Chapter 456

Chapter 456: Female Adventurer

  ”Let me see, is there a menu?”

  The young lady glanced around the bar, trying to see what everyone was drinking.

  Most people were having ordinary bread, vegetable soup, and a few slices of cured sausage for their dinner tonight.

  Compared to what she had seen in Hope Lane, the food here was even cheaper. A regular dinner cost about 20 copper coins.

  Although the taste was average and lacked seasoning, these hardworking people didn’t seem to mind much; anything tasted good when they were hungry.

  The cold outdoor air could be considered a natural refrigerator. The ale, chilled for a short while, tasted as refreshing as ice-cold beer once brought back inside.

  As the bartender opened the small tap, a clear liquid flowed with a faint aroma, filling a wooden cup before being placed on a tray and served at each table.

  This chilled ale was the main entertainment for many tonight. The refreshing sensation after taking a sip made the day’s hard work seem worthwhile.

  ”I’ll have one too,” the young lady said after looking at the menu. Instead of ordering luxurious ingredients, she opted for the same ordinary dinner as everyone else. She came here to observe the current situation in various parts of Clancia and naturally wanted to try the local commoner’s meal herself.

  ”Sure, just a moment.”

  Though curious about the simplicity of the young lady’s order, the bartender didn’t ask further and turned to prepare her meal.

  While waiting, Lacy, who was also Loran Hill, listened to the conversations among the patrons in the bar.

  ”Did you hear? They’re going to issue a conscription notice soon, apparently preparing for war.”

  ”I know about that. It seems to be related to the conflict with the Frost Rose in the Southern Region.”

  ”I’d love to go. Unlike the old nobles who used to underpay soldiers, the conditions and rations in Clancia have always been good.”

  ”Haha, that’s true. My nephew looked much healthier after he came back from serving. He was actually too thin before.”

  ”It’s a shame the conscription has age requirements. I doubt I’d qualify, so I might only end up doing some work in the rear.”

  ”In general, things are looking better now. Unlike before, we don’t have to worry about so many things.”

  ”Yes, in the past, every time money was distributed, we were so careful, hiding it…

In a corner of the house, they were afraid that some ruffians might sneak in. Even small businesses had to pay various protection fees; how could they possibly continue operating here?

“It’s much safer now. We can sleep well every night. Ah, it’s truly not easy. No wonder those people rebelled back then. If I had known it would be like this, who would still want to follow the West Wind?”

“Haha, if Clancia could maintain this state for a few more years, the nobility from the West Wind wouldn’t have anyone to rally behind for a restoration.”

“I’ve forgotten the name of the previous lord. It’s only been two years, yet I used to hear people cursing him all the time.”

“That’s right, I can’t recall it either.” Several middle-aged men sat together, laughing heartily.

“Your order is here.” The bartender placed two plates in front of Lacy and Mira.

“Thank you.”

Lacy looked at the rectangular bread, hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the person beside her before reaching out to tear off a small piece.

So there are no forks or knives here. She thought to herself. Everything is eaten by hand.

The bread wasn’t soft, rather hard, but fortunately, when dipped in vegetable soup, it wasn’t too difficult to eat, though it lacked flavor.

As Lacy slowly enjoyed her dinner, four weary travelers entered. They were both men and women, and seeing that there were no empty seats in the bar, they split up to find places to sit.

“Hello, is this seat taken?” A woman asked boldly, though her confident demeanor made it hard to get angry at her.

“No,” Lacy shook her head and glanced at the greatsword she carried on her back, wrapped with anti-slip cloth.

After sitting down, the woman removed her sword from her back and placed it beside the table, allowing Lacy and Mira to examine it closely.

The blade appeared to be made of fine steel, quite heavy, with tiny serrations along its edge, but the edges were very sharp, suggesting frequent use.

After ordering their meals, the female adventurer looked at Lacy and laughed. “Haha, is this your first time meeting a young lady?”

“Yes.”

Lacy nodded. Previously, Hope Lane was a commercial hub with dense populations, long free of demonic beasts, and thus adventurers were fewer. Large trading companies trusted their own people trained from a young age over these wild guards.

The woman, though female, had no shortage of muscle in her arms, looking like a seasoned veteran.

“Could you share some of your usual adventuring experiences?” Lacy was somewhat curious. Although she was quite powerful, she hadn’t traveled to many places.

“Well, this… sure, but you’ll have to treat me for dinner tonight. Otherwise, I won’t have the energy to talk so much.”

“It’s fine.” Lacy naturally wasn’t lacking in that bit of money now.

“Haha, thank you, Miss. You’re quite generous,” she said with a hearty tone.

“In fact, we adventurers often travel around looking for work, because demonic beasts aren’t everywhere, and not every place can afford to hire us.”

Then she began to recount her own experiences.

This female adventurer was named Pauline. As a child, she had some talent and learned swordsmanship from a local extraordinary sect. Later, she gradually got involved in hunting some demonic beasts. Generally speaking, the local extraordinary sects would let their new members participate in practical exercises, and she slowly became familiar with and recognized a group of people through this process.

After getting married, dissatisfied with the tedious life after marriage and not having any children, she left to become an adventurer herself. In her own words, she lived freely and happily.

Although she only had Sequence 3 strength now, with rich experience and teamwork, they could occasionally hunt some weaker Sequence 4 demonic beasts. When they completed local commissions, they could also sell the materials from the demonic beasts for money.

“Mostly, the mages from the eastern group buy them more. Usually, we have our acquaintances transport them to Rourna to sell.”

In this way, after a big job, killing a Sequence 4 demonic beast, they could rest for half a year or more, not worrying about food or drink. If they were lucky, they could even exchange for some equipment.

Lacy nodded, then her gaze fell on the two-handed longsword on the table. According to her system analysis, this sword should be a fine bronze grade, which was quite good for ordinary extraordinary beings.

“So where are you headed recently?”

“Recently, there have been reports of several rock worms appearing in Nide County to the north. They’ve collapsed several mines. Not only has the official side of Clancia organized manpower, but they’ve also called in some adventurers.”

“Because these demonic beasts move underground and their whereabouts are unpredictable, they are quite difficult to deal with, so the rewards are quite generous.”

“I see,” Lacy nodded, thinking about her own caravan’s travel route, which happened to include Nide County. She decided to go and check it out when the time came.

(End of Chapter)