By late afternoon, even the Vixens could tell something had changed.
Solmere was… busy.
Not festival busy. Not emergency busy. Just alive in a way it usually wasn't.
Jax noticed it first as they guided the carriage from their newly completed home on the edge of town toward Barb's stables to return the rented steeds. This time, instead of retreating into the dimensional space, they chose to actually sit in the carriage seats and look out the windows.
Shops were open that were normally closed.
Street vendors lingered longer than usual.
Groups of unfamiliar faces clustered near taverns, guild postings, and inns—some clearly adventurers, others… not.
"This is weird," Bunny said, peering out the window. "For a non-holiday week, the town should be dead right now."
She said it with the confidence of someone who had lived in Solmere long enough to know its rhythms.
"Usually after a major holiday, even the merchants disappear," she continued. "They pack up, travel for months, then drift back in almost a year later."
Zee adjusted her glasses, scanning the crowd. "There are way more outsiders than usual."
Llandra leaned forward slightly. "And not all of them are adventurers."
That made the others pause.
She was right.
Some wore comfortable travel clothes instead of armor. Others looked more curious than cautious—heads tilted upward, eyes wandering like people seeing a place for the first time.
"…Tourists?" Nyxian guessed.
The word felt strange in Solmere.
They reached Barb's stables just as a swarm of children spotted the carriage.
The reaction was immediate.
They rushed in like a tidal wave.
"You're back!"
"You beat the dungeon in record time!"
"I heard you used summoned beasts and controlled them like walking zombies!"
"And you rode them home like zombie horses!"
A small boy tilted his head seriously. "Do zombie steeds eat brains?"
Nyxian's eyes lit up.
"Oh, absolutely," she said solemnly. "Which means you're all completely safe."
The kids froze.
"…Why?" one asked carefully.
"Because you don't have enough brains to eat."
There was a beat of stunned silence—
"HEY!"
"That's not nice!"
Nyxian laughed, grabbing a few of them and ruffling their hair. "Relax. I'm kidding."
The kids burst into laughter, instantly forgiving her and clinging tighter.
Barb approached with her usual steady stride, arms folded and lips twitching upward.
"Seems you lot have become local legends," she said. "I hear the haul you pulled from the Crystal Caves was… substantial."
Jax rubbed the back of his neck. "We had a plan. Executed it well."
Bunny grinned. "The plan was: bring Jax."
Zee nodded seriously. "And let him do all the work."
Jax shot them a look. "Hey."
"We worked as a team," he corrected. "Moved efficiently. Covered each other. Honestly? If we wanted, we could probably go back and try to clear it in a single day."
He said it casually.
Like someone suggesting a stroll.
Barb stared at him.
"You say that like it's something you'd do on a whim."
Jax shrugged.
Barb shook her head slowly. No wonder the guild's in an uproar, she thought.
"Well," she said aloud, "you should visit the guild soon. They're expecting you."
She turned to the girls. "All of you. The Vixens have earned quite the reputation."
The Vixens exchanged glances.
That… surprised them.
They paid for the rented steeds, and as Barb unhooked them, she wondered something.
"…So," she asked, "how exactly are you planning to move the carriage without animals now?"
Jax glanced toward Nyxian, who was still surrounded by kids.
"We've got our own steeds."
Barb followed his gaze.
Her eyebrow twitched. Her eyes lingered on the demon girl—Nyxian.
"…Right." She must be the one who can use the necromancy magic to summon shadow beasts.
After wrapping up business, they rolled back into town, now being pulled by Grim and Steed.
What they saw made even Jax pause.
Every one of his restaurants had a line.
Not a short one either.
Adventuring parties clustered outside, laughing, talking, waiting their turn.
He hopped out at the first stop.
Returned three minutes later.
Did the same at the second.
And the third.
Finally, Bunny leaned over. "What are you doing? You're not even staying long enough to cook."
"Oh, they don't need me," Jax said. "I just told them to prepare extra appetizers and hand out free samples outside."
"…Free?" Zee asked.
"Yes," he replied calmly. "Appetizers make people thirsty. Thirsty people buy drinks. Drinks have higher margins. The food pays for itself."
Nyxian blinked. "You're an adventurer who thinks like a merchant."
"I prefer 'merchant who happens to occasionally adventure,'" Jax replied.
They passed Brannic and Merriweather's shop next.
Groups were entering eagerly. Others left holding new gear, faces bright with excitement.
The town was thriving—especially for the off season.
Finally, they reached the Adventurers Guild.
They hadn't even stepped out of the carriage when the doors swung open.
The Guild Master strode out personally—flanked by officials and the familiar slime-girl receptionist, who was vibrating with excitement.
She pointed.
"It's them!"
The Guild Master smiled broadly.
"We've been expecting you," he said.
Then, with unmistakable emphasis—
"The Vixens."
And just like that, the quiet town of Solmere officially stopped being quiet.