HC:Pacifist | Ch. 110 - Green of Dreams (Patreon)

Even though the game was very realistic, the developers didn't bother to include how the different seasons of the year would affect what time the sun rose and set. Every day in AstroTerra, the sun rose at 6 a.m. and set at 6 pm.

Roth walked the streets of the commercial district. It was 5:00 a.m. right now. The first rays of sunlight dispelled the night's chill. Roth hoped that all the preparations he had made for the quest would prove to be enough.

Roth admired the exquisite marble and the imposing architecture of the headquarters of the Golden Mountain Inc. merchant association. He couldn't help but admire it. It was an impressive building. More impressive, however, was what was going on inside of it.

Every time he visited, something else had been added to the association. Soros had already found a couple of clerks who were now manning two counters in the front reception. There were also porters walking to and fro, putting things into warehouses or taking them out as needed. Roth was pleasantly surprised that one of the porters Soros had hired was a lizardman.

His powerful muscles bulged as he carried heavy boxes to and fro, moving furniture and other appliances that Soros had purchased to keep upgrading his business.

Although most coming in and out of the building were NPCs, Roth was also surprised to see some players in the mix. They chatted lively with each other as they waited in line for their turn to see the clerks at the counters.

Maybe they were to turn in a quest and place an order for another Merchant Association they cooperated with. According to the notifications Roth had received from the game system, he only had exclusivity for deals between Soros and other races.

That wasn't the case for dealings between humans. There was plenty of business to do inside the city of Hilsford alone and much more with all the other cities of the Green Country region or the neighboring regions. Roth didn't bother to wait in line at the reception but turned immediately left and into a corridor that had an entrance with a sign saying 'Authorized Personnel Only.' Roth chuckled at the thought of being among the authorized personnel cooperating with Soros and went in.

Although many of these offices were empty for the moment, Roth was surprised to see that one of the doors immediately adjacent to Soros' was already occupied. It read 'Cyrus, Assistant Manager.' It seems that business was picking up. Soon these offices would probably be packed with employees.

Roth felt some pride at every advancement in Soros' business. After all, he helped him get out of the pit. Roth knocked at the door and heard Soros' telepathic command to come in. Realizing that, unlike the magister that gave him his class, Soros could only tell him to open the door but couldn't use telekinesis to do so, Roth chuckled.

"Hello, Soros. I came to pick up the sheep.”

“Very well, very well. Did you bring the items you promised from the crocodile and the lizards?"

"It's an alligator and snakes, Soros."

"I know that, my boy. I'm just messing with you. Lighten up a little. Otherwise, you won't get to be my age." Roth wondered if it was really in jest that Soros had said 'crocodile' or if it was him just finding an excuse. Roth traded him some of the alligator tears, scales, and teeth and the snake’s poison and skins.

Congratulations on completing a trade between Golden Mountain Inc. and Mario, the Alligator.

1241 broker XP; +11 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

You’ve made 45 silver.

Congratulations on completing a trade between Golden Mountain Inc. and Solomon, the Gardener.

1141 broker XP; +13 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

You’ve made 87 silver.

It was cheap change for now, but every copper counted. He looked at the ledger to confirm that the timer for the great agreement exclusivity was reset. It had. Even though it was a small transaction, it was still enough to reset the clock. He now had 72 hours to make the trip to the Green Woods and return before losing his exclusivity with Soros.

A porter came in through the door. It seems that Soros had summoned him telepathically while they were chatting or perhaps as soon as Roth had knocked at the door. "Boris, take the broker here, to warehouse 3, and get him the requested lots. Also, let him take the sheep."

Boris had a look of worship as he shook hands with Roth. It felt like the man was looking at a celebrity. "Mr. Broker, sir. It's an honor to meet you. I was also a victim of the Gazpachos. Soros has told everyone how you've helped..."

"I don't pay you to chat, Boris. Chop chop."

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to your business."

"You're leaving now?" Roth nodded. Soros checked his wristwatch and winked at Roth. "Smart thinking. Wolves are more active at night. I tell you, it's deceptive how smart you are. Sometimes you act like a stupid brat, but in others, you can actually make people believe that you have a head sitting on top of your shoulders."

Roth didn't know if he should take it as a compliment or an insult. Was Soros saying that he looked stupid? Anyway, when he had mentioned that wolves would be a problem, Roth mentally reviewed everything he had learned about them in the Fox Canon.

He had thought that the information there would help build a relationship with the wolves, but he never imagined that he would use it to evade them instead.

One of the things that Roth had learned was that wolves were stronger at night. At night, wolves got a 10% stat increase, but also, conversely, gave 10% more experience when hunted. Players who preferred to play it safe hunted them during the day, but those who were more talented, and didn't mind the extra risk and reward, hunted them at night instead.

"Other than the wolves? Any idea of what I'll find out there? Any words of advice?" tried Roth.

"My young novice broker, you don't want me to spoon-feed it to you, do you? A little adventure and mystery will be good for you. I want you to grow into a strong broker. A little adversity is the best fertilizer." Having solid relationships with NPCs allowed Roth to hear helpful hints and suggestions on how to tackle quests.

