Chapter 172: Reporting and Choosing Rewards

"Here you go, Mary. All the white flower buds and the disgusting frog gall bladders you could imagine!" With much more enthusiasm than it was needed, Cole promptly emptied the contents of his leather bag on the table. 

As the contents flew out of the bag due to the intense swinging, the 6 dark blue Sahuagin Monster Orbs were also revealed. 

Raising her eyebrows, Mary looked at Cole and Aiden with a puzzled look before she asked.

"And these are…?"

"Uhm, these are the Sea Devil Monster Orbs, that was a request for that Rank 2 quest that the other group picked…" With nervous laughter, Cole scratched the back of his head. He felt rather tense, as they did not pick the quest, it was assigned to the now-deceased Bloody Dagger group. Still, if nothing, they could at least cash it in for some coins.

"I know what these are, I was asking what are these doing in your possession? That quest was assigned to the Bloody Daggers." Mary responded with an inquisitory gaze. As she recalled the name of the group, she took a once-over the hall, searching for the people in question. Not seeing any trace of them, she looked at Cole once again.

"By the way, do you guys know what happened to them? I thought they would be back before you and would…" She choked on her own words, unable to finish the thought. Taking a quick breather, she focused on Cole once again. She really tried to not take any glance over at Aiden, as if she would do that, then she would be unable to credit their work, due to her own nervousness. Still, while she looked calm, collected, and focused on the outside, she was already a nervous wreck, trying really hard to focus on the job in front of her.

"They…" Cole was really unwilling to talk about what happened, he glanced at Aiden, beaming for him to take over. 

"They could not make it back. They were really nice and taught some valuable lessons about the dangers of the adventuring life. They even gave us these monster core's… sorry orbs, to bring it back to you." Seeing how Cole was begging with his eyes for him to take over, Aiden gave in and spoke up. 

As soon as Mary heard his clear, and charming voice, her face turned a shade redder. Doing her very best mentally, she slowly turned around trying to look at the boy, only to fail miserably and avert her eyes towards the ground then back to Cole. With a much fainter voice she spoke.

"Uhm… Unfortunately, we can't credit the quest to you two, as it was registered to them. Unless they drop the quest, the poster comes and requests us to assign it to someone else or it expires by itself you will be unable to get the credit for it."

As she spoke, she stole a few quick glances at Aiden's handsome face. Every time she looked at him, she saw his charming smile and had to immediately look away, lest she would faint on the spot due to her heart unable to keep up the rhythm of her tumultuous mind. 

"I see…" Aiden sighed with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Is there anything else we could do in that case?"

Thinking for a moment, Mary once again focused on the silent Cole instead of Aiden as she answered.

"Uhm… The best we can do is to take the items from your possession and give you compensation in either Guild Credits or regular currency…"

"Guild Credits? What is that?" Aiden perked up hearing this. He vaguely remembered something that Lily mentioned, but he wasn't really paying attention at the time, unfortunately. The only thing he could recall was that it was something closely related to the guild.

"It's the Guild's own currency system." Mary began her explanation, still focusing on Cole and the ground in a regular rotation. "While the coins are useful on the outside, you can only access most of the guild's features by using the credits you gained through quests or by turning in various valuable materials, just like these. You could also pay with them to some of the merchants and skilled craftsmen! Not just in this city but all cities in the ENTIRE continent where there's a Guild Hall present!" 

Leaning forward, she only whispered her last thoughts. 

"In terms of usefulness, I would say, they are much more valuables than the Draquilean Coins!"

Then, with that said, she looked at Cole, awaiting their answer.

"So, what would you choose?" Would you like to turn them in for Credit or Currency?"

Cole looked at Aiden for his decision. He was already, subconsciously treating him as the leader of their miniature party. 

Seeing his friend looking at him for confirmation, Aiden sighed heavily. Why is he looking for him for answers? When did he become the leader, wasn't this whole thing Cole's idea?!

Deciding not to dwell on the matter too much, he looked away from Cole turning towards Mary. His face quickly donned the usually gentle, friendly smile he always treated her with, he voiced his thoughts.

��I'm sorry, I am new in the city. I don't really know which one would be better. Which one is better in your opinion, Mary?" He asked, but then another thought came to his mind, so he followed up with another question. "Can we use Guild Credits to pay for our Rooms in the Tavern we are currently staying at?"

"Uhm…" As always when she could feel Aiden's gaze upon her, Mary's face turned beet red, and she started fidgeting. Thinking about his question for a bit longer, she continued with a weak, shy tone. "Not all, but the ones I mentioned yesterday will accept it. They are in contract with the Guild after all. However…"

She took a breather, to calm her rapidly beating heart before she continued. 

"However, you would need to register and pay for your accommodation here, in the hall. Don't worry, by the time you get back they will be informed." She added.

"I see…" Aiden replied thoughtfully. Then, looking at Cole, he went on. 

"In that case, I think we would be better off with the extra Guild Credit. From what Mary told us, they have more uses than the coins. Although, if you prefer, I don't mind using the coins. Doesn't really matter to me, you make the decision." 

With his thoughts said, he walked away, leaning against a marble column, closing his eyes in the process. He really didn't want to bother with this, he was much more interested in the updates he received in the system as Cole presented their items to Mary.

Focusing on them, he quickly opened them up. Just as he expected, they were the Quest Completion notifications.

[Optional Quest: Gather Hydros Flower Buds - Completed!

Objective: Collect Intact White Flower Buds from Hydros Plants (10/10 - Completed!)

Report back to the guild with the items to receive your rewards (1/1 - Completed!)

Optional: Consume Intact White Flower Buds for Analysis (3/3 - Completed!)

Grade: E

Rewards: 100 XP, +1 to all attributes]

[Optional Quest: Gather Thorny Forest Frog Gall Bladders - Completed!

Objective: Gather Thorny Forest Frog's Gall Bladders (6/6 - Completed!)

Report back to the guild with the items to receive your rewards (1/1 - Completed!)

Optional: Consume Thorny Forest Frog's Gall Bladders for Analysis (3/3 - Completed!)

Grade: E

Rewards: 100 XP, +1 to all attributes]

As soon he opened the notifications, he felt a comfortable warmth, a new source of energy emerging from the depths of his soul and spreading all over his body. He felt his muscles contract and tense for a brief moment before relaxing in the next. He suddenly felt as if his connection to his own pool of energy, his Soul Power became just a tiny bit clearer than before.

This was the feeling he hasn't felt for quite some time. The feeling of getting stronger… It was just as addicting as it was the last time he felt it. 

He couldn't help but smirk as he felt the euphoria wash over him. He kept his eyes closed and tried remembering the feeling for a while longer before he eventually moved on and checked the last two notifications. Both were about the update for the completed analysis, he was really interested in what benefits the consumption of the flower bud and the toad monster's organ could give him.

Opening it up, he was quite surprised at what he saw.

[Analysis Completed - Results for Thorny Forest Frog's Gall Bladders:

Small, dark green colored organ. It stores the accommodated bile produced by the liver. Alchemy Material, used in various recipes, mostly known for its poisonous and corrosive attributes.

+1% Progression towards the skill: Alchemy (Basic) added!]

[Analysis Completed - Results for Intact White Flower Buds:

The Flowery Bud of the Common Riverside Hydros Plants. Known for its sweet light-yellow pistil and snow-white petals. Alchemy material, used in various recipes, mostly known for its cool and soothing attributes.

+1% Progression towards the skill: Alchemy (Basic) added!]