The chaos that followed me was a sight to behold.
A wild menagerie of all sorts of people who don't fit well with each other under any other circumstance formed a neat line, walking towards one direction in unison.
I, at the front, looked like a shepherd leading his terrified flock of sheep through the forest of predators.
Although I myself am the scariest predator of them all.
The guards on shift—rookies, it seemed—at the gates of the settlement made a ruckus as they noticed me and the rest of the crowd of people behind me.
They stared in stunned silence.
The mass of people was overwhelming, I bet.
"Ha-HALT! Who…Who goes there?!"
"I, Grul. They, rescued."
Fortunately, the ruckus we were making alerted guards who I was familiar with, and they sent a runner to call for Kael and Silver.
"Get Sir Silver and Cap'n Kael! The Beastmaster's back, and he brought the whole woods with him!"
Still with that damn nickname.
Get over it already, you damn fools!
…
…
…
Silver Vane emerged from his lodging, adjusting his fine clothes. He expected a simple return from Grul. Perhaps a new request or another display of sheer survivability and a week of unconsciousness, but the scene before him was maddeningly frantic.
The settlement center was choked with people—28 people, by a quick count—who were either weeping, shouting, or staring in petrified silence at the big brute who stood at the side.
Kael, already present, was efficiently organizing the guards to calm the crowd. So, Silver strode towards Grul, both happy and slightly frustrated at his arrival.
"Grul! By the Goddess, you're back. What in the blazes did you do?"
Silver asked, his usual composure frayed.
Grul simply grunted, asking a different question entirely.
"I. How long gone?"
Silver, noticing the green fool's not-so-subtle attempt at changing topic, quietly followed along—it's the bare minimum for business partners to yield some ground when it came to harmless secrets.
"You ran out of here two days ago. You returned just as we were preparing for the Theocracy priests to arrive, which is in a few weeks time."
Grul simply nodded, his thoughts an enigma to Silver. Then, he started listing the people on the crowd to Silver about who he thought they were: nobles, merchants, common folk, adventurers, and then Grul then pointed at a particular group of people in the rescued crowd of people: those who were tied up; bound and gagged.
"Those. Bandits."
Silver nodded, trusting that Grul's words were honest.
But, just in case, not because he believes Grul was lying, but perhaps possibly misunderstanding those people as bandits, he will have to identify who those people are later.
"Very well. Kael! See to it that the rescued are housed and fed. Those who are tied and gagged are to be sent straight to the old grain silo and confined until further notice."
As for himself, he will have to attend to the nobles and merchants.
After this mess of a night, Silver's settlement and business will most likely attract the eyes of many powerful and wealthy figures.
Countless people from places far and near here were somehow lost and rescued here, in Quietus Forest? It'll spread like wildfire—everyone will be curious. Especially in the current atmosphere, where the balance of the world is shaky due to the competition of the major nations.
This, of course, does not give the happiest of feelings for Silver.
Especially more so considering Grul, being the person that he is, will now attract unwelcome eyes.
Silver silently calculated all the possibilities he can imagine and made a mental note to prepare to withstand and hopefully profit off the turbulent event.
This time, he will not be taken by surprise.
"GRUUUUL!"
Silver and Grul's conversation was abruptly halted by a shriek of joy. Farida and Khovor, their small legs waddling, burst through the crowd. Farida, her hair bobbing wildly, crashed into Grul's legs, clinging to his armored shin. Khovor, a little slower, stopped a step away, his smile visible despite his shyness.
"You came back! You promised!"
Farida cried, tilting her head back to look at the massive Orc.
Grul knelt, his huge frame folding awkwardly, and gently stroked the top of Farida's head, giving Khovor's head a stroke as well.
The children's genuine joy was a sight to see for Silver. He, himself, wasn't able to experience that kind of childhood. Seeing that at least some children, like Farida and Khovor, were able to experience the joy a child should feel made Silver's heart warm. And Silver knew; the reason for their happiness was because of Grul.
