「The next morning.」
Colin got out of bed and shouldered his burlap sack, while Kase hoisted the four bundled hides onto his back.
Additionally, since his pant legs were in tatters, Colin simply tore off the ruined parts.
He salvaged what he could, asked the innkeeper for an old, unused pot to boil and sterilize the scraps, and fashioned them into a few crude bandages for emergencies.
After packing up, Colin went to check the tavern's notice board, thinking he might find a quest that was on their way.
Just like at the Black Heart Tavern, there weren't many quests available.
The few that were posted were all monster bounties.
Among them, the bounty for a great bear called "White Frost" was posted in the most prominent spot, and the reward seemed to have increased to seventy Gold Coins.
A quest like that was clearly beyond the two of them.
As they were leaving the inn, they saw Bob in the stables, checking on an injured nag.
"Heading out?"
After glancing at the two of them, Bob walked to a corner of the stable, picked up a burlap sack, and handed it to them. "Here's some sausage and dried bread. There are three waterskins inside, too. Should be enough for your journey."
Colin, who had been about to thank him, hesitated for a moment.
He nodded, stuffed the sack into his own, and shouldered it again.
"That's the spirit," Bob said with a smile. "Good luck, Colin."
"Good luck to you too, Bob."
With that, Colin turned and left with Kase.
The pair made their way to a tanner's shop outside the village to sell the hides. Of the four, the two from the animals killed with rocks were in pretty good condition. In the end, the four hides sold for about twelve Silver Coins.
They hadn't even headed back yet, and they'd already pocketed a total of three Gold Coins and two Silver Coins.
"Who knew quests outside the city were so profitable? If I'd known, we would've started looking for this kind of work sooner," Kase remarked.
"If Bob hadn't come to us, we'd still be sipping thin porridge in Thousand Masts City. Most people can't even find work like this," Colin replied. "Anything else we need to prepare?"
"I'm down a Javelin. I want to buy another one."
"Good, I was thinking of buying more Torches and other things anyway."
After a bit of asking around, the two of them headed toward the local blacksmith's shop.
The pedestrians on the street showed a strange hostility toward Kase. Upon seeing the Half-Orc, they would either give him a wide berth or look like they were ready for a fight at any moment.
Halfway there, a few members of the Militia even came over to question them.
If Colin hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened.
After some searching, the pair finally spotted the blacksmith's sign.
From a distance, the blacksmith was already sizing them up.
As they approached, he spoke up. "You're a big one, all right. Just like the Orcs I saw on the battlefield. What do you two want?"
Kase bellowed, "I'm stronger than any you've seen!"
"A Javelin. And do you sell Torches here?" Colin pulled the conversation back on track.
"If it's something Adventurers need, we sell it." The owner turned to gather the items.
Taking advantage of the moment, Colin looked around the shop.
For the only blacksmith in the village, the shop was a decent size. It had two forges and several anvils, with many half-finished pieces and hammers lying around the quenching buckets.
What was particularly noteworthy was that, aside from a few apprentices, there was also a Dwarf at work here.
This fellow had a short, salt-and-pepper beard and a body as stout as any other Dwarf. The hair on his head was meticulously slicked back. His expression was solemn, and although he wore simple linen clothes, he somehow gave off an imposing, noble air.
'Come to think of it, I've been running into a lot of Dwarves lately,' Colin thought to himself.
Dwarves were very insular. Although there were quite a few in Thousand Masts City, they usually moved in groups and were rarely seen alone.
It was strange enough seeing a trouble-making Dwarf in a slum herb shop last time, let alone one working alone in a human's store.
"Here they are. Pick whichever one you want."
CLANG. CLATTER. The blacksmith set the items they'd asked for on the ground.
Colin gave them a quick look.
[Javelin / Ordinary]
[Damage: 1-6 (Throwable)]
Most of them were of this quality—not good, not bad, just passable.
Colin glanced at the weapon at his waist.
[Orc Short Sword / Shoddy]
[Damage: 2-7]
His Orc Short Sword already did more Damage anyway, so there was no need to waste money replacing it.
Just as he was about to casually pick one, he suddenly spotted one that was different.
