Chapter 252: Entering the Labyrinth
“Alright, just like we discussed yesterday.”
“Okay!”
The observer from the Adventurer’s Guild is none other than the Vice Guild Master. According to Retze, he’s not the type to get overly excited just because he’s a fan of someone, but after last night’s heated discussion, I couldn’t help but wonder if he had other motives.
—Maybe he felt suspicious enough to follow us? That one comment quickly calmed everyone down.
When we registered, the ones at the counter were Dean, Chris, who were taking the exam, and Dinoss, who ranked higher than the two of them. We waited a little distance away.
We were waiting, but Karn stood out physically, and it seemed the Vice Guild Master could see Spirits. There was no denying the suspiciousness of our group…!
I hadn’t said a word, so I could slip away without a problem, but those who had caught the Vice Guild Master’s eye felt that if they backed out now, they might end up with their secrets exposed, so everyone stayed.
I pulled out my coat robe, but wearing it in the middle of summer in the city would be too suspicious, so I was dressed normally for now. It seems the deeper you go into the labyrinth, the cooler it gets, so I planned to put on my gear then. I showed everyone that I intended to wear it.
It’s alright; this robe is different from the one I wore when I was pretending to be Luf. This new coat robe has a chilling magic circle drawn around the shoulder blades and a warming magic circle around the waist.
After receiving my lunch of bread with meat from the inn, we set off.
“That’s the ‘Heavenly Bliss’ where the Hero is staying!”
“The rumored Hero’s brothel.”
The building itself looked somewhat white and was heavily adorned with sculptures. The street seemed to be filled with brothels, but there were also many unique buildings.
As I passed by the brothel street, I headed toward the square while everyone else went to the Guild. I decided to wait here until they arrived.
The square was bustling with a market, where bread and cheese were being sold. Well, there were also various other goods.
With the wheat harvested in July, it was the season for baking bread with fresh grains.
The harvested wheat is collected and then sorted into three main categories based on seed size, color, density, and composition, each labeled accordingly.
The finest wheat goes to the heads of notable families, influential citizens, and the city’s bakers. The ordinary commercial wheat is sold in bulk to local bakers, inns, and merchants who make bread for their employees. The low-quality wheat is aimed at the poorer folks, often resulting in whole grain bread without avoiding the hard bits.
The flour is allowed to mature in the air for a few days. Freshly ground wheat has a low water absorption rate, making it difficult to knead into a cohesive dough. Perhaps because of this, unlike in Japan where the idea is to use fresh ingredients as much as possible, here the thinking is a bit different. Bread made from wheat harvested in early summer is typically available around autumn.
With that in mind, I bought some freshly baked bread.
Last night, we were in an area filled with shops for adventurers, but the square had various stalls and shops facing it. I had heard that the Fortress City is famous for its various tree sap sugars and syrups. I planned to stop by on the way back, but since plans are just plans, I decided to grab some now.
Though I still had time before reaching the Guild, I refrained from taking my time to choose. I hurriedly bought three types, six bags in total. They looked like souvenirs for the wealthy, small enough to fit in my palm but sturdy. I planned to distribute them to the Dinoss Family, who would be staying behind.
Next, I wandered around the stalls near the gate. If I looked around too much, I might lose track of time.
I spotted Dean and the others and boarded the carriage heading to the labyrinth. Since many people were going to the labyrinth, a separate permit was needed to bring horses.
The Vice Guild Master looked like a “Mage who can also use a bit of healing magic, you know?” type with glasses. He appeared to be in his early twenties but was said to be over forty.
Upon closer inspection, a beautiful white snake-like Spirit wrapped around his waist and back, peeking out from his shoulder. It wasn’t purely white; it had a faint golden hue. What element is it? Light and wind, perhaps?
Chris’s Spirit was still busy rubbing its chin with his fingertips, making for a peaceful journey.
After completing the paperwork and paying the fee at the building in front of the labyrinth, we made our first entry. The entrance to this labyrinth was the classic cave. While it’s a common trope, in this world, labyrinths can suddenly appear in forests or even inside buildings.
After all, the definition of a labyrinth is that it has a high number of Demon Beasts, is easy to get lost in, has a high probability of Demon Beasts possessing Magic Stones, and features impossible spatial configurations.
The shallow areas of the labyrinth had a decent number of people. There’s a map available in this area, so I had already checked the paths leading down. Just like during the forest investigation, there are usually designated rest spots, so if we get separated, we were instructed to aim for those.
The plan is to quickly pass through the shallow layers and descend as fast as possible. We aim to bring back materials from the Demon Beasts found deeper than the twentieth layer. There are smaller details to consider, but that’s the general idea.
Following behind Karn, I whispered names for the Spirits when the other adventurers disappeared from sight. Spirit of Lichens, Spirit of Limestone, Spirit of Echoes—let’s call them Cave Labyrinth No. 1 and Cave Labyrinth No. 2 for now.
The first request I made was to keep the contract a secret, especially from the bespectacled man in front.
So far, it seems the area has been thoroughly hunted, as there have been no encounters with Demon Beasts.