Chapter 92: Earnings

The camp was moved inside the cave after some grueling effort as midnight approached. They’d harvested a total of 432 Dark Iron Bamboos. The continuous exhausting events had left them thoroughly drained, and following a brief conversation, it was time to rest.

The next morning, Ain was the early riser, awakening alongside the rising sun, with the others following soon after. After making necessary preparations, they cleaned up their camp and set off for Duskfield City.

Ace led the way, ensuring their journey proceeded without any unexpected incidents, and under the scorching afternoon sun, they neared their destination. As Forest Gate loomed closer, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. While their journey had been relatively uneventful in terms of danger, the long trek through the forest had taken its toll on their stamina.

"Whew, we're finally back," Hugo remarked as they passed through the city gates after a cursory inspection.

"Yeah, I want to go home quickly and clean up. I would've prepared better if I'd known we'd be stuck outside overnight," Paula said, exhaustion reflecting in her eyes.

Frans smiled faintly before turning to Ain. "Should we take care of the missions first?"

"Yes. We can also sell the remaining loot to the Spirit Tamer Association. The prices for Thornwood Hearts and these spirit plants don't differ much elsewhere," Ain replied, recalling the information he'd gathered when they first accepted the missions.

"What about the Dark Iron Bamboos?"

"How about Liberty Firm? I've always sold my loot there, but I'll need you to handle the sale," Ain replied, explaining his membership at Liberty Firm. Under the contract, he received a 5% discount on his purchases, while Liberty Firm received a 10% discount on their purchases from Ain. If he were to sell the Dark Iron Bamboos, they'd miss out on 10% of the value.

In fact, Ain had already figured out the key to this partnership. It made more sense to reach the monthly quota of 200,000 star coins before selling any remaining loot elsewhere. This way, he could maintain his 5% discount at the minimum price.

However, even after completing his monthly quota, Ain continued to trade his loot at Liberty Firm after the solo trips. A shop assistant had given him a valuable hint about building "friendship" by doing so, although the details remained unclear; it seemed to be connected to their auctions and items not typically available for sale.

The group had no objections to Liberty Firm, and Frans agreed to handle the transaction personally. But before that, they made a stop at the Spirit Tamer Association. Frans retrieved ten Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Hearts and the required spirit plants that they'd prepared in advance.

Under their expectant gazes, the first batch of missions were successfully submitted, brightening up everyone moods. Although Ain didn't say it aloud, he was content. This trip had been fruitful in various ways.

After submitting their missions, they proceeded to a separate counter to sell the remaining Thornwood Hearts and spirit plants.

"Let's request a private room," Ain whispered to Frans, who understood the need for discretion and followed Ain's lead. A few minutes later, they were led to a private room where they could conduct their transaction safely.

Such requests were common, as not everyone wanted to openly display their valuable loot. Additionally, Ain wished to keep prying eyes away from Frans' storage ring.

Inside the private room, Frans manipulated the holographic interface on his storage ring and produced piles of Thornwood Hearts and spirit plants. The female clerk, maintaining her polite smile, calmly evaluated their loot. She had likely seen far more valuable items during her time working at the Association.

In just a matter of minutes, the clerk completed her appraisal and quoted a price. Frans discreetly glanced at Ain, who nodded in agreement. Behind them, Hugo struggled to contain his excitement as the price reverberated in his mind.

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When the sum was transferred to Frans' account, the group left the Spirit Tamer Association and followed Ain toward Liberty Firm. Once they exited the imposing doors, Hugo couldn't contain his enthusiasm any longer. "1.8 million star coins! I can't believe we made that much in just one trip!"

Ain smiled and nodded in agreement. The 1.8 million star coins represented their earnings at the Spirit Tamer Association, including the mission rewards. While this amount might not have been a significant windfall for Frans and Paula, it brought a sense of joy to their hearts, given the hard work they’d put in.

"Don't forget, we still have the Dark Iron Bamboos to consider. Our income will rise even further," Paula added with a chuckle.

And so, Ain led them to the familiar purple, black and white building, which was Liberty Firm. He was already acquainted with some of the shop assistants and greeted them politely.

