Chapter 94: No, You Came at the Right Time
The first rays of morning sunlight fell on Peiya’s head. She rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed.
Her body still felt sleepy, as if she had a very long dream. In the dream, she met someone who called herself Audrey, who asked her about the meaning of reincarnation.
Then she burned her own body, using fire to fuel itself, revealing a different future.
But most of that part was already hard to remember…
Pushing those extra thoughts out of her mind, Peiya got out of bed, washed her face, and took the bread she had put in the fridge last night. She heated it a little and walked out while biting it.
She planned to go early to the Adventurers’ Guild to meet President Maya. There were still some things left to deal with after the Ice Bear King mission.
As for not bringing Elise, she had already explained it before. She needed to face her own fate and could not keep dragging Elise into everything.
It was also time to meet people from the church.
On the way to the Adventurers’ Guild, many people were already out working early. They were talking and laughing.
But as they got closer to the guild, their expressions became more complicated…
Peiya slowed down and noticed that people did not look very happy.
“Miss, do you want to buy a newspaper?” A familiar voice caught her attention. She saw a short figure walking toward her with a limp.
“Hey, little limp guy, you’re up this early?”
Peiya recognized him. He was a boy who often sold newspapers here. It was said he used to be a mercenary, but got injured during a bounty mission. After returning home to recover, he couldn’t stay idle, so he started selling newspapers.
“You know me? Then I’ll give you one for free. Hope you have a good day.”
“Wait. Do you know why everyone looks so down today?”
The boy paused and scratched his head.
“Well, I’m not too sure. But I heard from a coworker that many Adventurers’ Guild teams suffered big losses during the Ice Bear King hunt. If it was just that, it wouldn’t be strange. Adventures often come with sacrifice and tears. But the problem is, those teams found out that after fighting all the way, they were only dealing with a small minion at the end. Some adventurers couldn’t accept that and got really upset. That’s about it. I used to be a mercenary, so I understand the feeling. Maybe it’s the shock of realizing the world isn’t as good as you thought.”
“I see. Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome. The city guards are coming, miss, see you!”
The boy quickly ran off. His fast movement made Peiya wonder for a moment if his leg had actually healed.
The sound of horse hooves brought her back to reality. There were more officers on the street than usual today.
Peiya stepped aside to avoid them as they rushed past.
So rude…
She frowned slightly. Was this how they treated a lady?
Normally, unless it was wartime, knights would not rush wildly through the streets. From the signs hanging behind them, they seemed to be mercenary groups from noble families.
In theory, the number of mercenaries a noble family could have should be controlled. But in reality, very few nobles actually followed the rules.
Most of them just pretended to follow them to show the king.
After the sound of horse hooves faded, Peiya covered her nose and walked through the dusty street into the Adventurers’ Guild.
After exchanging a few polite words with the front desk, she went up to the second floor.
Through the door, she could hear arguing inside. Before she could react, a blond man walked out angrily. From the looks of it, he had just had a conflict with President Maya.
“Tch, these arrogant nobles. Do they really think this place is their backyard?”
President Maya put the documents in her hand onto the table. When she looked up and saw Peiya, her expression instantly changed from gloomy to cheerful, and she greeted her with a smile.
“Miss Peiya, you’re here?”
“Who was that just now?”
Peiya looked back at the blond man who had already walked away, wondering what had happened.
“Just a troublemaker. He relies on the fact that his father is a duke and acts however he wants.”
“That must have been hard on you. I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”
After something like that, it was normal to feel upset. Peiya could understand that feeling.
“Of course not.” The gloom on Maya’s face completely disappeared. If she had been a bit angry just now, now she had no worries at all.
“People like that are everywhere. There’s no need to truly get angry at them. I just needed to show my attitude. When dealing with foolish people, you have to speak in a way they understand. Otherwise, they’ll think you’re weak and easy to bully.”
Peiya nodded, understanding her intention. She placed the fruit she brought onto the table and spoke directly.
“I didn’t come today for anything else. I want to talk about the Ice Bear King we dealt with a few days ago…”
“Mm, I’ve already heard about it. Good job. Or rather, with your strength, defeating the real Ice Bear King was something I expected.”
“Ahem, that’s not what I meant.” Peiya changed her expression.
Maya also became serious. She locked the door from the inside and sat back down.
“Go ahead. No one will come in.”
“Alright. I investigated the cave that the Ice Bear King was guarding. I found that it was still in very good condition. The reason the Ice Bear King stayed there all the time is also related to that cave.”
Maya changed her posture and raised her eyebrows. “You mean the Ice Bear King was protecting the cave?”
“Yes. Some monsters can form something like a social system. Some of the things we used to believe might actually be wrong.”
“Well, I already knew that.” Maya picked up a pen, her expression gentle.
“When I was younger, I also met some kind monsters. I understand your inner conflict. But in the end, they are still beasts. They are not the same kind of beings as us. We can be friendly with monsters who are willing to be friends, but we must not lower our guard because of that. Don’t let your kindness become something enemies can use against us. Otherwise, your good heart might lead to many monsters being harmed.”
“I understand. Endless kindness can actually hurt others. Sometimes, people need to be a little selfish. I grew up in the old district, so I learned this early.”
“Since you already understand, then why did you come to see me? It can’t be just to chat about old times, right?”
“Of course not. Do you remember the cat-related request we saw on the bounty board before? On my way back, Elise told me she met that tiger in the forest. So I want to go to the Calamity Forest again, find that tiger, and also check the mine. Even though the Ice Bear King problem is solved, the issue with the crystals in the mine is still real. If we ignore those toxins, the Calamity Forest might truly become a land of death.”