Originally there were some messy footprints around here, but it rained several times in the past few days, and the specific shapes are no longer easy to identify.

"President, you said earlier that you were investigating the beasts' rampage. Is there any result?"

"Not at all. There has been no trace since that time." Makarov looked at Rhodes, "But now I have a little bit of a guess."

"Well...me too." Rhodes said in a low voice, feeling guilty, "If it was really caused by my magic going berserk, how much compensation would I have to pay?"

Seeing Rhodes' worried look, the president smiled and said:

"There is no need for compensation at all, because this area is an unclaimed land, and we cannot go to the king to pay a fine for such a trivial matter."

Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief and almost faced a greater economic crisis.

After walking some distance deeper into the forest, the two officially arrived at Porlyusica's residence, a tree house.

Rhodes looked up at the red apples hanging on the trees around him, then looked down at the bag of apples he was holding in his left hand, and suddenly felt that he was a little redundant.

"President..." Rhodes gave an ugly smile, "Why didn't you remind me?"

"Hahaha... It turns out that you can also show such an expression, it's so funny!" Makarov laughed out loud, like an old naughty boy.

After he had laughed enough, he said: "It doesn't matter what the gift looks like, as long as it comes from your heart!"

"It's so noisy!" The door of the tree house was opened roughly. "I can hear your annoying laughter from a hundred meters away. Makarov, can't you be quiet?"

Makarov greeted with a smile: "What's wrong with being lively once in a while? It's quite deserted to live here alone, isn't it?"

Porlyusica noticed Rhodes: "Your injuries should have been healed by now, right?"

Rhodes said quickly: "Yes, because I heard that you like peace and quiet, I have never dared to disturb you. Thank you for your help and care!"

"Huh?" Porlyusica was surprised that Rhodes spoke so fluently in Common Language, but she didn't ask in detail and only said,

"Now that you know, go back quickly. I said I hate humans."

"Don't be so heartless. This kid asked me to bring him here because he wanted to thank you." Makarov said, "Well, I even brought you a meeting gift."

Porlyusica saw the red apple at a glance and glared at Makarov: "Humph, the children adopted by fools are also fools."

After saying this, she turned around and entered the house, but didn't close the door.

Rhodes was a little embarrassed by what she said.

But Makarov knew that what she was humming was not Rhodes, but his boring behavior of having to amuse his children even though he knew there were apple trees here.

"Don't worry, that's how she talks." Makarov got used to Porlyusica's way of expression, "Let's go, just invite us in without closing the door."

Tsundere?

No, no, no, that's too rude.

Rhodes condemned his behavior of slandering his benefactor without authorization and followed the president into the tree house.

The space in the tree house is not large and the furnishings are very simple. There is almost no place to stay after entering.

The ground was filled with flowerpots filled with herbs and bottles containing various potions.

The furnishings in the room only include a bed, a desk, bookshelves and cabinets taken out from the wall, and the stool only has a wooden pier.

Rhodes looked left and right, not knowing where to put the things in his hands.

Porlyusica looked at the bottle in Makarov's hand: "Are you here for the thing in your hand?"

Makarov nodded: "Yes, here is some poison-stained soil. I want you to see if there is a way to solve it."

Porlyusica immediately asked: "Has anyone in the guild been poisoned?"

"No, I'm just preparing for a rainy day." Makarov explained the cause of the incident, and at the end he praised Rhodes, "This kid is very stable."

"Humph, another idiot who only knows how to pursue power."

Polyusica took out a petri dish with a look of disgust on her face, put a little soil in it, and dripped one kind of medicinal solution into it.

Rhodes didn't pay attention to Polyusica's attitude. This old lady probably said something like this because she had experienced something.

For example, the companion pursues power too much and ends up hurting himself.

After a series of professional tests, Polyusica confirmed the role of this toxin:

“When exposed to toxoid, it will quickly penetrate into the skin and cause an initial stinging sensation, followed by numbness and slow movement.

If the poisoning lasts for a long time, the toxin will destroy the function of internal organs, and in severe cases, it may lead to death.

Low temperature can reduce the spread speed, and the toxicity will be reduced to a certain extent after high-temperature baking, and the effect of inhaling a small amount of the volatilized gas is not obvious."

After detailed inspection, Porlyusica went outside and found a place to ask Rhodes to release the Demon Swamp Frog.

She needs to collect some more venom samples, samples of the oral secretions of the Demon Swamp Frog, and study the mushrooms on its back.

"Get the antidote in a few days, but don't abuse this monster until then."

"Yes, thank you!"

"You don't need to come. Makarov is asking for trouble. Let him do it himself."

"Oh, okay."

Rhodes originally wanted to say that he was the one who caused the trouble, but after carefully studying this sentence, he felt that it was wrong.

‘Trouble’ may refer to him, so the president is the one causing trouble?

There seems to be no way to refute it.

…

On the way back, Rod looked sad.

Makarov asked: "Do you care about what Poryusica said?"

"No, Ms. Porlyusica...how should I put it? Although she has been complaining, the things you asked her to do were not perfunctory at all.

He should be a nice guy with a sharp mouth but a soft heart." Rhodes shook his head, "I'm worried about other things, and I seem to have overspent on my living expenses this month."

The money to buy the meet-and-greet gifts, the ingredients for research and development of Poro cuisine, some clothes bought some time ago, and some fitness equipment...

The money in my pocket always slips through my fingers unknowingly, and there are still nearly two weeks until the salary is due.

If it was before time travel, it would be solved as long as he skipped breakfast every day, but that doesn't work now. Skipping breakfast will definitely affect training.

"You, it's about time you try to accept commissions, right?" Makarov said helplessly, "If you continue like this, you will become the second Nabu."

Nabu was actually more determined than Rod because he refused to be a waiter.

"Actually, I want to give it a try, but the hourly wages for commissions in the city may not be as good as those in the guild tavern. Commissions outside the city..."

Rhodes looked confused, "I always feel that I'm not strong enough and it's not safe to go out like this."

"It's good to be cautious, but now at least half of the people in the guild are no longer your opponents."

The president sighed, "Give yourself more confidence, you are very strong. Magic comes from the power of the heart. If you don't even believe in yourself, the magic will become weak."

Rhodes was shocked: "So even if I keep practicing hard, there is a chance that I will become weak after I go out?"

"Is this the point?!" Makarov couldn't help yelling at Rhodes, "Go back to Mira to help you choose a suitable mission!"

Makarov suspected that Rhodes might have suffered sequelae after being attacked by a ferocious beast. It was necessary for him to go out for a walk to develop his confidence and gain some common sense from outside books.

"oh……"

Rhodes reluctantly nodded and thought about it rationally. There was no need for the president to lie to him, and there was no reason to cheat him.

Maybe it’s time to go out for a walk? To be more prudent, Mira must choose a safe mission. It’s best to form a team with others.
Chapter completed!