The buildings were smaller overall. Compared to the city I had visited before, and even contrasted with where we had originally been, it was clearly much smaller.
Or maybe my sense of scale was thrown off by that large tower in the middle. Its sheer size, thick enough to fit an average town inside, distorted any sense of proportion.
Without that tower, it might have seemed like a normal-sized place. The comparison made everything look diminutive. Regardless, it didn’t really matter since we weren’t planning to enter anyway.
I started feeling the urge to put down my baggage, so I mentioned this to Myungho. He seemed to agree, suggesting we secure a room first and then head to the Adventurers’ Guild to sell some items.
Like the purple stone I carried, or perhaps the core from the Dalocos. Though I had no intention of selling the latter. Since there were still a few things to settle, we headed towards the Adventurers’ Guild.
The Adventurer’s Guild buildings all looked the same, as did the people inside. They would be surprised by the golden insignia, then doubly shocked upon seeing Myungho, and finally stunned again when inspecting my badge closely.
Even though I’d only been there three times, I could predict their reactions fairly well.
“Sir Hero, your recent visit makes sense, but… a Half-Dragon? You’re not dressed up or using illusions, right? It’s real? No, it must be if it says so on the badge, but… a real Half-Dragon? I thought they only existed in legends!”
“Yes, it’s real. There’s no disguise or magic involved. Explaining the details would take too long, but can we arrange for a room?”
“Oh, yes. Are you challenging the Sky Tower? If so, it’s complimentary. Otherwise, there’s a standard fee.”
“No, we’re just stopping by to rest. We don’t plan to challenge the Sky Tower.”
“Ah, I see. Then… two humans and one elf… how do we price the Half-Dragon? Hmm… half the sum of a Dragon and a human…? Ugh… never mind. 40 copper coins it is. The Half-Dragon isn’t listed yet, so setting a price feels like overstepping…”
The negotiation, or whatever it was, seemed over. Myungho took a few coins from his bag and handed them to the receptionist.
“Yes, go across the street to the Spire Inn and show this token to get the room you prefer. Also… is the lady from Golsamet? I heard rumors that Golsamet is going through tough times.”
“She only registered there. At first, she probably didn’t have positive feelings about it either.”
Why Golsamet came up, I wasn’t sure, but since we had secured a room, I followed him into a building without complaint.
The inn smelled strongly of alcohol, with people sprawled everywhere. A very imposing-looking woman greeted us.
“Welcome to the Spire. Seeing you here means you aren’t challenging the tower, correct? Wise choice—there’s reportedly the Sun Hero inside now, so even Gold-ranked adventurers should reconsider. Ah, will he come out soon? Let me stop rambling. Your room is on the second floor. Handle troublemakers appropriately.”
This woman, unlike the guild receptionists, didn’t seem fazed by our presence. In fact, she appeared rather indifferent, making me wonder if her confidence stemmed from strength or something else.
“The Sun Hero… huh. Is he here? Anyway, understood… wait, ‘handle appropriately’? Not gently?”
“To convey your intentions quickly to drunkards, nothing beats a good beating. By the way, what race is that young lady? In my life, I’ve seen people with tails and others with horns, but never both together.”
“She’s a Half-Dragon. Yes, seriously. Honestly, I sometimes wonder myself how we travel together.”
As someone tried to touch my tail while drunk, I sent him flying with a light strike. Meanwhile, Myungho seemed busy explaining my race to everyone.
Let’s head upstairs already. Staying longer meant risking intoxication from the potent alcohol smell filling the room.
“Let’s discuss later. First, let’s unpack these burdensome things.”
There were quite a few people openly staring at me. Given my attire, it was understandable why I drew attention, but the drunken state of most made it hard to appreciate their gazes.
“Oh, alright. Let’s go upstairs then, and we’ll talk more later.”
Finally. It took long enough. After climbing upstairs with Myungho, we naturally entered the same room. Akashi and Yuna also went to their shared room naturally.
