Ding~ Ding~
Creak.
The bell chimed as the door was pushed open.
"Madame Marish, it's been a while." A smiling voice called, prompting the middle-aged, stout woman behind the counter to look up.
"Got any rooms?" Adam asked, entering the small inn he'd stayed at before.
"Of course." Marish replied, pausing as recognition dawned. Her eyes widened at the Invisible Hound cub trailing him, and she stepped back instinctively.
"Don't worry, it won't cause trouble." Adam assured her.
"It better not… but it'll cost an extra silver coin!" Marish said firmly.
"No problem."
Running an inn just a street away from the Adventurer's Guild, Marish was seasoned, having dealt with all sorts of adventurers and travelers.
"Here's five silver coins for the same double room as before." Adam said, placing four silver coins on the counter before shifting tone. "After I left, did anyone come looking for me?"
Marish deftly pocketed the coins, rubbing them lightly without looking up. "I recall a woman stopped by." She said, then lifted her gaze, her eyes glinting with insinuation. "If I'm not mistaken, she was from the Purple Elixir Brothel, young man."
Adam's expression remained steady, a faint smile lingering. "I've got some business to attend to. Please take care of the room, Madame Marish."
"Rest assured." Marish said, her plump cheeks creasing with a knowing smile. "It'll be spotless when you return."
Adam left the inn, his smile fading as he stepped onto the street.
"Purple Elixir Brothel." He murmured.
Despite "elixir" in its name, it was one of E-Rantel's three premier brothels.
For "solving men's problems." The term "elixir" wasn't entirely misplaced.
"Eight Fingers." Adam said, a cold smirk tugging at his lips.
With tendrils stretching across the kingdom, the Eight Fingers was a formidable organization.
But that was a threat to the Adam of a month ago. With his current strength, only their elite Six Arms could challenge him.
He wasn't foolish enough to storm the Purple Elixir Brothel on a whim after such a lead.
The courtesan sent was likely a minor player. For a brothel to rank among E-Rantel's top three, local backing was certain, perhaps even Mayor Panasolei himself took a cut.
In the anime, the head of the Eight Fingers' slave division, captured and handed to Princess Renner, was freed by nobles, revealing the group's deep ties with the kingdom's elite.
The Purple Elixir Brothel wasn't alone. The other two, Full Moon Garden and Amber Honey, might also be Eight Fingers fronts.
Rather than barge in like a hothead, Adam preferred they come to him, hence his return to this familiar inn.
For now, he had pressing matters.
Money was the priority. After spending five silver coins, he was down to six gold coins and two silver.
That wouldn't buy a mithril weapon capable of withstanding mana, let alone one merely alloyed with mithril.
Fortunately, his haul from the Great Forest of Tob was substantial. The two Invisible Hound bone chains alone were valuable, and the massive black-green serpent, though cumbersome to process, was another asset.
The real prize, however, was the two baskets of herbs delivered by the goblins.
Leaving the inn, Adam slipped into a narrow alley.
When he emerged, he carried a heavy black parcel.
He didn't know if E-Rantel had a black market, but beyond the Adventurer's and Magician's Guilds, other guilds, like the Herbalist Guild or Merchant Guild, existed.
Buying or selling through these guilds offered better prices or payouts but involved tedious procedures.
Most adventurers, hating hassle, let the Adventurer's Guild handle such tasks for a fee.
As Adam neared the Adventurer's Guild, the street grew livelier, buzzing with noise.
Shouts spilled from the open guild doors.
Adventurers in varied plate armor and chainmail lounged around sturdy wooden tables in the guild hall.
Others, wielding bows, staves, or dressed flamboyantly, or cloaked head to toe, moved through the crowd.
Adam's black robe blended in seamlessly.
Yet his entrance, with the Invisible Hound cub in tow, drew immediate attention. A monster companion was rare among adventurers.
"Damn it!"
"Still no explanation from the Guild?"
"What the hell happened in the Great Forest of Tob? Even the goblins are gone!"
"Bastards!"
"I was counting on goblin ears for coin!"
Drunken complaints echoed from one side of the hall, sparking shared grumbles.
Adam's expressionless face twitched, his eyebrow jumping.
He'd nearly forgotten that while E-Rantel teemed with adventurers, few were truly powerful.
Most low-tier adventurers relied on hunting goblins to scrape by.
Though Adam had slain many, it was a drop in the bucket for the vast forest.
But his massacre had driven the goblins into hiding, causing ripple effects.
Cough.
Adam cleared his throat, joining the queue at the counter.
He'd planned to sell some goblin ears for coin but scrapped the idea. Flashing a pile of ears now would raise suspicions.
Soon, it was his turn.
Thud!
Adam set the hefty parcel on the counter with a dull thud. "I want to sell these two bone chains."
The receptionist, a woman in her twenties with brown hair tucked under a headscarf, smiled professionally. She opened the oversized parcel.
Two glossy black bone chains, shimmering with a metallic sheen, came into view.
She froze, then touched one. Despite their weighty appearance, they felt surprisingly light.
"Please wait." She said, her face turning serious. She bowed respectfully to Adam and hurried off.
Murmurs spread through the guild as others glimpsed the exposed chains.
"Are those, Invisible Hound bone chains?"
"Hiss!"
"That's rare stuff."
"That's a Invisible Hound cub? No wonder it looked familiar."
"Familiar? With your strength, don't act like you've seen one!"
"Last time something this good showed up was half a year ago, right?"
Whispers buzzed, and eyes turned to Adam, now tinged with wariness.
Invisible Hounds weren't monsters ordinary adventurers could handle, most had never even seen one.
***
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