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n?Upon their arrival in Lorinda, the group did not dwell long for rest or repairs.

nAfter a brief meal, Antalya led them to a seemingly ordinary two-story wooden house that looked no different from the others.

nShe said, “Greg and I will go up and talk to him. You guys can go and buy some other goods in the meantime. Harry is a decent person, but he tends to be overly cautious. Ali and Howard, being new faces, it might not be wise for you to go up rashly. Let’s meet back here in about an hour.”

n“Remember to be careful. This place is not like Breeze City; it’s easy to get cheated here. Moreover, Ali and Howard, you don’t have identity proofs yet, so it’s easy to run into trouble if you’re not careful.”

nVivia, standing by with determined assurance, said, “Don’t worry about going up, Antalya. I’ll keep a good eye on both of them!”

nAntalya shot Vivia a glance, “You, just try not to cause any trouble yourself!”

n“Once we return, I’ll find time to apply for adventurer’s identity proofs for you two. That way, you can freely enter and exit most countries, which should be more convenient,” Antalya added.

nHoward remembered signing a document agreeing that adventurers could move freely within the territory of the Oli Kingdom.

nAfter the conversation, Antalya and Greg dismounted, approached the wooden door, and knocked.

nSoon, a middle-aged woman in cloth attire opened the door.

nShe paused for a moment upon seeing Antalya but quickly regained her composure and stepped aside to open the door wider.

nAntalya and Greg proceeded through the gate, with Greg turning back before entering to give Howard a meaningful look, squeezing his eyes in a gesture.

nUnfortunately, given the dwarf’s face was so abundantly hairy, his attempt at an expressive look was lost; his eyebrows nearly covered his eyes, and his beard clumped together, making him resemble a fuzzy ball more than anything.

nIt was impossible to discern any specific expression.

nAfter the pair entered, the middle-aged woman glanced at Ali and the others still outside.

nSeeing no intention from them to come in, she promptly shut the door.

nWith the door closing behind them, Howard scratched the back of his head, “So… what do we do now?”

nVivia huffed, “Have you become so dim that you can’t even understand what was told? Obviously, we need to shop for other essentials!”

nShe declared this quite proudly, though her nose wrinkled slightly in disdain.

nHowever, Howard’s next question stopped her cold.

n“Do you even know what we need from the shops?”

nGiven that Greg and Antalya usually managed the tavern and Vivia had always been more of a mascot than a manager, she rarely dealt with such matters.

nHoward’s blunt inquiry left her momentarily speechless.

nBreaking the silence, Ali, who was usually reserved, suggested, “Let’s head to the market first. I’ve been to Lorinda a couple of times before I met the shopkeeper. I know where the market is. As for the shopping list, since I’ve always been in the kitchen, I at least know what we need to restock there. In fact, if we’re shopping in Lorinda, it’s mainly about replenishing food supplies.”

n“Ah, as expected, Ali is the reliable one,” Howard nodded earnestly.

n“Not like some people who just know how to eat and, despite being in the shop for so long, still don’t know anything.”

n“Hey, Howard, what do you mean by that?” Vivia snapped back.

nHoward, imitating Vivia’s usual tone, retorted, “Nothing at all.”

nVivia, gritting her teeth, pulled on her horsewhip and flashed a “friendly” smile.

n“Well, it seems I need to make a point as well!”

n“Let’s go, Ali! Don’t let that guy catch up!”

nSensing trouble, Howard nudged Ali’s back, who got the hint and whipped the horses into motion, moving the cart forward.

nHoward, naturally not afraid of a fight, nonetheless preferred to avoid conflict with women. .

nHowever, their cart stood no chance against the unburdened Vivia on horseback, especially not on crowded streets where it was impossible to sprint at full speed.

nAfter a symbolic attempt to escape, Vivia easily caught up and lightly whipped Howard a few times on his back.

nIn truth, Vivia hadn’t exerted much force, but Howard began to scream dramatically at the touch of the whip, attracting the gaze of passersby. .𝒎

nEven Ali turned around in surprise.

nUnable to continue her assault without drawing more attention, Vivia begrudgingly took note, vowing to settle scores later in the fall.

n…

nAntalya and Greg had finally met with Harry.