Perhaps he has grown soft during his time at the settlement—away from all the cruelty and callousness of the Trading Conglomerate. But so what? It's better to be soft than to lose your humanity.
…
…
…
After I finally calmed down the children, I remembered the thing I brought for Silver.
I reached inside my hide pocket and pulled out the necklace.
Silver's Merchant Token.
Silver's eyes widened slightly in surprise as I handed it over to him.
"You've kept it pristine. Thank you, Grul. Then, for our deal…"
In return, Silver produced a roll of fine parchment, carefully sealed, from his jacket.
"As promised. A formal, legally binding contract, notarized and signed by a Conglomerate representative. All the terms we agreed upon, including the newly added ones such as freedom and support for Farida and Khovor, are explicitly detailed."
Very nice.
I took the paper, and with my Intelligence and Wisdom now 35, as well as having acquired Written Language and Linguistics, I can now finally read the contract.
I read each line carefully; remembering the time I signed one in my past life that had a subscription model I didn't notice that unceremoniously took an entire salary's worth of money from me before I realized what was going on.
Satisfied, I dipped the quill Silver provided in ink, and in bold, clean letters, I signed the contract.
"To commemorate your triumphant return, and the finalization of our partnership, let's have a feast tonight. For everyone. You, me, Farida, Khovor, Kael, the rest of the guards and people—all of us!"
Silver declared, his voice ringing out around the settlement.
Boisterous cheers erupted from everywhere.
But the only thought I had was whether the rescued people were part of it.
"They, too?"
"Yes. Except for the bandits."
Good enough for me.
…
…
…
Aaaahm~
*CHOMP*
*Om nom nom*
*CHOMP*
*CHOMP*
"I-I understand the need to be quick with eating, Grul, but perhaps slowing down might help digestion?"
*CHOMP*
"Grul, ease up."
"Hungry."
We were now in the middle of a feast, with me sitting at the head table alongside Silver and Kael.
Some of the rescued people—specifically the noble family, merchants, and the adventurer party—were with us here at the table.
The former two were having talks with Silver, seemingly about the kingdom they are connected to and recompense and invest or whatever.
While the adventurer party, on the other hand…
"Bundo! Get down from there, you barbaric oaf!"
"KUHAHAHAHAAH! GOLD AND RUM GALORE, POWER TO WIELD IS YOURS!"
"What is he singing?"
"…His people's drinking song, apparently."
…Were in their own element.
For some reason, no one else minded what they were doing.
Was I the only one hearing and seeing them?
Or is this just a normal occurrence to them?
…Well, it is what it is.
Anyway, I made sure Farida and Khovor were sequestered somewhere less rowdy so they could have their meals peacefully.
As for what I'm doing right now…
Aaaahm~
*CHOMP*
I was doing a damn mukbang with how much I was eating.
Mu-k-bang…muk-bang…mukbang?
Is that how you pronounce mukbang?
Eh, I don't know.
Anyway, it seems my travel to the deep forest has left me quite famished.
To the point I've eaten an entire ox all by myself.
And as I reached for my sixth loaf of bread, I saw a familiar screen flicker into existence.
I dismissed it as I saw the attendants come up with more food, but then came another, and another, and another…
With a deep sigh, I stopped my ravenous montage for a moment to check what kept buggering me.
-Side Quest Completed-
▣Orc-casional Hero (I, II, and III)▣
Instructions: Find and save the 21 people scattered around Quietus Forest.
Rewards: 5+ Stat Bonus, Mods Unlocked, Martial Art Unlocked.
[Mod Unlocked: Reputation System]
[Reputation System - A new metric for social standing! See how your actions have affected factions' opinion of you! Also gain access to 'reputation points' that can be exchanged at the 'reputation shop', and improves the 'Unique' Class Grade!]
Ho…
This is interesting.
It's the mod I downloaded in order to get more immersed into the game and buff that damn Unique grade.
Well, it's certainly not that useful to me now, but at least it'll improve the strength of other people who have that grade.
And the next ones—oh damn.
[Mod Unlocked: Inspect]
[Inspect - Become able to view a brief status window of targets you look at with focused intent.]
