"Is a minus a minus a minus?

I wondered what it would be like to receive a negative reward for a job request.
I asked a nearby guild employee about it.

...... We don't have a system, but I think it's possible if we work with the existing system.

"Existing system?

There's no rule that says you can't make a request for the delivery of coins, just that it doesn't make sense. There is no rule that says 'delivery of coins' should not be a request.

...... That's a good idea.
If you use the penalty system, you may be able to block non-payment.
It's not a reverse auction at all, it's just an auction.

"Minus 2500 Tel!

While we were talking about this, the price of the request went up.
Apparently, safe leveling is in high demand.
And ......

"Ma, minus 5,000 Tel!

When the price reached minus 5,000 Tel, the bidding finally ended.
However, this was only one bid out of dozens of bids.
Now that we have some idea of the market, the auction will be a little smoother, but ...... this auction is too long to see it through to the end.
I think I'll leave this to the guild members and take a break.
We'll hear the results in the morning.



Next morning.
When I checked the guild's requests, I found the results of yesterday's auction posted on one of the bulletin boards.
Average price, 4700 Tel.
Lowest price, 3000 Tel.
Highest price, 15,000.

It's a wild ride. ......

The highest price is out of this world.
The highest price was probably decided at the end or before the last auction, when there was nothing left.
However, there are some discrepancies in the dates because the requests of several days were put up for auction at once, but they are basically the same request.
I'm not sure if there is any systematic reason for such a difference in the prices.
I don't know. It's good to make money.
If we could create a system where the person in charge of dismantling gets priority for the last order, we would not have to worry about a shortage of staff.
As for the auction, it was only the first time that the price fluctuated wildly, but it will stabilize as the number of auctions increases.

Then, there is nothing to do.
The meat export is awaiting the completion of the ship, and the insulation material is in the process of detailed investigation, so there is nothing for me to do.
I'll just take a request from .......
I don't have a money problem, but I don't have time to waste.

Today's request is for the highest B grade.
It asks you to enter the demon realm, hunt down demons, and reduce the number of demons that try to get close to Photren.
But it doesn't sound like a very interesting request. Judging from the reward, it doesn't seem urgent either.
On hold.

"Are you looking for a request, Kaede?

I was about to move to the C-rank location to look for an interesting request when I was approached by a receptionist with an apologetic look on her face.
I don't remember her name, but she looks familiar.

"Yes. I was wondering if you had any interesting requests.

...... I don't know if it's interesting, but we're expecting an outbreak.

An outbreak?
If that's the case, you can call me as soon as you can.
There's no need to look apologetic or anything.

Any special circumstances?

Too many, too little time?
No. If that were the case, you'd be in a bigger hurry.
You should have been approached when I came into the guild, or even when I was at the inn.
Other than that, I can't think of any other reason .......

The location of the forecast is very far away.

"Far?

"Yes. It's very far.

Of course, demons don't always appear nearby.
That's why movement speed was required as a condition for defeating the outbreak.
There's nothing wrong with that.
Maybe it's on the other side of the planet?

How far are we from here and how many days do we have left?

Uh, about seven hundred kilometers. We're looking at about a week before it happens. ...... Actually, that's in another country.

A foreign country!
That sounds interesting.

What's the name of the country?

"The Republic of Neurel. There's an adventurer's guild over there, but it's a different organization. ....... It's going to be a big ask.

It seems that the political aspect is more troublesome than the distance.
But I guess that's the fun of traveling.

"Okay. I'll take it.

If some big problem arises, I can just force myself to run away.
In that sense, I can accept requests from outside the country rather comfortably.


Best of all, you won't find a more interesting request than this.

The guild is grateful for the offer.　It's great for the guild, but the Kaede Chamber of Commerce and ......

I'm sure Mercia will take care of it.

In the first place, the Kaede Merchant Association was created with the goal of being able to operate without me.
The management of the company is thrown to Mercia, and I'm only directly involved in it when we start a new business.
I don't want it to be a problem if I go abroad for a little ...... business trip.

"Okay. Now, before you change your mind, let's get the order!　I've got the location notes and the letter of introduction here!　Neurel's guild card is separate from Basis, so please be careful!

As she said this, the receptionist quickly processed the orders and handed me a bunch of boards with letters and maps on them.
It seems that preparations were underway even before I announced my order.
I wonder what she was going to do if I refused her request.
Oh well.
I'll go tell Mercia and the others about this.

I'm going to Neurel for a while.

I told Mercia as soon as I arrived at the trading post.

"Neurel ......?　Oh, you mean Neurel. It's a city with delicious fish. I can't believe you're going to another country. ......

"No, Neurel. No way.

...... Why?

It's just that outbreaks aren't limited to this country.

Not only Neurel, but you may have to travel to other countries more often in the future.
Thank God I don't have to worry about language.

The Chamber of Commerce is at .......

"Can you run ...... without me?

While anticipating the answer, I'll just ask.
It's more of a confirmation than a question.

"No, I'm fine!　I'll get it done!　...... By the way, how long will it take?

"A week at the most. I may stay longer.

Mainly because I feel like it.
I'll bring my anchor with me as usual, so I can come back if something happens.

It's not a distance you can normally travel back and forth in a week. ...... I understand!　Leave it to me to take care of the Chamber of Commerce!

Now, Mercia will tell everyone that I've left.
It's not like I'm moving, so there should be no need for me to greet people here and there.
I'll just pack up my stuff in an item box so I don't have to prepare anything. ......
Okay. Let's go.

I exit the city through the gates and take out a map from the stack of boards they gave me.
The border with Neurel seems to be a long way inland from Fautren, beyond Herrera.
I speed up, trying not to lose sight of the landmarks on the road.
It's a long way across the country.
I'm careful not to exceed the speed of sound, so the flight itself is monotonous, but it's quite fun to fly while looking at the scenery.
Unlike airplanes, there is nothing to block your view, which is also a big advantage.

...... almost there.

I found a town just before the border, and quickly slowed down my speed and altitude.
In terms of the route, I could just keep going straight, but I couldn't just plow through the border from the air.
I need to get a guild card for the other side, and I need to go through the immigration procedures.
If the currency is different, you'll need to change money.
I flew slowly at low altitude to the border town of Kazaniak, and presented my guild card to the gatekeeper.

Welcome to Kazaniak!