Chapter 51: Temple Rewards (Part 1)

‘That’s right, this feeling! Although the taste is more bitter, and the texture isn’t that silky smooth. Even though there are more or less differences overall, this drink is definitely milk tea.’ George immediately defined this drink based on his memory. ‘The last time I drank milk tea was the summer of my sophomore year before I transmigrated, when I was with my girlfriend? After all, I wasn’t very interested in this kind of drink back then. I didn’t expect it to trigger my memories today.’

Compared to George, who was stunned and in a daze, Hiren and Craig’s reactions were very direct. The former didn’t seem to have any special feeling about it, while the latter’s facial expression was slightly twisted; it seemed he wasn’t used to it.

“Pfft—” George, coming back to his senses, couldn’t help but laugh out loud seeing Craig’s expression. “Craig, if you don’t like it, don’t force yourself. No one will laugh at you, a kid who likes sweets.”

Surprisingly, Craig didn’t refute George’s teasing. He just placed the milk tea far away and asked George, “When will you take me to the Candy House in the Commercial District?”

“If I have time later, I can take you there today. Also, don’t think this drink isn’t to your taste right now; if you add sugar, you will definitely like it.” George shook his head at Craig, who was such a typical sweet tooth; he really didn’t know how to comment.

Regarding the drink tea, presumably, the vast majority of Chinese people, whether they like it or not, hold a unique emotion towards it! But for George, this was not only a longing for his previous life that had passed, but also proof that he once existed. Therefore, George didn’t hide his love for this drink at all and asked directly, “Priest Gavin! Where can I get the tea leaves in this drink, oh no, this herb?”

“Oh! You like it that much?” Priest Gavin was stunned for a moment, then continued, “This herb is indeed called tea. It seems this gentleman should have drunk beverages made from this herb in the past. But I don’t think you’ve tried today’s method; this is a new way of drinking from the Elf kingdom overseas! As for how to obtain it, if the imported goods shops in the Nohan Kingdom can’t order it, then you can only go to the Kingdom of Coruz to the south to buy it. The variety of goods from the East there is much larger than here.”

“Oh! Thank you for the news. I think I’ll go check the imported goods shop very soon.” George was quite satisfied with Priest Gavin’s information. Although there might be some twists and turns in the process, at any rate, he had found out the channel to obtain it.

Knight Val, who was standing by, didn’t want to see the topic stray any further. As soon as the conversation between George and Priest Gavin ended, he immediately asked, “Now it’s time to talk about serious business. I assume a conclusion has been reached regarding the items we handed in earlier?”

Priest Gavin took out two scrolls from the sleeves of his robe and placed them on the table, saying, “Yes! First of all, I want to thank you gentlemen for your contribution to the kind commoners. Don’t look at these two guys; although they are not famous in the Duchy of Nohan, whether in the Dwarf capital in the mountains or the Gnome city-states in the hills, as long as there is definite news that they are within their own control, they are villains who will immediately send troops to crusade against!”

“So, judging by this, their bounty should be quite a lot.” Knight Val stroked his chin and agreed.

Hiren, who was most concerned about his own interests, immediately interrupted, “Oh, how much is it exactly? Is it enough to exchange for a good weapon?”

“Alright, let’s first look at the priest of the Bear Goblin God, who is at the Red Iron Rank. This guy claims to be called Cleo Watson. His name alone in the Gnome city-states is enough to make children stop crying. He is also an ideal tool for many Gnome parents when educating their children.” Priest Gavin picked up a scroll, looked at it, and gave a brief introduction.

“Surprisingly, not from the Dwarf race?” Hiren suddenly leaned forward, pressed his hands on the table, and let out a wail. His performance was like a loser who finally pursued his beloved goddess, but when he was ready for action, he found out the other party was a cute boy. To use someone’s words, ‘I’ve even taken my pants off, and you show me this.’

“Hiren, don’t get too excited, watch out for a brain hemorrhage. Let’s listen to what the Priest has to say before making a judgment.” George quickly stood up and grabbed Hiren, comforting him at the same time. During this, George didn’t forget to observe Knight Val, who was still sitting steadily like a bell, using his peripheral vision. However, from the latter’s stiff expression and twitching corners of his mouth, it could be deduced that he must be wishing he could hang Hiren, this embarrassing guy, up and beat him severely. George prayed silently in his heart, hoping that Hiren’s days in Karada afterwards wouldn’t be too painful.

