novelraw Chapter 200: Settlement of the Siege Battle Rewards—A Surprise from Lady Beheira?
Chapter 200: Settlement of the Siege Battle Rewards—A Surprise from Lady Beheira?
Chapter 200: Settlement of the Siege Battle Rewards—A Surprise from Lady Beheira?After that day's siege and defense battle ended, nearly two days had passed.
Lania City still hadn't erupted into any conflict;
the goblins had headed in that direction, but they didn't seem intent on launching a war immediately.
After all, the goblins suffered fairly heavy losses at Silverstream City that day.
Especially the loss of a single Silver-level Goblin—that was a significant blow to the goblin side.
Since the goblins made no immediate moves, Silverstream City likewise stayed on alert but inactive, waiting to see how things would unfold. So Lin Mo's past two days were fairly relaxed—a rare chance to rest properly.
Of course, as he had planned, "rest" didn't mean doing absolutely nothing.
First and foremost were the inevitable sparring sessions with Sherfilia.
Over these two days, Lin Mo spent at least five hours a day sparring with Sherfilia, then four to five hours meditating afterward.
Several related skill progressions had improved by quite a bit.
Lin Mo glanced at his current progress:[Fortitude] Lv6 (63/300)
In two days it gained 32 proficiency points, which was considerable, though still far less than what he had gained during the battle that night.
Practice, no matter how intense, ultimately couldn't match real combat.
And Sherfilia no longer fought with the ruthlessness she once did—she held back, afraid of injuring him.
However, Swiftness improved a bit more: it had just hit level 3 on the battlefield and then rose another rank during these two days to level 4.
"Skill [Swiftness] Lv3 (40/40) upgraded!"
"Current skill [Swiftness] Lv4 (0/100)"
[Swiftness]: Consumes a certain amount of qi and blood. You gain lighter steps, Movement Speed +13%, and you may consume additional qi and blood to gain an extra 26% instant burst speed!
At level 4, Swiftness already increased movement speed by 13%.
But Lin Mo rarely used the extra-effect of this skill.
Not because it was bad, but because he had even more useful skills—and more than one—namely the position-exchange effects of [Flash] and [Shadow Split].
Compared to those two powerful effects, Swiftness' instant speed boost seemed somewhat underwhelming.
Other skills used in sparring also gained small proficiency increases, like Shadow Strike and Swift Rushing Punch.
Besides killing monsters to gain proficiency, regular practice could still raise proficiency, though for Lin Mo this was painfully slow, so he rarely relied on it. 𝘙âΝO͍𝐛Еṣ
Then there was the very hard-to-practice [Primary Meditation Technique]. Even meditating four to five hours a day over the past two days resulted in only limited gains.
[Primary Meditation Technique] Lv3 (17/40)
"Uu—bad master, it's taking...”
A small tailed wolf outside the blanket mumbled in its sleep, its thin arm draped around Landon's waist.
Xi Piao casually grabbed that furry tail and gave it a yank;
the tail wobbled and the creature's hips dipped.
Landon's mouth twitched—he was getting more awkward by the day.
Lin Mo checked his status panel. After these two days' efforts, the [Joint Cultivation] skill progress had reached Lv4 (64/100), getting closer to level 5.
For a normal-tier skill, level 5 was the cap.
He patted at the bulge under the blanket, got up to wash quickly, and stepped outside the room.
Finnie had been helping out at the church for the past two days, so Sherfilia had stayed at the manor most of the time, which made it convenient for Lin Mo to train.
The maid was undeniably professional—when Lin Mo left his room each morning, she had usually just finished breakfast.
Today was no exception. When Lin Mo reached the hall, Sherfilia had placed two plates on the table.
Seeing Lin Mo descend, she bowed slightly and said softly, "Master, breakfast is ready. Please enjoy."
Her voice was flat, emotionless, but compared to pretentious performances, Lin Mo preferred this calm tone.
Sitting in the chair Sherfilia pulled out for him, Lin Mo ate slowly while Sherfilia stood behind him, just as she did when standing beside Finnie in the City Lord's Mansion.
