After returning from the bathhouse, Orum lay on the soft bed at the Oak Inn, his mind unable to calm down for a long while.
So he started practicing his swordsmanship.
Orum had his eye on the spacious backyard of the Oak Inn. The environment here was quiet and secluded, backed by mountain forest.
The building blocked the view from the street, free from any disturbances.
After discussing with Sophia, Orum made the Oak Inn's backyard his exclusive sword practice ground.
He practiced only one thing: the Combat Technique, Thrust.
Staring ahead at the empty air before him, Orum suddenly lunged forward, his wooden sword instantly transforming into a blurred afterimage in his grip.
In the next instant, the sword tip shot out like a venomous snake, precisely stabbing toward the center of his imaginary enemy's forehead.
After a few brief breaths, Orum's body suddenly pivoted, his form blurring again, leaving behind an afterimage where he stood.
His real body had already shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, launching another thrust in the opposite direction from before!
[Combat Technique: Thrust Proficiency +1]
[Combat Technique: Thrust Proficiency +1]
[Combat Technique: Thrust Proficiency +1]
...
From three in the afternoon until six o'clock, a full three hours, Orum didn't rest for a single moment.
As soon as his limbs recovered even a trace of strength, he would unhesitatingly activate the combat technique again, grinding away at his proficiency.
This nearly self-destructive, insane training method would have broken an ordinary person's body long ago.
Thanks to the physical enhancement brought by the two monster organs, [Ancient Tree Heart] and [Goblin Tendons], Orum's flesh seemed like a tempered steel body.
He didn't feel severely uncomfortable, but rather had a vague sense of exhilarating satisfaction.
Under this repetitive practice, his Thrust combat technique's proficiency skyrocketed.
When Orum finally stopped, the proficiency progress on his status panel had advanced from LV1 to LV2.
[Combat Technique: Thrust]
[Current Combat Technique Level: LV2 (11/100)]
The LV2 Thrust covered one step more distance than LV1, and it was faster too, nearly able to execute a thrust in the blink of an eye.
"At this rate, I'll master Thrust in no time."
Looking at the significant improvement in his Thrust combat technique, Orum felt a surge of immense satisfaction.
The three hours of sweat and effort had all been worthwhile.
After finishing his practice, Orum walked to the well in the backyard and personally drew up a bucket of cool well water with the wooden pail.
He then entered a simple wooden shed in the backyard, using a wooden ladle to scoop water and wash away the sticky sweat from his body.
This had also been arranged with Sophia. He spent a little money to rent the backyard shed specifically for Orum to clean himself.
This way, Orum didn't need to run to the town bathhouse every time he wanted to bathe.
Having to wait in line each time was too troublesome, and it was easy to cause misunderstandings and attract gossip from the neighboring townspeople.
If rumors like "The Bathhouse Jackhammer" or "Friend of Succubi" started spreading, even the innkeeper Sophia would start looking at him differently!
After washing up and changing into a fresh set of clean cloth clothes, a hunger as overwhelming as a landslide instantly swept through Orum's abdomen.
This hunger hadn't been obvious during his trek through the Misty Forest.
Along the way, he'd eaten quite a bit of the dried rations from his pack, constantly replenishing his energy.
But now, after three hours of continuous high-intensity practice, the energy provided by those rations had been completely depleted.
Add to that the fact that this body had long been in a state of malnutrition, and all these adverse effects suddenly erupted, giving Orum an almost unbearable feeling of hunger.
Returning to the Oak Inn's tavern hall, Orum had just found a seat when a mug of slightly foamy beer was delivered to his table.
"Adventurer sir, this beer is complimentary from the inn, provided free of charge."
Sophia's sweet voice rang out. She was always so charming and intoxicating.
"What would you like to eat tonight?"
"One signature meal set... no, make it two, and please bring them as soon as possible."
Orum looked at the menu on the table and found that only the signature meal set came with meat, and it was shockingly expensive, a full 2 silver coins per serving.
Two silver coins equaled two days' labor wages for a laborer in Blackwater Town.
In this world, meat clearly hadn't shed its luxury goods status to become a fast-moving consumer good that the masses could enjoy.
"Looks like five gold coins won't even cover this month's meal expenses," Orum mused internally.
The productivity level of this world was really quite dismal, and Orum found it hard to accept.
"When I have enough power, I'll change all this. At the very least, I'll make sure ordinary people are no longer malnourished and have meat, eggs, and milk at every meal."
Orum recalled his predecessor's childhood of hunger and chronic illness, and sighed deeply to himself.
