Year 7444, Month 12, Day 24
"I guess so. As expected I'm a bit tired..Rub my shoulders later."
"Gwine, you really..you pay too much care to things like that. Rather than that I'm hungry, I want to go drinking already."
"Don't misunderstand, Bastuoral. This is only possible because of master. It wouldn't go this way with other adventurers."
"Ye..Yeah.. of course. Zulu-san, Angela-san. I already know that...Just, that is..I was just a bit surprised."
"But, Larry, since he said it like a normal adventurer.."
I'm sure Ralpha and Gwine were tired as expected so they returned together with us.
..................
Year 7444, Month 12, Day 25
They've started noisily talking away.
"As a matter of fact to check things out we tried entering once the other day."
Yeah I see, and then? What happened? Ah, me? this time is 80..I'll shut up.
"We were able to get a feel that we can somehow manage it on the 1st floor. Of course, I'm sure it's nowhere near you all but the two of us were able to earn 260,000 Z."
Ho~ that's quite amazing. By the way, did you enter with just the two of you? Do you not have any other allies?
"Eh? It was just the two of us. If the opponent is low in numbers then something can be done about it."
Hey now, didn't you just have good luck? If it's on the 1st floor then it's not strange for goblins or gnolls to come in groups of 20 at a time. If it's just the two of you then taking on a group of at most 4-5 orks or hobgoblins is easier I'm sure.
"Ah..is that so? We only caught sight of orks and hobgoblins.."
That's what they call being lucky. Unless you're considerably skilled you should at least gather four people or more.
"Yeah, that's right. Fio, shall we get right to hiring one? Around how much do guides usually cost?"
"If it's just the 1st floor then around 100,000 Z for one day. Other than that there's also the entrance tax and including the guide in for a share of the items obtained within the dungeon is pretty common."
""..They cost quite a bit..""
"Well it's a business for them as well. It's not like they always have jobs after all. When it comes to the top class guides it's said they can heard 1,000,000 Z in a month off of just guide fees. The unpopular guides can't take customers at all so if you try negotiating with them you might be able to get them cheaper but it would be best if you don't place your hopes too high. Even among them it seems that they can't do {dumping} in order to prevent the price from collapsing."
"Is that so? We were able to hear various valuable things. Thanks."
Fio lowered his head while thanking me.
"No, you're welcome. Well then we still have training left."
I said that and returned to training.
"Alright, then let's go..First of Zenom, Angela, and Gwine. Let's go with hobgob for everyone else I guess?"
Be careful. Don't die.
..............
After training, we washed away the sweat and then went to have a party at the usual high class restaurant "Dorureon". Since there's 10 days off starting tomorrow, the expensive food and alcohol are being consumed in mass. Hey, it's already easily exceeded 300,000...Isn't this going to reach 500,000? Though I was prepared for it.
Before the alcohol starts circulating around I paid the reincarnated people 200,000 Z for their wages, Zulu was 80,000 z including his 10,000 Z wages, Angela was 70,000 Z, and finally was Giberuti's 40,000 Z wages. Furthermore, as a Christmas present I gave everyone a towel as usual. No matter how many towels you have they're nothing to be troubled over. The new members from this year Miduchi and Basutoral thought it was a part of the bonus but once they realized the other reincarnated people had prepared shirts, hats, and gloves they started to panic but since everyone wanted to see that they remained quiet it seems.
"Yeah. That's fine. Since it's the occasion I was thinking of going to a liquor store. It would be nice if they have some rye vodka."
That, don't they call it {Rye.Whiskey}?
"What time was it again?"
We put in a reservation an appropriate cheap inn from 12/30 until 1/2. It's necessary to go to the fairy village again to learn spells during the holidays this time as well. It might not be too bad to bring along everyone else as well but there's not much meaning to it unless they can use all elemental magics, and have them beyond a certain level as well. That idiot Ralpha might bring along some alcohol and end up harming a fairy as well. I guess that's saying too much huh?
I made a reservation with the dried foods dealer and paid in advance.
Furthermore, when I sent Miduchi out to scout things before going running, it seems that Faruergaz and Hirosukol have hit it off with some weird two person group of men and the four of them are entering the dungeon together. Since the two of them received investiture as knights and they have more skill than the average adventurer around there. And they're reincarnated people so even if their levels are a bit low I'm sure they can somehow manage.
Miduchi and I spent the morning going over our education plan for everyone from here on out, then after that we had lunch and we found Angela wandering around town seeming bored so the three of us entered the dungeon and I had Angela and Miduchi earn some experience.
Other than Miduchi, the three slaves and I had dinner at "Murowa" while we roused things up over the topic of Zulu's woman.
"Hey Dazu, grab the salt for me."
With his face red Zulu is embarrassed as he says "Please just forgive me already." His woman is working again today as well but since the store is pretty packed she's moving around busily.
"Come to think of it, it seems the judgement day is in the middle of next month."
Angela said while biting into a boiled pig leg. Come to think of it, there's been no negotiations or contact at all on that.
"Ah, that's right. Once the date has been confirmed I'll make it into a day off so don't worry about it."
The judgement days are one of the few amusement days for the people of Orth that only happen a couple times in a year. Though it's the ideal time of business for restaurants but other than they usually close for business and a bunch of stalls appear like a festival. It's only obvious when it comes to the punishment of criminal offenses but since judgements are also made on civil cases that are highly talked about there's a lot for people to enjoy with it.
In any case, for the average person who doesn't have much to look forward to the days of judgement feel like a festival. Since it's cruel to steal this from them I make sure to match our days off up with them. This morning a messenger came from the government office saying we might need to appear as witnesses so I already knew about the judgement day next month. Normally they give notice of them in the entrance plaza and government office around 10 day ahead.
