It had been roughly a month since I’d hunted that stray cowbird as part of my first non-location-specific quest.
I’d been really excited to do more after making five whole gold coins in one day, since I was convinced that these quests must be the best way to make money...but the reality turned out to be not quite so convenient.
It took six days before I managed to find another stray cowbird to hunt after that first one.
I spent each of those days looking around the rocky stretch past the abandoned road, and during the first three, I roped Ralph and Hester into helping me.
I started getting frustrated, since it felt like we were just wasting time, but eventually, I found and slew a second stray cowbird.
Unfortunately, it was a lot smaller than the last one. I only made three gold coins off of it.
Since it had taken six days to finish the quest, that ended up being a rate of five silver coins per day. And what’s more, I had to pay Ralph and Hester for their assistance for three of those days, which shaved off another six silvers.
In the end, that left me with a rate of four silver coins per day—the same amount I would have made if I’d just done location-specific quests throughout that period.
Considering the entire days I’d spent just searching for the monster, it was a much less cost-effective way to make money than the location-specific ones, which I could consistently complete by the evening. But I just couldn’t let go of that huge success I’d had with my first stray cowbird, and I kept chasing that high for the next month as I focused exclusively on hunting more of them.
All in all, I ended up making twenty-five gold coins that month—including the five I’d made with that first hunt.
Thanks in large part to that initial jackpot, I’d saved up a lot more than usual in a month’s time. The biggest earnings had come from the first stray cowbird, and the lowest had come from the second.
On average, I’d found about one stray cowbird for every four days of searching, and rewards ranged from three gold coins to five.
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been out of the question for me to have only made one gold coin off of that first quest, so I was really grateful that I’d started off on such a good foot.
If that first quest had taken me six days to complete—like the second did—I probably would have given up on hunting stray cowbirds altogether.
In any case, combined with my savings from previous months, I now had thirty gold coins.
I could buy that grimoire that costs two platinums now...but should I? I thought to myself.
I still wasn’t sure if I should prioritize helping Hester learn magic, or if healing Ralph’s knee should come first.
The two of them had made big strides in the past month, finally graduating from the rookie ranks, but they’d decided to keep hunting goblins. Part of that was due to Ralph’s leg, but it was also because they just weren’t at the level where they could complete bronze quests yet.
And, honestly, I was probably partly to blame for taking Ralph away for those first three days to help me find the stray cowbird.
If Hester could learn some magic, then they might have a chance of completing some location-specific quests. But the real reason they were so far from living up to their potential was Ralph—he had a powerful class affinity, but he wouldn’t be able to do anything until we healed his leg.
After much consideration, however, I decided to buy the grimoire.
Right now, subtracting their living expenses, Ralph and Hester were earning about five copper coins a day. If they could start doing bronze-level quests, their earnings would jump massively—potentially to three silvers per day.
That was a difference of roughly seven gold coins per month.
When I thought about that, I decided that the best course of action was to focus on helping Hester learn magic.
And, to be honest...I also just wanted to see some magic in action.
So, having made up my mind, I headed to the Seven Fortunes after delivering my latest stray cowbird.
I’d been so busy lately looking for stray cowbirds from morning till night that it’d been a while since I last paid the pawn shop a visit.
My one concern was that someone might have bought the grimoire in my absence, but I knew that I probably didn’t have anything to worry about. No backstreet alley shoppers were going to swoop in and buy a book that cost two platinum coins.
At least...I didn’t think they would.
“Welcome, come in,” said Lugentz. “Mmm...? Well, well, if it isn’t Chris. I almost forgot your face, boy.”
“Wish I could’ve come by to say hi more often, but my hands have been pretty full lately.”
“And yet here you are today, out of the blue. So, what brings you in? Just here for a gander?”
“Actually, I’ve come to make a purchase. I don’t suppose you still have that grimoire I was looking at?” I asked.
Lugentz looked surprised. “Y-You haven’t really come in today to buy that, have you?”
“I sure have.”
The moment I said that, Lugentz looked so delighted that he could have jumped up and clicked his heels.
I’d never seen an old man express his joy so nakedly before. I found myself leaning back a bit in surprise, despite myself.
“Thank you, Chris—truly! First you buy a book about some botanist you’ve never heard of, and now you’re buying that old grimoire from me? Looks like I can grow old in comfort after all, thanks to you, boy.”
“There’s no need to thank me. I’m not doing it for you, old man. I’m only buying these books because I want them.”
“Well, you’re still doing me a huge favor, so it makes no difference to me what your reasons are. Wait there a moment. I’ll bring it right out for you.”