Before long, two generously portioned plates were placed before Orum.
On each plate sat a large piece of roasted pork ribs. The skin was roasted crispy, the edges bearing some charred bits from grilling, the surface brushed with a bit of honey.
Oil glistened as it dripped down the spaces between the ribs, the meat's aroma instantly filling the air.
Besides the ribs, the meal set also included a small bowl of raspberry jam, a palm-sized piece of coarse wheat bread, and a small whole wheat muffin.
When the two meal sets were served and Orum bit into the roasted pork ribs, the fresh fragrance of the roasted meat exploded on his taste buds.
The scalding meat juices mixed with the honey's sweetness filled his mouth with fragrance.
Orum almost wondered if his tongue had broken, because this simple serving of roasted pork ribs actually made him want to cry!
So it really was like in anime: when people eat delicious food, they glow!
Like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, Orum demolished both meal sets, leaving only snow-white bones on the plates.
"Ha!"
Draining the mug of beer on the table, Orum held his belly and sank into that sage-like state of contentment that comes after being well-fed.
Orum had to admit that the past few days of roughing it in the forest, eating such terrible food, had infinitely lowered the threshold of his taste buds.
Now, by comparison, the food Lila made was practically a delicacy fit for kings.
Even though this meal cost a full 4 silver coins, Orum didn't feel it was a waste, because it was absolutely worth it.
After his meal, Orum casually picked up a copy of the "Kingdom Gazette" from the corner of the tavern and began reading the recent Blackwater Town news.
[Recently, goblins have become rampant, with powerful individuals appearing frequently.
The number of missing novice adventurers has surged. Female adventurers must not enter the Misty Forest alone...]
Seeing this prominent front-page news, Orum immediately recalled that in the depths of the Misty Forest, there had indeed been a shocking number of goblin settlements, truly deserving the description of rampant infestation.
The surge in goblin numbers had both pros and cons for low-level adventurers, a double-edged sword.
It increased the danger of missions, but also provided an abundance of mission targets.
At least for a long time to come, Orum wouldn't need to worry about not being able to accept missions.
Low-level monster extermination tasks might even be so plentiful he couldn't finish them all.
Orum's gaze moved down as he continued browsing the "Kingdom Gazette":
[Bank heist... three-member phantom thief gang remains at large, lost gold coins exceed one million...]
Orum paused when he read this.
"Did these three thieves split the loot evenly? How could the three of them carry away one million gold coins?"
In the Kingdom, the most common circulating gold coin issued by banks was the "Dragon Coin," with the king's portrait on the front and a dragon on the back.
Each coin weighed 3.5 grams. One million of them piled together would weigh 3.5 tons.
Unless they had a massive spatial bag, Orum found it hard to imagine how three thieves could steal 3.5 tons of gold coins.
[A rogue corrupted druid is rampaging through the Verdant Court. Adventurers should avoid the area for now.]
"This world really isn't peaceful," Orum sighed softly.
Though traditional druids typically represented nature and peace, fallen druids possessed destructive power that sometimes even exceeded demons from hell, because they better understood how to tear apart and destroy the balance of nature, causing deep-rooted, irreversible damage.
He continued reading.
[Husband returns home to find two pairs of strange men's shoes outside his door...]
Orum was halfway through when he realized something was off. "Holy crap, newspapers have serialized fiction in them?"
"And it cuts off partway through? You have to buy the deluxe hardcover edition to continue reading? What kind of twisted magazine company is this?"
Orum harshly criticized it for a while, then read on with great interest.
...
The dinner bustle stretched from dusk into night, lasting a full three hours.
When darkness fully descended and the nine o'clock bell rang, the back kitchen's work finally ended.
Lila removed her cook's hat and walked straight to Orum's side. As if discovering something unexpectedly delightful, she said with some pleasant surprise:
"Mr. Orum! Were you waiting for me?"
"Yes, Miss Lila. Your cooking is so delicious, it's simply the most wonderful food I've ever tasted in my life."
Orum smiled and closed the newspaper in his hands.
He truly wasn't lying. Since crossing over to this world, aside from these two meal sets Lila had made, Orum really hadn't eaten anything remotely decent.
"You're too kind."
Lila's cheeks flushed slightly. Though her words were modest, the corners of her mouth curling upward had already betrayed the joy she couldn't hide in her heart.
"To be honest, I'm new to Blackwater Town and don't know anyone here. There are some people and items I want to find but have no idea where to start.
Miss Lila, do you have well-connected channels?" Orum said, then added:
"Of course, I'll pay you the compensation you deserve."