nUpon reaching the second floor, they found Harry already seated in the living room, evidently having waited for some time.

nHarry appeared to be an utterly ordinary middle-aged man, indistinguishable from the common farmers of Lorinda.

nIf there was anything to note, it would be his clothing, which was crafted from finer linen or cotton rather than the cheap, coarse hemp typical of the area.

nAdditionally, his slightly portly figure was not something one would expect from the working-class farmers.

nAs a person of authority in a hub like this, improving his family’s diet was hardly a challenge for him.

n“Miss Antalya, it’s been a while! How’s business been lately? I suppose you’ve earned quite a stack of gold coins,” Harry greeted her with a warm smile as soon as they met, showing a familiar cordiality.

n“Thanks to your good wishes, the tavern’s business this month has been even better than the last,” Antalya responded with a smile.

n“And how about your business, Harry? Is your purse jingling with coins?” she inquired.

nAfter a brief pause, Harry’s smile widened, “Miss Antalya, you do have a sense of humor. My modest dealings hardly compare to your substantial enterprise. Running a tavern on Left Ridge Street in Breeze City isn’t something just anyone can manage.”

n“It’s all down to luck,” Antalya maintained her smile.

n“And, of course, your help as well.”

nHarry, momentarily taken aback, then chuckled, “Miss Antalya jests. What significant role could my little mushrooms play? I wonder how many you would like this time?”

nAfter a moment of thought, Antalya extended five fingers: “Five kilos.”

nA kilo of Lorinda mushrooms on the market goes for ten gold coins, roughly the expense of a typical family of three for a month and a half.

nAnd because Lorinda is the only place that can produce them in large quantities, Lorinda mushrooms are essentially priceless in Breeze City.

nPurchasing five kilos in one go, amounting to fifty gold coins, would require a significant portion of the working capital for a standard adventurer’s tavern.

nLast time, she had only bought a little over one kilo.

nHad Howard been there, he would have been astonished to see that a tavern could mobilize more funds than many nobles within the kingdom.

nThis, in part, was due to some inflation in the area.

nAnother reason was the depths of the new continent, teeming with powerful beings and valuable goods, naturally driving up prices.

n“Five kilos!” Harry exclaimed, his face showing a moment of hesitation.

nAlthough it’s said they’re produced in large quantities, the quarterly yield of Lorinda mushrooms is only around 150 kilos, with only about forty kilos actually passing through Harry’s hands.

nThus, a five-kilo order was no small request for Harry.

nHarry sat in silence, pondering, while Antalya picked up a teacup Harry had placed on the table and sipped leisurely, appearing completely at ease and unworried.

nIn truth, she had little concern.

nHer livelihood did not depend on Lorinda mushrooms, and her pursuit of wealth was minimal—sufficiency was her goal.

nIndeed, if she chose to, making money was not a challenge for her at all.

nTime ticked away slowly, and finally, it was Harry who broke the silence.

n“You must have noticed, Lorinda is under martial law.” He shifted the conversation away from their deal to focus on Lorinda itself.

n“Is it because of ‘Red Eye’?” Antalya asked.

n“Yes, ‘Red Eye’,” Harry sighed.

n“Half a month ago, Red Eye visited Lorinda. He didn’t do anything; otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be seeing me right now.”

nAntalya remained silent, waiting for Harry to continue.

n“But though he didn’t act, it wasn’t without demands. To put it mildly, his appetite is quite large.”

n“He’s demanding we hand over a quarter of our Lorinda mushroom yield, and that’s every quarter!”

n“A bandit now playing the merchant, how amusing,” Greg muttered under his breath.

nRed Eye is the name of the largest bandit group in the nearby towns, as well as the nickname of their leader, reputedly because his eyes turn blood red in battle.

nRed Eye’s methods are notoriously brutal.

nEven Lorinda, a significant settlement, has records of being attacked.

nTheir strikes are fast, precise, and ruthless, hitting hard and leaving immediately, never lingering, which is why the local lords have never been able to truly catch them.

nMoreover, it’s said that the leader of Red Eye is a genuine magus.

n“Mr. Harry, by telling me this, are you suggesting you want me to do something?” Antalya slowly set down her teacup.

n𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝑚

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