Chapter 20: Firefly Garlic Vine

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[Task Number]: 26
[Type]: Bounty
[Reward]: 150,000 gold (negotiable)
[Task Summary]:
A transcendent-level Marshland Druid (Spore Society) has contaminated the water source in the lower district of Newm, directly causing the deaths of 153 civilians and nearly two months of water outage in the surrounding neighborhoods.
For detailed information, please contact the Association staff. Those who provide location intelligence will receive a reward from the Meadow Church.
[Time Limit]: None

Xianan’s brow twitched slightly as he glanced at the long string of zeros following the [Reward] section.
At this moment, he stood before the quest board in the Adventurers’ Guild hall.
Having resolved to pursue the path of an adventurer, he planned to start with some simple tasks to hone his skills and become familiar with the entire process.
With a straightforward mindset of "If I can’t afford it, why not just look," he cast a couple of glances at the top of the task board, where the highest rewards were listed.
“Tch, tch.”
Xianan clicked his tongue and mentally noted a few terms in the task descriptions like "transcendent-level" and "Marshland Druid," whose meanings he did not yet understand but sensed were important.
Then his gaze shifted downward, arriving at the bottom of the task board.

[Task Number]: 201D
[Type]: Investigation
[Reward]: 200 gold
[Task Summary]:
A caravan departing from Valley Town en route to a nearby village has gone missing on the road from Karanfor, located on the eastern edge of the Mistwood Forest, to Green Creek Village. The caravan owner suspects they may have been attacked by bandits or monsters and requires adventurers to investigate.
[Time Limit]: 15 days
[Additional Information]:
Recently, adventurers detected traces of “Thornfiends” around Green Creek Village, possibly related to the disappearance of the caravan.

“What on earth is a Thornfiend?”
Setting aside the unfamiliar place names from his past life, the very mention of "Thornfiend" stirred painful memories of the goblin cave and the brutal encounter with the bear goblins.
“Any monster whose name I’ve never heard before is, at least until I can get a ‘Monster Compendium’ or similar book to understand their strength, considered far beyond my capacity to handle alone.”

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Moreover, investigation tasks are highly unpredictable; it’s hard to guarantee the difficulty won’t suddenly spike to the level of those six-figure bounty quests.
“I really should join an experienced party for a while first,” Xianan thought, rubbing his slightly sore brow.
Otherwise, relying solely on that thin little Adventurer’s Handbook, he feared he wouldn’t even be able to identify the monsters he encountered along the way.
His gaze continued downward.
Finally, after a long search, in the corner of the quest board, he found a task perfectly suited to his current ability.

[Task Number]: 387H
[Type]: Gathering
[Reward]: 1 gold per cluster
[Task Summary]:
Ms. Edwina, owner of “Green Cauldron” at No. 17 West Street in Valley Town, is preparing a batch of new antidotes and urgently needs large quantities of “Glowvine” (see attached illustration) growing on the outskirts of Mistwood Forest.
[Time Limit]: 3 days

Comparing the illustration and description on the quest board, Xianan’s eyes lit up.
He clearly remembered seeing a large cluster of these plants emitting a faint bluish-green glow like fireflies on his return from Mistwood Forest just a few days ago.
At the time, he mistook them for some monster that lures prey with light and camped far away in another spot.
Reflecting now, the number of “Glowvine” clusters…
“Must be at least thirty clusters!”
That meant over thirty gold coins in earnings!
For context, the Stinky Fish and Rotten Shrimp squad’s desperate mission investigating goblin activity only rewarded them about thirty gold coins before their total party wipeout left him the sole temporary member.
That money was practically handed to him; why not take it?
“Could it be that my beginner’s luck is still holding out?”
Xianan thought with a pleased smile.
He turned his body and headed toward the exit of the Adventurers’ Guild.
Before setting out, he needed to make some necessary preparations.

Xianan was clear about his position.

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Even though he had mastered the level 5 maxed-out combat skill [Whirlwind Slash] and his physical attributes had improved thanks to earned stat points,
he still belonged to the ranks of low-tier adventurers.
The tragedies of Elki and Gabone were vivid in his mind.
Even seasoned adventurers like Magi had fallen to this “greenhorn.”
Being cautious and thinking things through never hurt.

Therefore, for his first solo mission, Xianan followed the advice given in the Adventurer’s Handbook and made preparations that were almost exaggerated:
The round trip would take just a day. While reserving space to store the Glowvine, he packed enough food and water to survive five days in the wild—8 silver and 2 copper;
A medical kit containing bandages, ointments, and splints, enough for ten uses; he even had the general store owner throw in twenty feet of hemp rope—5 gold;
A compass, a simple map, flint, a sleeping bag, a blanket, and a water bottle—6 gold 2 silver.

Notably, to avoid the embarrassing situation of having to abandon his backpack and lose all his belongings during the adventure,
Xianan deposited most of the gold earned from his previous mission in the only bank in Valley Town—interest was negligible but it was very secure.

Although these adventure supplies practically cost a fortune,
he understood clearly that this was a necessary expense to ensure his survival.
Besides, this mission was short. If all went well, by this time tomorrow he would be back in the White Sparrow Tavern enjoying a feast with thirty gold coins in his pocket.
Most of the items he prepared would only be partially used—at most a tenth.
They could be reused on the next task.

“Clack!”
He crossed off the second-to-last item on his checklist.
Xianan tightened his backpack straps and exhaled in relief.
Thanks to the “one-stop” services on the street where the Adventurers’ Guild was located, he had completed most of his pre-departure preparations before noon.

Recalling how he had just been weaving through the crowd of odd-looking pedestrians, clutching his shopping list and carrying heavy bags while hopping between shops,
Xianan suddenly felt like he was in a scene from a past life movie—shopping in Diagon Alley before Hogwarts term started.

“There’s no going back now.”
He shook his head with a smile and looked at the last column on the list.

[Weapons and Equipment]