After returning to the Surface, the group headed toward the tavern where they had rested earlier.

As they neared the street where the tavern was, Colin noticed many curious citizens lining both sides of the road. Most of them were cleaners on their lunch break, and there were even two Wandering Poets carrying lutes on their backs.

Seeing them approach, Kiran’s wife, who had been watching from the doorway, rushed over.

"Kiran, my... my Kiran..."

The tearful woman spoke in fits and starts. When she saw Kiran being carried by the others, her legs gave out and she nearly collapsed.

"He’s only been poisoned. He’ll be fine in a little while. If you can help massage his arms and such, he’ll probably recover even faster," the old Guard explained patiently.

Another Guard shouted to the crowd, "He’s all right! He’ll be back on his feet soon!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the crowd erupted in cheers.

Kiran’s wife was crying and laughing at the same time, barely able to form a coherent sentence.

The other cleaners shouted their thanks to Colin and the others, praising the dutiful City Guards.

The cheers drew the attention of others on the street.

Many onlookers gathered to cheer for the heroes. It was certain that this incident would soon become the talk of every tavern in Thousand Masts City.

Once the crowd’s excitement died down, the Guards asked where Kiran lived, intending to take him home. Kiran’s wife and a few cleaners joined them.

The group soon disappeared around the corner, their cheers trailing behind them.

"Sir, what’s your name? Who recruited you?" the old Guard who had stayed behind asked, looking at Colin. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Colin. No last name. Edwin Helder gave me this ring."

"Ah, the renowned Paladin! No wonder you’re so exceptional. Don’t worry, a full report of what you did today will reach his ears. You can expect a commendation from the City Watchers!" The old Guard smiled and patted Colin’s shoulder.

Just then, the young Guard, who had been silent all this time, spoke up.

"Brother, thank you for saving my life. You acted more like a defender of Thousand Masts City than I did."

He kept his head down, and you could hear a tremor in his voice. It seemed he still hadn’t recovered from the trauma of the Carrion Insect attack.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt.

The old Guard said sternly, "Don’t say such things in front of the citizens."

The City Guard partnership, Colin deduced, was a pairing of a veteran with a rookie. From the beginning of the operation, the old Guard had been the one giving orders and speaking. The young Guard was probably nervous from the start, and his composure only completely shattered after seeing that scene. His breakdown had led to Kase getting hit and losing his ability to fight. You could say the whole ordeal became so dangerous entirely because of the young Guard’s mistake, but Colin didn’t want to be too hard on him. He himself had been scared stiff when he saw that pile of bodies. His mind had been completely focused on killing anything that could threaten him. Everyone reacts differently when they’re terrified; it wasn’t a crime.

After a moment of thought, Colin said, "You’ve had formal training. With time and experience, you’ll definitely become a true City Guard. Today was just a minor incident, that’s all."

The old Guard looked at Colin and smiled.

He shook Colin’s hand solemnly and remarked, "Thousand Masts City needs more citizens like you. If we had more, the public order in the city would probably improve several times over."

Colin nodded, a little embarrassed.

And with that, the matter came to a close. The old Guard gave them their promised reward, then left with the other City Guards to handle the follow-up work.

It was now almost afternoon.

Colin and Kase’s mission to escort the cleaners had thus ended early.

Colin then gave Kase his share of the money he’d calculated.

The money from the past few missions, plus the sale of the giant rat tails, came out to about two Gold Coins and two Silver Coins. Colin took one Gold Coin and one Silver Coin from his pocket and handed them to Kase, planning to go to Horn Castle tomorrow to collect the rest.

After taking the money, Kase held up the glass tube and examined the Corpse-eating Worm Slime.

He muttered, "This stuff is seriously potent. Felt like only my eyeballs could move back there."

"See? That’s why armor is useful. You should really buy some gear."

"I’ve worn those iron shells before. No good," Kase said. "And even though you saved the day, I gotta say... you don’t understand Orcs."

"All right. Want to go spar a bit over at the Dwarves’?" Colin asked.

Kase yawned. "Nah. I’m still feeling a bit off. Gotta get some proper sleep."

"All right then. Let’s meet at the Black Heart Tavern tomorrow morning."

After saying goodbye to Kase, Colin hadn’t walked far before he stopped silently in the street.

He had originally planned to relax a little after finishing work.

But now Kase had gone home, and so far, he had no other friends in this Otherworld. The original owner of this body had been a loner, too. For a moment, he had no idea what to do.

’Guess I just have too much free time.’ Colin stretched lazily.

A strange sense of loneliness washed over him.

He silently looked up at the vast, cloudless blue sky... ’Maybe the next time I look up at the sky, I’ll be living in a mansion in the Inner City District, with a family and a career of my own.’

He thought for a while.

In the end, Colin didn’t go out to relax. He bought some bread and cheese from a tavern and returned to his attic apartment.

He took out all his money and piled it on the table.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but the pile of coins seemed to give off a faint glow in the dim sunlight.

’Compared to the empty blue sky and white clouds, these things are much more real.’

Staring at the Gold Coins on the table, Colin tapped a Copper Coin against the tabletop repeatedly.

’Counting what I’ll get from Edwin tomorrow, I’ve saved up seven Gold Coins now. It’s a hundred times better than when I was backed into a corner by a one-Gold-Coin rent payment.’

’So, should I move to the Inner City District now? Even though the cost of living there is high, if I’m frugal, seven Gold Coins could last me at least two months. But if I do that, it means I’ll go right back to struggling to make rent every day. The only real benefit would be escaping the terrible environment and security of the slums.’

Colin put down the Copper Coin and sighed deeply.

’Forget it.’

’Before, I was worried about getting dragged into a gang war, but now that I’m a field agent for the City Watchers, the gangs probably won’t dare to threaten me. Six Gold Coins can pay for over four months of rent in the slums. I won’t have to worry so much about rent, and things will be a little easier.’

’Instead of rushing to move into the Inner City...’

’...I’d be better off converting the extra money into equipment.’

’Better equipment means I can take on harder missions, earn more money, and get better rewards.’

’Moving into the city after my income is higher is the smart move.’

Having thought it through, Colin put his money away, gave a big stretch, and turned to tackle his unappetizing dinner.