Chapter 27: The Calm on the Eve of Destruction (I)

“…… Excuse me...... Is it Mr. Peter from 'Sword of Darkness'? Please hurry up! Here you can name your mission! ”

The words of the adventurer's guild Kanban Niang made the surrounding atmosphere quickly change. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

-- For mid- and low-level adventurers, it would be a very face-saving thing to be able to get a named mission. Not only are the tasks usually paid well, but it's also a testament to the fact that you've made a name for yourself and started to have a regular customer base.

Feeling the eyes full of surprise, envy and jealousy around him, Captain Peter couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive in his heart. But he immediately answered, walked over with the team, and then saw the white-haired old man in front of the counter, turned to look at his group.

Well, did he just come to the Adventurer's Guild to issue a mission and name the employer who hired his own adventure group?

At first glance, although this old man has a gray-haired appearance, it does not remind people of weakness, and the muscular and strong body makes people only feel capable and dangerous, and the perseverance that will not succumb to age. Those sharp eyes containing a firm will make experienced adventurers immediately think of a powerful warrior, and a delicate coat makes this old man look extraordinary.

A noble old man with a martial temperament, his demeanor is quite elegant. Captain Peter made the above judgment in his mind.

In addition, the old man had a white cat with long fluff squatting on his shoulder, which looked like the kind of pet that only the aristocratic and rich would keep. At his feet were two other cats, tilting their heads and staring at the adventurers around them with curious eyes.

-- There has never been a country called "Persia" in this other world, and naturally there is no concept of the term "Persian cat".

Then, the old man slowly spoke, "...... Hello Mr. Peter, my name is Sebastian and you can call me Sebastian. I am serving the great ...... Uh, Grand Magician Ainz. Your. Gong's housekeeper, I heard someone introduce me this time, and I want to talk to you about a business......"

-- It turned out to be the strange magician who pulled the cart with a cat, and the four members of the "Sword of Darkness" adventure group exchanged glances.

A moment later, holding a mission contract drafted by the Adventurers' Guild, Captain Peter couldn't help but frown.

The content of the mission is simple and reasonable: the master of Sebas's butler's service, the wandering Archmage of Ainz, is preparing to build a mage tower in the village of Karn. To do this, it is necessary to organize laborers to cut down forests and collect wood and stone for the construction of mage towers. However, this may alarm the monsters in the forest, so he wants to hire a team of adventurers to serve as guards to protect the safety of the logging team during construction.

But the problem is that the amount of remuneration agreed upon above is too small no matter how you look at it.

“…… Although we were able to receive the assignment, we were really happy! But you've hired four of our Silver Adventurers to give each of us one gold coin per month? And all the food and lodging have to be taken care of by yourself? That's too stingy, isn't it? ”

Captain Peter flicked his fingers on the parchment with the contract written on it, and his face was rather uneasy, "...... This price is really a bit difficult for us! ”

-- In a fortress city where food is not self-sufficient and prices are relatively high. The average monthly income of ordinary citizens in Lantil is around one gold coin. And for adventurers who need to be born and die, the psychological price they can afford is definitely higher.

In this regard, before Sebastian Butler could speak, the long-haired white cat squatting on his shoulder spoke first: "...... Hey, young man, you'd better look carefully, you'll be rewarded with more than a gold coin per person! There's also a gift meow in the back! ”

Huh? This cat can really talk?!

Not only the four members of the "Dark Sword" adventure group, but even the other adventurers in the guild surrounded them curiously when they saw this.

However, although Captain Peter of the "Sword of Darkness" adventure group was also curious, he still spent his main energy on negotiating the reward for the mission: "...... Of course I saw this, but what exactly is this gift? Can you tell us more about that? ”

“…… Is this gift a ......" the white Persian cat scholar Guo Political Commissar paused, "...... A magic meow! ”

Gifts are a magic spell? What does that mean? A string of question marks could not help but rise over the heads of the adventurers.

If it's foul language between adventurers, then "give you a magic" often means a fireball blasting over.

But the talking cat in front of him obviously doesn't have the above intentions: force intimidation is not such a game!

“…… Alas, it's just for you to learn a magic meow! Seeing that a group of adventurers from another world seemed to be completely unenlightened, the white cat political commissar had no choice but to sigh and stop selling off, "...... No matter who you are, no matter what profession you originally have, you can master at least one magic! ”

Who can learn magic? Or is it a quick one?

After a moment of silence, the adventurers gathered in the guild were in an uproar.

Their first reaction to such an unbelievable statement was disbelief.

In this fantastical world that worships force, the magic chanter, who has knowledge and can use mysterious powers, is a rather decent and noble profession, but it is also a profession that requires burning money and qualifications. There are many rich children who have spent years and spent countless amounts of money in the magic academy, but they still have little to gain. There are also many poor people with amazing talents, because they can't afford to pay the tuition, and they can't get into the magic road after all.

Overall, even a lowest-level magic chanter who can only use first-order spells is enough to make people look up to it.

Moreover, even if someone has the qualifications to become a chanter of magic, learning magic is still a time-consuming, laborious, and expensive chore, and it takes a lot of time and effort to master any magic, as well as the corresponding talent and understanding. Even that kind of legendary standard honor student has to go through about eight years of academy education before he can become a basically qualified ordinary magician.

But, according to the cat, how easy it is to get magic? Easy enough to use as a gift or reward?

