It was already evening a few days later when they returned to Minagarde City.
The three of them, including Gordon, headed straight for the Hunter's Gathering Hall—for Hunters who had just completed a quest, settling the quest was always the top priority.
The Receptionists at the quest counter were still Tiki and Machi.
Seeing Gordon and his companions approach, Tiki and Machi were visibly startled. Then, Machi, as the senior, suddenly grabbed Tiki by the back of her neck and pressed her down, bowing deeply with her towards Gordon, while loudly declaring:
"This quest was our oversight. We are very sorry, Mr. Gordon!"
Tiki seemed to recall something unpleasant, her eyes turning red. She sniffled and apologized meekly, "It was my fault for not paying attention, I'm sorry."
At first, Gordon was a bit slow to react, helping the two Receptionists up in a fog. Only after hearing Machi's explanation did he understand the reason behind it all.
The moment they left, the Guild Master, who had learned of the quest information error from Amos, severely punished the staff responsible for intelligence gathering and quest verification.
Although Tiki, who handled Gordon's quest registration, was not the main culprit, she still received a harsh scolding from the Guild Master.
The Receptionist in charge of quest registration was supposed to be the final checkpoint for reviewing quest information. However, this one not only failed to discover the hidden dangers in the quest but also enthusiastically recommended it to Gordon.
If Machi hadn't covered up the incident of "introducing a quest in exchange for petting a Hunting Cat," the Guild Master, who was furious at the time, might have fired her on the spot.
The group chatted for a few more moments.
When Tiki and Machi learned from Hayata that they had indeed encountered the King of the Gajalaka in the Hunting Field, and that Gordon had nearly died if Amos hadn't intervened in time, the two Receptionists were even more shocked.
Tiki, who had felt a little wronged, was overwhelmed with guilt.
She bowed deeply and earnestly to Gordon once more, and with a rare seriousness, solemnly promised to carefully inspect every quest slip from then on.
The quest settlement process was not complicated. In just a few minutes, Gordon received the 4300z reward.
According to Gordon's thoughts, Amos had taught him a lot and saved his life during this quest, so it was only right to give him all of the four thousand plus z reward.
However, Amos's attitude was quite firm. He had said before the quest began that he and Hayata would not accept any reward for this quest.
In truth, Gordon understood that, put simply, Amos was repaying the favor of Gordon saving Paine and Hayata earlier.
Unable to dissuade the other party, Gordon ultimately accepted the money, but he then suggested that he treat them to a big meal to celebrate the successful completion of the quest.
This time, Amos did not refuse. Using his discount privilege to order, the three people and one Hunting Cat enjoyed a lavish land and sea feast that cost over a thousand z, which marked a perfect end to their collaboration.
After exchanging contact addresses, Gordon bid farewell to Amos and Hayata.
He didn't plan to trouble this master and apprentice too frequently, as they also had their own training plans, and constantly trailing behind them wouldn't be good for anyone.
After saying goodbye, Gordon and Zhu Pa returned to their small room.
After hanging his weapons and armor on their respective racks, Gordon collapsed heavily onto the not-so-large bed, and Zhu Pa also jumped up.
The young man and the Hunting Cat both stretched and let out lazy yawns.
The small room, which still felt somewhat unfamiliar after only one night's stay, now had a few more touches of homey warmth.
"Sniff, sniff, Gordon, you need to take a bath, meow. If you keep this up, the sheets will start to stink, meow."
"Heh, you're right. Let's go to the bathhouse, soak in the hot springs, and enjoy a sauna to relax."
"No, meow! The water there is scalding hot, meow!"
"No one is allowed out until they've soaked for at least half an hour!"
"Refuse, meow!"
The next morning, after his usual routine of washing up, exercising, and having breakfast, Gordon didn't rush to take on new quests like a quest-crazed maniac.
Moderation and balancing work with rest were the keys to longevity.
Today, Gordon planned to visit the nearby blacksmith Workshop. Since he intended to stay in Minagarde City for a while, this place was unavoidable.
Zhu Pa, who occasionally wanted to be lazy, was left by Gordon at the Hunter's Gathering Hall. Many Hunting Cats not on quests could usually be found there, and the little fellow might even make a few like-minded friends.
The Workshop was also located in the Trade and Circulation District, near the river, just a two to three-minute walk from the Hunter's Gathering Hall.
As Minagarde City's most renowned Workshop, its scale was far greater than Kokoto Village's blacksmith shop. Four chimneys, two or three stories high, continuously emitted smoke, visible from a distance, making it very impressive.
Fully armed Hunters were everywhere near the Workshop, and Gordon himself was no exception; he had, after all, developed the peculiar habit of wearing armor as everyday attire.
Gordon's timing was quite good; it was still early, so there weren't too many customers in the Workshop, allowing him to meet the Workshop Owner directly.
The Workshop Owner was an elderly male Wyverian.
In human terms, he appeared to be about sixty years old. He had a large frame, and his once full and bulging muscles had somewhat atrophied, yet he still gave off a feeling of being hale and hearty, nowhere near the senility of the Village Chief.
When Gordon approached him, he was putting a piece of flavored chewing tobacco into his mouth and slowly chewing it.
Gordon had heard that sailors were very fond of this type of chewing tobacco, and this Workshop Owner indeed gave the impression of a tough old sailor.
"Hello."
Gordon, as the junior, greeted him politely. The Workshop Owner nodded at him, his attitude not overly enthusiastic but not cold either.
"Hello, young man. Are you new to Minagarde?"
The Workshop Owner greeted him, his gaze subtly scanning the armor on Gordon's body and the weapon on his back—a habit of a craftsman.
"Yes, I just arrived a few days ago," Gordon replied with a smile.
"Forging? Reinforcing? Repairing? What would you like to have made? Without boasting, our craftsmanship is the best in all of Minagarde City," the owner's personality was straightforward. After a brief pleasantry, he got straight to the point.
Gordon nodded; he truly wasn't just idly browsing.
After that clash with the King of the Gajalaka, one of the hooks on the Burst Blade had been bent out of shape and couldn't retract into the sword, requiring repair to avoid affecting his next hunt.
He took the Burst Blade from his back and placed it horizontally in front of the Workshop Owner.
Without needing further explanation, the owner picked up a small hammer and began tapping and examining it on his own.
Speaking of the Burst Blade, the Great Sword, the Workshop Owner was very familiar with it.
Good power, easily obtainable materials; at least half of the Great Sword Users had used this type of Great Sword, so its internal structure was perfectly clear to him.
A moment later, he lifted the Burst Blade, operated it gently a few times, and the hook claw flexibly popped out and retracted. The Workshop Owner couldn't help but nod, "The craftsmanship is not bad."
As a master smith, to earn his 'not bad' was already a very high compliment.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Kazenova
If you guys wanna check it out.