〈System: You have completed the B Rank Main Quest «Protecting Aeredale's Economy»!〉
〈System: Your favorability with Mayor Lowe has increased by 500 points!〉
〈System: Your relationship with Mayor Lowe has improved to Honored!〉
〈System: Treatment while in the presence of Mayor Lowe will increase. The difficulty of acquiring quest through Mayor Lowe will decrease by 50%.〉
〈System: You have received 400,000 Experience Points!〉
〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up! [Lv.30→Lv.31]〉
〈System: You have received 12 Unassigned Attribute Points and 8 Skill Points.〉
Although Kieran completed all the quest objectives, the system didn't distribute every reward listed in the quest details. When it came to Main Quest, some of the rewards could only be distributed by the issuer of the quest.
Yes, it was accurate that the game system issued the quest. But it was impossible for the quest to be generated if the NPC didn't think about it. Thus, Kieran could only receive the Gold and chain quest from Mayor Lowe.
Mayor Lowe calmed down after expressing his anger through strong huffs. He took a seat and tidied his suit jacket. Afterward, he massaged the bridge of his nose and spoke.
"Forgive my display of anger. This is just a truly infuriating situation. This is a terrible time to be targeted."
"I understand. I would have reacted the same way if I was in your predicament. It's not easy to accept that you're a target of nefarious actions," Kieran said. He spoke from his heart because he was indeed familiar with being the victim of underhanded schemes.
"Precisely!" Mayor Lowe exclaimed in agreement. "Ah, before it escapes my mind. Your reward."
Mayor Lowe placed a hefty pouch on his desk that clanked with metallic clicking.
〈System: You have received 1,000 Gold.〉
'This will more than cover the cost of teleportation. After factoring in the money spent on materials and the deal with Penni, it's as if I haven't spent a single coin.'
However, Kieran remained seated after receiving his reward. His real interest lay in the chain quest.
"What is it?" Mayor Lowe asked when he noticed Kieran's lingering presence. Most adventurers would leave after receiving their due payment.
"It's clear you are still troubled, which means I can be of greater use. Why would I leave? As you said, I've only solved the temporary issue, not the main one," Kieran said.
Mayor Lowe looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 'He may not appear strong on the surface, but if what he recounted was true, then he may be the force we're lacking. The fact he survived deserts infested by Sand Worms should be a testament to his strength.'
After a few moments of careful consideration, Mayor Lowe eventually gestured for Kieran to go on.
"These Desertborn Brigands are an issue for the Aeredale Kingdom as a whole, but mainly for Aeredale City since you are the backbone of the kingdom. But, the real question is how do these Brigands know when your transport will happen even though you moved up the schedule?"
Kieran's question posed an issue that Mayor Lowe had overlooked. The hastily prepared caravan should have escaped the notice of the Desertborn Brigands since it didn't follow their original schedule. How could an ambush have laid in wait if this was the case?
It was unlikely that the Desertborn Brigands placed a sentry at the points of interest because they weren't that established. They would only move once the scheduled runs happened.
"What are you implying?" Mayor Lowe inquired. Kieran's words clearly insinuated foul play.
Kieran's expression grew solemn as he responded.
"I believe there is misconduct happening in these very walls. Someone is supplying the brigands with important information. Who possesses knowledge of the merchant's schedule?"
At first, Mayor Lowe's first response was to berate Kieran. But, given his current favorability and the likelihood of Kieran's words being truthful, Mayor Lowe considered Kieran's opinion.
"You truly believe this to be the case? Has someone betrayed us by leaking sensitive information? But, I can't understand why they'd do such a thing. It could inevitably lead to the kingdom's downfall!"
Kieran gave a bitter smile in response. "That alone might be their reason. There must be some incentive involved. That's the only reason I can see someone betraying their kingdom. So, I ask again—who has this knowledge?"
"That would be the merchants, their advisors, and a select few city guards." Mayor Lowe listed all the people who could have details on the caravan schedule after compiling them in his mind.
"Wait, hold on, the guards are privy to the merchant's schedule?"
"Not beforehand. However, as you saw before, they do escort the merchant to the city's gates."
"I see, so they can't be excluded," Kieran muttered before falling into deep thought.
'The culprit is most likely amongst those guards. The advisors and merchants receive their salaries from the sales of such merchandise. They wouldn't risk their livelihood by falling in cahoots with these brigands.'
After having this thought, Kieran immediately raised it with Mayor Lowe.
"The guards? But some of them are former respectful knights. You truly think so?" Mayor Lowe frowned. He didn't disregard the possibility, but he found it highly unlikely.
