Published at 20th of November 2020 10:34:26 PM
Chapter 56
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
“Now then, since we’ve managed to eat our fill, let us move on to business . It’s about the reward for Arista’s rescue I mentioned yesterday . ”
It looks like we’re moving on to the real topic for tonight . Of course, I already had an idea this wasn’t going to be a simple dinner . Now then, how will things go, I wonder .
“To tell you the truth, we were quite stumped thinking about what reward would be appropriate for you all . And so, we thought of asking you directly instead of risking handing you all something you wouldn’t find satisfactory . ”
“I see . So that’s why you invited us to dinner tonight . Thank you very much for your consideration . Just as we said yesterday, we only did what we thought was right at the time, so any reward you are willing to give us would be just fine . ”
“Fumu . However, Alan, I am truly grateful for what you and your party did . Even with all my wealth, I treasure my daughter Arista the most . And given that you’ve rescued and protected my darling, I want to give you all something you will find the most pleasing in order to express my utmost gratitude . ”
“Father…”
“……I see . I understand your feelings, sir . If so, then there’s actually something we need some help on if possible . ”
“Oh! What is it? Pray tell . ”
“Actually, some of our comrades are set to arrive here in about a month or so . Since there is quite a number of them, we would like to secure a place where all of them would be able to stay . ”
Captain Dalshim and the others from the Royal Guard arranged to arrive after a month, barring no mishaps that happened along the way .
Cleria and Elna reacted when I broached the topic .
“Hou, about how many are you expecting?”
“More than fifty, I suppose . ”
“It’s fifty-eight people, Alan . ”
“Fifty-eight people!? …Are you planning on founding a Clan, Alan?”
A Clan is an organization composed of several parties and is formed in order to accomplish things unsuitable for one party alone and is officially recognized by the Adventurer’s Guild . That’s right . We were planning to make a Clan of our own .
“That’s right . Due to various circumstances, we and the comrades who have decided to follow us have arranged to gather in Gantz city . ”
In truth, they were Cleria’s trusted subordinates . More specifically, her Royal Guard .
“Well, with your abilities, I’m sure there would certainly be a lot who would decide to follow you… I see, so you want to secure a Clan base huh . ”
“Yes . But we’ve only just arrived here and we were having trouble coming up with how to proceed . ”
“……You guys may have not heard of it, but actually, one of the top five biggest and strongest Clans in Gantz city, the「Great Storm」, just disbanded two months ago . Several of the main members went up and died one after another, and the rifts caused by such incidents eventually led to the Clan’s collapse . The Commerce Guild actually secured their former base, you see . ”
“Oh! That sounds perfect!”
Silas-san laughed heartily after seeing my reaction .
“It sure is . 「Great Storm」had more than one hundred members in its heyday, and the facilities in the base are all top-notch . It’s aged a bit, but that’s not something a little renovation here and there wouldn’t fix . ”
“Please, Silas-san! Can you make a referral for us?”
“Oi, oi, weren’t we talking about your reward here? If you say you need it, then there’s no reason for me not to deliver . But of course, I can’t just hand over the entire thing . However, I can lease it to you at the lowest price possible . I’ll also handle the renovations for free . ”
“That’s… We’d be really grateful if that’s the case, but is that really alright?”
“Of course . We were planning on renovating it and scouting for new tenants anyway . We’re just going to speed up the plans a bit . Well, the expenses will be shouldered by the Commerce Guild’s coffers, so I don’t really lose out here . It’s practically killing two birds with one stone!”
Will that be really okay with the Commerce Guild? Well, it’s the Guild chief who’s saying it, so I guess it is .
“I hope this won’t cause any inconveniences…”
“What are you saying? There’s no use having power and authority if you don’t flaunt it from time to time . One of the reasons I became so rich is because I used the authority my position as the Guild chief afforded me to favor my company you know . ”
“Um, I think you should refrain from saying such things so openly though, father…”
“Well, that’s about it . It’ll be fine as long as I don’t go overboard . No problem . ”
“Thank you very much . Now that’s one less thing to worry about . ”
“Hold on . Save the gratitude for when you finally settle down . Well, just leave the renovations to us . But we can’t provide you the furnishings and equipment . It won’t go over well if I did that and some might complain . You’ll have to procure them yourselves . ”
“Of course . If it’s possible, I’d like to check out the site as well . ”
“Sure . We’ll introduce you to some skilled craftsmen as well, so go ahead and check it out along the way . I’ll have Karina accompany you . ”
“Thank you very much . That would really help . ”
“But this will be the birth of a Clan with more than sixty members right off the bat huh… You’ll probably be the fourth or fifth largest Clan in Gantz once you begin operations . What exactly are you aiming for by doing such a thing, Alan?”
