Chapter 6: Find a Guide
"Eight hundred gold coins!" EeDeChi stared at the spatial ring in her right hand, imagining the sound of coins clinking together like a small mountain of gold inside. Even though she prided herself on her calm demeanor, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of joy.
After dealing with the bandit group, and with the assurance from Captain Aaron of the cavalry and the confirmation from the officials of Montell City following their field investigation in the forest, it was verified that EeDeChi had single-handedly eliminated the Black Scorpion bandit group. The lord of Montell City generously awarded her the bounty of eight hundred gold coins.
To express his gratitude for removing a threat to the empire, the lord also took off a spatial ring he was wearing and gifted it to EeDeChi.
The Black Scorpion bandit group had killed nearly twenty of the lord's knights, so now the lord could finally sleep peacefully at night.
Amid the envious and admiring glances of others, EeDeChi walked out of the Adventurer's Guild hall in Montell City. Her adventurer's badge, which had once been a bright silver, was now a radiant gold, shining like the sun. Mithril had been upgraded to Orichalcum.
Although the elimination of the Black Scorpion bandit group wasn't listed as a mission by the Adventurer's Guild, they had nonetheless upgraded EeDeChi's rank from Mithril to Orichalcum based on her performance in the battle.
Orichalcum was second only to the highest rank of Adamantite. Even in the entire Baharuth Empire, adventurers with Orichalcum badges were exceedingly rare.
When Aaron saw his savior walking out of the red pine doors of the Adventurer's Guild, he rushed over, feeling genuine gratitude and admiration for EeDeChi.
Seeing the Orichalcum badge on EeDeChi's chest, Aaron couldn't help but exclaim, "An Orichalcum-level adventurer! I've never seen one before… But in my opinion, only an 'Adamantite' level would truly match your skills! You're sure to become an 'Adamantite' level adventurer in the future—living proof of a legend!"
"Is that so?" EeDeChi appeared nonchalant.
She had no interest in her own achievements in this world; her only concern was whether she could deal with Ainz Ooal Gown, the only thing she knew about him was his name.
"Have you heard of the Sorcerer Kingdom? There are rumors that the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire has signed an agreement to voluntarily become a vassal state of the Sorcerer Kingdom," EeDeChi abruptly interrupted Aaron's continuous praise to ask about Ainz Ooal Gown.
"Well..." Aaron seemed a bit embarrassed. After all, he was a knight of the Baharuth Empire, and EeDeChi's direct question was somewhat impolite, but he didn't take it too seriously.
In his many years of dealing with adventurers, Aaron knew that those with exceptional strength, like powerful mages, often had eccentric personalities and behaviors.
Aaron racked his brain for information and scratched his head. "We're not very clear on that. You know, in a small border town like ours, we're not a military stronghold. Not only is transportation poor, but news is also scarce.
"To be honest, it takes four or five months for our salaries to come from the capital, and we're always worried that the local nobles will pocket some of it.
"Regarding the Sorcerer Kingdom, I've only heard rumors like you. But I hope it's not true. Otherwise, we'll have to change our knightly oaths to swear allegiance to that Sorcerer King in the future, hahaha."
Aaron grinned and added, "There was an old soldier who left the imperial knight order and went to the City Alliance. I had a brief chat with him.
"He said that Sorcerer King, the undead Magic Caster named Ainz Ooal Gown, used some big magic and summoned a few mountain-sized black monsters that wiped out over a hundred thousand soldiers from the Re-Estize Kingdom.
"Then the Emperor and the nobles were terrified and quickly announced their submission to the Sorcerer Kingdom.
"Haha, that old soldier was so adamant, it sounded almost true. I've fought in battles before, and no matter how strong a mage is, they could only match a few thousand soldiers at most. Wiping out over a hundred thousand soldiers with one spell?"
Aaron shook his head and continued, "That's just nonsense! If they really did wipe out over a hundred thousand soldiers from the Re-Estize Kingdom, our cavalry would have long since flattened the kingdom's capital and captured the Golden Princess. Hahaha.
