49 - Adventurer's Bureau Branch Office

The carriage stopped in an open area slightly before the river.

Several similar carriages could be seen lined up in a row.

A large, sturdy-looking log cabin stood at the entrance of the plaza, and a fist-sized bell hung by the door.

The first one to get off tapped the bell, and passengers started to get off the carriages one by one.

Thor and the others, who had alighted from the overhead seats carrying their luggage, followed the other passengers into the cabin.

Inside there was a large wooden counter where men in green uniforms were working.

There was a large table a little further away from the cabin where the staff in aprons were chatting and laughing.

There was a partition at the back of the room, and various tools were lined up on the shelves on the wall.

The room was brightly lit, probably due to the large windows, and the atmosphere was calm and relaxed.

The ten or so colleagues who had come with me were all acquainted with each other, and after a quick greeting at the reception desk and some writing, they easily left the room.

As Thor and the others approach, the receptionist smiles at them with a toothy grin.

"Welcome. Welcome to the Adventurers' Bureau of the Bloody River.

The owner of the deliberate smile was a young man of the Midoriwa tribe with short, dull black hair and dark green feathers.

He was about the same height as Sora, and his shoulders were not very broad.

His face was rather young and charming, but he was probably in his late twenties.

"Hello, you must be new here. My name is Rishi of the Fukamizuka family and I am in charge of the reception desk here.

I'm Thor. Nice to meet you.

After the other three had also greeted each other, Rishi's eyes moved quickly to check the adventurer's tags around Thor and the others' necks.

One of them had a red border with black on it, but the receptionist proceeded without showing it on his face.

"First of all, let me explain the way to and from the hotel. There is only one round-trip coach a day, leaving at 13:00 and arriving at noon every day. Please be careful not to miss your ride. The carriages are rarely full, but they do get crowded on weekends, so it is best to make a reservation if you plan to return home.

"We passed three cars on the way here, what are they?"

That's a carriage for transporting materials. I'm sorry, but we don't have enough room for all the passengers.

As you can see from the number of wagons, it takes eight hours for a round trip to this hunting ground on the bloody river, where overnight hunting is basically encouraged.

Thor and the others have already prepared their tents with this in mind.

Rishi's green eyes roll back and forth as he checks to see if there are any questions.

Sora and Yuril are listening with serious faces, but Mu, who has already begun to get bored, is trying hard to climb over Thor's body to look behind the counter.

Since you mentioned materials, I'll explain about them first. We have a dismantling place behind this hut where we assess the value of the monsters we kill, along with the purchase of their parts. If there are no staff members at the dismantling site, please ask for them at the table there.

Like the main office, this one seems to be understaffed.

"This office and the demolition yard are open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you need us for other urgent business, please tap the bell at the front desk.

Once again, the receptionist, with a fake smile on his face, nodded lightly and went on to the important part of the story.

I think you were given a brief explanation before you came here, but I would like to remind you again. The hunting grounds at the Bloody River are currently very crowded with more than a hundred adventurers. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary confusion, we ask each party to hunt in the designated area. Is that all right so far?"

After confirming that Thor and Yuril nodded, Rishi continued his story.

"To be more specific, the hunting grounds upstream from here are reserved for D ranks and those who are about to be promoted to E rank. The large riverbank upstream is for gathering only, and downstream from there are the hunting grounds for newcomers.

"Is there a penalty for picking your own hunting ground?"

No, there is no such thing, but it seems to be settled by discussion among adventurers.

There is a tacit understanding that is imposed on each other everywhere.

Thor raised his eyebrows a little at the implied implication that he did not want to add to the trouble.

"Lastly, if you are in need of any items you may have run out of, forgotten, or have damaged weapons or armor, we can lend them to you. Please feel free to use our service. That's all. Do you have any questions?"

At this stage, nothing has been done, so there is no way that the question we are asking will come up right away.

Shaking his head, Thor smiled back at the Midoriwa young man with satisfaction.

Please sign the visitor's list here. Is there anyone who would like to sign for me?

No, thank you.

"Can I draw on it?　To-chan."

I taught you the other day. Here, write your name here.

That one. I got it!"

When all four had finished writing their names, the receptionist opened his mouth again.

"Also, Mr. Yuril of the Black Steel class (C rank) is not allowed to stay here for more than two days. Please make sure you don't miss the carriage at noon the day after tomorrow.

Yes, I understand. Thank you very much for your kind words.

The owner of the fake smile finally flinched as the beautiful woman smiled her most exquisite smile.

Thor and the others leave the log cabin and start walking toward the river.

The path is easy to follow, as the grass has been removed and the path has been hardened due to the many people who have passed through it.

In just a few dozen steps, the group reached a more open riverbed.

There were reddish-black palm-sized stones lying around, and several people in leather armor were picking them up with sacks in their hands.

None of them looked up as Thor and the others approached.　

"Tor-chan, they're picking up rocks. Could it be a pinch?　Moo's deban?"

"That's an iron-sand collector. I heard that the stones here contain red iron.

"You are just like our class!

"Oh my, the river is a very unusual color."

Yuril, who has been wearing the hood of his robe for some time now, shouts excitedly as he gazes across the riverbed at the reddish-black water.

I was telling Thor earlier that if he gets too much sun, his skin turns red very quickly.

He said that the river comes from the big hole and goes back again. The color is said to be red iron melted out or some kind of bodily fluid, but it is unknown.

"I see. That's a strange story. If it's the blood of a monster, I wonder who did it.

"You're going to clean it up?　Tor-chan."

"Well, I think I'm going to get sick if I wash myself in that water."

"Yes, it is. And I hear it tastes pretty bad if you drink it straight, so be careful.

While conversing, the group walked downstream along the stream.

The riverbed, with its many large stones, seemed to hurt the soles of their feet in their shorts, and Moe was soon straddling his favorite sled.

The width of the river was more than 20 paces, and the width of the riverbed was about 15 paces.

At the end of the river, there is a slightly raised bank covered with brown grass.

Strangely enough, for some reason, the tents were not on the grassy ground, but at the edge of the riverbank.

Perhaps it was a lunch break, but there was no one to be seen fighting with the monsters.

As Thor and the others pass by the tents, whispered rumors are heard.

"Hey, is that the old man who was fishing in the mud?"

But I hear he's actually really strong. You know, the outbreak we saw the other day.

"The one where only two men took down a gang of hobgoblins?　That's just a bunch of crap. That's impossible.

I don't know. I also heard from a guard friend of mine that they even found the chief's corpse.

Then it's even more of a lie.

A sharp look was cast on Thor, as if he didn't believe the rumors.

Then, after the group of nonchalant faces had passed by, they all looked stunned and asked the same question.

"...... didn't the kid on the sled just now have a red adventurer tag on his head?"