Chương 52: Harvest

"Next time, we should offer a higher price and see if we can recruit that mage."

"Counting complete. The numbers are correct." Aila looked up and her gaze naturally swept over the people behind Marcus. The swordsman, Grey. The assassin, Cyr. The ranger, Vaelis. Wait. Where was Zelier? Normally, he always came along when they turned in their commissions. Why wasn't he here this time? And judging by Marcus's group… They looked like they had just fought a brutal battle. Damaged armor. Exhausted expressions. Bloodstains covering their clothes. Could it be…

"Mr. Marcus, did your team suffer any casualties during this mission?" Aila couldn't help asking, a faint sense of unease rising in her heart.

"Why don't I see Zelier?"

"He was injured. He's currently at the clinic." Hearing that Zelier was only injured, Aila finally relaxed slightly and let out a quiet breath of relief. However, Grey suddenly looked amused.

"Our big guy Gark isn't here either."

"Why didn't you ask about him?"

"Oh…"

"What happened to Gark? Was he injured too?" Aila followed Grey's lead and asked.

"Yes, he was injured as well." Grey smiled from the side. Aila felt increasingly uncomfortable under his teasing gaze.

"Mr. Grey…"

"Please don't look at me like that while smiling…"

"I'm just looking at a girl who specifically remembered Zelier." Grey's smile widened.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"Mr. Grey!" Aila's face instantly turned red.

"Please don't make jokes like that!"

"Alright, alright. I'm done teasing you." Grey raised his hands in surrender. Aila handed a heavy pouch to Marcus. The clinking sound of coins inside made the value of the reward obvious.

"This is your payment for the commission. Please take it."

"Thank you." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Marcus accepted the pouch. For the first time, his expression finally relaxed. Fifty-three gold and fifty silver. An absolutely massive reward. Outside the Adventurer's Association.

"That concludes this commission." Marcus handed each person their prepared share.

"I hope we'll have another chance to fight alongside each other in the future."

"Of course. It was a pleasure working together." Cyr pulled up her hood. Then, after turning around a corner, her figure vanished without a trace. … Morning. Zelier opened his eyes. He hadn't slept particularly well. The constant pain from his lower leg wound had kept bothering him throughout the night. And besides the physical injury, there was also the aftereffect of nearly exhausting his mana. Normally, Zelier could only cast three Arcane Missiles at most.

But inside Ashwood Forest, he had not only cast three Arcane Missiles… He had also used several second-tier spells. Even after sleeping, the mana inside his Mindscape still hadn't fully recovered. His dreams had been fragmented and bizarre all night long. After returning to town yesterday, Zelier had immediately gone to the clinic. However, the doctor could only apply fresh medicinal powder, replace the bandages, and remind him not to engage in strenuous activity for the next few days.

Beyond that, there wasn't much else they could do. Zelier's eyes moved slightly. His attribute panel appeared before him. STR: 65 AGI: 61 CON: 68 SPI: 71 INT: 82 PER: 30 CHA: 49 LUK: 41 The analysis progress of The Grand Creation remained stubbornly at 0%. However, Vituperative Curse had already reached 20%. Based on this speed, Zelier estimated that Vituperative Curse was probably also a second-tier spell. A Mental-type control spell… That was actually something worth looking forward to. Zelier sighed.

Using his arm for support, he slowly sat up on the edge of the bed. Then he picked up the simple wooden crutch leaning nearby and limped downstairs.

"Good morning, Zelier." Auro's energetic voice came from behind the counter.

"Morning…" Zelier scratched his head. Seeing Auro, he looked slightly surprised.

"Shouldn't you be off work resting?"

"Today is the first day of the month!"

"I switch shifts on the first and fifteenth of every month."

"So now I'm working the daytime shift."

"The first of the month…" Zelier muttered thoughtfully. The calendar of the Candia Continent was largely similar to the one from his previous life. There were still twelve months in a year. However, the names of the months were mostly related to seasons and agriculture. For example— The spring month was called Sprouting Month. The summer month was called Hot Wind Month. And the current season was Harvest Month. Since it was already the beginning of the month, he needed to find time to visit the Mage Guild today.

He had to collect his mage subsidy. And also complete his mandatory guild commission. Hopefully they wouldn't assign him something too difficult. Maybe because he was injured, the guild would just exempt him? Zelier muttered to himself. Auro thoughtfully helped him down the stairs and guided him to a warm seat beside the fireplace.

"See?"

"You were careless again." Auro crouched down and poked his injured leg. Then she looked up at him.

"Is it feeling any better?"

"Not really."

"I can only wait for it to heal slowly." Zelier pouted.

"I told you to be careful." Auro frowned slightly.

"Were those goblins really that difficult to deal with?" The goblins weren't the problem. The real trouble was those damn humans. That Drake Squad… Zelier silently complained. But he naturally lied.

"Yeah."

"Those green-skinned little monsters were annoying."

"They kept jumping around everywhere."

"I wasn't careful enough and ended up getting cut." Having an injured leg was inconvenient. Fortunately, the arrow had only grazed his calf. If it had been a direct penetrating wound, things would have been much more troublesome. And considering they had wiped out a team containing three Mid-tier professionals without losing anyone… A minor injury like this was nothing. Forty-one points of Luck. Please keep blessing me with your power. Zelier prayed silently. Auro soon brought over breakfast.

A bowl of steaming porridge. Several slices of freshly baked soft bread. And a bowl of vegetable soup. The Nightflower Inn was peaceful in the early morning. Sunlight streamed through the windows. Dust particles drifted lazily through the golden rays. Zelier quietly enjoyed his breakfast. But before he had taken more than a few bites, the door of the Nightflower Inn opened. The person who entered was Marcus. He walked straight over and sat down across from Zelier.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Zelier greeted him.

"Uh…"

"Not yet." Marcus answered honestly.

"Auro, another serving of the same thing!" Zelier waved toward the counter.

"Coming right up!" Auro replied brightly.

"Thanks…"

"Oh, right."

"This is your reward." Marcus handed a cloth pouch to Zelier.

"The commission reward is twelve gold coins."

"Adding the money we found on them, it comes to sixteen gold coins in total."

"As for the money from selling the equipment, we'll have to wait another two days."

"Selling that much gear all at once would attract suspicion." Marcus added.

"No problem."

"I'm not in a hurry right now." Zelier accepted the money pouch. His mood immediately improved. His personal savings had now surpassed twenty gold coins! Hard work always brought rewards.