Ch 100 -- The Earth Dragon Can't Be Dissassembled.

As soon as we arrived at the Adventurers Guild the receptionist hurried off to fetch the Guild Master who then accompanied us to the warehouse where Johan-ojisan had been hard at work.

"Ah, you're here? I'm done with the first lot of Wyverns for ya." Johan-ojisan looked tired but there was a smile on his face. He was someone who enjoyed his job, it seemed.

"Here's seven lots of Wyvern meat, sonny, and two Wyvern skins and two manastones." Johan-ojisan scratched his bald head. "I dunno how you did it but it's the first time I've dealt with monsters where the blood's all been drained out. Made dismantling a lot easier though." Oh, bleeding. That was Sui's work.

"Sui drained the blood." I explained. I patted the bag by my side and Sui popped out.

"Is that a Slime?" Johan-ojisan peered closely at Sui who peered back at the bald-headed old man. "I didn't know Slimes could be used like that."

"Yes, Johan." The Guild Master chimed in. "If any Slime could do something like that then it's probably that Slime there. It seems to be really special."

"That's a shame." Johan-ojisan laughed. "If every party of Adventurers had a Slime that could drain blood it would make my job a lot easier." He shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter."

The mountain of Wyvern meat Johan-ojisan presented me with was huge as you might expect. Even with Fer and Sui to cook for I'd not be short of meat for a long time, and there was the meat from another six Wyverns to add to the reserve after this, of course. I also received two mana stones and two Wyvern skins from this first batch with three more of each to come once Johan-ojisan had dismantled the second batch of monsters.

I examined one of the mana stones closely. It had an strange feel to it, a flattened round stone about 20 cm in diameter with an odd dark colour. Mana stones are used to make magic tools and large ones like this trade for a very high price. I didn't really have an immediate use for it myself but I planned to keep it in reserve in case I got into financial trouble later. I was incredibly well-off right now but who knows what the future might hold?

The Wyvern skin was unbelievably thin like nothing I had ever felt before. It was dark grey in colour, very smooth and attractive. I could see why Wyvern skin was popularly used to make cloaks with and I was pleased I had already arranged for Lambert-san to make me just such a cloak.

"Regarding the purchase price," the Guild Master said, "I'd like to wait until Johan here has finished dismantling the rest of the Wyverns to summarise and pay you in one lump sum if that's fine with you?"

"That's fine." I agreed.

"Oh, that's right." the Guild Master said, remembering something. "I ought to give this to you now as a separate sum." He handed me 10 gold coins. "It's payment for that advanced potion from the injured Adventurer's party." The Guild Master laughed. "Well, since the party was a group of beginners it's actually a loan from the Guild which they'll pay back." He smiled and I suddenly thought of the payday loan sharks back home and I wondered what sort of interest rate he was charging them.

Potion? Oh, that was one of Sui's Deluxe High-grade Potions I had given him to treat the Adventurer poisoned by a Wyvern's sting. I completely forgotten about it. Was it really worth 10 gold coins?

"The potion you gave us was obviously much more effective than a regular advanced potion. The party are profoundly grateful to you for your assistance in saving their injured member. As for the price, I'm sorry I can't pay you what it's really worth but the party is, as I said, just beginners and I'd like to give them some help on this. They'd have to work for years to pay off such a big debt otherwise."

"No no, don't worry about it." I said. "I didn't pay anything for it myself after all."

"I'm intrigued as to where such potions can be got for free." the Guild Master said, furrowing his brow. Oops, perhaps I shouldn't have said that. "But there is an absolute ban on prying into your affairs so I'll let matters rest there." I would appreciate it if you did just that please. (Bitter smile). I can't tell you that Sui just makes those potions with no effort. I tried to change the subject.

"How much does each kind of potion cost?" I asked.

"A basic potion costs 5 silver coins, an intermediate level potion is is 1 gold coin and a high-grade potion costs 10 gold coins. There's also a special-grade potion above that costing 50 gold coins." the Guild Master explained. "Most Adventurers carry intermediate level potions at best, some higher-ranking Adventurers on a dangerous quest might take one or two high-grade potions with them. We usually keep a couple of high-grade potions in stock here just in case but it just so happened that we were out of stock when the Wyverns appeared."

"Doesn't the Adventurer Guild store any special grade potions?" I enquired.

"They're too expensive." the guild Master said with a frown. "The Adventurers Guild in the Royal capital might keep one or two in stock but nowhere else could afford to do so." Well, certainly 50 gold coins is a lot of money which would have to be repaid by any Adventurer who used such a potion. Beginning Adventurers wouldn't be able to pay that much back and even experienced Adventurers would have difficulty. A special grade potion was very powerful, apparently they could even reconnect severed limbs if it was applied promptly.

"Right then, I'll get out the rest of the Wyverns to get dismantled." I took out the remaining 6 Wyverns from my Item Box. Talking about the potions I had almost forgotten why I had come here in the first place.

"Hoi." Fer interjected. "Don't forget to get them to disassemble my last capture as well."

"Oh, that's right." Fer was talking about the Earth Dragon. I had sort-of forgotten about it, for some reason. Like not wanting to remember, probably... I'd rather just leave it in my Item Box forever.

"Oh, has Fenrir-sama hunted something interesting?" The Guild Master inquired, obviously intrigued.

"Well, you see... the fact is... ummm, Fer captured an Earth Dragon..."

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"I'm dreadfully sorry," the Guild Master said after a long interval. "but my ears just stopped working properly. I could have sworn you just said 'Earth Dragon' but you couldn't have, could you?"

"Ah, yes I did." I fired off a death glare at Fer but it bounced off him without effect, as usual. Another long sil