79 - white adventurer's card

After listening to the receptionist's explanation, Thor and his friends went to the counter instead of the entrance.

The reason for this was to receive new adventurer tags.

"They should be ready by now.

Hello, I'm here to get your bill.

"A beetle is fine for Moo. A big one.

"What, a bug?　I don't know if I've ever handled an insect. I'll check with my superiors.

The short-haired receptionist responds with a straight face to the child who peeks out from under the counter with only her head and eyes.

She turns around and is about to call her boss, but Thor hurries to stop her.

"No, I don't want a bug. You don't have to take his word for it.

"You don't like rhinoceros beetle, do you, Tochan?"

"If I had to choose, I'd say I like it, but I don't want you to give it to me here."

"That's right, they'll fly away!"

"Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to do it. I'll just take the bill then. I'll take the black one, please.

Pointing to the black-rimmed adventurer tag around Yuril's neck, which denotes his C rank, the child repeats his absurd order.

"What, black steel class?　The one you asked for was white hardness, but I'll see if I can change it right away."

"Can I choose the color?　Then I think I'll go with yellow.

"No, you can't. Ignore them, ignore them.

"Oh, so you're going to choose a headshrinker after all?"

"...... are you sure you didn't do that on purpose?"

"Here you are, Master Thor. Here is your new adventurer tag. Are you sure you have the correct information?

"Ah, Chief Sheikka, thank you for your hard work."

Without a sound, a red man with scrawny hair appeared from behind the receptionist.

Bowing condescendingly, he offers me three plates on a tray.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give you a hard time.

No, I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

Thor shrugged his shoulders in disappointment as he handed the white-bordered adventurer's tags to Sora and the others, who had finally received them.

The new plate was D-rank, and the engraved letters were clear and easy to read.

The inscriptions included name, gender, and age.

The rest was country of origin, race, eye and hair color, and the type of skill tree.

Although there is no function to completely identify the individual, this makes identity theft much more difficult.

Even if stolen, adventurer's tags are only valid in the border town where they were issued.

The range of use is quite wide, and high ranks have a lot of acquaintances among the residents.

It is possible that the card may be used for fraud, but it is only the fault of the cheater, since the Adventurer's Bureau can easily find it out.

At the most, the cost of reissuing the card will hurt the wallet of the person who lost it.

After confirming that the information has not been changed, Thor and the others put the string around their necks, which has been replaced by the one from the previous tag.

Since the adventurers could not freely choose the color and shape of their tags, the hanging cord was a special feature for them.

They dyed the strings, made knots in them, and used thin metal chains as well as leather.

In the case of Thor, he used the cheapest leather strap made of horned mogura, but Ulil and others used a strap woven from the hair of an ice wolf.

After Thor and the others had finished adjusting the position of their tags, a man called the "section chief" spoke to them as if he had been watching them.

"By the way, Mr. Thor, I heard that you are going to a new hunting ground, have you arranged a carriage yet?

"Oh, I remember that next time we're going to charter the place. Can you make a reservation for me?

"Yes, everything is currently out, so it will be ready in three days, is that all right?"

"Surprisingly, you don't have enough. I'm surprised you can't spare more than you think you can. I'll take care of it.

"Then ......,Mr. Mikaki, that one."

"That one?　Uh, yeah, this is it. Please say it more clearly.

Unaware of her boss, who was standing behind her with a blue streak on his back, Ms. Mikaki held out a copy of the street map that had been drawn in detail.

Before the receptionist can open her mouth, a red-haired staff member adds an explanation.

"This is a map of the authorized stores of the authorities. We carry a variety of dust protection items, so why don't you stop by before you leave?"

"I see. So that's how it is. I appreciate your concern.

It seems that the delay in departure was deliberate in order to give us time to get ready for the trip.

Moreover, by allowing them to shop at the authorized stores, the Adventurers' Bureau would indirectly benefit as well.

Spotting a few familiar names on the map he had skimmed over, Thor nodded to the experienced manager.

"I'll drop by right away. Thanks for your help."

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....

"Is there anything more?"

"From D rank, you can name your party. Would you like to register?

Moe, who was being grizzled by Sola, replies with a melted face to the receptionist's words.

"Okay, let's go with Moochans."

Yes, sir.

Wait, wait, wait, wait. That's not what I meant.

"How about a newlywed family?　Tall girl."

"............ of the ice ......, no, how about a more simple ice god missionary group?"

"Please hold."

"Mwah!"

"Well, it couldn't be more fitting!"

"That's too bad. I thought it would be a good opportunity.

Yuril, who had joined in the unusually casual conversation, shook his ears and put his fingertips together in an unwilling manner.

Stragin, the ice god of learning and exploration, was not very popular among the public, so he was quite serious.

Waving to Chief Siecka and Receptionist Mikaki, Thor and his friends leave the lobby of the Adventurers' Bureau.

They headed for the fabric store where they had shopped many times before.

The owner of the store was as beautiful as ever, but unfortunately she was in the middle of serving customers.

The owner, who was talking with a small fat woman, was about to bow lightly, when she noticed Thor and the others around their necks, and her narrow eyes widened slightly.

He exchanged a few words with the previous customer, and then immediately approached at a trot.

"Welcome, welcome, Mr. Thor. What can I help you with today?"

"No, I think they're here first. I'll just look around until they're done.

That's not how it works. You can go ahead.

"Well, we're going to be in the wilderness next, if that's what it's about. All you have to do is tell me where to find them.

"Well, the shelves in the back there, all around the front, that's it.

