Chapter 45: Finding the Crows Part 6

The next day,

I had a late breakfast and headed to Katharina's merchant guild. It was inevitable because the merchant sent someone the night before and made an appointment.

According to what I'd heard the day before, they wanted to reward me for repelling the pirate ship… Could it be true?

I just hope they're not trying to rope me into joining their guild.

The thought of dealing with these sly merchants already gave me a headache.

Today, instead of my usual adventurer's attire, I donned a suitable formal outfit prepared in Rabata. The black suit was accented with simple silver accessories, making me look clean and neat. Perfect.

Perhaps because of that, I sensed a warmth in the glances that I usually didn't notice.

-Murmur murmur-

"Did you see that man just now?"

"He's a new face around here…"

"Too handsome to be a mercenary…"

"Should we talk to him?"

-Murmur murmur-

…What's with this? Is my outfit not in line with Echaits fashion?

The attire wasn't extravagant, but it was formal enough.

I attracted curious glances from people of all ages wherever I went, prompting me to retrieve my cloak and cover my face with the hood again.

Hastening my steps, I arrived at Katharina's merchant guild.

"Theodore!"

"Good afternoon."

"Did you rest well? The accommodations here at the guild would have been far superior to the inn."

"Haha, the inn was quite comfortable too. The food was delicious as well."

"Well, that's good to hear. Come, let's go."

It wasn't just any attendant but a merchant who personally welcomed me at the guild. He was exceedingly glad to see me while making a fuss about how Katharina was waiting and how it was a great honor for her to make time.

Just as I was growing weary of hearing about Katharina's greatness and her eminent status,

"Are you the druid of the rumors?"

Katharina appeared.

More than her beauty, it was the sharp, white cat ears protruding above her head that caught my eye.

She was wearing colorful jewelry over her white, light outfit. This was completely different from mine.

Worried it might be impolite, I avoided looking at her cat ears and instead met her eyes as I greeted her.

"Pleased to meet you. My name is Theodore."

From the research I'd done prior to my arrival, Katharina was said to be a cat beastkin from the barbarian lands of Altan and with her exceptional business acumen, she had crossed over from Roshan to the Echaits Union and established her own merchant guild.

Since she was a cat beastkin, Katharina must have faced countless difficulties to reach her current position.

This meant she was no easy woman.

Her sky-blue eyes locked onto mine and then she smiled. I felt as if her vertical pupils were peering right into my soul which sent a slight shiver down my spine.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Theodore. I hear you saved my ship."

"That's an exaggeration. I merely offered a bit of help."

"Summoning an Deep Sea Blue Whale to demolish a pirate ship is hardly a bit of help.'"

Her smile revealed sharp fangs, and I found myself swallowing hard.

"I had no idea a druid could summon an Deep Sea Blue Whale."

"It was a desperate situation, so I took a gamble of sorts. It's not something I usually do."

"Then all the more reason to commend you."

"Haha, is that so…"

Clap, clap.

She clapped her hands twice and two servants emerged from the back of the hall, carrying trays piled high with gold.

Incredible…

Is this meant to intimidate me?

I observed the scene without surprise, joy, or displeasure; my expression was neutral.

Instead, it was the merchant standing behind me who gasped in astonishment.

"This is in gratitude for saving the ship of the Katharina Merchant Guild."

"This seems too generous for a reward."

"Is that so?"

Katharina narrowed her eyes and smiled silently.

"I've heard you played a significant role in a previous escort mission for our guild as well. Consider this part of your compensation for that too."

"I was adequately compensated for that time."

I responded as politely as possible, then glanced at her. A black tail swayed behind her.

"Merely securing passage on this ship was reward enough for me."

"Are you saying you'll refuse all this gold? With this much, a mercenary like you could live comfortably for years without work."

I shook my head. It was clear that accepting would bind me to her merchant guild like a dog.

"I must decline."

Katharina looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if she found my response interesting. It was quite uncomfortable.

"You are as interesting as I've heard."

"..."

"I heard you once accepted a bag of tea leaves as a reward? Is it a lack of greed…"

With a wave of Katharina's hand, the servants holding the trays of gold and the merchant standing behind me left the room.

Now the real conversation was about to begin.

"…Or perhaps excessive greed."

She stood up and began to step towards me, one foot at a time. Katharina's tail continued to sway gently.

"To think a mercenary would accept a bag of tea leaves as payment. I thought there were no such mercenaries in this world."

"There are such mercenaries in the world."

"You didn't know it was Black Opium?"

"...."

I hadn't expected her to bring up Black Opium so soon.

"Certainly, with that amount of Black Opium, it would have been worth quite a bit of money. Or did you use it yourself?"

"That's impossible. If I had consumed that much Black Opium, I wouldn't be standing here."

