Two days passed in a flash, and during this time, the carriage was attacked once more, though the assailants weren't humans, but a group of 'goblins,' or what could also be called 'goblins.'
However, unlike common goblins, these goblins were much smarter; they wore armor, used weapons, and could even speak the common tongue. A small number of goblin shamans could even use some simple magic.
More like an independent intelligent race than monsters, in theory, they could be communicated with.
But most goblins would not interact friendly with humans. The moment they saw humans, goblins would attack, kill everyone, chop them up, and take them back to eat them.
This included women, and there were no scenarios like those found in certain books; it was clear that human females did not seem to fit the aesthetic preferences of these goblins.
Before the two sides encountered each other, Saifei'er had already scouted a large group of goblins ambushing in the woods by the roadside. Then, after all the Adventurers were ready, they actively charged forward and initiated the battle.
The result was without suspense: except for the bronze-skinned female warrior who sustained minor injuries, all twenty-odd goblins died, leaving only corpses strewn across the ground.
It's worth mentioning that although the number of corpses increased this time, Saifei'er no longer felt the obvious nausea she had before. She looked at these dark green creatures, less than a meter tall, on the ground, perhaps because it wasn't humans who died? She looked at these goblins as if looking at a large group of dead animals, and her reaction was naturally not as strong as before.
Returning to the present, Saifei'er looked at the towering city walls before her. After five days, they finally arrived at their destination, Stone Pine City, which meant the commission was complete, and Saifei'er was about to receive her first sum of money since coming to this world: ten gold dragons.
At the same time, it also meant that she could soon 'start stealing things,' something she had been thinking about all along!
The moment they entered Stone Pine City, Pike inside the carriage couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Afterward, the group went straight to the city's Adventurers' Guild. Pike first took out thirty gold dragons to pay the female warrior, the Black Robed Man, and the little raccoon, the three Adventurers.
After the three left, Pike took out another one hundred and sixty gold dragons and said to Saifei'er and the others, "Your strength is quite good. Are you interested in taking on another commission? Killing the Black Knight. As for the reward, it's a thousand gold dragons."
"Ho... How much!?" Saifei'er said, lowering her head to look at the ten gold dragons she had just received, and immediately felt less happy. She made up her mind: no more waiting, she would act tonight!
The ten gold dragons in Saifei'er's hand felt very good at this moment. Holding them in her palm gave her a sense of security, that 'she earned them through her own labor.' But... if she were to steal Pike's things and succeed, wouldn't that also be 'earned' by her own hands, through her own labor?
Therefore, there was actually no essential difference between the two (emphatically)!
Saifei'er's tail gently swayed as she pondered how she would act tonight, while Phi, upon hearing Pike's new commission, frowned slightly and asked doubtfully, "Killing the Black Knight? Could you provide more detailed information first?"
Pike shook his head, "I'm not very clear on the specifics either. I only know that about a month ago, a Knight clad entirely in black armor appeared near Stone Pine City, attacking passersby everywhere. He is very powerful. As of now, our Brown family (Pike's surname) alone has already had thirteen victims."
"Among them were three family members and ten guards, all of whom died terribly. Besides that, that Black Knight also seems to use some kind of curse magic. One of my younger brothers managed to escape by chance, but his chest was struck by the Black Knight's sword, and the wound never healed, bleeding continuously, until he eventually died in agony."
"You can accept or reject this commission, but if, one day, you encounter that Black Knight and kill him, you can come to me to claim this thousand gold dragon reward. There is no time limit."
After saying this, Pike left the Adventurers' Guild, leaving Ailiya and the others still deep in thought. Ailiya said, "I think we can go look for that Black Knight. Wandering near the city, killing indiscriminately, the sooner we get rid of such a bad guy, the more people can be saved!"
Douglas said, "I have no objections, and besides, a thousand gold dragons! If I had that much money, I feel like I could just go home and retire."
Phi mused, "But let's still be careful. With such a high reward, the strength of that Black Knight definitely cannot be underestimated, and the scope of 'wandering near the city' is too broad. It will probably be difficult for us to even find him."
After a moment's pause, the three couldn't help but turn their gaze to Saifei'er, seemingly wanting to hear her opinion. Then, Saifei'er waved her hand and said, "I'm going out for a stroll to buy some things. Does anyone want to come along?"
Phi looked helpless, while Douglas chuckled with relief, "You're right, why think so much? If you ask me, just let it be. If we encounter him, then so be it; if not, then forget it."
Only Ailiya responded to Saifei'er's question, "I'll come, I'll come!"
And so, Saifei'er and Ailiya left the Adventurers' Guild and began to wander around. Saifei'er originally intended to buy herself a backpack and some daily necessities, as she couldn't always use Ailiya's, after all.
As for Ailiya, her purpose was not actually to go shopping, but while accompanying Saifei'er, whenever she saw a relatively muscular male, she would directly run over to strike up a conversation and ask to see their wrist. Clearly, she was helping Kaxi search for the culprit.
Saifei'er didn't know whether to marvel at her social butterfly nature or her persistence. "Ailiya, are you sure you want to use this method to help Kaxi find the culprit? How long will that take you to find him!"
Ailiya, however, smiled sweetly and said, "What does it matter? Anyway, there's nothing else to do right now!"
Ailiya wouldn't be so persistent as to do nothing all day, searching for people from dawn till dusk, but rather she would do so when it didn't affect her teammates and when she had free time. She said, "I know the probability of finding someone this way is very low, but it's better than doing nothing, right? What if one time I really do encounter him?"
Saifei'er couldn't refute. Soon, the two arrived at the city's market. Looking at the dense crowds around them and the various stalls on both sides of the road, Ailiya couldn't help but show the expression of a country bumpkin entering the city, finding everything new and astonishing.
Actually, this was not just a figure of speech; Ailiya really was just a country girl before, and this was truly her first time coming to such a prosperous big city.
...