On the other hand, NPCs avoided giving too much information. Roth didn't mind it. Just the heads up on the wolves had been very helpful already. He had already made the trip between Hilsford and the Green Woods before, so it wasn't unfamiliar terrain. He had also researched and prepared as much as he could to escort the flock safely.

"I guess I'll be on my way then."

"I expect to hear reports of sizable profits. I'll be awaiting the good news."

"And I'm sure you hope the flock arrives safely too?"

"That too. That too. It's as I said, a broker. Lighten up a little!" Roth turned to the documents at his desk. He was a man brimming with vitality and purpose, knowing he was doing what he was best at.

Roth found Boris waiting outside and followed him to the warehouses further down the corridor. He swiped the card that unlocked the gates and let Roth into the warehouse.

"Would you like to leave through the cargo doors? Or do you want to go all the way back to the main entrance?"

"I'll use the cargo doors. Thank you."

"Very well, here are the goods Mr. Soros asked me to show you. He kept it within the weight you asked."

Roth had been very mindful of not going over 90kg, even though he could carry more in his human form or in his boar form. He wanted to be ready to change to any form without losing mobility. He’d skipped the screws and marbles, the heaviest of the items he usually carried, and focused on the lighter, more lucrative cargo. "Very well, thank you for that."

"Don't mind it, sir. Whenever you want to leave, just push that button over there." Boris went to attend to his other duties, leaving Roth alone with the flock. Today, Roth wouldn't be relying on badger form. There was no advantage in doing so now, for the moment. Even with his reduced intelligence, Roth quested out with his mind, trying to stretch it and reach out to the sheep before him.

They all regarded him curiously and meekly. They looked healthy and showed signs of recovery from their injuries and trauma. They would need this strength. After all, there was a long journey ahead of them.

"Are you ready?"

"The flock isn't the 'I.' Therefore, we are always ready. At least parts of the 'we' are."

"Very well then." Roth ignored the mumbo-jumbo of the sheep and went back to his plan. He had given much thought to how he would go about this. Although all of his zoomorph forms were powerful, the long cooldown didn't let him have much versatility. Therefore, Roth would start the journey in his most balanced form: the human form.

He would keep the racial skills on cooldown in case he needed to use them. Even though each trip to the Green Woods was a good source of income, Roth didn't want to bite more than he could chew. He had convinced Soros to prepare him a lighter load this time in order to be able to increase the chances of his quest succeeding. Roth finished picking it all up and was ready to go.

"Stay as close to me as you can." The group took off through the cargo door. Roth regretted that he still hadn't gotten his hands on a flag. After all, it would be a suitable replacement for a shepherd's staff or a walking stick. He couldn't imagine using his plumber's flashlight much on the journey ahead.

As Roth walked down the road with the 20 sheep of his flock in tow, he spared some occasional glances backward. The flock could keep up with him readily if he walked briskly. If he ran, they wouldn't be able to keep up. If push came to shove, it wouldn't be easy to escape predators or attackers.

As they made it out of the city walls, the sun was already on the horizon. It painted the sky and clouds in hues of violet and orange. Roth watched the sunrise, letting the fresh cool morning air into his lungs, and felt refreshed. Looking back, he observed how the golden rays of morning light bounced off the white walls of the city.

It was a strange feeling. It was almost Like when he had left prison almost two months ago. Had it been that long? He reminisced about everything that had happened since he had come to Hilsford. Even though he had only been here for two weeks, he had already lived through many adventures.

He remembered the first week he'd been stuck in the sewers. It was one of the most disgusting weeks of his life. He swam in sewage and caught every kind of disease and status debuff imaginable. That was also when he'd met the oozing monsters. It wasn't all sad, though.

He also made new friends like the snakes and Mario. He’d found the secret lab and had been reunited with Drake. He smiled at the memory of the old-timers complaining about the smell of the sewers but not once slowing their pace toward their hideout or hesitating in their desire to help Roth.

He had also had his fair share of adventures above the surface. He recalled when he was looking for the building of Golden Mountain Inc. Instead of finding a luxurious office, he found an old wooden shack falling to pieces. He remembered every spying trip he did in his miniature form in the vents of the Baldwins. Finally, he remembered the joy of finding his hidden class and finally freeing Soros from the Gazpacho’s racketeering schemes. There were many memories here, good ones and bad ones.

He again turned his attention toward the prairies surrounding the city and the flock under his care. It was time to make new memories. At the sight of grass, the flock seemed excited. Roth felt in his mind the ripples of enthusiasm going through the flock.

The permanent song that ran in the background whenever he was near the flock sped up its tempo and gained a powerful rhythmic beat.

"Shepherd, here is the green, the green of the dreams. The green of our dreams."

"Yes, the green of dreams."

***

This marks the end of book 2! Thank you for reading this far. The book will come out on September 29th on Amazon. If you could leave reviews for it when the time comes, it would be a great help to me as an author. Stay tuned for the first chapters of book 3 coming out this week!

Ch. 109 - Peace

INDEX

Ch. 111 - Grass? Cave?