Volume 1 Chapter 19 It's Not Bad to Be Thanked
After verifying the magic cores and confirming there were no discrepancies with Lene's report, we received the additional commission fee and quickly left the Adventurers' Guild, heading toward our next destination—the Merchant Guild.
While we waited for Ms. Anne and the staff to check things over, the adventurers from earlier, who had been curiously eyeing us as Second Rank adventurers, were considerate enough not to interrupt.
They know how to read the room.
As promised, we'll have a drink together sometime.
"Minori, you probably already know, but this is Lene, formerly of <Angela>. She's an alchemist."
"Nice to meet you—well, not for the first time, Ms. Minori."
On the way to the Merchant Guild, I introduced my new partner to Minori.
Lene smiled warmly at her, but the moment <Angela's> name came up, she tensed. Seems like the trauma won't fade so easily.
"Yeah, we did take on a request together once. You can just call me Minori."
"Oh, then I'll just be Lene."
Lene took Minori's offered hand.
Now that I think about it, I'd heard they'd worked together before.
I wasn't part of that job, though.
"So the 'alchemist I met' Big Bro Ryuuji mentioned in his letter... that was Lene?"
"Yeah. Like me, Lene was also expelled from her party. We hit it off and decided to head for Sartzstadt that very day."
"Still as impulsive as ever, huh, Big Bro Ryuuji..."
Minori sighed, exasperated. But sitting around wallowing in self-pity wouldn't have helped either of us.
"'Act swiftly, but with caution and boldness.' Isn't that what *Teacher* always said?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But you dragged Lene into it too. Sorry about my pushy brother, Lene."
With an apologetic bow, Minori lowered her head toward Lene.
Her petite frame looked even smaller.
"No, really, I was grateful. Don't worry about it."
"See, Minori? No need to fuss."
"You're the last person who should be saying that, Big Bro Ryuuji!"
Chatting like that, we soon arrived at the Merchant Guild, which wasn't far from the Adventurers' Guild.
"Oh, Mr. Ryuuji, Ms. Lene. Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Thor."
Behind the reception desk stood Mr. Thor, the official who had helped introduce us to rental properties when we first arrived.
So he handles reception duties too? This guy does everything.
"Mr. Ryuuji, Ms. Lene, thank you."
Out of nowhere, Mr. Thor expressed his gratitude.
Having no idea what for, Lene and I exchanged glances.
"For what, exactly?"
"For Little Lana and the others."
Lene, puzzled, asked him what he meant. Mr. Thor's face softened into a smile.
Oh, that.
"But how did Little Lana's farm improve so much?"
"That's a secret. Let's just say it was thanks to alchemy and enhancement magic."
If word got out about the magic stone, it'd get stolen in no time.
We had already warned Lana and the others never to speak of it.
Just in case, we'd also moved it to a new location they didn't know about.
Of course, someone with Magic Power Detection could still find it. But for now, I had ordered more golems to guard the area.
They'd been strengthened with enchantments too, so they wouldn't go down easily.
"I see... I never would've imagined alchemy and enchantments could solve their food shortage. And you even made golems to ward off beasts! At this rate, Little Lana and the others will become key suppliers for the Merchant Guild."
"Well, we just did what we could to make sure Lana and the others wouldn't go hungry, right, Lene?"
"Right!"
Lene, clearly happy to be appreciated, eagerly nodded.
There's nothing more satisfying than knowing that the ones cast aside as useless could actually make a difference.
...That said, I do have some concerns.
While Lana's farm thrived, other farmers' fields remained unchanged.
If a farm could yield a full harvest in just a day, the other farmers wouldn't be too happy about it.
I might need to do something about that.
"Ah, sorry, I got sidetracked. What brings you here today?"
"We took on the investigation request for the Bern Mine from the Merchant Guild, so we're here to report our findings. We've got some great news."
"Really? I'll call the person in charge right away! Please wait a moment!"
Brimming with enthusiasm, Mr. Thor hurried off to fetch the mining official—his energy a stark contrast to our last visit.
Afterward, I explained to the person in charge with the revised map that a large vein had appeared in the Bern Mine due to the major earthquake, and they called it a big discovery.
I was told I would receive a monetary reward after verification.
Although the reward's details were trivial, hearing that mining would resume if this information was accurate was the biggest gain.
This might allow me to secure the <Stone of Nothingness>.
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