I Have a Task Log

Chapter 211: Chapter 210: Hope of Early Spring

Morel stepped down from the stage and walked over to the few people standing below.

He raised his hands. A flash of Magic Radiance sparked, and a tray appeared in his grasp, holding several Seal Rings.

These rings had bands of pure silver, with the emblem of the City Watchers engraved on the face. However, while the New Blood rings depicted a simple silhouette, the figures on these new emblems were wearing robes.

"Exchange your old rings for these," Morel reminded them.

Colin took a Seal Ring from the tray and placed his Glory New Blood ring on it. Kase and the others followed his lead.

Morel distributed the rings to each of the newly promoted squads.

It was only then that Colin remembered he hadn’t told Edwin about Ale joining his squad.

’He must have brought spares,’ he thought, just as he was starting to worry if there would be enough Seal Rings. Morel finished handing them out, and the number on the tray had been just right.

Once everyone had received their Seal Ring, another man standing on the low stage announced, "Holders of these Seal Rings are exempt from all taxes within Thousand Masts City, and each squad’s monthly stipend will be increased to forty Gold Coins!"

Hearing this crucial piece of information, Colin breathed a sigh of relief.

Living in Thousand Masts City normally meant paying a few Silver Coins in taxes each month during peacetime. During times of war or natural disaster, the taxes would increase accordingly, up to about one Gold Coin per month at most.

Colin continued his mental calculations. ’Plus, with the monthly stipend raised to forty Gold Coins, our squad can split it so we each get ten Gold Coins a month.’

’If we’re not too picky with our food, that’s definitely enough to cover our living expenses.’

Of course, this stipend was just enough to ensure they wouldn’t have to worry about food and drink. To save any real money, they still had to take on commissions. Thousand Masts City didn’t support idlers.

"Let us congratulate these new members. May all your future adventures be successful!"

Edwin finished, a warm, signature smile on his face.

He waved his hand and called out, "The ceremony is concluded! Now, everyone, please proceed to the great hall and enjoy the food and wine we have prepared for you!"

The surrounding Black Robes cheered and headed toward the great hall.

"Let’s go, too. We can save money on lunch," Colin said, leading his team along with the crowd into one of Horn Castle’s halls.

Long tables were set up here, laden with stews, roasted meats, bread, and all sorts of roasted vegetables. Of course, things like beer and mead were also essential.

Though the food was plentiful, its quality was about what you’d find at a roadside tavern.

’The budget for this little get-together probably wasn’t too high,’ Colin mused.

Just as Colin and his squad were about to get something to eat, a blond, blue-eyed man with a Lute on his back approached them, holding two mugs of beer. "You must be Colin, right?" he asked.

"I am." Colin hesitated for a moment before accepting the beer the man offered.

The Wandering Poet-like fellow glanced cautiously at the people standing next to Colin, but ultimately decided not to say anything to them. He turned back to Colin. "I heard from those short guys in the Black Giant Root Squad that you recently took a trip to Snow Deer Valley. What’s the situation over there?"

"Overall, it was relatively safe, but it gets much more dangerous in the World’s Roof..." Colin explained briefly.

Hearing the two of them talking, the Adventurers who had been scattered around the hall began to gather.

They all looked over curiously, which made Colin a little nervous.

But he soon realized there was no hostility in their gazes. Moreover, most of the Adventurers who had gathered were from squads with non-human members like Half-Elves and Half-Orcs. The all-human squads kept their distance.

"...and that’s pretty much how it was." freewebnøvel.com

Just as Colin finished, the distinctive voices of the two Gnomes from the Black Giant Root Squad rang out from nearby. "That’s the squad we saw up north! They took on a massive Frost Giant Skeleton and a whole damned Skeleton Legion!"

As soon as they said that, the area around Colin grew lively.

Members of the other squads tried to strike up conversations.

But aside from Colin, very few people tried to talk to Kase and the others. Even Ale was left alone, as no one dared approach her with her fierce, unsmiling expression.

After a round of chatting, Colin ended up getting to know quite a few of the Black Robe squads.

There was no shortage of bizarre names, like "Dragon’s Dick," "The Half-Orc and the Small Fry," "The Giant Dwarf," and "All Human."

Names aside, these people all seemed to be skilled Adventurers. He might even have a chance to run into them again in the future.

After more than an hour of eating and drinking, the small gathering was winding down.

After everyone had dispersed, Colin took his squad to the office to find Edwin.

Today, all the desks in the office were occupied. Morel and the other men he’d seen on the stage were all sitting behind their desks.

However, Edwin was currently talking with members of another squad.

After waiting patiently in line for the squad ahead of them to finish, Colin walked up to the desk. "Edwin, is there any work for us?"

"I didn’t expect your trip to go so smoothly, so I’ve already assigned the next few weeks of work to other squads," Edwin said. "However, you could wander around the outskirts of Thousand Masts City and take care of some bounty quests."

"I was thinking the same thing," Colin said.

"The activity of the Frostland Druids in the area has decreased significantly recently, and I believe it’s related to what you did. Over the past few months, the number of roaming beasts has also been brought under control. I’m sure this winter disaster will end soon."

Edwin said with a smile, "If we’re lucky, we might even be able to proceed with the spring planting as usual this year."

’Lady Rime must have recalled the Frostland Druids to deal with the Skeletons,’ Colin thought. ’After all, the residents of Snow Deer Valley are all followers of Lady Rime.’

’If those reanimated Skeletons were to wreak havoc in Snow Deer Valley, Lady Rime definitely wouldn’t just stand by and let it happen. The best-case scenario is that she’d even retract the Divine Power she was using to expand the winter disaster to deal with them. That would be a happy ending for everyone.’

"In that case, how about this? For every bounty quest you complete on your trip, I’ll give you an extra twenty Gold Coins," Edwin asked. "Just bring me proof that you collected the reward."

Colin nodded. "We’ll set out the morning after tomorrow."

"Good luck to you," Edwin said with a smile.

"We’ll head back for now, then."

For the next few days, the squad continued to train, read, and get used to their new equipment. In the blink of an eye, the day of their departure arrived.

That morning, after washing up, Colin began to organize his gear.

The first thing he looked at was the Bronze Muscle Breastplate lying on his bed.