For the two days of travel from the last point they stopped after being intercepted by that deadly bandit group, Eralio's caravan continued to move without any significant obstacles. The wooden wheels creaked as they parted the cross-regional road, bringing along dozens of freed lives.
Until finally, the caravan arrived in front of the main gate of Gias City, which was sturdy and always heavily guarded.
The entry queue was not too long that late afternoon. As soon as it was the Eralio caravan's turn, two fully armored city soldiers on duty immediately stepped forward. In accordance with the city's security procedures, they began inspecting the cargo and luggage inside the row of wagons one by one.
The inspection went smoothly for the initial carriages. However, the footsteps of the two soldiers halted abruptly when they were behind one of the wagons in the middle of the line. They were startled by a completely unexpected sight: dozens of people in shabby and dirty clothes were sitting inside.
"Wait a moment! Who are these people?" asked one of the soldiers in a suspicious tone, his hand reflexively moving closer to the hilt of the sword at his waist. "Why are there so many people looking like this sitting inside a wagon?"
Seeing the tension beginning to rise, Eralio immediately stepped down from his carriage and walked over to the gate guards with a calm and cooperative demeanor.
"Please do not misunderstand, Sir Soldier." Eralio explained in a very polite tone. "They are civilians who were previously held hostage by a bandit group in the middle of the forest. We found and freed them. We intentionally brought them here so they could be immediately registered by the city authorities and returned to their respective hometowns."
"Bandits?" the soldier repeated, his brows furrowing in disbelief. "Where is a bandit group brave enough to hold this many people captive?"
"About two days of travel from here." Eralio answered again, pointing toward the road they had just traversed. "And you do not need to worry, all of those bandits, including their leader, have been killed and eradicated by the adventurers escorting my caravan."
Hearing that explanation, the tension on the soldier's face relaxed slightly, replaced by a sense of awe.
Meanwhile, Eralio suddenly remembered his conversation with Calian the other day regarding the reward system for hunting bandits.
"Excuse me, Sir Soldier." Eralio interrupted politely. "Do the defeated bandits have a bounty from the city?"
"Please check directly at the adventurer guild to confirm it." the soldier answered, beginning to give an explanation. "If the city or the guild has posted a mission regarding the capture of that bandit group on the notice board, you will certainly receive the reward after providing valid proof."
Hearing the highly informative answer from the soldier, Eralio immediately considered his next step. These dozens of people also needed swift handling. He then decided to bring his entire group to the adventurer guild first before returning to his residence to unload the merchandise.
After the soldier completed the inspection according to the applicable procedures, the caravan was finally allowed to cross the gate and enter Gias City.
"We are heading to the adventurer guild now!" Eralio ordered his coachman.
"Yes, Mr. Eralio!"
The crack of a whip was heard splitting the afternoon air. The wheels of the carriage and the wagons began to move along the city streets. The footsteps of all the horses moved at a constant rhythm, parting the bustling crowds of Gias City.
Ten minutes later, after passing the city square, the caravan slowly came to a halt right in front of a large building that appeared to be the busiest on the street: the adventurer guild building.
Without wasting time, Eralio, Calian, Wolvin, all the members of the Black Axe party, and also the dozens of people who had been saved stepped down from their vehicles. Guided by Eralio and the adventurers, the large group immediately walked toward the guild entrance.
Eralio, who was walking at the very front, gently pushed the double doors in front of him, then stepped into the spacious lobby.
That afternoon, the guild lobby was filled with dozens of adventurers busy exchanging monster materials, taking new missions, or simply drinking in the corners of the room. The sudden arrival of dozens of shabbily dressed people led by a wealthy merchant and several adventurers spontaneously attracted everyone's attention. The sounds of chatter and laughter in the lobby instantly subsided.
Ignoring the shocked, amazed, and bewildered stares of everyone there, the group continued to step through the crowd, heading directly to one of the reception desks that looked empty.
"Good afternoon!" Eralio greeted amiably, placing his hands on the counter desk. "I am Eralio, a merchant from this city. I came here because I want to ask for help in registering the dozens of people who are with us right now."
Hearing the request from the middle-aged man in front of her, and seeing the dozens of faces behind the man, the brown-haired woman serving as the receptionist looked a little surprised. Not only her, but the adventurers standing not far from there and eavesdropping on their conversation also felt surprised and whispered to each other.
"G-Good afternoon to you too, Mr. Eralio. I am Milla." the receptionist greeted, trying to regain her composure and display her professional smile. "Of course, we can help. But if I may know, what is the matter with those people? Did an incident occur out there?"
Eralio took a slow breath, then began to explain the series of events when their journey was stopped by a tree blockade, the sudden attack by the bandit group, and how his escort adventurers managed to slaughter the gang and find a cave used to hold the hostages.
The receptionist listened meticulously. Her eyes widened perfectly as she realized the scale of the crime that had just been thwarted by the group standing in front of her. The quill in her hand moved quickly, noting down the key points of the merchant's verbal report.
"And that is how we ultimately brought all of them here." Eralio concluded, ending his story. "Ah, and one more thing! Is there a mission regarding the hunting of the bandit gang posted here?"
Realizing the urgency of the seemingly exhausted hostages' condition, Milla immediately stood up and called one of her colleagues from the adjacent desk to take over the administration process for the victims.
"Very well, all of you please come here immediately so you can be registered and given first aid!" said Milla's colleague with a nurturing voice, directing her hand toward the waiting area.
The people who had been saved immediately moved toward the long table next to her to have their identities and origins registered.
Now, in front of Milla's desk, only Eralio, Calian, Wolvin, and all the members of the Black Axe party remained, standing and waiting for an answer regarding the fugitives.
Milla opened the large drawer under her desk and took out a leather folder containing all the documents related to the bandit capture missions operating in the jurisdiction of Gias City. She also took out all the parchment sheets containing the facial sketches of the high-class fugitives.
One by one, she placed the parchment sheets on the wooden desk and showed them to the group.
"The city security has indeed issued several lists of fugitives recently." Milla said seriously, pointing toward the drawings. "Please match them with the facial sketches of these fugitives. Are there any of them that you managed to defeat?"
Eralio and Calian immediately stepped a little further forward, looking at and examining all the charcoal-sketched faces displayed on the desk. They tried to recall the physical features of the bandits who intercepted them on the main road.
However, while the two of them were busy matching faces on the parchments, Wolvin seemed to have his own train of thought to prove their claim in a much more absolute and undeniable way.
The Night Wolf youth channeled his mana into the dimensional necklace on his neck, and then dropped something heavy right in front of the receptionist's desk.
Thud!