[Mod Unlocked: 动漫"大人物正义" (Eng Ver.)]
[Martial Art Unlocked: Divine Style of the Big Dipper]
[Divine Fist of the Great Bear - "YOU WA SHOCK!" … An ancient Chinese martial art that targets the pressure points of the opponent to deliver a fierce and often life-ending blow.]
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!
I hit the jackpot!
Wahahahaha!
Okay, calm down.
I'll check the reputation system first.
[Reputation System]
[Quietus Forest: The apex being of the outer rim. Most beasts now know of you and fear you, never even daring to venture into your territory. But beware; there are far dangerous beasts that still lurk inside the deeper parts of the forest.]
[Silver's Settlement: Well-known and reputable. Most of the residents consider you a friend and guardian of the settlement. Some do not, but they are of no concern.]
[Theocracy of the Goddess: Your existence has been known for a while. They are, to say the least, interested in you. Very.]
For now, the list had only three places where I had gained a reputation.
The two were obvious, but the last is…concerning.
But, eh, I'll deal with that when it comes.
Didn't Silver say that those Theocracy fellas were coming here in a few weeks?
Yeah, I'll scope out what their interest with me is then.
Now, time for me to check the crowning jewel of all isekai novels…Inspect!
Trying to find a target, I decided that Silver was a good enough subject.
He wouldn't mind even if he knew, right?
As I continued hounding the food like a bear preparing for winter, I subtly looked at Silver.
For a while, nothing popped up.
But as I wanted to see the screen more and more, it eventually did.
+====================================+
// SILVER VALE - STATUS SCREEN //
+====================================+
|RACE: Human
|CLASS: The Quietus Merchant (Unique)
|AFFILIATION: Richesse Trading Conglomerate
|LEVEL: [Locked]
|GENDER: ♂
+====================================+
It's a bit bare-bones, but it was more than enough information to make an assumption of their personality and power level.
The level itself was locked, but maybe, just maybe, I may or may not be able to unlock that in the unforeseeable future.
If I wanted to gain more physical info on someone, I'd just stalk them.
I have an entire skill based solely on that.
Oh wait, there's a gender section?
Actually, that reminds me, I actually had a genderbend mod turned on that had some people—not everyone, of course—turn into girls.
I wonder what's happening to those people who were affected by the gender bend mod in this world.
Are they still affected by it, or are they men again?
Or would they be men first and then turn women if that mod activates again?
What a bizarre question to ask myself.
And if you're wondering why I had this kind of mod put into my game in the first place…
Don't ask why.
It's merely because of aesthetic purposes.
Really.
Moving on to an ordinary and not weird topic—finally, it's time to activate God mode!
Thanks, past me, for downloading the Kenshiro mod!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Now my life is going to be smoooooooth sailing!
WAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[Martial Art Locked! Minimum requirements have not been met!]
[No knowledge of pressure points!]
[No control of Aura(Ki)!]
[Untrained!]
…Of course, life is not that easy.
Well, at least there's the potential to get that.
Don't know when exactly I will, though.
Feeling disappointed, I distracted myself by focusing on another strong ability that I already had and could use: inspect.
I tried the inspect tool on several others in the party, gleaming some basic info on them and getting used to the inspect tool.
Just then, a figure entered the bustling mess hall.
It was Doc, still wearing their signature beak mask.
Doc made a beeline for our table, clutching a small satchel.
They were talking about something with Silver; didn't know what it was and didn't feel like knowing.
Instead, I wanted to look at their status screen and finally reveal the mystery behind the person wearing the mask.
For one last time, I used the inspect tool.
+====================================+
// Elara Agnos Serana Yggdrasila - STATUS SCREEN //
+====================================+
|RACE: Elf
|CLASS: The Grand Physician / Self-Exiled Princess of Purity (UNIQUE)
|AFFILIATION: Kingdom of Serana
|LEVEL: [Locked]
|GENDER: ♀
+====================================+
…Huh?
What—what kind of…
I met this character this early on?!