Perspective: Fir

"A nautical map? This is indeed very useful." Aliyah took the book from my hand, opened it, and unfolded a series of sea charts that were neatly folded inside.

It seemed like the book had quite a few years on it; every page of the map carried some yellowing marks, with some maps even having annotations. The back cover also showed signs of dried ocean plants, indicating that this book was once an item on a ship, which was probably donated to the library after the vessel was decommissioned.

"But it seems like none of us know how to read nautical maps, right?" I poured cold water on the idea with a wry smile. It was the truth – our group was mostly specialized in different fields, and asking us to read maps was almost as good as asking me to get lost even with a regular map.

And in the more complicated waters? With numerous Aquatic Tribes watching us closely?

"Regardless, we should still graciously accept these books. Since those fellows have already written new books, these old ones can still be put to good use in our hands," Aliyah said, unceremoniously storing all the books we had found into her ring.

As long as you're happy. Although I felt that many narrative-based books were unnecessary.

"What's our next move?" Aliyah asked.

"Isn't our goal to investigate matters on our continent? Now that we have what we need, shouldn't we head back? Even though I think wandering around this continent, collecting some local specialties, could be a good idea, our team is currently divided, and our combat strength isn't that high," I explained.

"It's rare for you to be so wise today, Aliyah. I thought you'd definitely say something like, 'Let's conquer this continent together,'" I teased.

"What do you mean by that?! Do you think I'm a fool?" Aliyah retorted, her hand already on the hilt of her sword.

"Never mind, I was just praising your adventurous spirit..."

She really can't take a joke.

"By the way, Oyado, what do you think?"

"I'll just follow whatever brother says~" Oyado smiled.

"To be honest, the memories I have of this continent contain absolutely no information about it. I'm quite curious, but I feel like I wouldn't figure anything out quickly, so maybe it's better to wait until everyone's here next time to explore together," I suggested.

"Explore together..."

I gave a helpless look; it seemed like our 'leave no stone unturned' policy had deeply influenced those around us. I felt guilty; being a low-key hero shouldn't be this hard, right?

"Alright, since the decision is made, let's use this nautical map to return to the Lost Continent. Even though we're not sure about the others, I trust their intelligence enough to handle it," I said confidently.

"You're quite confident..." Aliyah couldn't resist poking fun at me.

"That's called trust in our comrades, you know."

"I know, I know~" Aliyah shrugged, then began walking towards the nearby staircase.

"So, what's next? Rent a ship? Sail out to sea?"

"Of course not. None of us knows how to sail. Why take that risk?"

"Then how do we get there? Do you think there's a tourist line to the Conscious Continent?"

"Just because there isn't one now doesn't mean there won't be in the future."

I chuckled.

"Well, if worse comes to worst, we can simply head out now... Hmm, I sense an opportunity here."

"Alright, enough of that, just tell me what we should do."

"...Let's first go to the mercenary guild to see if there are any ships heading out to sea in search of the lost continent. If that doesn't work out, we can always go back and ask Uncle Monte again to see what their plans are."

"That makes sense..."

"But brother..."

Oyado chimed in.

"Aren't we still in trouble with that Coldwind Mercenary Group? Wouldn't it be too dangerous to go to the mercenary guild?"

"...Are you talking about us or them?"

I laughed.

"Playing the fool is just one of our hobbies. That doesn't mean we have to keep doing it all the time."

——————————Mercenary Guild——————————

Arriving at the mercenary guild, I began to understand why the mercenary groups on this continent were in such disarray.

It was a literal marketplace!

A large roofed building divided into four sections: for adventure tasks, treasure hunting tasks, bounty tasks, and extermination tasks.

Adventure tasks were simple – exploring unknown areas and opening up new paths. Although I wasn't sure about the level of development on this continent, seeing the number of people in those areas suggested there was still much to uncover.

When it came to treasure hunting, it sounded similar to adventure tasks, but it combined exploration and item search, ranging from finding artifacts to locating lost cats.

Bounty tasks, as the name implied, involved finding, fighting, or killing individuals. It was surprising to see such tasks openly displayed on this continent, but it seemed like there were no important figures involved, making it more of a public-facing job board.

Lastly, extermination tasks were straightforward – wherever there were monsters, people would go and kill them, claiming the loot. The individuals issuing these tasks also had to pay rewards, theoretically making it the simplest task.

However, seeing many task papers turning yellow and remaining uncompleted made it evident that these extermination tasks were not as easy as they seemed.

"So, our target is the adventure tasks, right?"

Aliyah pointed to the crowded task board and said, "Considering the lost continent as a new area, most people should be focusing on adventures."

"True, let's go take a look."

I nodded and walked over with them.

The number of people here was truly intimidating, with some scanning the boards for tasks while others waited for new tasks to be announced.

There were burly men in various armors, along with some assassins and archers. Though you could occasionally spot the figure of a mage, they mostly just came, glanced at something, and left.

It seemed mages were living quite well on this continent. It was like queuing for entering a dungeon, but mages seemed to have a fast pass.

But with me currently dressed in warrior gear and carrying a large sword on my back, I definitely didn't look like a mage.

That suited me fine though. I didn't want to be recruited by a bunch of guilds. Considering I hadn't really completed many tasks since joining the Crimson Leaf Troupe, it seemed like I wasn't cut out for team play and better suited for small group operations.

"Wow, so many recruitment notices for the lost continent."

Seeing the sea of blue notices, it was clear that most of the tasks were related to setting sail.

Just by glancing at one more, it was evident they were all recruitment calls for various adventure teams.

"We were worrying for nothing. With this many tasks, we can just pick one and follow along."

I chuckled.

"Kid, stop messing around," I said.

Suddenly, a thief with a white mask beside me spoke up.

"Look at you, wielding such a big sword. One wrong move at sea and it might just end up at the bottom of the ocean. Why don't you go to the quest area and do some boring missions for exercise, haha."

"..."

Being completely treated as a child, seriously, am I guilty of being young?

It's really necessary to show my strength at this moment!

Silently, I waved my hand, and an ice sword appeared in my hand.

"So, if I switch to a long sword, can I go out to sea?"

...

This time, the people around me fell silent, including the assassin from earlier.

"A magic user... a Greatsword wielder?"

The assassin's voice trembled.

"5000 gold coins a month! Join our Aisa Mercenary Guild!"

"Get lost! What's 5000? Kid, name your price. Our Sandragon Mercenary Guild needs young talents like you!"

After a moment of silence, the mercenaries around me all gathered around!

From their appearance, it seemed like they were about to tear me apart!

I quickly used a speed boost, then dashed to Oyado and the others, and in a flash, I disappeared from the Mercenary Guild.

"Hahaha!!!"

As soon as I got out, Aliyah burst into laughter.

"Look at you, trying so hard to act cool."

"..."

I looked at the still bustling Mercenary Guild and smiled wryly.

"Blame me?"