The two soldiers hadn’t slept all night.

When Colin got up and saw them the next day, they both looked terrible. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

By the time the group had washed up and their wounds were fully healed, the other men in charge of the watchtower finally straggled in.

After the two soldiers finished giving their report, the watchtower commander, clad in Scale Armor, walked over to the table.

He sized up the group, his eyes finally landing on Colin. "You’re field agents?"

"Yes."

"I’ll report your actions exactly as they occurred. And of course, I thank you for everything you’ve done."

"Do you buy used equipment here?" Colin asked. "The stuff from the Jackal Wolfmen."

"We don’t have the funds for that," the commander said frankly. "But we’ll try to refurbish whatever you leave behind. If it’s up to standard, we’ll put it to use. These Jackal Wolfmen don’t make anything. Besides the Beast Hides, everything else they carry once belonged to humans."

"In that case, I have a proposal," Colin said. "You take all their gear, and in exchange, we pick a few usable items from your armory. How does that sound?"

"Well..."

"We’re all colleagues in the City Watchers, aren’t we? Besides, we can’t carry all that equipment back with us. This way, nobody loses," Colin said.

The commander considered it for a moment. "Can you wait? I’ll have to ask the person in charge of these matters."

Colin nodded.

For them, dealing with all this loot was just too much of a hassle.

Excluding what had been burned by Magic, they could strip a few sets of Beast Hide Armor, four Short Bows, three Shields, and over a dozen Short Spears from the bodies of the Jackal Wolfmen.

But the first problem was weight. A single set of Beast Hide Armor weighed over ten pounds, and the Short Bows and Short Spears weighed several pounds each. Their awkward shapes made them difficult to carry. Even if Kase was stronger than a mule, he couldn’t haul that much back.

So, at best, they could only take a few of the most valuable items back to sell.

The other problem was the terrible condition of the equipment.

Most of it hadn’t been maintained, and the more valuable Short Bows were mostly cracked.

If they hauled it all back, they’d either have to sell it for cheap to a secondhand shop or set up a stall themselves. Both options were too much of a pain...

’After doing the math, it’s clear that making money as a junk scavenger isn’t as easy as it looks.’

Compared to all that trouble, it was far more practical to just pick out a few high-quality items to use or sell.

After the group finished breakfast and waited a little longer, the commander returned.

The commander walked in and said, "The higher-ups have agreed to your terms. But please, don’t take too much. Times are tough, after all..."

"Understood," Colin nodded.

Despite his words, the group had no intention of holding back.

Kase immediately grabbed a Longbow in good condition and a quiver of Arrows. Such items were difficult to craft; even used, they would sell for over forty Gold Coins.

[Longbow/Ordinary]

[Damage: 1-8]

[Heavy: Significantly reduced accuracy with agility below 13]

With the Longbow in hand, the man immediately started muttering about selling his Catapult.

Colin, for his part, picked out a Cotton Armor Headscarf to wear as padding, a Chain Armor Headband, two Chain Armor Plates to cover his shoulders, and a Kidney Dagger.

He’d previously discovered that the Defense value wasn’t listed on individual pieces of armor, but was instead displayed as a combined total.

Now, the combined Defense from his Chain Armor Shirt, Cotton Armor, and various plates and headpieces stacked up to five.

Only at this level did his Defense match that provided by the Shield spell, which just went to show how powerful that Magic was.

Dressed in all this gear, Colin looked far more imposing.

’Of course, once I put on that Cotton Armor Headscarf, I can forget about maintaining any kind of hairstyle. And it’s surprisingly hot.’

Then there was the Kidney Dagger he’d picked out.

The dagger’s blade was twenty-five centimeters long, making it suitable for both close-quarters combat and everyday tasks like cutting fruit. It was a decent find. At least now if a beast got in close, he wouldn’t be stuck trying to maneuver his unwieldy Hand Half Sword.

[Dagger/Ordinary]

[Damage: 2-5]

As for its price, the dagger was probably worth about two Gold Coins.

Besides, Armor was usually sold in full sets on the secondhand market. Colin didn’t bother to find out the price of individual Armor Plates, but he knew they wouldn’t be cheap.

When it was her turn to pick, Orelia seemed a bit hesitant.

In the end, however, she chose a suit of Leather Armor and a Cotton Armor Liner. Heavier Armor would be a burden for her slender limbs, but she definitely needed the extra protection.

There was no honor in this world; even monsters knew enough to take out the medic first.

As the group picked through the equipment, the commander’s smile visibly faded.

The value of the gear they were taking had probably already surpassed that of the Jackal Wolfmen’s equipment, likely by a significant margin.

Colin paid him no mind, though, and continued to take what he felt they were owed.

Once they finished selecting their gear, the group took their new items and set off again.

This time, Colin was much more cautious about their route.

They took several detours, stopping in villages and at watchtowers whenever possible. Kase also took the time to scout ahead periodically.

After all that meandering, they didn’t run into a single thing. By the time they finally reached Thousand Masts City, it was already evening.

Colin stopped on Slum Avenue.

He asked, "Orelia, are you coming with us to Horn Castle to report?"

"No, Mr. Colin. I have to report to the Morninglord’s Divine Hall first. I’m already many days late, after all. But..." The Tiefling’s pointed tail gently coiled around her calf. "...please be sure to mention my name when you file your report. Otherwise, I’ll surely be reprimanded for my tardiness."

"Alright," Colin nodded.

The remaining two quickly made their way to Horn Castle. It was nearly dark by the time they reached Edwin’s office.

Edwin was there, tidying up the documents on his desk.

He looked much more haggard and was still dressed in his Armor and Cloak. A fresh scratch marred his already battered Chest Armor.

"Mr. Helder, we’ve dealt with the Cultists."

"Ah." A hint of a smile appeared on Edwin’s face when he saw them. "Cutting it a bit late, aren’t you? I was just about to clock out. I haven’t seen the report on your case yet. If you don’t mind, could you give me the short version? Go on, pull up a couple of chairs."

Kase dragged over two chairs for them, and Colin proceeded to briefly recount the events of their journey.

Just as he finished, Edwin placed a few cups of freshly brewed red tea before them.

"I don’t drink Potions," Kase said.

"It’s not a Potion. Just pretend it’s beer," Colin said, taking a sip from his cup.

The tea’s aroma was faint; it wasn’t a quality brew.

"So, you ran into Cultists of the Gnolls Deity on this trip, is that right?" Edwin asked, cupping his hands around his teacup for warmth. "My apologies. That was my oversight. Fortunately, you were capable enough to handle the situation."

"Also, that Yenogu the Poison Fang we ran into on the way back kept talking about ’the end of the world.’ That’s just the ravings of these Evil Demons, right?" Colin asked.

It was the one thing that had been weighing on his mind for the past few days.

’If what that monster said is true, does that mean more disasters are on the way? And if that’s the case, won’t it become even harder to make money?’

Edwin fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment.

He gestured to the teacup in front of him. "Look at this. What do you see?"