge batch of potions every month to the merchant guild with the help of Gill oji-san.
Other than that, there are many ways for me to make money. I can sell my high-quality vegetables I grow at the vacant lot.
I can even grow some spirit trees with my spirit magic and sell the timber at a high price to carpenters like Delica’s dad.
Besides that, I can build and fix houses with earth magic or become a healer with light magic.
Of course, I also think of utilizing my fighting skills and becoming an adventurer, but it’s a risky job, and I don’t want to rush it. I want to think carefully about it when I grow up.
「I can make money whenever I want to, but honestly, I don’t really need that much money right now. Sorry, I have to refuse.」(Mark)
What I need more than money is skill and knowledge. I want to learn more magic spells, and I want to learn more about this world. Surely it will make my future brighter when I grow up.
「Aa-ahh… I see… That’s too bad…」(Zelas)
「Guild Master, why are you so persistent in making him an adventurer? Don’t tell me you just want him to hunt rare monsters for you.」(Celine)
「Well, that’s…」(Zelas)
He averted his gaze awkwardly.
「I knew it! What kind of adult tells a kid to risk his life for the sake of their hobby!? You should be ashamed of yourself!」(Celine)
Saying that, Celine stepped closer to the man while raising her fist.
「Whoa, whoa! Hold on! It’s not the only reason why I want him to join the guild! There’s another reason!」(Zelas)
「What? My fist might hit your face depending on that reason!」(Celine)
「Calm down, will you? Geez… An envoy of the feudal lord came this morning. I can’t tell you the details, but it seems that this region is in danger.」(Zelas)
「What?」(Celine)
Celine frowned and lowered her hand.
This region is in danger? What does he mean?
Hold on… Is that why Tryon has been recruiting more soldiers…?