"Today the City Lord's Mansion's accounting results should come out, right?" he asked.
"Yes."
Sherfilia nodded. "The Mansion sent someone over yesterday specifically to remind us. They asked that you visit the Mansion today to collect the rewards."
Finally...
Because this war was on such a large scale, the aftermath work was complicated. Priority had to be given to the deceased, so investigations and the accounting of contributions were delayed.
Lin Mo wasn't impatient, but he was looking forward to it—after all, he had put in a lot of effort and done much to earn merit.
And he was honestly a little broke. He had spent nearly all his money buying several elemental reagents and a Steel-Cleaving Sword.
He had only a little over two hundred gold coins left—practically penniless for someone like a Level 7 Mage.
After breakfast they headed straight for the City Lord's Mansion, Sherfilia trailing behind.
As for Ellie... she was probably still asleep. If she woke up late, there’d still be food on the table;
a quick reheat would do.
As for the reward accounting, Lin Mo would just collect her share and bring it back for her.
Leaving the manor, Sherfilia glanced up at Lin Mo's second-floor room, then quickly looked away and hurried to keep pace.
The weather was pleasant;
the sun shone just right.
Walking Silverstream City's streets and watching passersby, the previously stifling tension had clearly vanished.
Everyone's faces beamed with joy;
the city had returned to its usual bustling prosperity—actually more lively than before because many adventurers had poured in for this event.
Some who had come to profit from the goblin commissions left after things ended, but others, impressed by the city's construction and atmosphere, chose to stay.
This would undoubtedly boost Silverstream City's development.
After all, adventurers are, continent-wide, a relatively wealthy group. When they earn money here and spend it in the city, they help the Adventurers' Association handle tasks faster and drive the local economy.
Frankly, one adventurer could contribute more than ten ordinary civilians.
In this world, a city's prosperity is hard to separate from adventurers.
With the disaster just ended, citizens walking the streets discussed the events.
"Such a large-scale goblin siege and it was handled so easily..."
"When the City Lord told us to trust her and the soldiers, I scoffed. I didn't expect we wouldn't even catch a glimpse of goblins."
"Tell me about it. I even thought about fleeing. I got stopped at the gate and muttered some curses, but those guards didn't make things difficult..."
"If that were Lania City, they'd have thrown you in prison on the spot!"
"True... I later went to apologize. Of the three guards who brought me back then, only one remains now."
A hush fell over the crowd, then a chorus of sighs.
"We owe them..."
"Indeed. If they hadn't held the defensive lines with everything they had and stopped goblins from charging into the city, I can't imagine what Silverstream City would've looked like..."
"Our City Lord governs well. The guards train properly and are well-treated, so they're loyal and fight hard."
"They say nobles are no good, but compared to the Lawrence Family, our City Lord is kind and responsible."
"That's a fair point, but maybe we should avoid talking politics—after all, we're commoners."
These idle remarks drifted to Lin Mo's ears, but he paid them little mind—just listening for amusement.
He didn't want to be a lord or stake a claim over anything grand. He wanted to live well, increase his strength, take part in more adventures, see the world, and have a good companion by his side. That was enough.
"By the way, have you been sleeping poorly the past few days?"
He suddenly turned and looked at Sherfilia behind him.
"You seem a little off lately. Look—there are dark circles under your eyes..."
Lin Mo gently poked at her dark circles. Sherfilia stepped back two paces, her usual cold expression momentarily flustered.
She snapped back to composure, shook her head, and hurriedly said, "It's nothing. Please don't mind it."
"Alright."
Lin Mo wasn't the kind to pry if someone didn't want to say, but for some reason he felt that Sherfilia's reaction had been... shy?
Given his impression of the cold-faced maid, the idea of her showing shyness or timidity was hard to imagine.
"If you're tired, rest well. No sparring today," he added.
Sherfilia was about to reply when Lin Mo's next words stopped her mid-sentence.
"I'm taking a day off myself. Relax a bit..."
"Very well, Master."
