"Hmm... People from the Slum District who aren't adventurers? That's going to be a little difficult."
Inside the Guild, Lenora murmured with a troubled expression.
After parting ways with Suchee at the Expansion Construction site, Rei had continued searching for a Magic Item. Some time later, he came to the Guild.
The reason, just as Lenora had said, was to give advance notice regarding Suchee's situation.
However, the words that came from Lenora's mouth in response to Rei's request were, unexpectedly, a rejection.
"Why not? You're short on hands for the Gigant Turtle dissection, right? In that case, wouldn't it be fine to have Slum District residents who are good at dissection help out?"
"I understand what you're saying, Rei-san. I really do... but the Guild has all sorts of rules. Especially this time, since we'd be dealing with non-adventurers. That makes it even more..."
Lenora shook her head.
Beside her, Kenny looked like she wanted to say something, but she also knew the Guild's rules. As such, even Kenny couldn't casually tell Lenora to accept Rei's proposal.
...The fact that they were already swamped dealing with adventurers was another reason she couldn't butt in.
"For now, I don't mind if the pay is lower than what the adventurers who took the request are getting... and even lower than what non-adventurers usually receive. The Guild wouldn't exactly lose anything if the Gigant Turtle dissection finishes faster, right?"
The reason Rei had brought this proposal to employ people from the Slum District was because a large number of ordinary civilians—not just former adventurers—were already participating in the current Gigant Turtle dissection.
"U-umm... Even if you say that..."
"Then could you at least ask your superior? I've gone along with quite a few unreasonable requests from the Guild up until now, so I think it's fine for you to do at least this much for me."
"That's..."
Lenora was at a loss for words.
It was true that Rei had accommodated many unreasonable demands from the Guild so far, and Lenora knew that as well. Given that, she felt the Guild could afford to bend the rules a little in return.
After thinking for a moment, Lenora gave a small nod.
"Understood. Please wait a moment. I'll go ask my superior."
With those words, Lenora stood up from her chair and headed toward a person doing paperwork deeper inside the counter.
Between the Cobolt incident and the Gigant Turtle dissection, the Guild was simultaneously handling two major requests. On top of that, there was also the usual volume of regular work.
Naturally, this meant the Guild Staff Members were extremely busy.
...Especially since several of them had already been dispatched to the Gigant Turtle dissection site.
In fact, even people who had quit their Guild Staff positions for various reasons a short while ago had been called back as temporary hires for this occasion.
Feeling apologetic for bringing such a request to her already overworked superior, Lenora still called out to her.
Rei watched as Lenora spoke with her superior. After receiving some instructions, she headed even further inside.
Rei had passed through that area several times before, so he knew exactly what lay ahead.
It was the staircase leading up to the Guild Master's office.
Right now, the current Guild Master, Worker, should have been working there.
Isn't this getting a bit too exaggerated?
Rei had not expected the matter to reach the Guild Master himself. He was slightly bewildered... but since he had already asked Lenora, he decided there was nothing to do but wait. He remained standing quietly in front of the reception counter.
While handling adventurers, Kenny looked for an opportunity to talk to Rei. However, once Lenora left, the adventurers who had been lined up behind Rei moved to other counters. As a result, Kenny ended up even busier than before.
...Under normal circumstances, if an adventurer caused a receptionist to leave her post while others were waiting, it wouldn't be strange for the people in line to complain.
But if that adventurer was Rei, no one dared to pick a fight with him.
If Rei had been wearing the hood of his Dragon Robe, some might not have realized who he was even if they heard Lenora call his name, and might have tried to start something. But since he had taken the hood off to speak with Lenora, his face was clearly visible.
Thanks to that, he was able to wait for Lenora without any unnecessary conflicts.
About ten minutes passed... and eventually Lenora reappeared from deeper inside the counter.
The moment Rei saw the smile on Lenora's face as she looked at him, he was certain his proposal had been accepted.
"Rei-san, after consulting with the Guild Master, he has agreed to allow residents from the Slum District to participate, but only for this occasion. Regarding compensation, we will set it lower than what the adventurers are receiving, just as you suggested, in order to reduce any dissatisfaction."
"...That's surprising."
Those words slipped from Rei's mouth at Lenora's report.
He had certainly requested it, but he hadn't actually expected the Guild to accept his demands so completely for this matter.
Of course, it would have been troublesome if they hadn't.
That said, not everything went exactly as Rei wanted.
"However... about the number of guards we can dispatch..."
Looking somewhat reluctant, Lenora informed him that sending any more personnel would be difficult, and that one or two people was the most they could manage.
Since Rei could see how busy the Guild was just by standing there, he knew that even adding one or two extra guards was already a big help.
"Also, if any of the Slum District residents cause problems, the Guild will find it difficult to administer punishments ourselves."
"That side is impossible too, huh."
"Yes. However, the Guild Master said that if you tell them that, there won't be any issue."