"Once again this time master and Kalstalan-sama will need to appear as witnesses right. We can't miss this."
Giberuti said while carrying a spoon of porridge with bacon and spices into his mouth. Among the slaves this guy is the one who learned how to use tableware the fastest. It can't be helped that Zulu and Angela still can't use the chopsticks but they don't even use spoons very often. Since Zulu was originally a commoner I thought he could properly use tableware but it seems that a poor squire family in Devas doesn't use anymore tableware than plates and bowls.
"It's my first time seeing a judgement day so I'm looking forward to it a bit."
I'm sure Miduchi is just looking forward to it since there's all sorts of stalls lined up like a festival. It was then that a voice butted into our conversation.
"Oh~ isn't it the {Slaughterers}? Is it fine next to you?"
I was surprised when I saw the one who was speaking. It was the {Verdure Brotherhoods} Virhaima and {Black Topaz}s Anderson, the two of them came in together. Tension ran through the members of the {Slaughterers}. The only one who didn't get tense and is the same as usual is Miduchi who has had almost no contact with them but she seems to have figured it out from the way everyone's expressions changed.
"Of course. Please take a seat."
I said that while wondering why these two are? and was suspicious of it. Could it be they hear the rumors that the {Slaughterers} and {Sun Ray} were cooperating together and they plan to team up as well?
"It seems that business is booming for you quite a bit recently."
Old man Virhaima started talking to me.
"Yeah, thanks to you, we've been able to smoothly increase our earnings."
I reply while not showing any openings. I said it with a sociable smile on my face.
"You're going to the 7th floor right? It's quite something. Even though everyone was much cuter when we first met..In no time at all we were overtaken."
Anderson laughed while saying as she pulled out the seat and sat down.
"Stop with the cute, Anderson. We were suddenly overtaken as well and now these guys are the top earners in Baldukk."
"Yeah, just look at this impudent face. He's already long past the edges of adventurers. And even one that we're no match for."
"I want some beer as well. After that do you have suggestions?"
"Then that. Please deep-fry it."
"Well, if you were to say it then that's true. It seems like {Sun Ray} is showing their face on the 6th floor as well but they're struggling quite a bit. The 5th floor is still splendidly one of their hunting grounds. If you all who have gone off to the 7th floor were to fall back down to the 6th or 5th floors then it would be a bother as well."
Yeah. If it's that sort of reason then well I guess I can understand it.
"However, something like headhunting members for a top team, I feel like it would be impossible with an average share though.."
"That's where they get dirty. First off they pull them in with money but the guys who are swayed by that they slowly pull them in and then at one point they propose going together with them to the temple. Since it seems they have some kind of special route, they say that you can give offerings faster."
Hohou. A special route indeed. Incidentally there's conditions to giving offerings to the temple. When it comes to the naming ceremony, marriages, sales of slaves, or release and things like that they request offerings unconditionally. Though it's a fixed amount. Well, that's something like a handling charge and to be more correct you can't call it a offering I'm sure. Other than that there's something like a offering box and it's possible to give an offering there but once again they only allow small amounts there and even at greatest it seems you can't offer more than 1 silver coin. It's free for you to wish for something or pray for something there.
This offering is important. The times when you can give offers are roughly once in a month, only the days when the master moon {Karutari} reaches it's full moon, otherwise the night of the 17th when the sub-moon {Neitari} is in full moon just those sorts of 77 day cycles. Though as an exception New Year's day is different but there's almost no people who give offering then. Since it's not like there's anything good that comes from it. Only the first 100 visitors who come to the temple on the days of full moon can give offerings and their status is checked.
It's not allowed to line up several days ahead in order to aim to be one of the first arrivals. It's necessary to line up the moment the sun starts to set on the day itself. It's said that if you break this then you'll be hit by lightning but this is just a rumor. After all it seems no one has ever been hit by it before.
And then, it seems that you're given a wooden tag. Similar to how currency is made this wooden tag is made so it can't be counterfeited. If you can collect 10,000 Z worth of them then you can exchange for it a slightly larger wooden tag that has some magic cast on it. At this point the status of the person who received the wooden tag is branded into it with some magic process. If you collect 100 of these then you can exchange for an even larger wooden tag.
If you're in possession of this large wooden tag and it seems just once you can have healing magic used on you unconditionally. It doesn't seem like a priest, or minister, or bishop or whatever uses it on you, but rather only those who have the wooden tag are allowed into the main temple building and there God directly uses a healing spell on them supposedly. According to what I've heard this healing spell is believed to be {Cure All}. In other words it doesn't matter how heavy of an injury it is in just one spot you can have it almost completely healed.
There's no adventurers who wouldn't want this. Since there's not many people who can use healing spells at this high of a level after all. In the first place if you were to search for someone who has all elemental magics then it's not like you can't find them but after they have all of them it's also necessary for all of them be above level 5 as well. Even if you were seriously injured and one breath from dying if you can brought to the temple right away at the very least there's a possibility you could be saved.
The moon of Orth, {Karutari} reaches a new moon right matching up perfectly with 60 days. In other words, for it to match up with the primary moon {Karutari}'s full moon you only have six chances in the year. The sub-moon {Neitari} is even less with 4-5 times in the year. Even if you pour 10,000 Z into each one of those chances in order to earn the 1,000,000 Z worth wooden tag it would take 10 years.
Since the person them self has to be the one to do it, it's a precious item that even among nobles it's said not many people have them.
Normal people just think that's idiotic and can't be bothered to do something like that. Something like heavy injuries don't happen all that often after all.
Ha~han~ That {Sun Ray}, that Rindobel couple, so they were those sort of people...