With a signal from Ain, Frans took the lead and headed to a separate private room as requested. Ten minutes later, he emerged with a satisfied smile. Seeing this, Hugo's grin widened, and he couldn't resist asking, "How much?"

"6.5 million star coins," Frans replied.

Although Hugo had expected such a figure, he couldn't help but discreetly celebrate with a fist pump. He didn't bother hiding his excitement; it was genuine.

Ain felt happy for Hugo and marveled at his good fortune. Not only had he earned a substantial amount on his first journey, but they had also stumbled upon the Vital Harmony Spring, which was even more valuable.

At this point, Frans continued, "And if we add the previous sum, our total income is 8 million star coins, with 2 million for each of us."

With that settled, they exchanged their transfer information, and Frans promptly distributed the appropriate amounts, marking the conclusion of their first adventure on a positive note. They left Liberty Firm behind and engaged in conversation as they walked toward the hoverbus station. Frans and Paula would also be returning by hoverbus, as their rover had been destroyed.

As they strolled, Hugo glanced around and suggested, "Do you want to grab something to eat? Or maybe check out one of these bars?" He pointed to a nearby bar.

Ain followed Hugo's gesture, and his eye imperceptibly twitched at the familiar "Chamber of Drunks." Before he could voice his opinion, Paula interjected, "Let's just head home for today. We can have a meal together another time."

Paula had been concerned about hygiene since morning and was eager to get home and freshen up. She was not inclined to visit a restaurant in her current state. Frans chuckled and supported Paula's decision, while Hugo shrugged, unperturbed by their refusal.

"By the way," Frans began, "this bar was the site of an incident over a month ago."

"Incident?" Hugo inquired, intrigued by Frans' statement.

"The Law Enforcement Agency uncovered a key member of the Order of Blood Origin there, leading to a chaotic battle. The Agency emerged victorious and eradicated all the Order members involved."

Frans lowered his voice at this point, adding, "I've heard that the Order lost an important book during that battle, and they've been searching for it ever since. They even launched a direct assault on Lieutenant Elric Hyfer, who killed the key member, believing that the book was in his possession."

Ain narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this. "So, that book really is important. But why?"

He kept his thoughts to himself and listened attentively. Unless information was available in Cyberspace, Ain had no other sources. Perhaps Frans could become a reliable source in the future.

The conversation continued with some speculations before veering into various other topics. When they reached the hoverbus station, Frans and Paula said their goodbyes and headed toward the central region of the city, while Ain and Hugo embarked on their shared route together.

As they took their seats, Hugo couldn't help but smile at the seven-digit figure displayed on his hololink. He turned to Ain and asked, "Ain, what do you suggest I focus on first?"

Ain understood Hugo's question and, after some consideration, replied, "Since you have the Vital Harmony Spring, you can concentrate on obtaining more spells. It’ll allow you to increase your effectiveness in battles alongside Ace. Regarding medicinal pills, stick to the usual three."

The Vital Harmony Spring was one of the most potent tonics for Rank-1 Spirit Tamers, and with it, Hugo's training requirements were reduced to the Spirt Condensing Pills and Blood Refinement Pills. Spirit Recovery Pills would also prove useful for swift recovery.

They continued this discussion for a while before sharing insights. Ain always found Hugo's perspective intriguing, thanks to his remarkable perception.

Ain used Analysis and Deduction to fine-tune his spells and techniques, resulting in a unique understanding that surpassed the teachings at the spirit academy. These adjustments were not to the spells and techniques themselves but rather to their application to himself, a task that required Ain's understanding of his own parameters, stemming from his Wisdom Root’s intuition.

Assisting Hugo in such a manner was possible, but it required Ain to know Hugo's parameters, which only a divine sense could achieve. Although Ain had attempted to use Scan on Hugo in the past to bypass this issue, it had proven ineffective on humans.

Thus, the best Ain could do was to offer his insights as a source of inspiration for Hugo.

Their joint journey soon came to an end as they boarded different hoverbuses. Before parting ways, Hugo finally relented, accepting some medicinal pills after Ain's persuasion. Hugo's main concern was a fair transaction, and Ain offered a generous discount.