They arrived at the City Lord's Mansion. Because today was reward accounting day, the Mansion was especially busy, with a crowd gathered at the entrance.
Logically there should be a queue, but judging by the crowd size, a queue might drag on until evening.
Lin Mo felt a headache coming on, but before long a maid came out to fetch them, leading them through a side door.
This wasn't because of connections. Even if he didn't know Finnie or Lady Behira personally, his outstanding performance in the battle alone had earned him preferential treatment.
Following the maid, they entered the Mansion's administrative area.
Lin Mo saw several large rooms, each set up with counters to help adventurers settle their rewards.
The guards were a separate system and wouldn't come here;
their rewards would be distributed directly through the military.
The office area was still crowded, though orderly thanks to attendants and maids. Long lines and loud voices filled the place.
Bored adventurers began to boast about their past deeds—who fought bravely, who’d faced powerful foes, then the conversation drifted to other difficult tasks they'd completed.
As they talked, attendants offered free tea for dry throats, though no alcohol was served to prevent troublemakers.
Passing through, Lin Mo was recognized by some adventurers who greeted him warmly.
After the recent major events, Lin Mo's fame in Silverstream City had risen considerably. He was no less known than Landon and had even surpassed the "Ten Heroes" of Silverstream City.
Though he didn't personally know most of them, Lin Mo smiled and nodded in response, not particularly adept at handling such attention, and soon left with the maid.
Given his contributions and strength, he was entitled to a private room and staff to handle his accounting.
By coincidence, when Lin Mo reached this "VIP" room, he saw Landon inside settling rewards.
No doubt: for such a large-scale enemy engagement, Landon's contributions as a Level 4 Mage would be significant.
After finishing his accounting, Landon was in high spirits, telling his companions, "With the skill I get this time, once I learn it I should reach level 5!"
"Awesome, Captain!"
"Impressive."
"Captain's amazing..."
While boasting, he saw Lin Mo walk in. Landon's smug expression froze.
If he hadn't seen Lin Mo, fine. But seeing him inevitably drew comparisons, and that hurt.
"You're here?"
Still, Landon's mindset wasn't terrible—knowing Lin Mo made it hard to stay resentful.
No matter whether it was him or Torren, they were in a different class from Lin Mo. Being overtaken repeatedly, one eventually learns to accept it.
As a bard once said: "When someone is a bit stronger than you, you may envy, hate, or resent them. But when someone far surpasses you, those feelings fade into calm."
"Yeah."
Lin Mo nodded and bumped fists with him. "I'll wait for you. We'll pick rewards together later."
People who contributed like Landon and Lin Mo wouldn't only receive gold—skill scrolls and equipment were also part of their rewards.
Those allowed into this area were few, so Lin Mo had no need to queue. As soon as he entered, it was his turn.
First was Ellie's reward.
"Confirm adventurer identity: Name Elllie, Team: Silver Radiance Team. Based on recorded data, contribution approximates: killed 230 normal Goblins, over 20 Sub-adult Mutated Goblins, 10 Adult Mutated Goblins, 3 Quasi-Bronze Goblins, 1 Bronze Goblin!"
Although far from matching Lin Mo, this was still a very impressive record.
Most Level 2 or even Level 3 Warriors couldn't reach these numbers.
Ellie even over-leveled and killed a Level 3 Bronze Goblin.
It could only be said Lin Mo had trained her well.
"Calculating rewards from above data: recorded as completing three E-rank missions;
monetary reward 214 gold 20 silver;
and a choice of either three excellent-grade pieces of equipment or one excellent-grade warrior profession skill scroll."
Lin Mo considered it. The two choices were probably similar in value.
Ellie didn't particularly need excellent-grade gear, so a skill scroll might be more useful. He could learn it, and once Ellie mastered it, she could sell it later...
Speaking of scrolls, he had a scroll stored at the auction house—he wondered if it had sold in the meantime.
He would check later.
After collecting Ellie's reward, one scroll remained unchosen—he'd pick it when he went later.
Lin Mo placed the gold into his Spatial Ring for now.
