Chapter 16: The Manual

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“Twenty goblins and one bugbear. The bounty is seventeen gold and four silver.”

“Investigation Mission No. 701. Reward: thirty gold coins.”

“That makes forty-seven gold and four silver in total.”

The short-haired girl’s flat voice reached Xia Nan’s ears as he weighed the heavy purse in his hand.

A deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment welled up within him.

He opened the purse slightly and stole a glance at the glittering coins inside. The corners of his mouth lifted before he even realized it.

He did not count the coins on the spot.

For one thing, the Adventurers’ Association had branches across the entire Aifala Continent. It was an unquestionable behemoth, hardly likely to cheat him out of a few measly coins.

Besides, judging from the speed of the girl’s work just now, the collection and compilation of the spoils were clearly handled by some sort of system rather than manually. The chances of an error were slim.

For another, people were constantly coming and going through the hall. He knew perfectly well that wealth was best kept out of sight.

If he remained uneasy, he could always count everything carefully after he had settled down.

Just as Xia Nan was thinking this over, the girl’s bored voice came from in front of him once more.

“Would you like to deregister the party badge?”

Xia Nan knew nothing about the procedure and asked, somewhat puzzled, “May I ask what effect deregistering it would have on me?”

“The party leader has to pay an annual party fee of twenty gold.”

“Deregister it!”

It was not that Xia Nan begrudged the expense of twenty gold coins… Well, all right, it was indeed a little expensive.

More importantly, the Rotten Fish and Shrimp Party now consisted of him alone. As a novice adventurer with no experience undertaking missions outside, there was no point in stubbornly keeping the party alive—and he certainly would not be able to recruit anyone.

What he truly needed to do now was find a party suited to his own development. As an ordinary party member, he could learn everything he needed to know about this world in depth.

Alternatively, he could work alone, beginning with the simplest and least dangerous missions and taking things one step at a time.

Thus, Xia Nan decisively handed over the black-iron badge in his hand.

There were still many matters to deal with. He stuffed the gold into his pack and was just about to leave when he suddenly seemed to remember something.

“Do you know where I can buy healing potions?”

Xia Nan had been deeply impressed by the healing potion Maji had used during the battle with the bugbear. It had seemed almost like an elixir from heaven.

Minor wounds were healed in an instant, while even grievous injuries on the verge of death could be stabilized.

Possessing a healing potion was equivalent to having another trump card—and another layer of protection for his life.

If they could be bought with money, he naturally would not pass up the opportunity.

“Turn right. It’s the innermost shop,” the short-haired girl replied lazily without looking up.

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Xia Nan’s eyes lit up at once. He thanked her hurriedly and left.

Sure enough, in a corner of the hall stood a little shop bearing a sign that read “Alchemists’ Association,” nestled among the crowds.

It continued the Association’s natural style, much like the branch in the Misty Forest, but its shelves were packed with bottles and jars.

[Truth Serum]: 150 gold

[Deadly Poison Potion]: 200 gold

[Glory Resistance Potion]: 300 gold

[…]

Xia Nan merely glanced at the prices and immediately felt dizzy.

“At these prices, the intended customers clearly aren’t low-level adventurers like me.”

For a moment, he even moved cautiously among the shelves, terrified that he might accidentally knock over a bottle and lose his entire fortune in compensation.

Then, in the most conspicuous place in the shop, he found what he was looking for.

[Healing Potion]: 50 gold

“Thank goodness.”

After the succession of visual shocks, the potion was not as expensive as he had imagined.

But considering that all the gold he possessed amounted to fewer than fifty coins, the price of this single bottle was still astonishingly high.

The shopkeeper seemed to notice Xia Nan’s hesitation. He was a bald man dressed in a beige robe, and he came strolling over with his hands clasped behind his back.

“A newcomer?” he asked casually.

When Xia Nan nodded, the man pointed to the shelves behind him.

“Healing potions aren’t very cost-effective. You won’t be using them often, either.”

“By comparison, I would actually recommend this.”

Xia Nan followed his gaze.

In the corner of a shelf not far ahead lay several leather pouches bearing the classic sign of a cross, piled there rather carelessly.

[Medical Kit]: 5 gold

Each contained ten uses’ worth of bandages, ointment, and splints.

“I don’t keep much stock of those. Hardly anyone comes to my shop to buy them. The general stores outside are full of them.”

“Thank you for the advice.” Xia Nan nodded gratefully, though his gaze once again drifted back toward the healing potion.

In his heart, an emergency medicine capable of saving his life was unquestionably the highest priority.

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It was a little expensive, but there was no need to rush.

After all, he still had plenty of spoils to dispose of, and he had yet to accept his next adventuring mission.

Once he had sorted out his savings, he could decide whether to buy one.

“Are all the potions here this expensive?”

Seeing that the bald man seemed easygoing, Xia Nan could not help asking the question that had been troubling him.

“You get what you pay for.” The man waved a hand. “They’re all brewed by professional alchemists from the Association. The quality is guaranteed.”

As he spoke, the bald man glanced toward the staircase at the rear of the hall.

“Of course, what I have here is only the cheap stuff.”

“The true premium products are upstairs!”

“True Sight Potion, Gaseous Form, Hill Giant’s Strength…” He clicked his tongue and nodded, reciting the names like treasured curiosities. “But the prices… Well, they aren’t things people like us can afford.”

“Upstairs?”

As a newcomer, Xia Nan understood nothing about the Association’s inner workings.

“The second floor of the hall is where the real adventurers—those with professional ranks—go to accept missions.”

“After all, you can’t expect those people to spend every day eking out a few meager coins in the forest’s outer reaches, like you lot, can you?”

Xia Nan understood that the man was not deliberately belittling them, merely stating a fact, so he felt no needless resentment.

He was just about to take the opportunity to ask a few more questions when a shout came from the shop entrance.

“Where is everyone? Boss, ring me up!”

“Coming.”

The bald man ambled over with his hands behind his back, unhurried as ever. Before leaving, he even offered Xia Nan one last piece of advice.

“There’s a stall outside the Association that sells handbooks. Since you’re a newcomer, you should buy one and take a look. It ought to help.”

Having finished his business, Xia Nan had already intended to leave the Association, so he naturally took the advice.

After asking a nearby vendor a couple of casual questions, he found the “handbook” the bald man had mentioned.

Three silver coins.

It was not especially expensive. He gritted his teeth and bought it.

The cover was rather elegant, with two large lines of text neatly printed in an unfamiliar typeface.

[Adventurer’s Handbook]

Special Edition for the River Valley Town Branch

Beneath it was a line of small white text:

“21st Day / Duskclaw Month (Ches) / Revised Edition, Arcane Calendar 1019”

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