Starting with the goblin extermination

On summer nights, even the wind blowing on your face feels hot.

Elsa held Lily's hand and walked side by side with Logan on the cobblestone streets of Riverwood.

They were heading towards the [Sleeping Dragon Tavern].

The half-elf girl always deliberately kept a small distance, her eyes always glancing unintentionally at the tall, blond man beside her.

Lily, walking in the middle, glanced back and forth between the two with her cunning eyes.

Riverwood is much more lively at night than during the day.

It must be said that the presence of a large number of adventurers has completely revitalized Riverwood with blood and gold. Walking on the streets, the bustling crowds made Logan wonder if he was in a small border town or a thriving mini-city.

On both sides of the street, vendors continued to hawk their wares with great enthusiasm, seemingly oblivious to the darkness that had fallen. Flickering torches illuminated half the sky in a fiery red, and adventurers strolled about, squandering the bounties they had just earned with their lives.

They would stop every now and then, bend down, and pick through the snacks, clothes, or other odd and unusual goods at the stalls.

Logan deliberately slowed his pace, trying to keep up with Elsa and Lily.

On the surface, he was cautiously scanning the crowd around him. In reality, he was thinking about what he had gained that day.

The guild gave a bounty of 2 gold coins for each of the three goblins. Thorin also sold the severed heads to Adele at the herbalist's shop for 2 gold coins each, making a total of 12 gold coins for himself.

Then there are the ordinary goblins.

I killed 19 ordinary goblins, earning a bounty of 2 silver coins per goblin, for a total of 3.8 gold coins.

In addition to the few gems, several money bags, and a few weapons of barely acceptable quality that he had scavenged deep in the camp, he received 3.1 gold coins after dividing these miscellaneous items.

I received a total of 18.9 gold coins for this cleanup mission.

The returns were quite good.

For an Iron-level adventurer, this was already a very rewarding quest. The entire team's total income was around 40 gold coins, but the reason I was able to take the lion's share was entirely because I soloed most of the Big Goblins.

However, compared to the bronze-level mission that Instructor Soben and his team completed a couple of days ago, this amount of money is far less.

It is quite obvious that being employed and not employed are two completely different worlds for adventurers.

Greater strength means facing stronger enemies and receiving greater rewards.

That makes perfect sense.

Thinking of this, Logan couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

I was too greedy.

All told, this body has only been an adventurer for less than a month, yet its current earning speed is enough to drive countless seasoned veterans struggling at the bottom of society crazy with envy.

As Logan was making his calculations, Lily pulled Elsa to a stop in front of a stall.

This is a small stall selling sweets, with rows of fairly delicately shaped little cakes and roughly made sugar cookies on display.

But the most eye-catching thing was a strange plate of jelly placed right in the center.

They were placed in small, clear glass dishes, refracting an alluring array of colors under the glow of the surrounding torches. Their bouncy, chewy texture looked incredibly pretty and cute; just looking at them, one could almost imagine their sweet aroma.

The stall owner was a plump middle-aged woman. Seeing Lily's longing eyes, she immediately smiled and started promoting her stall.

"Cute little girl, would you like to try a slime jelly? It's made from fresh slime gel using a special process; it's very sweet and delicious!"

Logan walked up to the two of them, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Slime?

jelly?

The image of the wriggling, slimy monster that devoured garbage and corpses he had encountered in the dark sewers when he first arrived in Riverwood flashed into his mind.

The gel around the core of that thing can actually be made into a jelly-like dessert? Is it edible?

Logan brought his face close to the jelly with some skepticism. Seeing this, the old lady opened the glass dish, and a sweet aroma, as expected, wafted out.

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've eaten anything sweet.

In his past life, his favorite thing to do after get off work was to gently tap the thin layer of caramel on the surface of the pudding with a spoon.

Thinking of this, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed like a child.

He was craving it.

"Thirty copper coins for each piece, each piece is about the size of your palm, it's a great deal!" the stall owner continued to enthusiastically greet customers.

A slender hand handed over a silver coin. Logan turned his head and saw Elsa's profile.

Ever since Logan returned from his mission and asked her to bring Lily to the tavern for their appointment, she had been feeling uneasy.

The thought of Logan returning last night with Adele's scent would uncontrollably conjure up images in her mind that made her extremely irritated.

I was here first.

So throughout the journey, although she was holding Lily's hand, she was constantly distracted, her eyes always glancing at Logan.

But now, seeing Logan's expression, the nameless anger in his heart suddenly dissipated.

The blond swordsman who wouldn't even blink at a professional on the battlefield was now staring blankly at a pink jelly like a naive little boy.

This was the first time she had seen Logan show such a contrasting side of himself.

Clumsy, yet somewhat cute.

What an idiot.

He was his teammate, a companion with whom he could entrust his life.

I will always follow him, witnessing his unknown side, infiltrating his life, and always...

The woman from Tifflin could only see his departing figure after the transaction was completed.

He... is mine.

Thinking of this, Elsa's pent-up anger vanished in an instant.

She bravely grabbed Logan's hand, and to his astonishment, bought three different colored jellies in one go, handing the pink one to Logan.

"Try it, it's not poisonous." Elsa's blue eyes softened.

Logan hesitated for a moment, then took it and tentatively took a bite.

It has a cool, icy texture.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the smooth, tender jelly that crumbled at the touch like in my previous life; instead, it had a soft, chewy texture unique to gels.

With one bite, a refreshing, sweet strawberry aroma fills the mouth.

Who would have thought that slime, which eats garbage in the sewers, would taste so delicious after being processed?

comfortable.

Monsters can be made this delicious...

Logan had seen dishes made with monster meat in taverns, but they were generally expensive, and adhering to the principle of saving money wherever possible, he had never been willing to try them.

Looks like I can indulge myself a little tonight.

Lily, who was walking ahead, couldn't wait to bite into a piece of purple jelly. The little girl deliberately held the jelly in her mouth, stretched her neck, and pretended to stick out a long tongue. She turned around and made funny faces at the two of them.

"Hehehe—Look! I'm the terrifying big-tongued monster!"

"Stop fooling around." Elsa said this, but she couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her sapphire-like eyes were full of joy, reflecting the streetlights on both sides.

Logan chewed on the jelly in his mouth, quietly watching the half-elf girl smiling brightly in the firelight. His nerves, which had been tense from the battle, finally relaxed completely.

Great.

She finally calmed down.

Not far away, the tavern's sign could be vaguely seen.