Thor nodded, and the owner returned with a relieved look on his face.

Sola, who had been watching the exchange, muttered with a surprised look on her face.

"Could it be because of this white adventurer's card?

"Yeah, maybe so."

"I guess they finally found out that Moo is too good a boy."

"Look, if you're a good boy, don't run in the store."

Thor quickly picks up the child playing hide-and-seek among the shelves with one hand.

He rubs his sweet-smelling hair against Thor's cheek and chuckles.

After about ten minutes, the owner of the store comes to Thor's side again, as if the female customers had left.

He was accompanied by the tailor's father.

The tailor greeted them earnestly, and Yuril and the tailor began to talk, and for some reason they agreed to make three summer dresses and some underwear for each of them.

Of course, we also ordered a cloth to cover our mouths against the sand, breathable linen socks and hoods.

Thanks to the adventurer's discount, the total cost was only one gold coin.

It was quite an expense, but I had a reserve of about five gold coins from river slime and river horse hides, so I could make do with this much.

After receiving a promise to finish the work in two days, Thor and his friends left the store with a wave of the hand.

As they were leaving, they turned around to see the owner and his son bowing deeply.

When they had finished taking measurements, Moe had disappeared before they knew it, so Thor and his friends went straight to the armor shop at the end of the alley.

When they opened the door, they heard a conversation between an old man and a child.

"Grandpa, would you like to see Mu's bill?"

"Here, here, here. Oh, it's white. That's great, kid.

"Actually, I'd prefer the dark ones, but Moo can hold his own.

"Well, good for you, kid. Want a snack?"

"Yes!"

"Don't spoil him too much, mister."

"Oh, man, when did you get here?

Ramow, a leatherworker who had been sitting at his worktable talking with Moe, had a red forehead and pursed lips.

He sniffs a little and then rolls his eyes when he notices Yuril.

"You've brought us another belle..." he said. Well, make yourself at home in this dirty little place.

"Oh, I'm flattered by your compliments. My name is Ulil. I look forward to working with you in the future.

While speaking lightly, Thor relaxed his back a little at the owner's unchanged attitude.

"So, what do you want, all of you?　We've got a lot of work to do."

"Moo-chan, did you say thank you for the snack?"

"Yes, thank you, Grandpa!"

"Oh, chew your food slowly."

When Ramow replied to the child munching on a piece of steamed bread with sweet potatoes, he turned a scowl on his face and shook his head.

"Well, I've got time for a little company. Here, what's up?"

"Yeah, I'm actually going to the wilderness this week, is there anything I should know?"

"Oh, you're going to the wilderness already? Well, then, it's not a good time to be a monk.

According to the leather craftsmen, each monster leather has its own characteristics and should be used in different places.

The leather of the horned mole, which moves in the ground, is supple, easy to work with, and resistant to dirt.

The leather of the rough armored boar is strong and resistant to impact.

And the leather of a rampant river horse that lurks in the water is strong and repels water well.

But this time, the red river horse leather is not so suitable for the wilderness, which is also an arid area.

It is said to crack easily when it dries out rapidly.

Ramo looks thoughtfully at the child wearing a red leather cape.　

"A boar is a bit heavy, and a mole can't be counted on for protection. I've got just the right leather, but I'm a little short on stock right now.

What kind of leather?　Oh, boy."

"Well, in the wilderness, the best ones are the ones that live there."

"...... rock lizard."

It's a leather that doesn't come around very often. I had a little bit of it, but last month I happened to get an order for some leather armor."

"All right. As soon as I get them, I'll bring them to you.

Thor thanked them for their advice, and made a mental note of the name of the rock lizard as the prey to be hunted.

The next two days passed quickly as Thor prepared his provisions, trained Sisan and the others in the training area, and asked Rorolf and the others about the current state of the river.

On the third day, after receiving the ordered clothes, the group gets on a wagon at the square in front of the outer gate and sets out for a new hunting ground.

The scenery along the way in the wagon was almost the same as before, a brown meadow.

At the second break, sitting back to back with the girl who came up to the overhead seat, Thor gazed dimly into the distance.

A pleasant warmth spreading across his back.

The wheels of the carriage are swaying quietly beneath his backside.

Feeling the warm wind on his cheeks, Thora slowly moved.

The girl reaches out her hand and a hollow exhale can be heard coming from her mouth.

"If you're sleepy, you want to go downstairs?"

"No, I'm fine."

The carriage to the hunting grounds was equipped with a bunk, and Yuril and Mu were now sleeping together.

"You know, this is the most exciting time of the year for me.

"...... yeah, maybe."

When the girl became quiet again, Thor asked her a question that occurred to him.

"Well, why yellow?"

"Yeah, what?"

"No, you said you wanted to change the color of the adventurer's card to yellow."

"Oh, I thought the color of the yolk would be nice."

"I see."

With a small lift of his lips, Thor recalls one of Thora's recent favorites.

Thanks to the conquest of the dungeon in Bossalia, a former border town to the north, the number of monsters in the area had temporarily decreased considerably.

Thanks to this, the distribution of eggs and wheat has recovered to a certain extent.

It is said that meat alone can be obtained from monsters in any quantity, but the important thing is that eggs do not exist because they do not reproduce normally.

Monsters mutated from plants, animals, and insects will thereafter occur in their adult forms.

"Boiled eggs are good, but I think I'd rather have fried eggs..."

"Well, you'll have to put up with the whites for now. Oh, I see it!

Suddenly, Thor points ahead.

Far ahead, the white earth stretched endlessly.