Hearing the word "compensation," Lila's eyes immediately lit up. The fatigue from a long day's work vanished from her expression, replaced by a vitality activated by wealth.
Lila raised her head slightly and said confidently:
"I can't speak for other places, but in Blackwater Town, whether it's finding people or things, I have my ways! Just tell me what you're looking for."
As she spoke, Lila suddenly lowered her voice. "As long as it's not too sensitive and doesn't break the law."
"It's not illegal, all very wholesome and aboveboard." Orum waved his hand and began listing his targets one by one:
"First, I want to find an adventurer or sword master who has mastered the combat techniques [Sword Dance] or [Jade Slash]. I hope to learn from them and master these two combat techniques."
"Second, I need a unicorn horn. I've heard such items are extremely rare and hard to find, even at auction houses."
"Lastly, I want to investigate historical records about Roan City from a hundred years ago."
For safety reasons, Orum concealed his true purpose from Lila: seeking necromancy school spellcasting materials and exploring the ultimate fate of that powerful necromancer's body from a hundred years ago.
After all, necromancers had an extremely bad reputation in this world.
On the surface they had a terrible name, and in reality everyone wanted them dead.
If Orum spoke frankly and said he needed necromancy school spellcasting materials and wanted information about a historical necromancer,
Even the dullest person would think he had a problem, a big problem, and was one hundred percent a potential necromancer seed who must be killed immediately.
So Orum took a huge detour.
Following the plan he'd discussed with the skeleton, he requested the "unicorn horn," a rare item that sounded noble yet relatively "harmless."
It could both satisfy the skeleton's need to restore soul power and wouldn't arouse any unnecessary suspicion or attention.
Watching Lila's thoughtful expression with slightly furrowed brows, Orum knew his disguise had succeeded.
Lila thought for a moment, her brow relaxing slightly as she answered, "These tasks have some difficulty, but they're not hopeless."
"Regarding finding a sword master, I can keep an eye out for you. But people's whereabouts are quite random.
If luck is good, there'll be results quickly. If luck is bad, there's nothing I can do."
"As for the unicorn horn, I can ask my friend in Roan City to keep close watch. There'll definitely be an answer within one to three months."
Lila bit her lower lip lightly, pondering for a while before saying, "However, regarding historical records, I really know nothing about that.
Moreover, the Kingdom seems to control historical records extremely strictly. Only professionals are qualified to borrow them, and commoners are strictly forbidden from keeping them privately."
"So regarding finding historical records, I'm afraid I can't help Mr. Orum much."
"It's fine, Miss Lila. Being able to accomplish the first two things already helps me tremendously."
Orum said warmly, appearing calm on the surface, though internally he already had a clear target.
Since the Kingdom didn't allow private possession, there must be a massive royal library somewhere, filled with forbidden historical records.
When the time came, he just needed to find an opportunity to break in and flip through all the books. Wouldn't the events from a hundred years ago then become crystal clear?
Orum and Lila talked for a while longer, settling on the amount of compensation.
He'd pay 5 silver coins upfront as a deposit, and Lila would receive another 5 silver coins for each target successfully located.
After their discussion concluded, the two casually chatted about amusing anecdotes among adventurers.
Before they knew it, the time had reached ten o'clock at night. Lila finally couldn't hold out anymore and yawned. She still had to wake up early for work tomorrow.
Naturally, Lila didn't live in the comfortable Oak Inn, but rather in a more modest, cheaply rented single room outside town. It took half an hour on foot to reach it.
"Good night, may you have peaceful dreams, Mr. Orum." Lila bid Orum farewell with a bow, pushed open the tavern hall's doors, and stepped into the night on the street.
Orum's gaze lifted, watching Lila's slightly weary yet still upright back as she departed.
He couldn't help but ask, "Why do you work so hard to earn money?"
Hearing Orum's words, Lila's footsteps paused slightly. She thought about it, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, her eyes sparkling with longing.
"Because earning money makes me happy. The more my savings grow, the more things I can do, and the more secure I feel inside.
The richer I become in the future, the less I'll need to obey anyone's orders or care about anyone's moods."
"Mr. Orum," Lila smiled, revealing a set of clean white teeth. "Isn't that what freedom is?"
"I see." Orum watched Lila's departing figure and said nothing more.
Though he sensed Lila's words concealed deeper reasons, he didn't continue pressing.
He wasn't planning to marry her. Why be so nosy?
Why interrogate her like a background check, forcing her to reveal all her sad experiences from childhood to now?
...
The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight shot through the window onto the bed, Orum bolted upright.
He had sword practice!