Chapter 51: 050 I will remember this favor.
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After that, Riley dragged a displeased Vivian upstairs.
I imagine they had a lot to talk about, right?
The guild members seemed to breathe a sigh of relief once Riley left, returning to their noisy state.
Meanwhile, Tielle, Lu Muya, and Merica stayed behind and approached Shane, who was still watching the direction Riley and Vivian had left.
Tielle spoke calmly and, with Lu Muya and Merica, walked out of the guild.
Shane withdrew his gaze and, staying near Tielle and the others, left the guild hall.
Once they left the guild and came outside, Shane was called by someone.
Lu Muya cautiously approached Shane for conversation.
Shane looked at Lu Muya.
Being stared at by Shane, Lu Muya immediately shrank her neck, seemingly reluctant to speak to Shane.
But in the end, Lu Muya gathered her courage.
“Th-this is for you!”
Lu Muya held a small bag in her hands, closing her eyes as she offered it to Shane.
Her timid and shy demeanor almost made Shane think this cute Beastman girl was offering him a love letter, confessing to him.
Unfortunately, what Lu Muya handed to Shane was not a love letter but a pouch of money.
Lu Muya stammered, unable to form a complete sentence, making people anxious.
Seeing this, Merica hesitated for a moment before speaking up for her.
“That was secretly given to us by President Riley just now,” Merica said softly. “I think this is likely intended for you.”
“I see.” Shane was momentarily stunned, looking at the pouch before realizing, “Outwardly, in front of everyone, she helped us dispel any future criticism, but in reality, did that president not intend for me to only receive a single gold coin as payment?”
This was what Shane thought.
However, he guessed incorrectly.
“That is not your payment,” Tielle said, her tone still calm. “Given the president’s style, it’s probably the aid money she’s giving you, right?”
“Aid money?” Shane could not grasp the meaning of this.
For this puzzled Shane, Merica explained once again.
“Actually, President Riley has always been supporting newcomers,” Merica said. “Newcomers often face difficulties due to external factors, such as not having enough funds to buy initial equipment or being injured and unable to afford magic potions for healing, leading to setbacks in adventures or even losses of life. Since taking office, President Riley has frequently proposed to the adventurer’s guild headquarters in the Royal Capital to establish a newcomer support mechanism to help them overcome initial challenges.”
Tielle had also mentioned that just like Vivian, Riley was someone who took special care of newcomers.
Shane finally caught a glimpse of how she was looking out for newcomers.
“This proposal has never been approved,” Merica said regretfully. “Because, if that were the case, there would be people who become adventurers solely for the newcomer’s allowance, only to quit or deliberately fail the one-month assessment after getting the money, using it for their indulgence rather than adventure activities, leading to significant losses for the guild.”
Therefore, this matter was unrealistic and unlikely to be approved.
Even if the aid was given not to newly assessed trainee adventurers, but to officially qualified newcomers, the distribution alone could impose a hefty financial burden on the guild.
After all, the condition to become an adventurer was merely reaching Level 10—a level where many existed in the world. Even if only one percent managed to pass the adventurer’s assessment and become official adventurers, providing aid money would still burden the guild.
Hence, this issue was left unresolved.
“But President Riley continued to aid newcomers in her own way. If she assessed someone to have enough potential to become an outstanding adventurer, she would aid them financially in her personal capacity,” Merica explained to Shane. “This isn’t much of a secret among adventurers, so this should be the aid money from the president for you.”
After hearing this, Shane was not surprised to feel astonishment.
“Is that president really doing such things?”
Shane had not expected this at all.
Tielle, however, expressed her view.
“The real reason that president came to the guild hall was likely to see you,” Tielle said blandly. “Otherwise, even if she is the president and the only daughter of a great noble, she can’t forcibly interfere in another’s team and meddle with internal reward distribution.”
In the end, how to distribute the rewards was up to the adventurers within the team themselves.
Although Riley’s intent was for Shane and Vivian, intervening in another’s team affairs in such a manner was improper, no matter how you looked at it.
Shane felt he should not receive such a large payment, so he saw nothing wrong, but others might find it unpleasant if it involved them.
Speaking of which, Vivian still looked a bit unhappy until the end and was probably questioning Riley now.
However, Riley’s appearance was not to stop Vivian’s distribution.
“Even if the president knew Sister Vivian well, she wouldn’t have expected her to distribute the reward directly in public, would she?”
Distribution of rewards does not necessarily have to happen publicly.
Vivian could have taken the reward with her team and left, distributing it in private. This way, no one would know how much Shane received, and no one could criticize.
“The president was not trying to prevent me from receiving too much reward and avoid disparagement. She came to see whether I needed assistance, but she happened to observe Vivian distributing the rewards publicly, felt it was inappropriate, and thus intervened?”
“It seems to be the case,” Tielle nodded and said, “From your actions and Vivian’s stance, the president determined you could be helped, so she secretly passed the funds to Lu Muya, who brought them to you.”
“Y-yes!” Lu Muya said nervously. “P-please accept it!”
Saying this, Lu Muya lowered her head, offering the pouch to Shane again in a manner akin to handing over a love letter, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Shane smiled slightly and finally accepted the pouch, opening it to glance at the contents.
What he saw startled Shane.
The pouch was filled with gleaming coins, at least a hundred pieces.
“It should include the amount taken from you earlier.”
Tielle provided Shane with an explanation.
A hundred gold coins, equivalent to a million copper coins, was akin to several million in the previous world.
“Even if it’s aid money, giving so much to a newcomer, is it really okay?”
Moreover, Shane had already decided not to take an excessive reward. If the pouch included the part just taken from him, Shane did not wish to accept it.
In response, Tielle offered only one sentence.
“Consider it as the president’s expectation for you; repay her in the future.”
This statement left Shane silent.
“All right.” Shane remained silent for a moment before finally saying, “I’ll remember this favor.”
Indeed, a fascinating woman.