Goblins really are a fascinating race.
Lin Mo was a little curious what the anonymous client who posted the goblin investigation quest wanted, but he wasn't about to get hung up on it.
The five words "deep in the Loran Forest" alone were enough to extinguish any unrealistic notions he might have had.
'Quest rewards are usually tied to difficulty. Nothing in life is free. I should be realistic and start with the simplest quests...'
Lin Mo's gaze traveled down, skipping the One-Star quests and moving directly to the No-Star section.
Compared to the higher-ranked quests, the ones in this section were clearly much less difficult. Lin Mo began to seriously evaluate their rewards and content, trying to determine which was the best one to take.
[URGENT SEARCH AND RESCUE!]
Suddenly, a quest that had just been posted to the wall caught his eye. Its title was marked with a red exclamation point.
Quest Number: F2036
Type: Intelligence Gathering/Rescue
Client: Yuri
Reward: 10/100 Gold
Quest Briefing:
A caravan from the Yuri Commerce Association, en route from the next town, has failed to arrive on schedule. The association's owner, Yuri, suspects they may have been attacked by Demons. Enter the Loran Forest and investigate the caravan's status.
Note: The association owner's young daughter was traveling with the caravan. If she is brought back safely, the reward will be increased to 100 Gold Coins!
'Interesting…'
Lin Mo had already looked at quite a few quests.
The rewards for these Starless quests, which were aimed at rookie Adventurers, were usually only a few Gold Coins. Some of the simpler ones paid less than 1 gold coin, and even the slightly more difficult ones generally only offered around 5-7 Gold Coins.
But this quest's reward was a whopping 10 gold coins, and if the target could be brought back, it would jump to 100 gold coins!
For a Starless quest, this was without a doubt a massive reward.
The caravan's intended route was mapped out below the quest details. Lin Mo opened the Loran Forest map he had just bought and took a look. As expected, for safety, the caravan had chosen a route along the forest's edge. Coupled with the fact that they had most likely hired Adventurer escorts, nothing should have gone wrong.
And yet, something had.
Lin Mo frowned in thought for a moment before ultimately abandoning the idea of taking the quest.
The quest might look tempting with its high reward, but it was fraught with hidden dangers.
Whatever could cause trouble for a caravan with an Adventurer escort wouldn't be an Ordinary Demon, like a common Goblin.
Although he had successfully taken out a Mutated Goblin, Lin Mo didn't attribute that victory to his own strength.
The Mutated Goblin had been overconfident and hadn't seen him as a threat. It was completely engrossed in the pleasure of torturing Larry and Leo, which gave him the perfect opportunity to blind it. If not for that, he would have been lucky to escape, let alone kill it.
If he ran into another Mutated Goblin, his only option would be to flee.
'This isn't a game. You only get one life. It's best to play it safe.'
In the end, Lin Mo settled on an herb-gathering quest.
[Gather Clear Fragrance Grass]
Quest Number: F1933
Type: Material Gathering
Client: Albert
Reward: 2 Silver per stalk
Quest Briefing:
Go to the Loran Forest and gather Clear Fragrance Grass.
The description was very simple. Below it was a note detailing the appearance of Clear Fragrance Grass and where it commonly grew.
The *Beginner's Adventurer's Guide to Plants* that Lin Mo had contained even more detailed information on the subject.
Clear Fragrance Grass was an ingredient used to make Healing Ointment, making it a fairly common medicinal herb. The ointment sold well, so demand for the grass was high. This made it a long-standing quest, and one perfectly suited for rookie Adventurers.
With any luck, you could complete the whole quest without running into a single Demon and still earn a decent reward.
Lin Mo memorized the quest number, glanced at the counters bustling with activity, and without a moment's hesitation, walked straight to the only one that was quiet.
Only a few other Adventurers were in line. After waiting two or three minutes, it was his turn.
"Oh, it's you..."
Lena immediately recognized the handsome young man who had come to her a short while ago to register as an Adventurer. A pleasant surprise flashed in her eyes.
'After successfully selling him that whole set of adventurer's guides, I got a little carried away. I thought he'd never come back to my counter again.'
"How can I help you?"
"I'd like to accept a quest. Number F1933."
"Of course. One moment, please..."
While she processed his request, Lin Mo tilted his head and glanced behind her. Sure enough, he saw a fluffy white tail.
"You're Lena, right?"
Lin Mo glanced at the name tag on her chest. "Are you a Half-Beastman from the Cat Race?"
"Huh?"
Lena froze, cautiously studying his expression before hesitantly nodding. "Yes."
'A real cat girl!'
Lin Mo was rather excited. In his past life, he had been quite a fan of cat girls, a common element in all sorts of anime, comics, and games.
'I can't believe I'm seeing a real one after being reincarnated in another world.'
Too bad she was wearing a beret that covered her ears.
"Can I ask a slightly rude question?"
"Please, go ahead."
"Why does it seem like no one wants to come to your counter to do business? You're so cute, though."
'C-Cute?!'
Lena blinked, thinking she must have misheard him.
It was the first time anyone had ever used a word like that to describe her, instead of "jinx" or "disgusting."
"Why...? Because I'm a Half-Beastman, of course..."
Lin Mo seemed to understand. He glanced at the bustling hall. "But I don't see any sign that Half-Beastmen are ostracized among the Adventurers."
"That's normal... Out on an adventure, Combat Power is what matters most. Half-Beastman Adventurers, with their Beastman blood, tend to be stronger and are very reliable teammates, so they're quite popular."
'I see. So it's a different story outside of adventuring.'
It was like how you wouldn't care if your coworkers were fat, short, or ugly, but if you went to get a foot massage after a long day's work, you'd definitely be picky while looking at the photos of the masseuses.
To put it bluntly, in this world's current beauty standards, the beast-like features of Half-Beastmen were not widely accepted. People might even feel disgusted by them due to the tense relations with full-blooded Beastmen.
"How strange..."
"You're the strange one," Lena said, gradually realizing that the Adventurer before her held none of the usual disgust. She spoke much more relaxedly.
"I've finished registering your quest. I wish you a safe journey."
'She's right, I'm the strange one here.'
Lin Mo smiled but didn't reply. He just waved and turned to leave.
After a busy morning, it was already past ten. Heading out at this hour was a bit awkward; he couldn't go too far before he'd have to turn back, or risk returning after dark.
But Lin Mo didn't want to waste half the day, either. Fortunately, the *Beginner's Adventurer's Guide to Plants* showed a patch of Clear Fragrance Grass growing very close to town. He should have enough time to get there and back.
...
Just as Lin Mo was walking out of the Association, a four-person Adventurer Squad entered, brushing past him at the door.
"Captain, we've got to find a quest with a better reward this time," a slender man with his arms crossed said, touching the Short Knife at his waist.
"Wasn't the reward for the last quest pretty good?"
Bain spread his hands helplessly. "That's because you all spend money like water."
"We can't help it, Uncle Bain..." Evan said with a chuckle, "After all, weapons need upgrading. You're the one who told us that an Adventurer's weapon is their lifeline, and we shouldn't cut corners."
"So, did you upgrade your weapon?"
Bain shot back. Evan immediately shut up, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Hahaha..." a lanky man dressed like an Assassin, Kent, burst out laughing.
The young Ranger, Millian, stared at the new white bow in her hands the entire time, stroking it lovingly as if it were the only thing in the world.