Chapter 68
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”How is your power like this…?”
Nina looks at me with a suspicious gaze at the scene in front of us.
The scene is the result of the Gatekeepers from the 3rd District.
We arrived at this room, but since she is here, I can’t use my usual way of fighting to restrain the Gatekeepers.
So, what I used was… the same method as before, spreading my shield across the entire room and crushing them back.
I had 3 of them wait in the hallway, and as soon as I entered the room, I expanded the shield to eye level and moved a bit forward. When the Gatekeepers appeared, I raised the shield to the ceiling and advanced.
The result is this sight of the Gatekeepers crushed against the back wall, and not just Nina, but Iris and Seria also look disgusted.
Well, for Iris and Seria, it’s not just because they see the crushed monsters, but also because they have to collect magic stones from the crushed bodies.
While I watch Iris and the others start the work of collecting the magic stones, Nina says to me as I pull the cart back from the hallway.
”Since we can only collect magic stones due to our cart situation, I guess that’s the only option. But what if we planned to collect other things?”
’That plan doesn’t exist. I’m not an adventurer, and I have no intention of taking requests to collect materials.’
”So, you only earn from magic stones?”
’That’s right. But you’ve seen that it’s enough to earn well, haven’t you?’
”That’s… true.”
Nina understands that my way of fighting up to this point has all been “work.”
So, it seems that by prioritizing hunting monsters instead of moving forward like this, I could earn enough income.
While we were doing that, Iris and the others were collecting… or rather searching for magic stones, but anyway, they finished the task and handed the magic stones to me.
By the way, Nina was just there to keep an eye on us, so of course, she didn’t participate in the collection work.
She did offer to help, but since we would be acting as a group of 3 from now on, I thought it would be better to show her how we operate in that state, so I declined.
*Rrrzzzz…*
After putting the magic stones into a wooden box, I used the enlarged shield to push aside the monster’s corpse in front of the back door like a bulldozer.
The double doors disappeared when touched, revealing a passage, so I could have opened them without moving the corpses of the Gatekeepers, but if I slipped on a corpse and broke the cart, Nina would see it, and then I would have to repair or buy a new one.
If there’s no record of that, it would be strange to keep using the cart normally afterward.
With that, I opened the way to the 4th District, and we moved forward through the passage.
…
……
………
After passing through a corridor of about 100 meters (� 328 feet), we emerged into the grassy area of the 4th District, and I asked Nina.
’So, what’s next?’
”Um… the base of ‘Silver Orchid’ is over there. Monsters only appear at night in areas where the grass is short, so I’ll lead the way, so please follow me.”
Saying that, Nina took a wooden stick from her bag and stretched out the red cloth wrapped around the end to make a flag.
The cloth had white flower embroidery on it, and since it was brought out here, it probably indicates a connection to “Silver Orchid.”
If that’s the case… is this a flower of the orchid?
I don’t know much about flowers, so I can only guess from the situation.
While thinking it looked like a travel tour guide, I moved closer to the “Silver Orchid” base with Iris and the others.
”Please wait a moment.”
Nina stopped us about 2 or 300 meters (� 656 or 984 feet) from the “Silver Orchid” base.
’So I wait here?’
”Yes, I’ll go ahead and let them know a man is coming. They are probably keeping watch, and they can tell you’re a man just by how you walk. But for them, it will be sudden to see a man approaching, so I’ll explain the situation to avoid any hasty attacks.”
’Huh? Do I really have to go to the base?’
”Yes. Even if you say you don’t plan to get close, there might be times when you need to contact Ms. Iris and the others urgently, right?”
’In that case, I was thinking of asking a woman at another base to pass a message…’
”There’s no guarantee that a female adventurer or Cleric will be there, and even if there is, she might not be willing to help, you know?”
’Even if I offer to pay?’