“Of course we’re aiming for the very top . We came to Gantz in order to make a name for ourselves after all . Since we’ve decided to do so, it goes without saying that we’ll aim for the top . No, we won’t just aim for it . We will become the number one adventurer Clan in Gantz city . ………But, well, we’re still B rankers though, so the first agenda on the list is achieving A rank as soon as possible . ”
“Hou! Those sure are some bold aspirations! Being the number one here in Gantz practically means being number one in the whole world you know? Interesting! Fine, I’ll take a piece of that action myself . ”
“…What do you mean?”
“Adventurer ranks are determined via an internal grading system implemented by the Adventurer’s Guild . Of course, it could also be influenced by the instructions of the upper management . And regarding that grading system, managing to successfully complete requests that are specifically designated by other guilds nets you a fairly substantial amount of points compared to regular ones and could make quite the difference . ”
It was much the same as what Verse told us back then .
“I’ve also heard of such a thing from someone . ”
“Hou, that person’s pretty knowledgeable regarding the trade then . Well, in other words, I’m saying our Commerce Guild will be putting up a request and designating you guys specifically . But the results will still depend on your overall performance . ”
“That will be immensely helpful . If you can do so, then please . ”
“Now then, what would be ideal? An escort request? Material collection? There are also investigation requests, but I don’t really recommend those . The benefits aren’t on par with the effort you’ll be putting out . ”
“……Are there bandit subjugation requests?”
“……Well, bandits certainly are the worst enemies of us merchants, Alan . We loathe them to the bone . They won’t hesitate to go after our friends, relatives, and loved ones after all . But they are elusive and pretty hard to track . You could chance upon them by luck sometimes, but they usually aren’t people you can hunt down whenever you feel like it . ”
“If there really is a request for bandit subjugation, would it be okay to let us try it out?”
“……Alright, fine . Just try it out first . I’ll put up the request at the Adventurer’s Guild . ”
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“Oh, but I would like to check out the Clan base first, if that’s alright with you . I’d like to see what type of furnishings will be suitable . ”
“Of course . The request can wait . It’s not like it’s urgent . I’ll make sure to not put up a deadline as well . How about you check out the base along with the craftsmen tomorrow?”
“Thank you very much . I’ll do so . ”
“Okay then . I guess that’s it . Oh, right . Hey Alan, how about you become a member of the Commerce Guild? There’s that matter about the liquor as well . ”
“Understood . ”
“Um, I would like to ask something as well . It’s about that magic tool you lent us while we were at the camp . Just where did you procure such an article? If possible, I would also like to purchase one for myself, so…” Arista interjected .
The rest of the party all moved their gaze toward me .
“Ah, that’s actually something I built . I still have two spares on hand, so would you like to purchase those?”
“……Just what do you mean, Alan? You made a magic tool?”
“I’m actually an A rank member of the Magic Guild as well, you see . I learned magic tool production methods from the guild . ”
“A rank…… So you were a full-fledged mage . ”
“I’m sorry . I’m not too familiar with these kinds of matters . Are you considered a full-fledged mage if you become an A rank Magic Guild member?”
“Well, it’s just that most, if not all, rank Magic Guild members are full-fledged mages . ”
“I see . I’m both an adventurer and full-fledged mage then . ”
“I personally haven’t encountered someone like that until now though . Well, no matter . So how much are those magic tools of yours?”
“Since we’ll be in your care, I’ll give you a discount and sell them for 20,000 Guineas each . ”
“Twenty thousand! That’s quite cheap . I’ll take you up on your offer then and purchase both items . ”
“Thank you very much . Well then, we’ll be coming over again tomorrow to check out the base . ”
By the way, Alan-sama . We’re sorry for the delay, but please receive this . It’s your reward for those bandits you handed over to us,” Karina said as she handed me the money .
