Chapter 68: CH. 68 | Recon at Yuraja Mine

After paying the money, Theo left the shop and walked along the village’s main road.

He asked some villagers who happened to pass by, and they told Theo where the village chief, Lanar, lived.

After getting clear information, Theo hurried there to meet the village chief. From a distance, Avara flew back and immediately perched on Theo’s shoulder.

Theo smiled and gently stroked her head before continuing to walk.

They eventually arrived in front of a simple wooden house, where a middle-aged woman was outside taking down some laundry.

When Theo arrived, her attention was drawn to him.

"Hello."

"Hello," Theo greeted her. "Can I meet Chief Lanar?"

"Do you have some business with my husband?"

"That’s right. I’m an adventurer from Aluric City," Theo replied, handing her the guild mission paper to convince her. "I’m here to collect Claukgard materials."

"Claukgard? That means you have to enter their nest," the woman replied.

While Theo was talking with her, his attention was drawn toward the door of the house. The door opened, and a man came out with a wooden cane on one side.

Theo glanced downward and noticed that the man’s right leg was missing, or rather, it was disabled. The woman turned around and walked toward her husband, handing him the letter.

"Oh, you’re an adventurer from the city? Do you already know where the entrance to the Claukgard is?" the man asked, looking cold.

"I’ve already asked several villagers. I think I have a rough idea of what the place is like."

The man handed the letter back to Theo and wished him the best. Theo thanked him, but he also explained that this wasn’t the reason he had come to their house.

"I heard you were offering a reward to anyone who brings back the girls who were kidnapped by those monsters."

The man in front of Theo let out a quiet sigh and turned around. He seemed indifferent toward Theo and didn’t even answer his question.

The middle-aged woman escorted her husband back inside the house.

What was that attitude about? Doesn’t he intend to save them?

Feeling that he wasn’t going to get a clear answer, Theo decided to leave. However, he stopped again when the woman called out to him. Theo turned around and walked closer.

"I’m sorry about my husband. He feels guilty about what happened," the woman explained.

"I can understand that," Theo said. "As the village leader, of course he wants to do his best for his people."

"We really are offering a reward. It isn’t much, but it would mean a lot to us if you could save them," the woman replied.

A moment later, she handed Theo a piece of paper containing the names of twelve girls who had been kidnapped by goblins and kobolds over the past few months. Theo accepted it and read through the names.

"My husband once tried to enter, but they failed, and he was forced to cut off his leg after it became infected with poison," the woman explained. "I don’t know how capable you are, but if you can help us, we would all be very grateful."

Theo had indeed obtained their names, but he hadn’t decided whether he would save them as well. He had to consider the risks he would take if he recklessly attempted to rescue them.

Tonight, he had to carefully finalize his plan.

"All right. I’ll do my best. However, don’t expect too much, because my main task is to collect Claukgard."

"Of course," the woman replied. "We don’t mind."

After obtaining the information, Theo said goodbye and decided to head toward the mine.

According to the villagers, it took about thirty minutes to walk from the village to the mine. The mine was located deep inside the forest.

He passed through the village gate and entered the forest. He still had enough time to scout the area before returning to the village before nightfall.

Since the area was already safe and there was no one around, Theo turned around and asked Avara to change her form.

In an instant, Avara flew up and transformed into a human.

"What did you find?"

"The mine is quite large, and it’s also deep. I flew low and smelled a horrible mixture of sweat, blood, urine, feces, and sulfur. I couldn’t stay there for long," Avara said.

"There are three entrances into the mine, but only one of them is the largest. Zay and the others are also around the mine," Avara replied.

Theo glanced at her briefly. "So, you didn’t encounter them? The dark goblins and kobolds?"

Avara shook her head. She guessed that Dark Goblins and Kobolds were nocturnal monsters, so they were probably resting and sleeping at this time.

That was why Avara hadn’t found a single one of those monsters while scouting the area.

Theo had suspected as much. He had obtained valuable information about the mine from Avara. However, when he arrived there, the sight of the abandoned mine became even clearer.

His eyes looked downward and saw Zay and his party gathering the materials they needed. No monsters were attacking them, and they were doing it with ease.

The Claukgard are inside the nest. However, out of the three entrances, I don’t know which one leads directly to the mine where the Claukgard are.

Theo came up with an interesting idea. He turned and looked at Avara. He would use Avara to scout the area later that night.

That was because Avara’s crow form was no different from an ordinary crow, so neither the kobolds nor the Dark Goblins would notice her.

"I want you to stay here in your crow form. Make sure you find out which entrance they come out of," Theo said. "I’m worried that one of the three entrances might be a trap."

"Here? In this smelly place?" Avara asked in shock.

Theo pointed behind him, directly toward the forest. He explained that Avara only needed to wait there until a kobold or goblin appeared, then fly closer to the mine and perform a quick scan.

After finishing her scouting, Avara could return to the village and enter Theo’s room. Theo would leave his room’s window open that night as a sign that it was his room.

"All right. I’ll do it, but I won’t like it," Avara replied.

She waved her hand and transformed her body back into a crow.

Avara immediately flew away from the mine, where the evening light on the western horizon was beginning to fade, giving way to the darkness of night.

It’s too dangerous here... I should go back and wait for Avara.