39: Chapter 39 Encounter with the Protagonist's Team

"So, Mia, why did you buy so many explosives and not use them until now?" Tuaner seemed to have guessed something, but she wasn't quite sure.

"Well, I want to blow up the Water City, or at least destroy that mirror acting as the Gate. The Sword Maiden has many Goblin offspring. I previously looked through some literature in Goblin Slayer's town, and it said that once the source of power disappears, the strength of the subordinates will also drop." Mia hesitated for a moment before revealing this somewhat crazy plan.

Ryan paused, patted the spoils on his back with his hand, and then rubbed his stubble. "True, it makes sense that a Succubus Queen wouldn't have much reverence for the Sword Maiden. So how should we deal with Goblin Slayer? Should we lay our cards on the table, or...?"

"That depends on him. I'll talk to him. As long as I can get a promise that he won't interfere with our actions, I can limit the blast radius to the waters where the mirror is hidden in the Water City." In the faint light of dawn, Mia looked at her gloved fingertips, where a drop of Goblin blood was slowly being absorbed by the glove...

On the way back to town, they encountered the Goblin extermination party led by the noble daughter from the original story. Although they were all destined to become Goblin snacks in the original tale, Mia didn't mind the fact that her saving them might be smoothed over by the timeline.

This was a party consisting of a Knight Captain, an Elf Mage, a Ranger (Scout), a Human Priest, and an Elf Wizard. They appeared to be at the eighth rank, Steel, making them stronger than Mia's group according to the evaluation system. However, in a true life-and-death struggle, wiping them out might take only a single thought from Mia or Ryan; in fact, most of the members were no match for Tuaner, who had already leveled up to Lv5.

Returning to the Adventurers Guild to turn in two quests, they had killed a cumulative total of 120 Goblins and recovered almost all usable weapons, equipment, and treasures from the Goblin nest. When Ryan placed the massive bundle on the guild hall floor, the entire building gave a slight shudder, like a small earthquake.

"Welcome back!" The blonde receptionist's bright smile could warm the heart of any traveler, but Ryan was the exception. He panted heavily, wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead. "Can you help us exchange all of this for merit points and funds?"

"Uh, yes, no problem! I'll go find some helpers." She hurried to the back of the guild and soon returned with several workers to sort through the spoils Ryan had piled up.

"There are 45 usable weapons in total: 3 of excellent quality, 20 ordinary weapons, and 22 low-quality or in need of repair. For armor, there are 10 sets of leather armor, 3 sets of chainmail, and 1 set of plate armor, all usable. Additionally, there are 3 magic staves of very good quality, 5 longbows, and 5 shortbows... After deducting the necessary brokerage fees, we can exchange these for 50 gold coins."

Mia listened somewhat absentmindedly as the receptionist earnestly detailed their spoils. The three of them had already flapped the butterfly's wings by saving the party of that pretentious noble knight girl. The pity was that she couldn't tell the knight girl she was her savior, because the girl hadn't died yet and wouldn't believe her Steel-ranked party would have suffered a tragic total wipeout in a Goblin nest. So, Mia played the part of an anonymous Good Samaritan for a while.

It took the Guild Girl nearly an hour, with her female colleagues helping as well, to settle the rewards for the 'Monster Party' (Succubus, Subordinate, Werewolf) that had caused the congestion. "Alright, if my calculations are correct, you can all be promoted to the seventh rank: Sapphire. This means you are now a fairly mature party, and the number of quests you can accept will greatly increase..."

"For now, we only take quests to hunt Goblins." Mia's unique, charming voice cut through the buzzing chatter of the entire guild. Instantly, the hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The Guild Girl blinked, then burst into a giggle. "Alright then, let me check if there are any areas with recent reports or posted Goblin quests for you. Oh, and please take care of yourselves!"

In the Guild Girl's memory, Adventurers who went to exterminate Goblins and returned safely... were very few. For instance, the noble girl's Steel-ranked party had escaped disaster this time, but next time they would likely be gambling with their lives. Dreamy beginners made up more than half the population, while the rest were just a handful of veterans. The lack of talent was always a major headache for the Adventurers Guild. Adventurers who were both willing to deal with the extremely troublesome Goblins and experienced were almost non-existent.

