Chapter 43: The Frontline and The Purchase

I entered the Guild full of doors to report on the subjugation quest.

I talked to the receptionist, who was sitting in one of the only two counters available. The receptionist looked so muscular that I thought he could be an adventurer himself.

「Excuse me. I came to report on the request I took earlier. 」

「All right. Can I see your card? 」

「Yes. 」

I gave him my two cards at once.

「Oh, did you manage to cut trees even though you were alone? You’re quite brave, aren’t you? The number you cut is… Hmm? There’s something wrong with the number…?」

「Is it not working? Did it break?」

Nobody told me what to do if a card stopped working.

「I’ve never heard of such thing before. But it says you cut 1211 trees, which is strange.」

Did I cut that much?

「Well, I think I’ve cut at least 500 trees, but I don’t know if I’ve cut that much.」

「…Really? 」

「The Guild cards never lie, right? 」

「Yes, I think…so. I will ask the mayor of Decibator for confirmation. Can you wait for a moment please?」

Was it that suspicious? If the Guild cards did not lie, why did he not hand over the money immediately?

Well, actually, it would be strange if an adventurer from the E-rank cut that many trees solo.

「Yes, I don’t mind. 」

「Okay. Just a minute. 」

The receptionist went away. After a short moment, he came back with an old man with gray hair. However, this man also looked quite muscular.

「There is a report from the quest about cutting trees that an adventurer achieved at a tremendous speed. Is that you?」

「Ah…Yes, it’s me. 」

Did he receive that info like a report?

I felt confused for a moment, but when I thought about it, it was good that he knew about that story quite fast. It saved me some hassle.

「Oh, I also saw the site. You are certainly amazing. Can you do it continuously?」

He was not that surprised. Great.

But, the receptionist was surprised, so my actions may not be normal. By the way, was this old man the mayor of Decibator?

Well, even though he was the mayor, he felt like a Guild branch chief. Wait a second; was the mayor the branch chief?

「I’m not particularly tired compared to fighting. I can do it all day long.」

「…I see. Then I want to propose a strategy. Can you accept it?」

「What kind of strategy is it? 」

「I want to focus on the frontline. Until now, I’ve been on the defensive side, but I was looking for an opportunity to fight back because the monsters have been pushing us out.」

Well, people said the war situation was getting worse, so it was a normal request.

「So, what should I do? 」

「The only thing I ask is for you to cut more trees. If you cut them, I’ll be able to increase my offensive strategy. If you need an escort, I’ll prepare it for you.」

「Ah, it’s rather dangerous if you get me an escort. I don’t want anyone to come near where I’m cutting the trees.」

It wouldn’t be a problem if monsters got in my way, but it would be bad if it were people.

I could be careful, but it would be less efficient. Moreover, I would not be able to ascertain the escort’s safety.

「Okay, but we have to do it in a way that I can protect the city, so I want you to set a time to cut the trees around the city so that I can prepare beforehand. I don’t know exactly how the effects of a large-scale logging will be, so I need to gather our strength in the city during the first large-scale logging.」

「I understand. Is it okay if I start tomorrow noon? 」

「I won’t have enough time to prepare properly. Can you do it the day after tomorrow?」

Well, it was already night.

「I understand. Then, I will do it the day after tomorrow at noon. By the way, how long will the results come out after logging?」

「When it comes to the monsters’ movements in the frontline, I’m sure it will be greatly affected. It’s all a matter of cutting the trees, because the monsters won’t spring up to where there are no trees. It takes about half a year for the monsters to lose momentum, but it will have a big impact if we cut the trees quickly. I’m sure the monsters will be taken aback by the sudden change in environment. But that’s a story for later. You don’t have to worry about it for the time being.」

「Why do you say momentum? 」

I knew the spring thing. But what was the momentum he spoke about?

Was it the momentum of assault? If that were the case, then no trees would definitely be a better choice in slowing them down.

「The monsters lose their powers when they move away from a place with many trees. Even if there are no trees, they will continue to decline for about three months after logging, and then, gradually decline until they lose their momentum for about half a year. Some say that it is caused by magical power, but I don’t believe it, because it doesn’t speed up the recovery of magical power.」

Was that the reason why they did not eat the monsters they hunted in this strange place?

Well, the reason did not matter right now.

「Okay, in short, I just have to cut the trees without worrying about the rest. 」

「That’s correct. 」

「Well then. I will leave now. 」

「All right. 」

With that in mind, I decided to sleep for the time being and prepare for tomorrow.

I also received a Decibator card.

Ah, I had to search for an inn.