[Javelin / Refined]
[Damage: 2-7 (Throwable)]
'A Refined grade?'
Most of the equipment Colin had seen so far was either Shoddy or Ordinary. This was the first time he'd encountered an item of this grade.
"This one's good," Colin said, pointing to the Javelin.
Kase picked up the Javelin, gave it a couple of test swings, and nodded in satisfaction.
After grabbing two Torches, Colin asked, "How much?"
"Five Silver Coins and two Copper Coins."
As he was paying, Colin noticed that the Dwarf in the smithy had, at some point, put down his hammer and was now silently sizing him up.
'What's he looking at? What a strange guy.'
Colin didn't dwell on it. After paying, he and Kase started making their way toward the village's herb shop.
After all, they didn't know where to gather herbs yet. Getting some information would make their work much more efficient, and it would be worth it even if they had to pay a little.
After finding an herb shop's sign on the main street, Colin pushed the door open and went inside. The shop couldn't compare to the ones in Thousand Masts City, but it was passable. An old man stood behind the counter, and a figure in a Cloak stood in front of it.
The old man was obviously the shop's owner.
He was holding a strange purple mushroom and seemed to be processing herbs. The moment he saw Kase enter, he started shouting at the top of his lungs.
"An Orc? Why is there an Orc in here? Guards!"
The cloaked figure turned around, revealing a weathered face covered in a thick beard. Beneath the Cloak, a dented Chest Armor and the hilt of a sword were faintly visible.
Seeing that this man was not someone to be trifled with, Colin quickly said, "Calm down. He's my friend."
"I wasn't planning on making a move, sir," the cloaked man said with a small smile, stepping aside.
Compared to everyone else, this man's attitude was surprisingly friendly.
Colin walked up to the counter and asked the owner, "Is there anywhere nearby where herbs grow in abundance?"
"On the second-highest hill to the west. You should be able to see it clearly from outside the village," the cloaked man said. "But there are a few Goblin Tribes active in the area, so be careful if you go gathering herbs."
The herb shop owner complained, "Hey, how am I supposed to make any money if you do that?"
"You know I can't stay silent in a situation like this."
Colin saw the owner sigh, then hold the purple mushroom over an oil lamp to light it. The mushroom immediately began to emit a thick, white smoke.
The owner quickly placed the lit mushroom into a small glass vial and stoppered it. Only after seeing a faint blue light emanate from the vial's mouth did he put it away with a satisfied look.
'Is that a fantasy version of a Smoke Bomb?' Colin wondered.
The man standing beside them coughed lightly.
He said, "Also, a lot of refugees have come here recently, and they're all gathering herbs to get by. You'll probably have to go to some very remote spots to find anything, so I'd suggest you come back in a few days."
"Thanks," Colin said, snapping out of his thoughts. "But my rent is about to go up, and my brother here needs to save up to go back home. We're desperate for money."
"Is that so..."
The man furrowed his brow and hesitated for a moment, then took out two glass vials filled with a clear liquid from under his Cloak and handed them over.
He said, "These are two Weak Antidotes. They can counter any non-magical poison in the world. Goblin weapons are usually coated with poison. If luck isn't on your side, don't hesitate. Just drink one."
Colin looked at what the man was handing him.
[Weak Antidote]
[Effect: For one hour after consumption, the user has a chance to resist any non-magical poison.]
He swallowed involuntarily.
He remembered seeing this stuff priced at ten Gold Coins in the herb shop in the slums...
Kase casually took the Antidotes and blurted out, "If you need help with anything later, we'll give you a hand."
"I won't be shy about asking when the time comes," the man said with a smile.
"That's good." Kase grinned, baring his teeth. He was pleased by the man's response.
"I know you Paladins are all do-gooders, but you don't have to... Besides, your organization will pay for it." The shopkeeper sighed and placed two more vials on the counter.
As he took the Antidotes, the man nodded to Colin and said, "May the Morninglord watch over you both."
With that, he strode out of the herb shop.
Still reeling from the shock of being handed what amounted to twenty Gold Coins for free, Colin ran out the door to look, but the man had already vanished into the crowd, not a trace of him to be seen.