"Understood," Mia said with a smile, giving the Guild Girl a deep bow. As soon as she spoke, it triggered another wave of whispering in the guild hall.

"I didn't notice this Priestess was this beautiful last time? I want to propose to her..." a human holding a beer muttered with a flushed face to the Elf sitting opposite him, before taking a huge gulp of his drink.

"Are you sure that's a human? Even demons or angels couldn't compare to her..." The Elf opposite him was a Bard.

"Look, when she walks barefoot across the floor, there seem to be strange ripples on the ground."

"Look at what? Aren't those killer legs enough for you? Strange, though—it's my first time seeing a human more beautiful than a High Elf."

While they were talking, the doors of the Adventurers Guild were pushed open again. This was a High Elf. She was tall and slender, with hunter's attire fitting her slim frame perfectly. Her movements were as agile and light as a deer in the forest, every motion exuding the unique grace and fluidity of a forest creature. Judging by the large bow on her back, she was either a Ranger or an Archer. The identification tag hanging from her neck was a conspicuous silver plate.

Tuaner looked at the blue tag hanging from her own neck and suddenly felt it wasn't so great anymore. Pouting, she clung to Mia again, entering her usual 'koala mode.' "Master~ Master~ an important supporting character is here! Go talk to her! Master~ Master~ go strike up a conversation!!"

Mia had to work quite hard to peel the clingy girl off her. Having two such stunning beauties making such a scene in the guild caused the Guild Girl to show a slightly troubled smile. The hall was still noisy, and now the crowd's attention was entirely focused on the two of them.

"Whoa... Hey, look, they're all super pretty." A young man who was still a Rookie Warrior couldn't help but whistle.

"...Honestly, you," he was immediately elbowed by the Apprentice Priestess in his party.

The boy laughed. "Sorry, sorry," but his gaze still drifted toward the Elf and Mia's group from time to time. It was no wonder. After all, Elves were naturally endowed with ethereal beauty, and she stood out even among them. As for Mia and Tuaner, they were enough to make this warrior boy willing to die for them. The same hunter gear worn by Tuaner highlighted lethal curves, whereas on the Elf Girl, it seemed... well, like something was missing. If the Elf Girl was as beautiful as a white lotus, then Tuaner was as beautiful as a piece of braised pork—simply mouth-watering.

"Excuse me, do you know Orcbolg?" the Elf Girl asked Mia politely.

"Well, if you're referring to Mr. Goblin Slayer, then yes, I suppose we do," Mia replied after a simple nod and bow to the Elf Girl.

"See, Clod? I told you I could find him!" The Elf Girl waved happily, showing off to the Dwarf Taoist behind her.

"Hmph, let this old man see if these two girls are as narrow-minded as you. Has the Anvil found her own kind?" The Dwarf replied with a competitive tongue, but he wasn't paying attention and was knocked over by Tuaner in her leather hunter gear.

"Feel that, old man? Is it narrow-minded?" Tuaner had the mischievous grin of a little fox. "If you still harbor delusions of measuring my Master's 'breadth,' I wouldn't mind sending you to meet the Earth Mother right here in the guild hall."

The Dwarf Taoist awkwardly stroked his beard, reminiscing about the soft sensation just now. He sat on the floor looking a bit embarrassed, drawing a burst of laughter from everyone.

"I used to just think you were annoying, but I didn't expect you to be that kind of person?" The Elf Girl's words were like Saitama-sensei's Serious Punch, landing heavily on the Dwarf Taoist's conscience.

"Alright... I bumped into him on purpose," Tuaner pulled the Elf Girl over and whispered in her ear, "because he was bullying you by calling you narrow-minded."

The girl's face turned red. She looked down at her toes, then at the over-nourished Tuaner, and whispered softly, "Um, th-thank you..."

"Let's introduce ourselves properly. I'm Tuaner, and they are Mia and Ryan. We're currently Sapphire-ranked rookie Adventurers." Tuaner gave a formal introduction to the Elf Girl, while Mia and Ryan also nodded and smiled at her.