"Thatâs right! This time, unless I see the actual bounty poster, I wonât accept any task. Last time, I helped a noble kill a magic beast that broke into his manor, and all I got as a reward was a dinner! A damn dinner without even any wine!"
"..."
The bard was struck speechless by the crowd, blushing and wanting to say something, but his voice was no match for theirs, leaving him helplessly anxious.
"Alright! Alright! Everyone shut the hell up! Letâs listen to what he has to say! Havenât you noticed? This announcement is much longer than before, oh my god! Those numbers at the end must be the details of the bounty!"
A brawny man interrupted their argument.
The brawny man looked somewhat intimidating, and the tavern quieted down temporarily.
"Ahem... thereâs reward... there is a reward..."
Bard Harvey coughed painfully a couple of times, clearly finding his voice irritated from the earlier loud conversation.
Someone thoughtfully handed him a cup of tea, which he drank before quickly continuing:
"Donât worry, everyone, this time thereâs a reward sheet. The details are: a beastmanâs head can be exchanged for thirty copper coins, a beastman Commander for one silver coin, and if you kill a middle-level or higher beastman Professional, you can earn more than fifty silver coins..."
As Harvey announced the specific bounty prices, everyone fell silent, but soon the tavern buzzed with noise again.
"Damn vampires! Why are these people so stingy with the money! Only fifty silver coins for a middle-level Professional!? Thatâs barely enough to repair my equipment!"
"Right, right, not going! Definitely not going! With this beggarsâ price, whoever wants to go can go, but Iâm not going!"
"Exactly! Thatâs the bounty we risk our lives for, and they offer so little. Do they really think weâre all fools!? Iâm announcing that the Iron Teeth Mercenary Team will absolutely not accept such humiliation! Let those damn nobles go to hell!"
"Hahaha, Book, who would believe what you say! When you run out of money, youâll probably be the first to rush over!"
"..."
The atmosphere in the tavern was always chaotic, but it had become even more exaggerated these days.
For the past half-month, the entire Tarata had been anything but peaceful, with explosive news coming one after another.
First, Mr. Jixing posted a bounty of over ten thousand Gold Coins in the Mercenary Guild, setting off a storm in the community as soon as it appeared.
With the Mercenary Guildâs vigorous promotion, it became widespread knowledge, and even ordinary civilians joined the vast army searching for the Dimension Rift.
After all, it was potentially a once-and-for-all deal that didnât require much skill, just a little bit of luck.
If they found the Dimension Rift, their future lives could be as enjoyable as those noble lords, right?
Countless people joined the large team searching for the rift with such expectations.
However, the higher the hope, the greater the disappointment.
People searched nearby for over ten days, but they didnât even catch a glimpse of a Dimension Rift.
It wasnât just Tarata; even surrounding cities gradually heard of this bounty and started sending large numbers of people to search for the Dimension Rift.
Unfortunately, despite everyoneâs hard efforts for over ten days, they still found nothing, causing many to gradually regain their composure.
Yes, this was an SSS-level task. If the Dimension Rift were that easy to find, there wouldnât be such a large bounty.
At this point, many impulsive civilians began to give up.
After all, they still had many things to do at home. They needed to earn money for their families and couldnât wander around outside all day like those mercenaries.
And if they were unlucky enough to encounter a magic beast, it could ruin their whole family.
However, this doesnât mean that the bounty posted by Zhang Xiaoman became meaningless.
After all, mercenaries remained the main force of the adventurers. Though their initial enthusiasm faded, doing tasks was their work and way of life.
So, many would continue to explore the wild, as this bounty task didnât conflict with other tasks. They could simply complete it alongside their other tasks.
Thus, this bounty task became a long-term task.
It might be impossible to find the target shortly, but you never know when you might suddenly complete it.
Yet, the Dimension Rift bounty was just one of many recent events, and now it wasnât even headline news.
Initially, everyone was happily busy with preparations for the Divine Presence Festival and did not expect war to suddenly break out.
Not long ago, a shocking announcement appeared.
The Adren Royal Court formally declared that humans would engage in a new racial war against beastmen.
Racial war, an unimaginable disaster that could easily lead to extinction.
Even though people were within the Royal City, it didnât guarantee their safety.
The impact of war is vast, and safety issues are just one aspect.
For instance, in Tarata, civilians have already begun noticing a continuous rise in food prices in recent days.
Various resources seemed to be becoming scarce, City Guard Army patrols increased, and it took much longer to get through the city gates with questioning.
The inconvenience in daily life made people start to feel tense.
Emotions are like a tightly-stretched string, ready to snap violently at the slightest provocation.
In fact, for Tarata residents, knowing all this is actually considered quite late.
In this slow information-transmitting environment, by the time these civilians knew about the impending war, the frontline might already be engaged.
Some well-informed people said their intelligence indicated a significant invasion had already started by beastmen in the kingdomâs Northern Territory.
Currently, the fire of war had spread to three human Duchies, sixteen cities, and millions of people suffering.
As the leader of the human race, Adren must stand up to the Beastman Kingdom at once. It is the Royal Courtâs inescapable duty.
Therefore, market transactions have surged significantly in recent days.
People rushed to purchase living supplies, fearing the warâs spread.
Mercenaries were also eager to try. Usually, such wartime is their opportunity to make hefty bounties.
Especially against opponents like the beastmen.
If it were other races, like the Gold-collar, the Mercenary Guild might not even issue corresponding bounties.
But dealing with those damn green-furred beastmen, thereâs nothing more to say.
On this continent, beastmen are the only race that couldnât get along with others. Even an enormous organization like the Mercenary Guild couldnât extend its power into them.
If a war breaks out across the continent, the beastmen will certainly be the opposing side of everyone.
These guys are like real beasts, only thinking about combat and slaughter.
The earlier peace was just because some deterrent forces made them hesitate to attack recklessly.
Now, for reasons unknown to the public, the beastmen launched another attack.
And they did so in full-scale war mode, plunging the situation into a heated phase instantly.