The streets of the bayside town were not necessarily empty, but there was not much life to them. Parker saw a few Gamblers bartering at the smithy they had seen earlier. Then there were some regular-looking people carrying crates from one building to another. However, there was not enough activity to make the streets feel lived in. It felt like everyone was somewhere else, doing something that Parker should have been a part of.

  Eventually, Parker made it to the Alta building. It was several stories taller than the nearby houses and it was a dull earthy tan that begged for personality but received none. There were some rooms that had balconies overlooking the street below but the higher up the building Parker looked, the less balconies they saw.

  At the base of the building was an office of sorts that felt more industrial era than the rest of the bayside town. It was like the entire tenement building had been added as an afterthought with whatever materials could be sourced.

  Inside, dull lights flickered but didn't fully light up the office. Parker found themselves standing across from a squat old man with a furious brow and a sour mustache. The old man's name tag said: Erickson Alta.

  Parker cleared their throat, "Excuse me, Mr. Atla. I was told that I could come here to get a room for a few weeks."

  "A few weeks?" The old man scoffed. "You're already planning on failing the challenge for that long?"

  Parker shook their head, "I just like to be prepared and have a place to do that preparation."

  Mr. Alta gruffled at that. "Well, there isn't a refund policy if you don't use the room for the full time."

  Parker might have been frowning pitifully at that, but they weren't sure.

  Mr. Alta must've picked up on something because he added. "For a kid like you, though, if you end up leaving early... let me know and I'll see what I can do. As long as you keep the place clean."

  Parker nodded with a smile. "I'll do my best to keep the space tidy."

  Mr. Alta sighed. "Now, how are you going to pay for your stay?"

  Parker retrieved the vial of silver shavings from their pack. At first, Mr. Alta seemed to be overjoyed by the sight. It was like Parker had pulled out a blank check. However, that joy faded slightly, as Mr. Alta's eyes hardened a bit.

  He said, "Would you mind if I inspect that?"

  Parker handed the vial over. Mr. Alta opened the cap on the vial and took a deep breath. Parker could smell something like a stagnant wind. Mr. Alta nodded and capped the vial again.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "I can offer you a room for two weeks for this. Normally, I'd say four, but these are pretty old."

  Parker had no idea what Mr. Alta meant by that, but they also didn't feel like they could ask. However, two weeks was better than no weeks. Parker nodded in agreement and Mr. Alta gave Parker a key as well as directions on how to get to their room.

  Less than an hour later, with the sun slowly setting, Parker did their best to decompress in their room. Parker wished that EA had let them keep the tablet they had been using. Even printed versions of the materials would have been appreciated. At least Parker had bartered for the book of monsters.

  While getting used to their new room, Parker sat in the corner and did some light reading. The room was small. It was just barely more than a kitchenette, a writing desk, a dresser, a chair with a small table in the corner, and a futon for a bed. Still, it was more than enough for Parker. More space might have made them feel too comfortable.

  They used the rest of their day to refresh their thoughts on goblins. There was not much to read that they hadn't already thought about. According to the book, goblins were just another primitive monster left over after the calamity struck and fantastical things were displaced into the mundane world. Parker remembered that the Field Reports had more modern knowledge about goblins, but they no longer had access to those.

  The book of monsters reported that goblins had mastered the use of simple tools quickly. It went into detail about how goblins were known for their keen senses of smell and hearing. Those attempting to study the goblins would have to stay still for hours and let the goblins pass them by just for the chance to study.

  Immediate studying found that goblins had an astounding tolerance for pain, but Parker wondered how much of that mirrored human science from the early modern age. The first few attempts to capture a goblin had led to many injuries and a few deaths. Even when hooked with a net or caught in a trap, the goblin would keep fighting. It was as if the goblin knew all they had to do to escape was to kill the person trying to capture them.

  Truly, goblins were hard to deal with as a single person or solo adventurer. Parties could split their focus and negate the goblin's natural advantages, but just like Parker had remembered the pack or tribe mentality would prove dangerous. One helpful note Parker found was that goblins were notoriously selfish and easily distracted.

  Even if they hunted in effective small groups, they were prone to self-sabotage, kill-stealing, and jealous outbursts. More remembering from the Field Reports than reading from the book of monsters, Parker knew that goblin economies focused on a few central rules.

  First among them was that the strongest ruled. The rest were treated as equally important and overruled by the first, in general. However, they were simple but effective rules that Parker could understand. The spoils of a hunt belonged to the one who dealt the killing blow, which inspired the kill-stealing. Gathering was just as important as hunting, which struck Parker as odd. Finally, all non-goblins were fair targets.

  Parker had to wonder if there was more to goblins than the book outlined and what they could remember from the Field Reports. They were almost described as humanoid wolves with a basic societal structure. If there was a goblin tribe on the island, Parker wondered what the interactions between Gamblers and goblins were like.

  It was added to their mental checklist of things to learn, but it was less important than the looming challenge and the gathering request. Parker shifted from their seat in the corner to the cushions of the futon and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.