Colin asked in surprise, "There are forty Mercenary Corps here?"

"More than that. Rommon probably has over two hundred Mercenary Corps. The few leading ones have thousands of members, the rest are mid-sized corps with a few hundred people, and then there are small groups with just a dozen or so." The owner leaned on the counter with both hands and said, "It’s not that strange. Don’t you Adventurers from the north also have tons of small teams?"

Colin nodded silently.

’If two large Mercenary Corps started fighting over business, could this city’s Guards even stop them? Or are the Guards here just members of those large corps?’

The jobs here were actually pretty similar to the ones in Thousand Masts City.

The Legendary Green Dragon in the Giant Dragon Forest, the Hill Giant tribes along the trade routes, the Trolls of the Roaring Mountain Range... Most of the remaining jobs wanted the heads of these creatures.

Even the weakest among them, the Trolls and Hill Giants, could easily crush creatures like Winter Wolves and Scorpion-tailed Lions. Plus, they appeared in groups, making them opponents that a small party couldn’t hope to defeat.

The last few jobs they might have been able to take were either hunting Snake-men in the swamp or dealing with Werewolves in the Giant Dragon Forest, but none were on their way.

After looking through the jobs, the group began searching for a guide in the tavern.

They went from tavern to tavern, looking for a guide and checking the job boards.

「Time slipped by, and soon it was afternoon.」

Colin found a Half-Elf wearing Leather Armor with a Short Bow at his hip, sitting in a corner of the tavern. He spread the map out on the table and said, "You look like a Ranger or something similar. Name your price. We need to get to this place."

The Half-Elf glanced up at Kase and Orelia behind him.

"Buddy, a Half-Orc and a Half-Demon? Spare me."

With that, he picked up his mug, drained it in one gulp, and strode out of the tavern.

Watching the man’s retreating back, Colin sighed.

They had been searching for the better part of the day, asking everyone in several taverns who looked like a Ranger or a guide, but not a single one had agreed. On top of that, there were basically no suitable jobs.

Compared to the others, this Half-Elf’s refusal had been relatively polite.

"This city really isn’t very friendly," Orelia said. "When I passed through before, I thought this place was quite tolerant of Alien Races."

"Don’t even get me started. In Thousand Masts City, the worst you’d get is people not wanting to talk to you. Here, I feel like if I make one wrong move, someone’s going to stick me with a Dagger," Kase complained. "Speaking of which, it seems like everyone on the streets here is carrying a weapon."

"This is a real headache," Colin said, scratching his head.

’A city-state where Alien Races are a common sight on the streets is actually more xenophobic than Thousand Masts City... Then again, in his past life, he’d seen real-world examples like the United States of America, so it wasn’t that surprising.’

Kase waved his hand. "Let’s just go by ourselves. Forget the guide."

"Kase’s sense of direction is quite good. If we can’t find anyone else, it’s worth a try," Orelia said with a nod.

"Let’s not. We’ll be screwed if we get lost," Colin said, looking behind the counter. "We haven’t asked this inn’s owner yet. Let’s go see what he knows."

The group then walked over to the counter.

As usual, Colin ordered three beers and added a few extra Copper Coins on top.

"I saw you folks first thing this morning. Looking for a guide, are you?" The owner swept up the Copper Coins as he wiped down the counter. "Go check out the merchant district on the north side of the city. Look for the Half-Sheepmen over there. Someone there should be willing to go with you. If you’re lucky, you might even get a free trip."

"Thanks," Colin said with a nod.

After a short rest and finishing their beers, the group headed for the merchant district.

This merchant district was quite different from the Trade District in Thousand Masts City. Although both were bustling with people, the number of parked carriages here was astounding, packed together so tightly.

After searching for a long time, the group finally found the Half-Sheepman settlement in the far corner of the merchant district.

Several three-story wooden houses were squeezed together here. They could occasionally see Half-Sheepmen walking between the buildings, along with some "customers" who were clearly there to receive certain services.

Two burly Half-Sheepmen stood at the entrance to the settlement, apparently to prevent anyone from getting a free ride in the literal sense.

"Do you have any guides here who can take people to the Endless Wilderness?" Colin asked one of them.

"Wait here," the Half-Sheepman he’d asked replied before immediately turning and walking away.

The three of them stood awkwardly at the entrance, unsure what to do.

After a moment, a young female Half-Sheepman wearing only a short tunic, her face dotted with freckles, saw them and swayed her hips as she walked over.

"A Half-Orc, a Half-Demon, and a... handsome little thing." The female Half-Sheepman came over and rested her hand on Colin’s shoulder. "Interested in exploring a little pleasure? My sisters and I have never met a group quite like you."

Seeing this, Orelia’s eyes went wide. She stared intently at the Half-Sheepman, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long moment.

Kase looked her up and down, then sighed and said, "You’ll do, I guess. I’ll use my Axe. You all can use whatever weapons you want."

"An Axe? You play that... Oh, not that kind of ’pleasure,’ big guy." The female Half-Sheepman bit her rosy lip. "It’s... *that* kind of pleasure."

"That’s right, Kase," Colin said with a nod. "This lady and her companions aren’t skilled in close combat. We should have a friendly Archery competition."

"Tch, how boring."

As the female Half-Sheepman turned to leave, a man with a snow-white goatee walked over. This fellow wore Leather Armor and had a Short Sword and a quiver for a Short Bow at his hip. He certainly looked the part.

"Why play dumb and refuse the lady? After adventuring for so long, can’t you enjoy yourself a little?" the old Half-Sheepman said with a laugh as he approached.

"Play dumb about what?" Kase asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Let’s just pass," Colin said, making up a random excuse. "I’m mainly afraid of catching some strange disease. I’ve been relying on my body to make a living these past few years."

The old Half-Sheepman asked, "So, you’re the ones who want to go to the Endless Wilderness?"

"Yes."

"I can take you there, completely free of charge," the Half-Sheepman said. "But on one condition: you have to serve as my escorts and get me to a certain place." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Colin carefully sized up the old Half-Sheepman before him.

So far, his impression of the Half-Sheepmen hadn’t been very good.

According to the records he’d read, most Half-Sheepmen were free-spirited hedonists. The men were mostly philanderers, and the women were equally passionate.

In short, they didn’t seem very reliable.

’But then again, as their guide, he’ll be traveling with us. He wouldn’t be reckless enough to risk his own life... I should agree for now, then go back and ask the Paladins what they know about this Half-Sheepman’s background.’

Colin took out the map and said, "Then you’ll have to show us where."

"Well, what a coincidence," the Half-Sheepman said, pointing to a spot on the map.

His destination wasn’t too far from the place the ring was pointing to, just a few extra kilometers. They could easily stop by on their way back.

"What’s your name, then?"

"Sarlin Grayhuff."