The crescent moon shone coldly in the sky, and a cool breeze blew.
The commotion here finally attracted the attention of the night watchmen from other convoys.
Several people carefully approached with torches. Seeing the mess and the tied-up bandits, they were startled at first, then realized what happened and expressed their gratitude to Shane and Erza one after another.
"Thank you so much!"
"You young folks are really amazing!"
"It was nothing." Shane wore a modest smile on his face, but he kept complaining in his heart: Don't just pay lip service; give me something practical!
He waved his hand casually, as if he had just done something insignificant, then steered the conversation away: "By the way, that bandit leader mentioned earlier that a tavern capable of granting wishes recently appeared in Shirotsume? That legend sounds quite interesting."
As soon as these words came out, the chatter of thanks instantly quieted down. The grateful smiles on most people's faces froze; their eyes wandered, and their expressions became strange and subtle.
The atmosphere stagnated for a moment.
"Hahaha!" A boisterous laugh broke the silence. A burly man wearing a leather apron and leading a packhorse spoke first: "Wish-granting tavern? I don't believe in that! Just going there to join the fun."
Someone took the lead, and others followed with a few dry laughs, vaguely agreeing with "Yeah, yeah," or "Probably just a rumor," before finding excuses to disperse and return to their own convoys.
"Could it be... that this story isn't completely baseless?" Shane took everyone's reactions into account, a trace of curiosity rising in his heart.
With the matter settled, and still some time before dawn, Shane and Erza returned to the bonfire for a nap.
When dawn broke, the various convoys began busily organizing their goods, preparing to set off.
Shane stuffed the seized bandit weapons into the cart, considering them "spoils of war" better than nothing, thinking he might be able to send them along with the blacksmith shop's goods and maybe exchange them for some money.
But then they ran into trouble dealing with the captives.
The cart was piled high with goods; there was no extra space to hold these people. People from other convoys didn't dare take these bandits on the road either. Finally, after discussion, they simply used thick hemp ropes to string this group together and tie them to the back of the blacksmith shop's carriage, dragging them along.
As a result, their speed inevitably slowed down.
Noel looked at the string of dejected captives behind the cart, his face scrunched up, but he couldn't think of a better way.
It wasn't until the sun was in the west, approaching dusk, that the outline of Shirotsume Town's walls, carrying the unique sulfur smell of hot springs, finally appeared at the end of their vision.
As soon as they entered the city, Shane keenly felt that the atmosphere wasn't quite right.
The streets near the city gate were normal, but the further in they went, the noisier it became. Turning a corner, the scene before them stunned everyone.
The entire long street looked as if it had been crushed by some giant object. From one end to the other, a straight path brutally pierced through the very center of the street.
Whether wooden stalls, stone flower beds, or brick shops, everything blocking this straight line had been mercilessly shattered and flattened, leaving a blank passage filled with debris.
A group of men and women dressed as craftsmen were gathered together, discussing something excitedly, their faces a mix of anger and some fear.
"...Definitely done by a Mage! How could an ordinary person have this ability!"
"The City Guards have already gone to search; they said they'll catch the culprit!"
"Damn it, I just fixed my shop not long ago... now even the street is destroyed!"
Mage? Could it be that an Underground Mage ran here? Acting so unscrupulously? Listening to these discussions, Shane's heart stirred, and he frowned slightly.
He didn't want to get involved in something that sounded troublesome, so he quickly turned his head and called out.
"Erza, you and Noel go hand over the goods first. I'll escort this group to the City Guards."
Erza nodded. She glanced at the traces of destruction on the street but said nothing, following Noel toward the Merchant Guild where the blacksmith shop usually did business.
Shane dragged the long string of dejected "grasshoppers" toward the City Guard station. He figured the guards were probably running around busy right now, so it was better to get rid of this trouble as soon as possible.
As he expected, the City Guard station was in chaos. Guards were rushing in and out, clearly running around because of that "Mage destruction incident."
Hearing that Shane was here to hand over bandits, the receiving guard seemed very impatient.
They simply confirmed that the bandit leader was on the wanted list and the bounty was 50,000 Jewels, then quickly processed the handover procedures, too lazy to ask about the details.
Shane didn't mind the other party's attitude. What made him slightly dissatisfied was that the small fries were also hastily locked up.
He was very worried whether these people would be able to roleplay Hideki Tojo well later.
But soon, pinching the freshly received banknotes that still smelled slightly of ink, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
"50,000 Jewels..." He muttered in a low voice, his mood instantly brightening. Who knew a bandit leader would pay more than the escort job? It was simply a pleasant surprise.
"Scored!" He was in a great mood, too lazy to think about troublesome things like destroyed streets or taverns. Anyway, he was leaving tomorrow; these had nothing to do with him.
"Oh right, I can also soak in a hot spring while I'm at it."
He turned around cheerfully, walking briskly toward the Merchant Guild, preparing to meet up with Erza and the others.
Just arriving at the entrance of the Merchant Guild, Shane saw Noel and a well-dressed middle-aged man standing in front of several open boxes of goods.
Erza stood a little further away with her arms crossed, her face looking unpleasant. Noel hung his head, looking like a frosted eggplant.
The middle-aged man was probably the guild manager. He was holding a short sword forged by Noel's shop, examining it closely against the light. His expression was cold and hard, corners of his mouth turned down, exuding an unconcealed pickiness.
"Here, see? The polishing marks are uneven." He pointed to a tiny, almost indistinguishable mark on the spine of the blade, his voice rigid. "And this guard, the angle and specifications have slight deviations. Unqualified."
Finished speaking, he casually tossed the short sword, which in Shane's eyes was no different in quality from other goods, back into the box, then picked up another longsword and examined it equally harshly.
"But... sir, this flaw doesn't affect usage at all, and the previous trading standards were clearly..." Noel tried to argue, his face flushed red.
"Before was before!" The man interrupted him, his tone tough. "Now our guild's requirements are like this! Anything that doesn't meet the standard will be rejected!"
In the final count, nearly half of the goods brought by the blacksmith shop this time were judged as "unqualified" and rejected.
The middle-aged man snapped the inventory book shut, his face devoid of emotion.
"Payment for the qualified goods will be settled according to the rules. These 'defective goods,' handle them yourselves." With that, he turned and went into the guild, without a single extra word.
Noel stared at the pile of returned weapons, his eyes red, feeling he had failed his master's trust.
He dejectedly took out the money pouch and settled the agreed escort fee with Shane.
"Big Brother Shane..." Noel's voice carried grievance and confusion. "Master said that when this gentleman dealt with them before, he was always smiling and very enthusiastic. But this time..."
Shane took the money pouch and patted the young man's shoulder. "People change."
"Master also mentioned that his business wasn't going smoothly before; the scale was small. But now..." Noel looked at the guild's imposing facade, his voice getting lower and lower. "Do people have to change for their business to get big?"
Shane looked at the changing expressions on Noel's face, not wanting this simple young man to get stuck in a dead end.
He painfully untied the money pouch he just got, deliberately letting the coins make a crisp clinking sound: "Let's go, I'll treat you to a drink. And go soak in a hot spring. At least it won't be a wasted trip."
In fact, his mood was also depressed right now. There were still many captured bandit weapons in the cart, and as a result, not a single one was sold.
"Shane, the kingdom's law says you have to be fifteen to drink alcohol," Erza reminded seriously from the side.
Shane pretended not to hear, pulling the dazed Noel toward the street: "Go, go, go, don't think so much. Maybe we'll get lucky and bump into the legendary wish-granting tavern."