"The old soldier wasn't quite right in the head, as if he'd suffered a major shock, so nobody paid him much attention. He abandoned his High-tier knight position and ran off to the City Alliance across the border, as if he was fleeing from disaster. It was a waste of the Empire's yearly investment in his training and development," Aaron said.
"I see," EeDeChi thought to herself. All she knew about Ainz Ooal Gown was his name, the "Great Tomb of Nazarick," and that he had established a so-called Sorcerer Kingdom. Due to the hasty nature of her arrival, she was unaware of any other details.
"By the way, if you want to find more reliable information, you can head to Golden Sheaf City on the other side of Mistwood—Zhefnav Pradkeer.
"Golden Sheaf was originally a city built by elves, and its original name was long and awkward, so now everyone just calls it Golden Sheaf. A top adventurer like you would be better suited to Golden Sheaf or even the capital city," Aaron genuinely suggested.
EeDeChi nodded slightly in agreement.
Golden Sheaf was indeed a well-known large town in the Baharuth Empire, and it was only separated from her current border town, Montell City, by a sparsely inhabited forest—Mistwood.
However, Mistwood lived up to its name. Its dense canopy blocked out the sun, and it was perpetually shrouded in white mist, with magical fluctuations in the air being extremely chaotic. Numerous ferocious monsters roamed within, some of which had mutated, becoming even more dangerous and aggressive. Few ordinary people dared to enter, as it remained a chaotic, untamed forest.
Therefore, the road between Montell and Golden Sheaf had to go around Mistwood.
Even with the fastest highland horses pulling a four-horse carriage non-stop day and night, it would take twenty days to reach Golden Sheaf from Montell. However, spending those extra days was clearly better than risking one's life by attempting to cross Mistwood.
But EeDeChi was pressed for time and didn't want to stay in this isekai world for long. Moreover, Montell lacked both the valuable highland horses and the four-horse carriages that nobles enjoyed. This meant the journey to Golden Sheaf would take nearly a month.
Fortunately, where there are monsters, there are adventurers. The vast array of monsters in Mistwood often means valuable magical materials for adventurers.
For example, a complete set of scales from a Crystalwing Tree Lizard can fetch five gold coins on the market—enough for a rural farmer to earn from several years of hard work.
Despite the high mortality and disability rates in the adventurer profession, people are always eager to sign up. This is one of the main reasons: high risk means high reward.
From what EeDeChi knew, adventurers frequently formed teams to enter Mistwood from Montell for tasks like gathering herbs or hunting monsters. Experienced elite adventurers would even traverse the entire Mistwood, collecting rare monster hides, teeth, bones, and blood along the way, before selling their haul in Golden Sheaf on the other side.
After parting ways with Aaron, EeDeChi made her way to the "Marina" Tavern.
The "Marina" Tavern was operated by the local Adventurer's Guild, catering to adventurers who came to rest after their intense explorations, exchange task information, and discuss combat strategies against monsters. It was also a place where adventurers would seek teams or hire helpers.
Besides adventurers from all over, the tavern also attracted shrewd black market dealers, Magic Casters looking for special magical materials, and even priests and clerics with dubious secrets. It was a diverse gathering spot for all sorts of people.
In terms of combat ability, EeDeChi could confidently consider herself an elite adventurer, but when it came to navigating Mistwood, finding water sources, and keeping her direction without getting lost, she was completely in the dark. So, she decided to hire a guide at the "Marina" Tavern to lead her through Mistwood.
The "Marina" Tavern was not far from the Adventurer's Guild. As EeDeChi approached the oak door, she could already smell the cheap beer and hear a few coarse expletives.
She looked at the tavern's sign, where the golden-painted "Marina" in fancy script was carved into the hard redwood. Next to it was an illustration of a curvy, scantily clad elven woman holding a goblet and posing provocatively. Under the effect of the 2nd Tier spell "Everlight," the sign glowed in the dark.
"This place is so vulgar. It should be shut down!" EeDeChi thought with genuine disgust, shaking her head. After a moment's hesitation, she pushed open the squeaky oak door and stepped inside.