The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

A thin mist rose over the forest in the early morning, and some treetops were already covered with glistening frost. The air was somewhat chilly.

Lorraine leaned leisurely against the tree root, watching the caravan members bustling about.

Piper, standing to the side, was wrapped in bandages all over his body, looking like half a mummy.

Fortunately, his dwarven bloodline seemed to have given him a significant boost to his physique, preventing his injuries from becoming life-threatening.

However, his injured left hand could not be used for the time being, so it was simply bandaged and hung in front of him until he reached Qiantan Town to find a way to treat it.

However, the ever-optimistic Piper didn't care about any of this. He was holding a tortilla in his right hand and enjoying his breakfast with a bowl of stewed rabbit.

After they dealt with the giant goblin, the remaining goblins scattered and soon fled into the forest.

The caravan was eventually reduced to six guards, along with the disheveled adventurer Sauron and his men.

The strong smell of blood deterred the surrounding wild animals, and the camp encountered no further danger all night.

The guards were cutting off and collecting the goblins' left ears, while the corpses were thrown into the campfire for a simple incineration to ensure no plague would break out.

According to the merchant Karl, almost every city has bounties for various monsters, and the bounty for goblins is relatively uniform, generally around 3 silver coins.

The great goblin was even more remarkable; his disfigured head was completely severed and preserved in a wooden box with lime.

As an elite unit trained in military discipline, they pose a far greater threat to the kingdom's order than goblins; they are not even in the same league.

The bounty for a single goblin can even reach 15 to 30 gold coins.

Of course, the dangers involved are not comparable.

Overall, Lorraine reaped a considerable reward this time. As per the rules, when encountering monster attacks during escort missions, the bounty is split equally among all the guards, and this time was no exception.

The merchant Karl, carrying large and small bags, hurried up to the two and said obsequiously to Lorraine:

"My lord, you are actually a spellcaster... Why didn't you tell me sooner? Otherwise, I would never have charged you that price. Sigh... I'm so sorry."

He handed the two small bags to them and continued:

"A total of 24 green-skinned beasts died this time, plus the one you two took care of together... According to the rules, I'll buy them first at the average price, and everyone will receive a total of 2 gold and 7 silver, but..."

"We're only alive thanks to you two. I can't break the rules, but I still understand the principles," Karl said in a low voice.

Lorraine took the bag and opened it. There were no silver coins inside, only five cute little gold coins that glittered.

He nodded without any pretense and put the money pouch into the package.

This money is enough for him to live comfortably for a long time and to buy him a decent set of equipment.

Piper tossed the money pouch around, not even bothering to count how much money was inside, and simply stuffed it into the large backpack behind him.

Carl's face lit up with joy as he watched the two men accept the money pouch. He smiled and said, "Let's make friends. I'm new here, and I'll need your help in the future."

With such a large sum of money coming in all at once, Lorraine was in a great mood, and the fatigue from the previous battle was relieved.

He stood up and shook hands with Karl, smiling as he said, "Not at all. Mr. Karl has traveled all over the world and must be very knowledgeable. We're just helping each other out."

This made Karl nod repeatedly in agreement, and he quickly put down another large package and happily went back to pack his things.

Lorraine's gaze was drawn to the bulging package. He opened it and rummaged through it; it was filled with things that belonged to the goblin.

A set of leather armor, a silver longsword, and the rest was mostly junk, not worth much.

"Pip will take this leather armor. He can modify it and it'll still be usable. Ugh...it stinks..." Pip pulled out the longsword and handed it to Lorraine, saying, "This sword is pretty good, quite heavy!"

Lorraine took the longsword from his hand and looked down.

Rusty throat

Equipment type: One-handed longsword / Two-handed

Quality: Excellent (Green) / Worn

Weight: 4.2 kg

Length: 43 inches

Durability:31/100

Equipment effects:

[Heavy Slash]: Attack speed -5%, but damage dealt +10%.

【Durable】: Not easily damaged

[Weared Edge]: Sharpness -20% (The blade has multiple nicks and needs urgent repair)

Remarks:

I should have sold the sword to pay for my journey.

—The 17th Battalion, Supply Detachment, Number 87, Gluck the deserter.

.....

So that goblin was a runaway slave? No wonder he was so poor, with nothing in his bag.

Lorraine examined the longsword before him. The workmanship was somewhat rough, but the materials were solid. It had a broad back and thick spine, a typical design that prioritized slashing over piercing; the goblins seemed to prefer slashing.

He raised the sword and swung it around. It was a bit too heavy for one hand, and the momentum was too great to handle with precision.

However, considering that the weapon's attribute is "sturdy," it must have been in a long time since that goblin had maintained it.

He sheathed the sword with satisfaction and carried it on his back.

"Thanks, I'll treat you to drinks after I'm done with this."

It's a decent piece of equipment, much better than the broken sword he got. At least he doesn't have to worry about accidentally hurting himself while cutting people.

I just owe Piper another favor; I'll repay him when I have the chance.

Lorraine didn't think the tattered leather armor was worth as much as the sword, but he really needed a suitable weapon.

After all, their journey has only just begun, and who knows what awaits them later.

His expression shifted, and he brought up the system panel again. He hadn't yet spent the exploration experience he gained from killing the goblin.

[Using 100 exploration experience points, you rolled 1 die]

Current balance: 91 exploration experience points

The white die reappeared, tumbling under his gaze before quickly stopping, revealing a clear five.

Five o'clock, not bad...

Lorraine raised an eyebrow. The Burning Hand he obtained at five points last time had already proven itself in battle. What good stuff would it be this time?

[Reward Obtained: Hair Sensing (Beginner)]

[Hair Perception (Beginner): You can identify the species affiliation of any creature's hair and track its owner through the hair—provided the hair has fallen within one hour and the target is within fifty feet.]

"What the hell?"

Lorraine's lips twitched.

He looked down at the back of his hand, where there were a few fine hairs.

Nothing happened.

"...That's it?"

He tried to concentrate again, staring fiercely at those few hairs.

A line of small print suddenly appeared in my line of sight:

[Human body hair, male, approximately 20 to 25 years old, recent nutritional status is average]

Lorraine blinked, and the small print slowly faded away.

He then turned to look at Piper, who was already dozing off beside him, his messy hair gleaming with a reddish-brown sheen in the sunlight.

[Half-body hair, male, approximately 15 to 20 years old, with mixed dwarf ancestry, currently exhibiting hyperactivity and mild signs of head lice.]

Lorraine silently moved to the side.