Next it was his own reward accounting.
"Confirm adventurer identity: Name Lin Mo, Team: Silver Radiance Team. Based on recorded data, approximate contribution is..."
The clerk faltered, thinking the magic ledger had glitched. After triple-checking, she continued, "Approximately: over 3,000 normal Goblins killed, over 200 Sub-adult Mutated Goblins, over 80 Adult Mutated Goblins, over 50 Quasi-Bronze Goblins!"
She paused, swallowing hard as she read the rest of the record.
"Over 50 Level 3 Bronze Goblins killed, eight Level 4 Bronze Goblins, four Level 4 Giant Goblins, one Level 5 Bronze Goblin, one Level 5 Giant Goblin... one Level 7 Lord-tier Silver Goblin!!!"
By the time she finished, the clerk was stunned and nearly speechless.
From what she knew, the Silverstream City forces had only managed to slay one Lord-tier Goblin in this battle;
a second Lord-tier Silver Goblin—a Level 9—had almost escaped under its leader's command. To think that the remarkable achievements just recited were all credited to this one person...
She didn't know that the near-killing of that Level 9 Silver Goblin had also involved Lin Mo and the Sherfilia standing behind him.
Had Lin Mo not focused for a long stretch on hunting high-level goblins, his tally of normal and mutated goblins would have been even higher.
"Based on the above contributions, your final rewards are recorded as: completed ten E-rank missions, three D-rank missions! Monetary reward totaling 5,710 gold coins, plus four Exceptional-grade pieces of equipment and three Exceptional-grade skill scrolls!"
"About these rewards... I mean the equipment and scroll portion—can they be exchanged for other tier rewards?"
Lin Mo mainly wanted more choices in skills—rather than three Exceptional-grade scrolls, he'd prefer several lower-tier scrolls to pick from.
"This... I don't know. Please ask the responsible officer..."
Understandably—this clerk only handled accounting.
Lin Mo would directly ask Lady Behira.
Counting and gathering the gold took some time. Lin Mo placed the heavy stack of over five thousand gold into his Spatial Ring, waved to the clerk, and left the room.
At the doorway Landon stared at Lin Mo like a creature from another world.
He had guessed Lin Mo's record might be exaggerated—so he overestimated—but even that fell short of the reality.
As a mage, Landon's tally was already impressive among the Ten Heroes, but compared to Lin Mo it felt small.
Landon's Azure Orchid Team members behind him were dumbfounded and speechless.
They already knew Lin Mo fairly well—having been temporary teammates and done a few tasks together—and had seen his strength before.
But in just a short time, Lin Mo had become leagues beyond their previous impression...
"Come on, why are you all frozen? Let's go pick rewards."
Lin Mo waved to them and followed the maid guiding them to the Mansion's storage room.
They were familiar with this place;
they'd been here more than once.
As Lin Mo entered, he noticed Lady Behira's presence.
Given the importance of this matter, it was natural for the City Lord herself to oversee it.
Lady Behira gave Lin Mo a look.
Lin Mo understood at once. "You all pick first. I'm not in a rush..."
"Are you sure?"
Landon hesitated—if they selected items first, later people might miss out.
"It's fine. You go ahead."
Lin Mo waved her off, indicating it was okay. "I'll just look around."
"Alright."
After confirming it a few times, Landon stopped being polite and headed straight for the mage skill section.
His contributions earned him the usage-right to one Exceptional-grade spell scroll.
For Landon, Exceptional-grade magic was rare.
When he first met Lin Mo, he only knew [Wind Cyclone]. He'd already learned one more from earlier rewards;
this would be his third. As he said, learning this next one would push him to Level 5.
Exceptional-grade spells were hard to master, but Landon was a bit of a prodigy—give him some time and he'd grasp it.
Lin Mo took his time browsing.
Compared to his last visit, there seemed to be new items—likely part of Lady Behira's personal collection.
To win this goblin siege, Lady Behira had spared no effort;
in both finances and items she had paid a high price.
She had asked Lin Mo to be patient—what surprise might she have in store for him?