"Knight commanders and other personnel monitor the guards' actions. Their positions are always accounted for. Besides, for it to be one of them, they would have to leave the city limits after the caravans but arrive before them. It's not plausible."
"Is that so? What if it's only getting in contact with their criminal allies?" Kieran countered.
"Hmm," Mayor Lowe pondered the question. "It's possible if their method of contact is somehow long-distance. But, if we suspect them now and conduct a large search, the culprit may destroy the evidence."
"There's no need for a search," Kieran shook his head with an idea in mind.
"What do you suggest?" Mayor Lowe didn't oppose relying on Kieran for answers. After all, their relationship was in a good position.
"Just send out another caravan," Kieran answered.
"Another one? But we haven't amassed enough merchandise to trade."
Kieran grinned. "But the culprit doesn't know that. This will be our ploy and advantage."
"I see! So you want to draw them out with a dummy cargo. Excellent! This is excellent! We'll test out your theory. If the bait doesn't bite, then so be it. We'll snag them another way."
A peal of uproarious laughter echoed throughout the Mayor's Office as Mayor Lowe genuinely liked the suggestion.
Ding!
〈System: You have received a Main Chain Quest.〉
「 Culprit Identification (Scenario)
Quest Rank: B+
Recommended Party Size: 1
Recommended Party Level: Lv.33
Objectives: As with all civilizations, there are two sides to the events occurring―civil and criminal. Brigand thefts plague the Aeredale Kingdom; however, there is a culprit responsible for their ease of access. You must locate this culprit before their action plunges the Aeredale Kingdom's economy into disarray.
- Man a dummy cargo to lure out the bandits. 0/1
- Locate the traitors amongst the Kingdom's Guards. 0/1
- Bring the traitors to the Mayor. 0/1
- Assist in information extraction. 0/1
Rewards:
- «Brigand Eradication» - Chain Quest
- 100 Gold
- Level +1
- Mayor Lowe's favorability rises to Indebted.
Failure Penalty:
- Level -2
- Culprit's awareness increases.
- Criminal evidence destroyed.
- End of the chain quest
Time Limit: 48 hours.
*Special Notes: A culprit once alarmed is one of the most elusive targets. 」
"The reward this time won't be that great, but I'll at least be able to reward you 100 Gold if we succeed in our attempts," Mayor Lowe said.
"That's more than enough." Kieran was satisfied with this amount because most quests barely rewarded one Gold. In fact, most quests handed out Silver.
Only once players entered Great Cities would Gold become a common reward for side quests.
"Can we hold off on the preparation?" Kieran suddenly requested.
However, it seemed Mayor Lowe possessed similar thoughts based on his expression. "We can delay it up to a day to make it appear more authentic. But, we shouldn't give the culprit enough time to conduct a proper alert."
Naturally, this was factored into the quest's time limit. The 48 hours included how long until the culprit realized something was amiss with the highly accelerated release of the following trade caravan.
As for why Kieran required additional time before the start, it related to training his teammates and some real-life matters. While he had consumed X-hancers, he hadn't performed any training to enhance the effects of the X-hancers.
After all, one of his goals was to return to his prime condition and then surpass it.
Kieran soon finished meeting with Mayor Lowe before meeting with Bastion and the others at the Training Hall. Because of their identity as Adventurers and their Knight-level Fame, the staff of the training Hall inquired about trainers, but Kieran declined.
There was nothing the available trainers could provide that he couldn't. Requesting the teaching of a high-level trainer required a specific Adventurer Badge and fame.
Even then, it wasn't free.
Kieran soon brought the others to the chosen training area, which resembled an open garden. The Training Hall gave different regions of the training hall different environments.
The mana density here wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. The environment was tailored to the needs of a Tier 1 existence.
Like in the Concealed Rocky Canyon, Kieran guided everyone but took it slow this time.
Everyone focused on acclimating to their current limitation; this included Cyr, Sithik, and Cygnus, who were absent during the journey.
"I knew something was wrong. Although I didn't fight anyone, I could tell I'd have a difficult time in combat," Cyr commented.
Altair was his sparring partner, and they both moved slowly without intent to harm.
Bastion and Nemean teamed up, training their movement and timing. They would alternate between wielding their shields and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Although their shields were their focal point, hand-to-hand combat training produced extraordinary effects.
Meanwhile, Sera, Sithik, and Cygnus practiced channeling their Mana to increase the casting speed of their heals.
Lastly, Kieran guided Alice by giving her tips on circulating her Mana through her countless paths.
Once everyone received a task, Kieran turned his attention to a training dummy not too far away. While the others battled amongst themselves, he required a more substantial target.
