Green Monster Epic

In the days that followed, Allen spent more time wandering through the countless shops of Thornsburg, comparing prices at each one. Even saving a single copper coin was a victory for him.

After Philip had enlightened him on economic matters, Allen no longer disregarded the value of money. Especially now, as their tribe hadn't found a stable source of income, each coin spent was one less they had.

After running around for days, Allen quickly became familiar with the various roads and shops in the northern and southern districts. He also acquired a large batch of potions, scrolls, and daily necessities, naturally including the one-handed sword he had promised to Flower Snake.

Although Allen had already pre-ordered two gray dwarf blacksmiths from Master Pherok's Oak Merchant Company, he still had some concerns about whether the Greenwild Plains held mineral resources. These unknown resources often required luck and opportunity to discover. It wasn't as if obtaining these two gray dwarves, capable of finding mineral veins, would immediately solve their tribe's previous difficulties.

Five hundred gold coins seemed like a lot, even more than Allen had when he first came to Thornsburg. However, Allen's shopping spree quickly depleted them. The items he bought barely filled one of the three wagons they had brought.

This time, the Greenwild Tribe no longer lacked food, so Allen didn't buy large quantities of cheap grain. Instead, he purchased many potions and a large amount of raw iron. These items seemed insignificant but were genuinely expensive. A thousand pounds of raw iron cost Allen over 100 gold coins, not to mention the potions sold by the bottle.

Without money, Allen was unwilling to sell the last of his precious gems. Staying in Thornsburg was pointless, so after seven days, Allen and his group prepared to head home and resume their journey.

Before leaving, Allen naturally didn't forget to collect the two gray dwarves belonging to his tribe, as well as the goblin slaves Sam had reserved for him. Of course, Allen also remembered to bring Kouer and her little companion. However, this time Allen was unlucky; Master Pherok was not on duty but was resting at his estate outside the castle. After bidding farewell to Sam and asking him to convey his gratitude to Master Pherok, Allen led the two little goblins, two short but sturdy gray dwarves, and a team of 26 goblin slaves, along with the 100 or so gold coins he had managed to save, back to his inn to plan their upcoming journey.

"We'll have to split up this time. The kobolds have posted an assassination mission at Thunder Tribe. The attackers we encountered earlier were hired by the kobolds to attack us. Fortunately, their target is me. If I'm not in the group, they shouldn't chase you. And I won't have to worry about your safety, making it much easier to escape."

Allen didn't hold back, telling them all the information Jack had given him. Mauro, Dogegg, Pavao, and the others were surprised to hear this news, but they quickly calmed down.

"I'll ask Jack to be your guide, taking you, the supplies, and the slaves back. You don't have to worry."

"Jack, you won't refuse, will you?"

As he said this, Allen's eyes drifted towards Jack, a strong hint of threat in them.

"Why would I? As long as the price is right, I don't mind crossing the Tagan Desert again."

Jack had been bled dry these past few days. Every night after returning, Allen would carefully ask Erin if she had learned anything from Jack that day, making it difficult for Jack to slack off. In the end, Jack had no choice but to teach Erin a self-created skill. After practicing for a few days, Erin had gained some understanding of the skill and was about to master it.

However, although the threat in Allen's eyes remained strong, Jack couldn't continue to be threatened by Allen like this. He had only accepted a mission that was unfavorable to Allen and his group, but he hadn't even completed the mission before Allen had seen through it. Ultimately, Allen and his group hadn't suffered any losses. Jack's apology of teaching Erin was already his biggest concession. Therefore, when Jack said this, he didn't refuse Allen's proposal, but he also resisted Allen at the same time.

"That's not a problem. As long as you can safely lead Mauro and the others back to our village, I'll give you 10 gold coins as payment."

"Wasn't it 15 gold coins?"

Jack frowned and protested.

"That was before. Now, if you want to regain my favor, you have to seize the opportunity!!"

Allen's face darkened as he stared at Jack. With a wave of his hand, two glittering gold coins flew towards Jack, who skillfully caught them and carefully examined them before putting them away.

"This is a deposit. After you take Mauro and the others back to the village, if I haven't returned, wait for me. If you stay in the village for more than half a month and I still haven't returned, find Mauro and have him take you to see Camellia. She'll give you the rest of the gold coins."

Allen also knew when to stop. After all, the other party had to survive. Accepting a mission to cause trouble for him wasn't wrong from their perspective. The only mistake was that Allen had caught him and knew his address, making it difficult for Jack to run away. The condition for letting him go before was to have him teach Erin rogue knowledge and skills. The results of these days were evident. Now, if he wanted Jack to help him again, he would naturally have to pay a price.

"Why not just have them give me the money directly?"

Jack was a little annoyed and retorted.

"Because I'm the one hiring you, and I make the rules."

Allen rolled his eyes, and the answer he gave left Jack speechless.

Fortunately, although Allen had reduced Jack's hiring fee, it was still a very good mission compared to ordinary guide missions, and Jack wasn't really dissatisfied.

"But don't forget, during the days you're leading the team, teach Erin well. She's your student now."

Allen was afraid Jack would forget, so before the gathering dispersed, he reminded Jack, receiving a disdainful look from Jack. However, Allen laughed smugly, clearly in a good mood.

Having Jack stay in the village for a few more days was what Allen wanted to continue exploiting Jack, making him teach Erin more about being a rogue. During the 7 days they had been together, Little Erin's rogue level had increased by one level to level 3, and she was more skilled in using shadow energy, already able to hide her entire figure, showing the help a good mentor could bring to a student.