Big G, Coffee Machine and Goblin

Chapter 31 Monster Hunter
The newly issued quest had been posted on the quest wall for a full two hours, and Xia Er and the others were eagerly waiting, but still no adventurer had torn it down.

It attracted a lot of attention when it was first posted, but after seeing the task requirements and rewards, people dispersed.

People glanced at it from time to time, but quickly looked away, while many of the commissions next to it were removed.

Mario didn't go with Charles; he used the time to go to the market.

We didn't go too far; there was one right next to the Adventurers' Guild.

Thanks to the huge flow of people here, some business-minded guys simply set up stalls nearby, making the whole street very lively.

Ma Li bought a map of the Duchy of Catherine here. Although he couldn't understand the place names on it yet, the hand-drawn mountains, rivers, forests and roads on the map would still make his future travels much easier.

Furthermore, as a map primarily aimed at adventurers, it also marks the habitats of many monsters and dangerous areas. Coupled with its exquisite artwork, it's no wonder it costs as much as three gold eagles.

Ma Li wanted to buy another map of the entire continent, but unfortunately Eagle Beak City was just a small border town, and he couldn't find it even after searching the entire market.

However, I unexpectedly acquired three beautifully bound vellum picture books. Judging from the content, they were probably used by a noble family for early childhood education. Each page had a word with a corresponding picture next to it.

Ma Li bought the three picture books for five gold eagles, intending to use them to learn to read in his spare time. He also bought some vegetable and fruit seeds, which didn't cost much, totaling less than one silver coin.

Although from Xia Er's previous description, the red mist was extremely deadly to life and even matter in this world, Ma Li still wanted to try it himself to see if he could bring these seeds back.

On his way back to the Adventurers' Guild, he unexpectedly ran into a familiar face.

—The man I saw earlier at Squirrel's Tail, the one with three swords at his waist and several scars on his face.

He also saw Ma Li and raised an eyebrow. "Ah, it's you."

His gaze swept over the brooch on Ma Li's chest, and he paused for a moment. "I don't recommend you wear that thing when you go shopping."

"why?"

"Although you can often find some good stuff here, the vendors are very cunning. They know that alchemists are rich, and if they find out that you are an alchemist and a newcomer, they will add 20% or 30% to the original price."

"It's alright, better than I expected. Are you going to the Adventurers' Guild too?"

The man with the scar on his face adjusted his belt. "I've been resting for more than half a month. I've spent most of the money I earned last time. I need to find some work to do, lest Ronisa kicks me out of the hotel."

"Are you an adventurer?"

"They all call me Monster Hunter - Zoro. I'm an adventurer who specializes in monster hunting quests."

"Why? Isn't that the most dangerous mission?"

“On the surface, it may seem so, but if you know those guys well enough and are well prepared, you can minimize the danger. On the contrary, other types of commissions are more uncontrollable. On this continent, there are many things more dangerous than wild beasts,” Solo said meaningfully.

"Makes sense."

As the two were talking, they arrived outside the Adventurers' Guild. Ma Li immediately spotted the half-elf girl with a blank stare in the crowd.

She kept her eyes glued to the mission wall, muttering to herself. Ma Li only heard her mutter something when he got closer: "Why, why aren't any young nobles hiding their identities trying to hone their martial arts?!"

"Are you also looking for commissions?" Solo asked curiously.

"No, Charles posted a request, but no one has accepted it after so long."

"Let me see what kind of request it is?" Solo leaned closer and, with the half-elf girl's guidance, found the unclaimed request.

"Seven silver shields for defeating a goblin tribe? That's too little reward. Give up. Even if it's posted for another six months, no one will be interested."

"But this is all the money I have left," Charles said weakly.

"Do you want me to lend you some?" Ma Li asked. "I still have quite a few on me."

“Well, you’ve already helped the village once and saved me twice. How can I possibly ask you for more?”

“Then there’s nothing we can do,” Solo said. “Goblins aren’t that hard to deal with. A medium-sized tribe can be taken care of with just two or three experienced veteran leaders and seven or eight trained rookie adventurers. At six silver coins per person, the captain’s market price would be at least sixty-six silver coins, double the usual price.”

Then Ma Li thought of something and took out a small purse from his backpack. It was given to him by the village chief of Whitewood Village before he set off, as a reward for killing the goblin chief.

Ma Li hadn't originally intended to take it, but he did need some change at the time, so he carried it with him. However, after making a fortune from the wonderful experience, the money was no longer of any use to him.

"There are also 14 silver shields and 116 bronze krones here. They were collected by the villagers, so let's include them."

“That’s still not enough,” Solo shook his head again.

"Oh, by the way, the chief of that tribe just died not long ago, and those goblins should be leaderless now. I wonder if this information will be of any use."

"Their chieftain is dead?" The monster hunter paused, then asked, "How did he die?"

“I ran him over with my car,” Ma Li said truthfully. “There was also a goblin wearing a red hat.”

Solo still didn't understand how the goblin chieftain died, but since Mali was an alchemist, he figured he wouldn't lie about something like this, so his tone softened a bit.

"The goblin chieftain is usually the strongest warrior in the tribe, and the other goblins will obey his commands. If he dies, it will indeed make the extermination work much easier. As for the red-hat goblins..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "It should be a mutant—a fire goblin. It possesses fire enhancement abilities and most likely also knows one or two zero-ring spells. It's not surprising that a mutant would appear in a tribe of this size."

"If it dies too, things will be simpler. The danger to that goblin tribe will be reduced by at least half, and the reward can be reduced accordingly."

At this moment, Xia Er hurriedly added, "We also have militia in our village, four people in total, who can be ordered to help wipe out the goblins."

Solo glanced at the half-elf girl. "Have you ever seen blood?"

"Captain Leibtos participated in the Battle of the Bastards, and according to him, he killed several enemies in that battle, including a knight's squire. As for me, I am a hunter, does fighting my prey count? Besides, we are very familiar with that forest."

(End of this chapter)