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"I told you, I can do it! Even Kabala and his men combined are no match for me!"
"Do you really think they can't beat you? I said no! You are not allowed to go adventuring, and you are not allowed to be reckless and chase those thieves!"
"Then what's your solution? We can't just let it go. Tell me your plan!"
"Alright, that's enough! I will naturally find a way to resolve this."
The moment he pushed open the door, George saw the brother and sister who were in the middle of arguing.
"We have a customer!"
Seeing George walk into the store, the proprietor, Lucan Valerius, immediately stopped the argument.
Camilla turned her head to look behind her, her face revealing a look of astonishment:
"It's you. Are you here to buy something?"
She recognized George as the strange traveler who had almost been mugged by Kabala and his two cronies yesterday.
George shook his head and said with a smile:
"I am an adventurer. I heard at the inn last night that you were robbed and lost a very valuable item. I wanted to ask if you need any help."
"You? An adventurer... pfft."
Hearing George's words, Camilla covered her mouth, almost unable to hold back her laughter.
As the sister of the Riverwood Trader's proprietor, she had seen her fair share of adventurers. She had even accompanied her brother to Whiterun several times.
Therefore, she could be considered a girl who had seen a bit of the world.
She could tell with a single glance whether someone was an adventurer or not.
Looking at the outfit this young man was wearing—forget armor, he didn't even have a weapon—how could he possibly be an adventurer?
If she hadn't stepped in to help yesterday, he probably would have been beaten to a pulp by Kabala and those men.
"I was just planning to go to the inn's notice board in a few days to post a quest. Since you are an adventurer, that actually saves me the trouble."
Lucan sized George up and down, his eyes narrowing slightly, before he replied very politely.
To be able to open a general goods store in Riverwood all by himself, without any background or help, and to be able to raise his younger sister, he was not an ignorant man.
This young man in front of him, although he was dressed ordinarily, possessed a faintly exuded temperament, a manner of speaking, and a look in his eyes that made him feel he was not an ordinary person.
This world wasn't just filled with those warriors whose muscles were more developed than their brains. There were also mages who could use magic, and vampires and werewolves hidden in the darkness.
Therefore, one must never judge a person as weak just based on their appearance or the clothes they were wearing.
Perhaps one day you might meet an old man who seems to have trouble walking, yet he could summon lightning to strike you dead with a single wave of his hand.
If you see an innocent-looking little girl on a wilderness road, she might just be a vampire who has lived for over a thousand years.
However, even if this young man was just an ordinary young man who had resolutely joined this dangerous profession out of a yearning for adventure, it didn't matter.
One must bear the consequences of one's own choices. Ignorance must pay the price for ignorance.
This was also a good chance to let his sister Camilla see the consequences of being an adventurer, to dispel her dream of always wanting to be one, so she could obediently settle down and get married.
In truth, after the Golden Claw was stolen, he hadn't originally planned to look for it.
Because he knew why the Golden Claw had been stolen.
When he had acquired this item at a high price, he knew that it was related to that Bleak Falls Barrow near Riverwood.
It was said that it could be used to enter the depths of Bleak Falls Barrow and obtain the ancient Nord treasures within.
However, out of a sense of caution, he had ultimately abandoned that plan, merely keeping it as a prized collector's item.
When thieves infiltrated the store two days ago, they hadn't taken anything valuable, only stealing the Golden Claw. He knew right away that it must be related to the treasure in Bleak Falls Barrow.
Bleak Falls Barrow had already claimed the lives of countless adventurers. He estimated that those thieves would also find it difficult to survive, and the Golden Claw would naturally be lost.
It was just that Camilla kept insisting on going to Bleak Falls Barrow to find the thieves and retrieve the Golden Claw.
Therefore, to placate Camilla, he had been thinking of posting this quest at the inn in a few days—a quest he estimated no one would accept.
If an adventurer really did accept the quest and manage to retrieve the Golden Claw, he would naturally be overjoyed. He was still very fond of that collector's item.
"The item I lost is a golden, palm-sized dragon claw. It is most likely in the hands of the bandits near Bleak Falls Barrow.
"If you can help me retrieve it, I am willing to pay you 3,000 Septims!"
"Alright, I accept this quest."
George nodded his head without the slightest hesitation.
Three thousand Septims was not a small sum. Converted to his previous life, it probably had the purchasing power of over a hundred thousand.
This was mainly because, although gold was valuable in this world, it was not as valuable as it had been in his previous life. The truly valuable things in this world were magical materials and rare ores.
In reality, Septims were gold coins. If you melted down three thousand Septims, you could definitely forge an even larger decorative dragon claw.
"Are you insane? He can't possibly complete this quest! You'll get him killed!"
Camilla looked at her brother in disbelief.
Lucan spread his hands.
"He is the one who took the initiative to accept the quest. He's an adventurer, and an adventurer's life is just this dangerous.
"Now you don't have to go catch the thieves yourself."
"Fine. At the very least, I can be his guide. This gentleman probably doesn't even know the way up the mountain."
Camilla replied, gritting her teeth. She was unable to refute her brother.
Lucan nodded.
"You may, but you are not allowed to go beyond the town's boundary. You can only go as far as the bridge."
Camilla angrily pushed the door open and walked to the entrance. Seeing George follow her out, she took a deep breath, her expression becoming very serious:
"What I'm about to say might hurt your pride a little, but I think for the sake of your own life, you should give up this quest."
"Well... actually, I do have a tiny bit of confidence in my own strength."
George knew that Camilla meant well, so he did not get angry.
It was just like if you wore a beggar's outfit and tried to barge into a high-end hotel, and you were stopped by the hotel staff; that would be a normal situation.
They were just doing their jobs. There was nothing to say.
To feel resentful and retaliate against someone over such a thing would be far too petty.
Besides, Camilla was, in fact, concerned for his life.
"That's Bleak Falls Barrow! Not only is the outer area infested with bandits and wild beasts, but the inside is also said to be filled with hordes of terrifying draugr and deadly traps.
"I have never heard of any explorer or bounty hunter coming back alive from there.
"With a small physique like yours, I'm afraid you wouldn't even be able to climb the outer snowy mountain before you freeze to death or get eaten by snow wolves!"
Camilla thought that the "weak and ordinary" George was just unable to back down because of his pride, so she immediately relayed all the information she had gathered over the past few days.
George looked at Camilla with some surprise:
"Then why did you still want to go yourself?"
If Camilla knew that Bleak Falls Barrow was so dangerous, why was she still arguing about going?
Camilla's face flushed red, and she explained:
"I know my own limits. I was just deliberately saying that to provoke Lucan, to make him spend more money to hire the powerful Companions from Whiterun.
"That way, they can completely clear out those bandits infesting the outside of Bleak Falls Barrow, and I could also see if I might have a chance to join the Companions."
(End of this chapter)