Chapter 567: After the Investigation
A few days after the doll experiments—
The Adventurers’ Guild’s Swen Branch was buzzing with activity.
The reason was that recruitment had begun for members of an expedition to investigate the ancient ruins discovered by the A-minus adventurer team Blue Thunder Beast.
The request was jointly issued by Count Swen, the local lord, and the kingdom itself, with scholars and researchers also listed among the sponsors.
Notably, the name “Blue Thunder Beast” was absent.
“Your team’s name isn’t listed. Is that okay?” Tauro asked after spotting the team’s leader, Jack.
“When we announced the discovery of the ancient ruins under the name of Blue Thunder Beast, other teams became eligible to investigate them as well. For this expedition, the lord and a group of scholars and cultural authorities are footing the bill and taking the lead. Of course, a portion of that money will come to us regardless. We’ll use it to continue investigating the ruins—or to fund expeditions elsewhere.”
Jack grinned as he explained.
“I see. But how are they planning to enter the ruins? The passage is still blocked by that stone sarcophagus…”
Tauro had sealed the passage to escape the Olog-Hai, so getting back inside wouldn’t be easy. The route leading there was narrow, which would also make it difficult to bring in large equipment.
“Widening those paths and securing safety—that’s all part of this quest.”
Jack explained in detail.
That was why neither Blue Thunder Beast nor Silver Twin Mages—the B-minus team that had accompanied them previously—would be participating in the new expedition; they already knew what conditions at the site were like.
Moreover, the quest was open to teams ranging from B-rank down to E-rank. It required over fifty participants, and with soldiers dispatched by the lord added in, the total force would easily exceed three hundred people.
Looking closely at the remarks section, it stated in small print: “E-rank participants must be capable of monster subjugation, transporting goods, and physical labour on site.”
In other words, they were looking for workers who could fight.
“The quest details almost sound like a scam… Do people really not notice?” Tauro said wryly, now clearly understanding the contents of the quest from Jack’s explanation.
“Even if they notice, plenty of E-rank adventurers will still join. Usually, only high-ranking adventurers get to participate in investigations of ancient ruins for safety reasons. But with a large-scale operation like this, safety is guaranteed to some extent. And if low-rank adventurers can slip into a dream quest like this—even if it’s only as laborers—it gives them something to brag about later. Plenty of adventurers risk their lives chasing passion and glory.”
Jack explained, recalling his own days as a low-rank adventurer.
After parting ways with Jack, Tauro and his party searched for a new quest in the special room reserved for high-ranking adventurers.
“I wonder if there’s still treasure left in those ruins?” Aeris asked. The stone sarcophagus Tauro had uncovered belonged to royalty and contained treasure, but she wondered whether similar treasures might remain elsewhere.
“Hard to say. The place was quite large, and the remains in that sarcophagus belonged to only one person. It wouldn’t be strange if there were other graves. And if there are other graves, it wouldn’t be strange if treasure was still lying there.”
Tauro acknowledged the possibility.
“Well, we got what we could. That’s enough, right?” Ankh remarked pragmatically.
“Ankh’s right. If we hog everything, we’ll just earn resentment from other adventurers,” Ragune added while scanning the quest board.
“Even adventurers—supposedly synonymous with freedom—have their own complications,” Zion commented honestly, being the least experienced among them.
“Haha, that’s true. This time, let’s sit it out and watch. So—has anyone found a good quest?”
Tauro scanned the board.
“How about this one? A mysterious monster has been appearing in a village at the foot of the Antas Mountain Range, attacking livestock and recently even causing deaths among the villagers. They want it subjugated. It started as a D-rank quest, but after repeated failures, it’s been raised to B-rank.”
Aeris handed Tauro a worn and tattered quest sheet.
She was right—the quest had been revised multiple times, rising from D-rank to B-rank.
“Alright, let’s take this one. If villagers are dying, it’s urgent. And with everyone focused on the ancient ruins, there may not be anyone willing to take this right away.”
Tauro nodded, concerned that the reward still reflected the quest’s original D-rank status and therefore made it unattractive.
“Still, aren’t there too many ‘mysterious monster’ cases in the north lately? With the Olog-Hai, we happened to defeat some and the leader could appraise them right away, so we were able to share information with the Adventurers’ Guild. But if a team can’t appraise the monster or doesn’t have the means to transport its corpse, they can only report its characteristics to the Guild. That makes it difficult to share detailed information, doesn’t it?”
“Even bringing back just part of a monster for appraisal doesn’t always provide complete information,” Tauro added sympathetically, thinking about how difficult the Guild’s job must be.
He submitted the quest to the receptionist.
“Oh! You’re taking this one? Thank you so much! The village has suffered greatly and can’t afford to increase the reward any further, so we were at a loss. The Guild had been discussing subsidizing the quest to resolve it, but with the ancient ruins situation, that proposal fell through… Ah, sorry for rambling. The paperwork is complete. Please take care!”
The receptionist expressed her gratitude and explained the situation.
“It’s part of our job as adventurers.”
Tauro replied, glancing back at Aeris and the others. Seeing them nod in agreement, the party prepared for their next mission.