“Sir, please don’t get too excited. Look at the young man next to you; he is much steadier than you. As an adult, don’t lose to a youngster in this aspect.” Although Priest Gavin’s words were very correct, George, who knew Hiren’s real age, felt that he was adding insult to injury. And Hiren’s face immediately turned much worse upon hearing this.

“Although this villain named Cleo Watson is far less famous among Dwarves than among Gnomes, according to official statistics, he led his Goblin creatures to attack six Dwarf villages. Three of the villages had their defenses breached and were looted.” Priest Gavin pulled down the scroll and continued interpreting, “To be honest, even I didn’t expect the combat power of the Dwarves to be so formidable. Even if those Goblins won, they actually didn’t gain much advantage. At least the infants and elders among the Dwarves were basically preserved. In these secondary attacks, about one hundred and twenty Dwarves were killed.”

It seemed that Priest Gavin’s words just now had restored part of Hiren’s confidence. George heard him mutter to the side, “It seems there is still a chance!”

“Alright, big-bearded sir, you don’t need to be so nervous at all. Although Dwarves and Gnomes are not allies in the true sense, they issue joint bounties when targeting the common enemy, Goblins. So you don’t need to worry about not being able to get a weapon.” Priest Gavin’s words completely relieved Hiren’s tightly strung nerves.

Hiren leaned back and sat directly on the chair. The chair protested with a “Creak—” against the sudden heavy impact of the large creature on its body. And Hiren himself seemed to have no awareness of this aspect at all; he just panted heavily on his own, seemingly calming his heart, which was like a roller coaster.

“So how much is this guy’s bounty worth exactly? Give a specific range so my friend here can be at ease. But remember, he needs a main combat weapon.” George decided to get this matter settled as soon as possible; otherwise, with Hiren’s somewhat single-celled brain, he didn’t know what other embarrassing things he would do.

“Let me see. If you choose to have the Dwarf Temple pay the reward, their prize is a Tier 1 Enchanted Star Iron weapon. The weapon size is a one-handed weapon for medium-sized creatures. The selectable range for Enchantment is in this scroll; I’ll let you choose later.” Priest Gavin, who had just given the correct answer, changed his tone, “However, it will take at least a month for the Dwarves to send the weapon over, so you need to be mentally prepared for this. Also, because you didn’t hand in the items at the Dwarf Temple, besides paying the corresponding commission fee to our Temple, the weapon blank is not custom-made for you, but uses the standard template of military weapons. Please understand this.”

“Then how much commission fee do we still need to pay you? And are there any specific requirements for custom-made weapons? Why can’t it be done here?” George pressed down on Hiren, who was a bit restless, and asked his own questions regarding Priest Gavin’s words.

“You don’t need to worry about the commission. Regarding that bounty reward, besides such a weapon, there is still some surplus. Of course, this is not enough to strengthen this weapon. If it were exchanged for ordinary Masterwork weapons, I think you wouldn’t need them. After deducting our Temple’s commission from the remaining part, it can probably be exchanged for a Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds or other items of equal value. If we have this part in our Temple, it can be paid immediately.” Priest Gavin answered the first question quickly. As for the latter, he seemed to be communicating with someone else, pulling out a short stick from his sleeve.

Seeing this scene, George had this thought in his mind, ‘Are you a Priest or a Magician? Why do you like putting things in your sleeves so much? Also, is there magic like the Sleeve Universe inside that sleeve? Otherwise, how can you move normally without hindrance after putting so many things in it?’

After a moment of awkward silence, Priest Gavin finally gave an answer to the second question, “As for the customization issue, that is a secret not passed down by the Dwarf race; we outsiders are not very clear about it. The user must be examined in front of a Dwarf Master, otherwise, it is impossible to get enough data for customization. Also, the weapons we pay out like this are enchanted from the Dwarves’ stock weapons. If one day you are lucky enough to go to the Dwarf Temple to customize a weapon, the waiting time might be even longer than here. You need to be prepared for this, so don’t say later that it was a misunderstanding caused by us. So, have you decided what weapon you want?”