Chapter 130: Samu, an Acquaintance

After showing his mission credentials, the guard called over a person who looked like an administrator. As soon as this person arrived, he looked at Xia Duo with a very critical gaze, "So you are the one who accepted the mission to clear out the Goblins?"

"It is me." Regarding an ordinary person, Xia Duo could not be bothered to talk much with him, so he asked directly, "Introduce the situation in Hexi Village, and where are the soldiers accompanying me?"

"You—" The administrator seemed accustomed to being arrogant and did not realize that even if one was only a Mage Apprentice, they were essentially already above the class he belonged to.

He pointed at the guard who had gone to call him earlier and said to him, "Samu, take him to the East District Barracks."

Then he looked at Xia Duo again, his tone not very good, "Xia Duo, right? Samu will introduce the situation in Hexi Village to you. The accompanying soldiers are in the barracks. You had better complete the mission as soon as possible, otherwise, you won't be getting those 20 Gold Coins."

After finishing, he left directly.

And this guard named Samu looked at Xia Duo somewhat ingratiatingly, rubbing his hands, not knowing what to say; the scene was quite comical.

Xia Duo spoke up to break the deadlock, "Samu, take me to the barracks. Tell me about the situation in Hexi Village on the way."

"Alright!" Samu greeted him and walked in front. Only after seeing Xia Duo follow did he slowly begin to narrate—

"Hexi Village is a small village on the west side of the Wolfburg River. Like other villages in the Territory, it mainly makes a living by growing rye and also keeps some livestock, but Hexi Village has a special product."

"What special product?"

"An olive grove, or rather, olive oil. This olive oil is sent to Konnifila City every year to be sold to the Elves. The Elves really like this vegetable oil, and this is also a very important source of income within the Territory."

"Huh—" Xia Duo suddenly let out a light sound of surprise.

Samu hurriedly asked, "What is wrong, Mage Xia Duo?"

"Nothing, continue!"

Xia Duo realized his understanding was biased. It was really nothing for a guard at the Town Hall to know these things; perhaps this Samu even knew more secret things!

Signaling for Samu to continue, Xia Duo was also considering some situations in the Savile Territory. After all, if nothing unexpected happened, he would be staying here for a long time.

"Mage Xia Duo, I will continue. Although olive oil is a good thing, taking care of olive trees is not easy. Besides daily maintenance, the most important thing is the Protection against Goblin harassment."

"They are not only easily attracted by the fragrance of the leaves, but they also like to destroy the trees themselves. When it comes to harvest time, they come in droves, but at that time, with the Lord's attention, it is actually not a problem."

"Then what is the problem this time?" Xia Duo asked.

"I don't know what happened this time. The snow outside has just melted, and the Goblins have come early. Moreover, they have been beaten back many times but still haven't given up. This is very abnormal!"

Samu had not seen anything like this in all these years. Seeing that Xia Duo was not repulsed by his narration, he added a few more words, "This mission is actually to find out the reason for the Goblins' abnormality. Someone else accepted the mission and came here before, but he only cleared out some Goblins and did not find the reason for the Goblins' abnormality."

"Oh?" Xia Duo raised an eyebrow, "Is that what the administrator just meant when he said I wouldn't get the 20 Gold Coins?"

"Yes, but it's not that you won't get any Gold Coins at all; you should still be able to get some."

Samu's words almost made Xia Duo laugh. He came specifically for a high cost-performance mission. If he couldn't complete the mission, wouldn't he have made the trip for nothing!

"Alright Samu, tell me more about the situation in Hexi Village? The terrain, the villagers, and even any strange rumors, tell me everything!"

"Alright!"

Samu was eager to show off in front of a Mage Apprentice. He had once harbored dreams of joining the Mage Tower, but after three years of muddling along, he hadn't even learned the most basic Spellcasting Focus.

Therefore, he had a sense of looking up to anyone who came out of the Mage Tower, but at the same time, he also had the thought of being slightly better in some aspects.

……

From the Town Hall to the East District Barracks, one only needed to pass through the Central Plaza and walk a short distance after reaching the East District. The plaza was not crowded, but the East District had become lively.

The influence of the Orc War from the previous year had finally disappeared. The people who died were dead after all. No one would go against Gold Coins, especially the merchant guilds. Even if the branch manager was dissatisfied, if the owner behind the scenes didn't speak for him, he could only swallow his teeth and bear it.

This time, Xia Duo saw that the shops of various merchant guilds had all reopened. Some shops even had servants shouting at the entrance, recruiting armed guards. The merchant guilds provided professional training and offered generous wages.

Seeing this scene, Samu seemed very disdainful. After walking far away, he whispered, "These foreign merchant guilds only know how to lure the young people of the Territory. What professional training? It's all a lie."

"How so?" Xia Duo was also a bit curious. Since they were recruiting guards, providing training should be a matter of course.

Samu looked at Xia Duo carefully, "You are still young and don't know the viciousness of those merchant guilds. They use high prices to lure young people, but in fact, only a few can actually survive to get the money. The so-called professional training is just finding some random Adventurer to teach them."

"You have an opinion about Adventurers?" Xia Duo discovered the blind spot.

"Of course! How can Adventurers compare to those of us who came out of the military camp! And those Adventurers only know how to drink and fight; do they know how to train people?"

Xia Duo did not ask further. Once a prejudice is formed, it is difficult to change. He believed that people who pursue profit know how to maximize their benefits. If they frequently lose guards, it is not just a loss of money, but also a loss of reputation.

Once the reputation is gone, it will be difficult to recruit people next time.

……

After a moment south of the Trade District, they arrived at the East District Barracks. This was Xia Duo's first time here, but he was no stranger to the layout of the barracks. During the Orc War, the West District Barracks he was in were very similar to this one.

After verifying his identity, he immediately found a familiar feeling.

"Mage Xia Duo, this is Captain Wuke. His squad will be going with you to carry out the mission later." Samu introduced the squad leader who would be cooperating with Xia Duo, but Xia Duo felt this introduction was somewhat redundant.

He looked at the familiar big guy in front of him and said with a smile, "Captain Wuke, long time no see!"

"Mage Xia Duo, I didn't expect it to be you? With you here, perhaps we can really completely solve those damn Goblins this time!" Wuke was very excited.

Having experienced two mission failures, although the main responsibility did not lie with him and he was not punished by his superior, it had left a bad impression on his superior. He needed a comeback battle too much!

"I also didn't expect to meet Captain Wuke on this mission. By the way, do you know how Jibu and the others are doing now?"

"The main force suffered heavy casualties in the previous war, and we were all transferred to the main force. However, Jibu and the others have been out on patrol missions these few days, otherwise, you would have been able to see him." Wuke said.

The two chatted regardless of the outsider present, making Samu feel somewhat redundant, so he bid farewell to Xia Duo, "Mage Xia Duo, since you have already handed over here, I will head back first. If you have any questions, you can come to the Town Hall to find me at any time."

"Mm, I will!"