Judging by the tension between the mage and the archer, it was unlikely they’d share a room. As for me and Myungho…
No matter how trustworthy someone is, liking them isn’t guaranteed. Just because a bamboo grove doesn’t fall in love with the secret keeper of the emperor’s ears doesn’t mean anything.
Hmm. Definitely not. Myungho is more like the bamboo grove anyway. Though he’s shown a lot already and is alive… who knows. If I say so, then that’s that.
“Oh, right. Alterra, do you want to settle accounts? Things like spirit stones, for instance. Considering the money you carry, it might not be necessary, but there’s no need to carry it all around.”
Settling accounts. Now that I think about it, my loot pouch has gotten pretty full after stripping monsters of valuables.
I should sell some. To make room for new things. Right now, my pouch only contained the purple stone.
“How about it? Then you can finish talking to that lady downstairs. I know what you mean about settling, but I’ll handle it alone.”
“No, don’t go alone. I’ll come with you. You might get scammed, and communication isn’t always smooth.”
That’s true. Even if getting scammed wouldn’t ruin my mood, considering sharing with them later, it’s better to ensure accuracy.
…Besides, if push comes to shove, I could extract gold ore from the earth, but I’d rather keep that as a personal specialty.
Following Myungho to the guild, the air felt noticeably clearer. How the inn managed to reek of alcohol on the second floor was baffling.
Unlike the guild, the people on the inn’s first floor were all staggering around, dazed and drunk, making unpleasant noises before burying their heads back in their cups. Their behavior was utterly contemptible.
“Oh, it’s you folks again. Is there a problem? There are quite a few drunks at the Spire Inn, but we can change your room if you wish.”
“No, that’s fine. We just came to settle accounts. It’s not me; Alterra has quite a bit.”
—
Spirit stones. All she brought were spirit stones. Normally, they wouldn’t fetch high prices, yet the estimated amount already surpassed five gold coins.
When Alterra emptied a full pouch of stones onto the table, the receptionist’s eyes widened considerably. It took roughly thirty minutes just to tally everything.
People inside the guild also stared curiously at the counter covered in purple stones. Even I found it impressive.
“High-purity spirit stones… how did you gather so many? Did you dance with swords in the Zikur Mountains? Goodness, I’ve never seen anything like this. Even for Gold-rank adventurers…”
“It wasn’t sword dancing. We walked through and fought a bit, but not that much.”
Alterra could probably sword dance, but we couldn’t. Someone like the Sun Hero might traverse the mountain effortlessly, cutting through all monsters.
“Truly, you and your party with the Hero… this must be trivial for you… did you happen to see that fungus-covered kingdom firsthand?”
“Yes, and thanks to everyone’s help, we cleared the fungi. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
I also wanted to find a buyer for the sword given by the heart of that fungus. Now that her settlement was done, maybe we should visit the appraisal office.
“No! We don’t doubt you, Hero! It’s just… amazing to know such things really exist. Alright, total: 5 gold and 50 silver.”
It’s not easy to earn this much just from spirit stones.
Looking at the gleaming gold and silver coins made me reflect. Ever since Alterra joined the party, sums like these started seeming smaller.
Compared to what Alterra carries, it’s indeed a small amount, but objectively, it’s still substantial. Enough to buy more equipment.
But since Alterra refuses to wear equipment, I can’t force her to buy anything.
While contemplating this, a commotion outside caught our attention. It sounded like a celebrity had arrived, with excited chatter echoing even inside the building.
Peeking out, it was him.
The blond guy.
Still surrounded by women, I see. Trying to slip away quietly, his voice calling out stopped me.
We only met briefly during a foreign envoy visit when I was still part of the kingdom. That straightforwardly charming smile approached me confidently.
“Myungho! Long time no see. Sorry for mentioning, but… ah. My bad. Thoughtless of me. When you said you were leaving on a mission, I worried a lot, but it seems my concerns were unfounded! By the way, may I ask who the lovely lady beside you is?”
That’s why I tried to escape earlier.