The Guineas was placed inside a small leather pouch . I opened the pouch and checked the contents . There were exactly six gold coins inside .
“Yes, I’ve certainly received them . ”
After that, we finally bid farewell to our hosts since the dinner and the talks were essentially over . We were brought back to the inn via carriage by Karinsan as well .
“Well then, Alan-sama . Since there will be a need to check with the craftsmen’s schedule first, shall we depart for the base at ten o’clock in the morning?”
“Of course . I’ll match your schedule . ”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then . ”
Karinsan left with the carriage .
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“Let’s talk a bit while having tea, everyone . ”
We had Kirsan serve some tea as we sat around a table in the dining area . Since there were no other guests present apart from us, our current outfits posed no problems .
“I ended up settling the discussions earlier without talking it over with you all, so I want to ask if you have any objections . Um, do you?”
I asked a bit nervously . I did end up making decisions all on my own so it’s probably too late, but still…
“I don’t have any problems whatsoever . I’m actually very happy that you considered the circumstances of the Royal Guards as well, Alan . ”
“That’s right, isn’t it, Risama? To think you were able to make a 1,500,000 Guinea deal with the chief of the Commerce Guild and secure a Clan base as well as an exclusive request . Making you our leader really wasn’t a mistake, Alan . ”
Oh! Cleria and Elna both gave rave reviews!
The thing with the liquor just seemed really interesting, and I brought up the base because I thought it’ll be hard to house all of the Royal Guard members in an inn . I’d also feel sorry if we were the only ones who get to stay in an inn with a bath . And I also brought up the bandit hunting thing because I simply thought it would be a lot more profitable than monster hunting . I should probably not reveal my real reasons though . All’s well that ends well, as they say .
“Do you guys have no problems with it as well, Selena, Sharon?”
“Of course . It all turned out well, so I have nothing to complain about . Just like Elna said, you were wonderful, Alan . ”
“We wouldn’t oppose anything Alan decides in the first place . ”
I just went with the flow, but it looks like there are no problems . I’m on a roll today .
“I see . So I guess there are no problems . We’ll check out the base tomorrow then . ”
“I’ve returned, sir . ”
“Oh, welcome back, Karina . Since you’re back, how about we discuss what happened tonight a bit with Arista and Natalie?”
Before long, Arista and Natalie also joined the two .
“Now then, what do all think about those adventurers?”
“The first thing I was thoroughly surprised about were the clothes Alan-san and his party was wearing . Just how did they manage to procure such splendid articles?” Arista began .
“Yes, that’s right . I didn’t want to seem rude, so I stopped myself from staring too much, but those certainly were uncommon articles, weren’t they?”
“I was able to observe up close while sitting alongside them inside the carriage . All of their clothing had a certain unique style to them, but they were all so intricate to a somewhat terrifying extent . Or rather, I could not even imagine they were weaved by human hands because of their extreme intricacy,” Karina added .
“You’re right . I also had that impression . There’s also their design . The designs of Alan-san and Risan’s clothing were, as Karina described, so intricate and sophisticated that you couldn’t help but feel their magnificence . The clothes of the others were quite wonderful as well, but those two were just on a league of their own . Ah, to think such divine-looking clothes existed in this world…”
“What’s clear from this is that Alan and his group possess clothes that are far superior to anything our company produces . That also goes for the made-to-order clothes exclusively sold to royalty . ”
“That’s right . They were definitely even more magnificent than the clothing worn by the royal family, or even the king himself . ”
“Another point is the abilities of Alan and the others as adventurers . They are even more impressive than what you three described . They can be said to be top A rankers, or maybe even S rankers . ”
“They are that skilled?”
“Yes . It’s definitely not normal to successfully bring down an entire orc settlement along with a General Orc with just five party members . Usually, you would need over a hundred skilled knights for that . Orcs are quite dangerous when they attack in groups . One orc probably won’t pose a problem to seasoned adventurers, but if five or ten of them swarm you, that will be a different story . And they defeated seventy-five! Alan looked nonchalant as he related their feats, but that just goes to show how confident he was of their skills . In other words, he didn’t even consider seventy-five orcs as a problem at all . ”
“I’m also quite curious about the fifty-eight individuals who will be forming a Clan with Alan-sama and the others . ”
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“Oh, that’s right . Normally, a Clan is something that grows in strength and influence gradually over the years . But they will be creating a Clan with over sixty members all at once . Well, if other guys attempt such a thing, I’m sure they will run out of funds sooner or later and collapse under their own weight . ”
“But Alan-san and the others looked quite wealthy, so I suppose that doesn’t apply to them,” Arista observed .