Abusing Black Opium does not end well.

After all, it's a drug.

No matter how much power it grants, it ultimately devastates both the body and the mind.

"As expected of a druid. You're well-informed, I see?"

"Maybe."

Dealing in Black Opium was illegal.

Naturally, Katharina couldn't make an issue of it.

Nevertheless, the fact that she brought up this story meant that she wanted to test me.

I had no intention of falling for such tricks.

"I was unaware that the Katharina Merchant Guild was in such dire straits that it had to resort to smuggling Black Opium."

"…. You're rather rude."

"And you're not?"

By now, she must have realized she couldn't intimidate me, so I smiled wryly as I looked at her.

"You must be aware that the trade of Black Opium is strictly prohibited across the continent, aren't you?"

"...."

"You didn't call me here to ask for the Black Opium back, did you?"

The smile was gradually fading from Katharina's face.

"…. Do you have any idea how much trouble that incident caused me?"

"I wouldn't know. It's not my concern."

Katharina was now biting her lip. Her sharp fangs stood out above her lips.

"Because of you, I lost trust. Therefore, I should be compensated for that."

So she was finally showing her true colors.

"First you wanted to compensate me, and now you want compensation in return?"

"...."

Right.

Black Opium was now beyond her reach even with the array of gold she had just displayed.

What are merchants?

They were a bunch of people who were always measuring their odds and never willing to incur a loss.

The gold she had shown earlier was nothing but bait.

"Let me guess what you want."

"...."

"You wish to entrust me with the maritime trade escort with Niram."

"That, that is…"

"When you heard the story of how I summoned the Deep Sea Blue Whale to demolish the pirate ship, you must have thought this was the perfect opportunity. You see, my intellect isn't limited to just one area."

"...."

"I refuse."

The very notion of relying solely on the Deep Sea Blue Whale to combat the Krakens of the eastern seas was flawed from the start.

But explaining all that was not something I was inclined to do.

"...Ha! Knowing all this, why did you come here?"

Katharina asked irritably. Her tail was bristling with frustration.

The reason for my visit…

Obviously, to uncover information about the Crows.

Hearing Katharina speak of lost trust confirmed my suspicions.

Indeed, the Crows were involved in the smuggling of Black Opium.

If Katharina was involved in the smuggling of Black Opium, she likely knew something about the Crows as well.

"Having botched the deal and lost their trust, 'they' will no longer entrust you with tasks."

"'They'…. How much do you actually know?"

Katharina glared at me without hiding her wary gaze.

I did not shy away from her look.

"The Crows."

"..."

"So, you do know them."

"How did you come to know of them…"

"The deal has gone awry anyway. There's no longer a need to maintain their trust. So…"

"..."

"Pass the information about the Crows to me."

"Ha!"

Katharina laughed out loud as if amused by the audacity.

"What do you take me for…"

"I can help you."

"..."

"You said you've never seen a druid like me before, right? You must be aware of my reputation by now. This could be a beneficial deal for you."

A deal.

Merchants cherished this word.

"In exchange for losing their trust, you gain mine."

Katharina's expression turned uncertain.

And as if thinking about something, she slowly swayed her tail.

I waited patiently for Katharina's response.

"…There's a deep-sea dungeon on the east side of the island."

Alright.

This was the answer I had been waiting for.

It was unlikely for a human like Katharina, or rather a beastkin like her, to miss an opportunity to make use of a mercenary like me.

"Unfortunately, the dungeon appeared near the shipping routes which caused monsters to emerge there at all hours."

"That must be troublesome."

"Troublesome is an understatement. Everyone's terrified just hearing it's a deep-sea dungeon, so no matter how much I raise the pay, there's no mercenary willing to take the job."

Katharina whispered to me in a lowered voice.

"The damage suffered by the merchant guilds using those routes is far from minor. If someone could just get rid of that deep-sea dungeon… there would be many willing to pay whatever price."

A deep-sea dungeon.

The proposition was quite enticing.

I can use underwater plants, so there's a good chance I can conquer the dungeon.

I didn't respond immediately but paused for a moment before slowly nodding my head in agreement.

Katharina's anxious face lit up in an instant.

"Really, is it really possible?"

"Yes, Katharina, with your help, it is."

Since it's a deep-sea dungeon, I can't bring Ayla along. So, our current strength is limited to just El and me.

Taking on the deep-sea dungeon with just the two of us would be an overreach.

Hence, Katharina's support was crucial.

Well, seeing those sparkling eyes… she's obviously going to offer her support.

"Tell me whatever you need, anything."

"In that case, without hesitation…"

I smiled broadly and extended my hand.

"First of all, I need money."

A message appeared before my eyes.

[Quest: Conquering the Echaits Deep-Sea Dungeon]