“…… My master's cat has a skill that, if it is used on someone, can instill a spell directly into your head. As long as you have a little mana (MP or blue bar) on you, enough to sustain a mana release, you can cast this spell. ”

Seeing that everyone was talking, the dragon man butler Sebas also opened his mouth to explain, "...... Of course, if you have absolutely zero mana, then there is really nothing you can do. But you can transfer your opportunity to someone else and ask them for something in return. ”

“…… Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Mr. Cat, can you give me a spell first? Think of it as a deposit! Don't worry, as long as I can get a spell, even if the other members of the group are unwilling to take on the mission, I will go to Karn Village to fulfill the contract."

Just as Captain Peter was still hesitating, Luclot, the scout archer of the "Dark Sword" adventure group, came up with a playful smile in a light tone, reached out and touched the head of the white cat commissar, "...... Please, kitten, please give me an Eagle's Eye! ”

“…… Ahem, first of all, what magic you can get is completely randomly chosen, depending on your luck; Secondly, don't touch my head! Please be respectful to the elderly! The white cat commissar jumped on the counter and glared at him fiercely, but with its cute posture now, it couldn't show the slightest deterrent at all, but made Lucrot laugh even more cheaply, so the old white cat commissar quickly gave up.

“…… Well, attention, young man, look into my eyes well! ”

I saw the white cat political commissar say this in an old-fashioned manner, and at the same time opened a pair of cute cat eyes. In the next moment, he met Lucloth's gaze, and then looked into the depths of his eyes, and activated his special skill as a [Polymath]-[Mentor and Friend]!

This is a skill unique to the Erudito class, and the effect is to teach a spell that Erudito himself has mastered to his teammates, and allow his teammates to cast spells taught by Erudito regardless of the caster's level. Theoretically, as long as Luclot has enough mana, even if he uses the legendary magic of the tenth order taught to him by [Mentor and Friend], this guy should be able to use it.

But the problem is, first of all, as an ordinary person who has never practiced magic, Scout Archer Luclot simply doesn't have that much mana, and even struggles to release a second-rank magic; Secondly, the White Cat Commissar has not mastered such powerful magic himself.

――As for saying that the magic taught is randomly selected, and the results are uncontrollable, etc., it is natural that the white cat commissar is talking nonsense.

The reason for this nonsense is mainly because I am worried that someone will want to get a certain high-level magic even if they know that their mana is pitifully low, and as a result, even if they are taught the skills of [Mentor and Friend], they will not be able to use it. Eventually, an argument broke out, making both sides ugly.

Rather than this, it is better to claim that this thing belongs to buying a lottery ticket from the beginning, and what prize you can win depends on personal luck.

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On the other side, Luclot only saw a flash of golden light in the cat's eyes, and felt a dizziness in his mind, as if something suddenly was there, so he subconsciously cast it: Then, only a "bang" was heard, and Luclot's whole person was shrouded in a cloud of smoke!

“…… Ahem! It's so choking! Lucrote, you didn't burn yourself! ”

“…… Ahem, it's okay, Captain! It's just smoke all over your body! Ahem......"

A strong smell of smoke choked Luclot and made the other adventurers around him cover their noses and disperse, while the white cat political commissar said nonchalantly: "...... Congratulations, you have obtained the [Smoke Technique], and you can use this trick when you run for your life in the future! ”

After confirming that the other party could indeed bestow magic, Captain Peter immediately made a decision and signed this mission contract with a modest honorarity.

- As long as you can make yourself a magician in one step, even if you only know a few of the weakest and most useless magic, it is a very good thing, and ordinary people can't ask for it! Don't say that the salary is meager, even if you don't want to do it for nothing, it's okay!

The other two magic chanters in the "Sword of Darkness" adventure party are also interested in any new spells they haven't mastered yet.

Although the other adventurers also looked hot, they were worried that the four members of the "Dark Sword" adventure group were the "nurses" invited by the other party to set up the scam, so they hesitated and did not dare to speak first. However, the nerves of the guild kanban niang were thick enough, and with the advantage of being close to the water, she reached out and touched the white cat political commissar on the counter with a smile, "...... What a great little kitten! Can you give my sister a magic trick too? ”

Political Commissar Guo, who had a Persian cat account, yawned with a cat face, "...... Little girl, I think I'm much older than you...... Also, why should I give you magic skills for free? We don't know meow. Do you also want to quit your job as an adventurer and come to work for us? ”

“…… Hehe, don't underestimate people like this! They used to be famous adventurers! Until someone gets an arrow in their knee......"

The Kanban Lady of the Adventurer's Guild proudly straightened her chest, but soon collapsed again, "...... Of course, after all, people have been retired for a long time now, and it will still be very difficult if they quit this job. But...... Can I buy it from you? Mr. Cat? People really want magic! ”

“…… Well, well, charge three gold coins at a time, but you can't guarantee what magic you can get in the end. ”

So, after paying three gold coins and "looking at each other affectionately" with the white cat commissar for a while, Miss Kanban Niang of the Adventurer's Guild also obtained her own magic: [Low-level Monster Summoning], and immediately couldn't wait to cast this magic.

Unfortunately, just because you can summon a monster doesn't mean you can drive it as well...... Especially if the caster is a pure weak chicken.

The next moment, she was caught in a mass of translucent jelly-like monsters, so tightly entangled by this hateful creature that she could barely breathe. Then he was even more horrified to find that the clothes on his body were rapidly dissolving, revealing large patches of snow-white skin......

And in front of her, there was also a large group of men with colored eyes, who were looking at themselves with surprised and playful eyes......

“…… Help me! This damn slime! Who's going to save me! Oops, this is a new outfit I bought last month......"

- It's like some kind of cosmic law, just as cute magical girls can't do without slimy tentacles, heroic female adventurers always seem to encounter slimes, and they are always able to dissolve clothes with acid without hurting the woman's skin......