「Can you recommend an inn? 」

「If you have money, it will be relatively safe near the center. Otherwise, it won’t cost you that much outside the city center.」

「Okay. I’m going to look for an inn myself. 」

I left the Guild and entered the inn that caught my eye immediately.

The clerk was also an old man with a strong and muscular physique. He also looked like an adventurer.

I also felt that nobody came to this city unless it was extremely necessary.

「I want to stay over, how much is it? 」

「It is 15,000 Tael per night with two meals. And it is 14,000 without food.」

Why was food 1000 Tael?

I had an unpleasant premonition that told me that food “had no big difference anywhere else”.

I asked for the time being.

「What kind of food is it? 」

「Kneaded wheat flour boiled with Zunana grass, kneaded buckwheat flour with hot water, and dried meat.」

The unpleasant premonition.

I had never heard of using Zunana grass for cooking, but it sounded much worse.

「Then, I won’t have the meals. Can I use the card now? 」

「Yes, you can. Hold the card over. 」

In this city, it seemed that the card just needed to touch the box to work immediately.

I wondered if they could introduce this method in other cities too.

But, that could pose a problem for those who handled physical money.

The room wasn’t particularly special.

The bed was a bit old, but it was solid.

I wondered if they prepared the furniture before Decibator became a frontline city.

I ate the Green Wolf set meal that was in my item box for dinner and went to bed.

—

The next morning, I woke up at a similar time as usual, perhaps because of my current sleeping habits.

The bell didn’t ring in this city. But maybe they didn’t have a bell in the first place.

If everyone had a regular night sleep and woke up in the morning at the same time, it could end up being dangerous during the gap hours where everyone slept.

But today I had nothing to do.

Should I prepare for the large-scale logging? But the mayor said to wait.

Maybe I could go hunting monsters, but here I decided to put that idea on hold. At least for now, until it came into practice.

Okay. I decided to collect the monster materials that adventurers abandoned in Decibator and sell them at Photoren.

Assuming that I could secure the sales later on, the products had to be prepared first.

In addition, lumber could sell well.

I had the money anyway, and I was thinking of making money using my item box. It was unlikely that I would lose a lot, and it could be quite profitable in the end.

It was not a bad bet.

I didn’t find a reason not to do it. Could I even open a company for myself?

But I’ll leave that idea until I go to Photoren. First, I had to do some procurement.

I went to the Guild for the time being.

Speaking of monsters, I thought the Guild would be the ideal place to search for monster materials.

「Excuse me. I want to buy monster materials. Is that okay? 」

「…Ah, by using the item box, I see. We don’t regulate monster materials in the Guild of this city, but you should be careful because taxes are applied in cities other than Decibator. Sales are taxed everywhere. It’s better to follow the system of both here and Photoren.」

「I understand. So do you have a recommendation for a place where I can buy them? 」

「Well, if you go out through the door up there and go to the right, you will find a store that sells both food and medicine. If you ask there, you may buy it, but of course, it will cost you a bit of money.」

「Thank you. I’ll go now. 」

I went out from the door he told me to go and went to the right. I saw a store of a size that was quite big for this city.

It was about twice the size of a Guild. Next to it, I saw a place that looked like a sturdy warehouse.

I thought that place looked like one of the shops I went to when I brought food.

「Excuse me. Sorry to bother you. Someone told me to come here because I want to purchase monster materials.」

「Are you an adventurer with an item box? How much is your desirable amount? 」

Hmm.

I did not know the market price because I never sold anything yet.

「Well, I don’t know the market price. How much is it? 」

「Well, how about one tenth of the market price at Photoren? It doesn’t matter much if you bring food ingredients for that amount.」

Oh, cheap.

Well, the food in this city could be like garbage to me. So if I thought about it, even one tenth may be a reasonable price. Bringing and taking in items with me could be very useful.

Well, no problem. Anyway, carrying monster materials and food won’t pose a problem to me.

「Well then. I’ll bring in the materials. By the way, at this store…I feel that there weren’t many ingredients, but are there any demands for bringing cooked foods?」

「If it’s cooked, it will be heavy because of water or natural weight. It would be tough to run with a heavy luggage up to this city. However, I hear that if someone wants to eat something else, and if there’s an adventurer willing to carry that particular food, there won’t be any problem whatsoever. Of course, the price will have to be adjusted.」

「Well then. I’ll do that. I’ll pay for it for the time being, and I’ll bring some good ingredients with me, so please let me know what you want. Should I pay in advance? Also, I have some Giant Spider Crabs in the item box. It will be great if you can include them in your meals too.」

「Okay. Sounds fine. How about one million per animal for the time being? 」

「Fine with me. 」

As I finished the trade, it made me feel like having an item box was great.

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I wish I had an item box too 😀

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