“It’s not just their wealth . If you don’t have the charisma to attract others to follow your lead, you won’t be able to create a successful Clan . Well, after getting a glimpse of Alan and the other’s abilities, I can understand why people would be compelled to follow them . I’m sure Alan and the others would not group up with average folk, so those comrades of theirs should all be considerably skilled as well . Perhaps we will get to witness the birth of a brand new strongest Clan . ”
“Father, what about the matter with the alcohol? Is it really possible?”
“Yes, I was also quite shocked . But judging from his tone, he was pretty confident about it . There’s also the commission he brought up . That was something he mentioned while being completely aware of just how much money you could potentially earn from selling a newly developed type of liquor . Even with that knowledge, he only mentioned such a paltry sum as his commission . ”
“Eh!? 2,000,000 Guineas is a paltry sum!?” Arista exclaimed in surprise .
“Yes . If he does manage to make a brand new liquor that surpasses what we brought out tonight, then earning several million would be a simple affair . No, perhaps even tens of millions is a conservative estimate . It’s so big of a deal that it may potentially endanger our lives if we make the wrong step . And even then, he actually agreed to lower the payment to 1,500,000 Guineas . …In other words, what he’s after isn’t money per se . ”
“Come to think of it, I managed to notice something while we were having dinner . It seems Alan-san, Sharon-san, and Selensan aren’t from this country . The way they handled cutlery was somewhat different from ours,” Arista revealed .
“Hou, so you managed to notice such a thing . ”
“They tried to follow after what the rest of us were doing, but all three of them have certain habits ingrained which they couldn’t completely discard . However, they were far from inelegant . Rather, they were impressively refined . Their basics are fundamentally different, but they were still quite the sight . ”
“I see . Well, if their country treats producing alcohol on par or better than my special stash as commonplace, then it’s not hard to imagine their basic table manners to be exemplary as well . So the three of them are most likely from one country huh?”
“On the other hand, Risan and Elnsan’s table manners were completely similar to our own . They should be citizens of this country or other neighboring kingdoms . ”
“I see . They are comrades hailing from different countries huh . I’m now quite curious about how they came together as a party . ”
“Silas-sama, don’t you think the bandit subjugation request will be difficult even for a party of Alan-sama and the rest’s caliber? Though they did seem to know how to go about it when they rescued us…” Karina asked in concern .
“Oh, that matter huh… I also thought so earlier, but they might actually pull it off .
Normally, groups that go after bandit gangs try to match or exceed them in numbers in order to ensure success .
But if such a large group went out, the bandit’s scouts will be able to easily spot them and allow their comrades to flee or hide .
But what about them? If their group approaches a bandit-infested territory with just one carriage, I’m sure those knaves will just think of them as easy prey .
But the one waiting for them is a group with enough strength to completely decimate an entire orc settlement all on their own . Who will win out, in the end, goes without saying . ”
“So, you really will have Alan-sama and the others…?”
“No, it’s not that simple . Even if there are a lot of incidents involving bandits within the general area, they won’t always be present on every road, and there’s no guarantee they’ll walk into the trap either .
There are many winding paths along the roads after all . This may sound strange, but under such circumstances, you just wouldn’t be able to ensure you’ll run into some bandits even if you actively search for them .
It would be a different story if you knew the location of the bandits beforehand, but since that’s not possible most of the time, it probably won’t go so well in the end . ”
“That’s… Yes, that may be the case . ”
“Well, they did say they wanted to have a go at it first . If so, then why not let them?”
“But they really are such a mysterious group, aren’t they?”
“Yes, certainly . I was actually thinking of inviting them to be our Commerce Guild’s exclusive contracted adventurers, but they don’t seem to be the type to accept such a thing . I still can’t see their depths . In any case, I sure became acquainted with some pretty interesting folks after so long . Karina, sorry to dump this on you, but please look after Alan and the rest for me for a while . ”
“Understood, Silas-sama . ”