"It’ll probably take a few days. Our equipment is still being maintained," Colin said. "Could you also please contact Mr. Helder for us? We might be back a bit late."

"That’s no problem at all. By the way, you all can stay here in the Church for the next few days. I heard from Edwin that you’re quite mindful of your Gold Coins, so this will save you the cost of a room. The taverns here charge seven or eight Silver Coins a night for one room," the old man said.

Colin nodded.

’Saving on lodging is an unexpected bonus. Besides, the Church is safer than outside, and we won’t have to keep watch at night.’

The man who had led them here earlier stepped forward and saluted, then led them out and toward the guest rooms inside the Church.

Compared to the refugee-packed rooms in Thousand Masts City, the Church was much quieter.

The group walked through the chapel and was soon led to the rooms provided for guests.

The room contained six beds, and it was fully furnished with wardrobes, chairs, and nightstands. There was also a small room with a plumbing system for showering. It seemed to be a place designed specifically for Adventurer parties to rest.

Seeing a place to bathe, Orelia, who had spent most of the journey wiping herself down with cold water, happily went to take a shower.

"They actually said they aren’t welcome in this city." Kase sat on his bed and yawned. "Would humans really dislike people who help them and ask for nothing in return?"

"This city must be different, I guess."

Colin flopped onto the bed and couldn’t help but stretch.

The mattress was a thick wool pad and was incredibly comfortable to lie on.

"The books say that Rommon is a city-state founded by merchants and Mercenaries. The colorfully dressed Mercenaries on the streets are the best proof of that. Thousand Masts City, on the other hand, forbids large gatherings of Adventurers from forming Mercenary Corps or Adventurer’s Guilds. That’s why the Adventurers there dress inconspicuously, afraid of attracting trouble from the City Guard.

"From the beginning, this has been a place where all sorts of people mix. Paladins, who despise evil, would definitely not be popular here. After all, the more chaotic a place is, the easier it is for villains to hide."

Kase stroked his chin and sighed, "What a messed-up human city."

"What an empty-headed Half-Orc Warrior," Colin sighed.

"Screw you, you scheming, treacherous human Mage."

"What about me! What about me!" Orelia’s voice came from the bathroom.

"A timid and cowardly Tiefling Priest?"

The two of them said it in unison. Afterward, both felt a little regretful, unable to understand why she had practically asked to be insulted.

But Orelia was very happy. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Her laughter flowed out of the bathroom along with the sound of the shower, making it seem as if she had just found several hundred Gold Coins rather than being insulted.

After they had all taken turns showering, they went to sleep with peace of mind.

They had arrived late to begin with, and now they couldn’t afford any more delays. The next day, after breakfast, they started visiting the city’s various taverns to find a guide.

Just as they had seen yesterday, Rommon was, for the most part, quite chaotic.

Although many Earth Goblin Guards patrolled the streets, Mercenaries were still shouting and clamoring to recruit clients for their Mercenary Corps. Some even grabbed merchants who didn’t have bodyguards to give them a "strong and forceful" self-recommendation.

The Guards saw this but did nothing. In Thousand Masts City, that sort of behavior would get you fined.

Of course, the blame for the chaos couldn’t be placed entirely on the Mercenaries and the Guards.

Perhaps it was because of the recent Hill Giant incident, which had caused too many merchants to get stuck in the city waiting for the trade routes to clear, making things seem a bit more chaotic.

Yesterday’s Red Dragon Tavern was quite a distance from here, so Colin stopped a random person to ask where the nearest tavern was.

Unexpectedly, after following the person’s directions for a short distance, the group was swept into a crowded stream of people.

Colin pulled Orelia behind Kase for cover.

The Half-Orc, relying on his powerful build, plowed a small path through the crowd, allowing the other two to follow in his wake without being separated.

After a short walk, the crowd around them suddenly thinned out.

Colin looked around and saw rows of small houses with awnings, as well as temporary stalls made from wagons with their side panels opened up. It looked like they had reached Rommon’s market.

"ACHOO!"

They hadn’t gone far when Kase, walking in front, suddenly sneezed.

The vibration from his chest traveled to Colin’s shoulder, making it feel like he’d been punched.

Immediately after, he caught the strong scent of spices.

There was quite a variety of goods here: tea bricks and porcelain from the East, spices and carpets from the south, and even some leather and Refined Gold sourced from around Thousand Masts City—the latter being an expensive metal that could be mixed into weapons to increase their hardness.

"You think these little knives would be any good?" Kase clapped Colin’s shoulder and pointed to a weapons stall nearby.

Most of the weapons being sold there were things like Scimitars and whips, and the stall itself had something of a Persian style.

"It gets very hot further south of here, so most people don’t wear heavy armor," Colin replied. "Just think, one flick of that kind of blade against bare skin, and it would tear the flesh wide open!"

"Well, one swing of my Axe and their bones would break!"

"But isn’t it easier to wield a Scimitar?"

"I don’t get tired holding my Axe."

Orelia reached out and tugged on the two of them as they bickered. "Wow, Mr. Colin, Mr. Kase, look! It says over there that spices are on sale!"

"That’s for merchants. You only get the discount if you buy five hundred Gold Coins’ worth at once."

Hearing this, the Tiefling’s tail, which had been swaying back and forth behind her, suddenly drooped.

’I hope there aren’t any swindlers in this world who use discounts to trick people,’ Colin thought. ’Otherwise, this girl would probably be cheated out of everything she owns.’

The group wandered around a bit more before finding their way out of the market. Colin asked a few more passersby and, with some difficulty, finally located a tavern called "the Green Dragon’s Ass."

Stepping inside, they saw that the layout was similar to the Red Dragon Tavern from yesterday.

However, the tavern had a strange, damp smell that was somewhat unpleasant.

"Let’s check the notice board first. Maybe we can find a quest that’s on our way and make some serious cash."

Since Kase suggested it, the group made their way to the notice board next to the tavern’s counter.

"What’s that thing up there?" Kase pointed above the notice board.

Colin glanced up.

There was a metal frame stuffed with a large number of wooden plaques, each painted with a different colored crest. The plaques were arranged from top to bottom, looking like some kind of ranking board.

A quick count revealed there were over forty plaques.

"That’s the Mercenary Corps ranking," the owner behind the counter said. "Every tavern in Rommon has one. It determines the strongest and most reputable Mercenary Corps based on the number of commissions they complete."