In other words, he was being told to bluff.
Rei nodded without any particular objection to that either.
After all, it wasn't uncommon for adventurers to come from the Slum District. For those born and raised there, becoming an adventurer was the fastest way to escape the slums.
...Of course, depending on their appearance, becoming a prostitute or male prostitute was also an option.
In any case, due to Gilm's location on the frontier, the Slum District contained quite a few people with high potential.
If the path to becoming adventurers were closed off to them, many would inevitably end up joining underworld organizations instead.
To prevent that, it was necessary for the Guild to accept Slum District residents as adventurers. ...Though the number of such adventurers tended to decrease after about a year.
"Understood. If a bluff is enough, then I'll make use of it."
"Thank you very much. Now then, roughly how many people from the Slum District are we expecting?"
When Lenora asked, Rei found himself at a loss for how to answer.
In truth, even he didn't know how many people Suchee would bring.
It could be just a few people besides Suchee herself, or in some cases dozens, or even close to a hundred.
"I'm not sure about the exact number yet. The woman named Suchee did say she would bring herself and some acquaintances... but I told them to gather in front of the gate before the morning bell tomorrow. Could you check the numbers then?"
"Eh? Hmm... Not knowing the exact headcount is a bit troublesome. Still... in that case, we'll count them on site, then have you report the number to the Guild so we can prepare the rewards. Would it be better if the payment is handed out on location rather than having them come to the Guild?"
Lenora's words carried a clear hope that this was what they would do.
It was only natural. Even now, the Guild was extremely busy in the mornings and evenings. If dozens of Slum District residents showed up on top of that, it would almost certainly cause some kind of disturbance.
Knowing this, Lenora hoped they could avoid bringing them to the Guild and hand out the rewards on site instead.
Rei had no particular objection and nodded honestly.
What Rei wanted was simply more manpower to speed up the Gigant Turtle dissection. He had no desire to bring Slum District residents into the Guild itself.
In fact, most people would probably prefer not to come to the Guild if it meant possibly getting dragged into trouble with the slum residents.
At the very least, the Suchee that Rei knew would likely make that judgment.
"Yeah, that's fine. ...Sorry for making so many unreasonable requests. Thanks for the help."
"Not at all. The Guild has asked plenty of unreasonable things of you in the past, Rei-san, and you've sold us many rare materials as well."
From those words, Rei understood what Lenora—no, more accurately, what the Guild Master, Worker, whom Lenora had gone to consult—was really trying to say.
In short, they wanted him to sell them as many Gigant Turtle materials as possible.
Gigant Turtle materials, huh... To be honest, I still don't know which parts will sell for how much. It's a monster I've never encountered before. Or even if someone has encountered it, there's no record of it.
As for the meat, he had tasted it himself and understood that its flavor was on a completely different level—indescribably delicious.
But for the other materials, only professionals like Alchemists, pharmacists, and Blacksmiths who actually used them to create Magic Items, potions, weapons, or armor would know their value.
Only after those people got their hands on the materials and experimented through trial and error would it become clear whether they could be used.
In other words, since it was unknown which parts of the Gigant Turtle could even be used as materials, it was impossible to know which ones would sell.
...In that sense, Rei's ability to store materials inside the Misty Ring and prevent them from rotting must have been an incredibly welcome asset for both the Guild and Gilm.
"I understand about the materials. Let's do this then. For now, I'll sell you a few different parts in small quantities. The Guild can test whether they can be used as materials. If they prove usable, I'll sell more later. How does that sound?"
"...Are you sure? That arrangement would be extremely advantageous for the Guild."
Lenora seemed surprised by Rei's suggestion and spoke with a startled expression. Rei simply nodded, saying he had no problem with it.
In truth, Rei was not short on money at all, so he wasn't particularly concerned about the price of the materials.
The only thing he cared about was what kind of Magic Items could be made from Gigant Turtle materials... From Rei's perspective, if the Guild distributed the materials to as many craftsmen as possible and had them create useful Magic Items, he wouldn't have to investigate them himself. That would be a great help.
"That's fine. However, I want information on what kinds of items can be made from those materials. ...That way, it won't be a hassle for the Guild either, right?"
"I cannot decide that on my own, but I will pass the request along to the higher-ups."
With those words from Lenora, Rei left the Guild feeling satisfied.
Since we don't know which parts can be used as materials, I'll need to store everything in the Misty Ring—including the internal organs—without throwing any away or burning them.
The Gigant Turtle's skin, claws, and similar parts were already stored inside the Misty Ring.
Storing the internal organs along with them wasn't something Rei particularly wanted to do, but since he couldn't just dispose of them, the only way to preserve them in optimal condition was the Misty Ring.
"Gururuu!"
Set, who had been playing with several passersby, noticed Rei coming out of the Guild and purred happily.
Looking at Set, Rei realized he was feeling a bit hungry and began thinking about stopping by one of the food stalls.