”It depends on the amount, but… even then. At the ‘Silver Orchid’ base, they would likely send a woman to deliver the message, and there’s a chance she could get involved with other adventurers on the way back. So, you would have to keep an eye on her the whole time, which means you’d end up needing the whole team she belongs to to help out, right?”
’Well… they would probably dislike that, huh?’
”Yeah. If you can ask them to deliver a message, it means the other person is free, which probably means they want to rest or they’re not making any money. If you want to move such a team, they might charge you a lot.”
’So, you mean I should connect with the base of “Silver Orchid”?’
”Yeah.”
From their perspective, they probably don’t care if I get ripped off… but my doubts about that were cleared up by Nina’s words.
”And…”
’And?’
”If there are no issues with your skills, Ms. Shirley instructed me to have you meet Ms. Ferris, who is at the base.”
So that instruction was given, huh.
I thought if I could safely take Iris and the others to the 4th District, I could leave the acceptance process to Nina… but this is bad.
If I meet Ferris, she might realize I’m “Koji.”
Of course, even if I do meet her, I plan to insist I’m a different person, just like I thought yesterday, but I would prefer to avoid it if possible.
However, if meeting her is already part of the plan, trying to avoid it now might make them suspicious that I have something to hide.
Thinking that, I decided not to make any negative comments about meeting Ferris.
’Got it. Are you taking Iris and the others with you now?’
”Yeah. If I leave them behind, they might be used as hostages to break into the base… or so it seems.”
’Hah. I understand being cautious, but I wonder what one person could do by themselves.’
”From what I’ve seen of you so far, it’s clear you have quite a bit of power. I think the only ones who could stop you are the representatives, so I believe it’s a good idea to meet with them in advance, just in case.”
Is she going to have Ferris meet me to keep an eye on my movements?
It’s kind of like training a dog to recognize a scent, right?
This seemed to be about my strength being high…
’Did Ms. Shirley really think my strength was that high?’
”Who knows? But if you can safely reach the 4th District with the planned number of people, I’ll have Ms. Ferris remember you.”
So, it looks like if I had a certain level of strength, I was supposed to meet Ferris.
…Am I really being treated like a dog? What kind of relationship is this?
I was curious about who Ms. Shirley really was, but if I took too much time here, I might attract attention… In fact, I could already feel a few groups watching us from a distance, so I decided not to think about her for now.
’Well, I don’t have a problem with that. Shouldn’t I take my own stuff with me then?’
If Iris and the others stayed here and were suspected of being hostages, they might think I was being threatened and had my valuables taken away.
”That’s right. Then…”
As Nina said this, she started to gather her things from the cart, and Iris and the others also picked up their belongings as the 3 of them headed toward the “Silver Orchid” base.
”Okay, just wait a moment.”
”I’m off now.”
I watched them leave, and once I confirmed that Nina had arrived at the entrance and started talking to the person in charge, we made it to the base without any issues.
From this position, I can’t see what’s happening on the other side of the entrance, but… oh, all 3 of them went inside.
It seems I won’t be turned away at the gate, so I’ll just wait quietly.
…
……
………
After waiting for a while… Nina came out from the base and returned to me.
”Thank you for waiting. Please follow me.”
’What about my gear and weapons?’
”Could you please remove your axe and shield and store them in the cart? Ms. Ferris is here, but I think other women might feel uneasy until we reach the meeting place.”
Ugh, so Ferris is here after all.
I was hoping she would be out, but it seems that’s not the case.
Well, since Ms. Shirley’s instructions suggest I can’t avoid meeting Ferris, I guess I will end up seeing her anyway.
Still, if they want me to disarm because the women inside might feel uneasy, then Ferris should just come out to the entrance, right? Is it to maintain her image as a representative?
Last time, she came to check things out right away when something suspicious was floating in the sky, so she seems pretty proactive. Plus, there are women being protected inside the base, so she should want to come out.
But thinking about it, it’s strange that they let me into the base in the first place.
I’m curious about the situation, but I can’t say I don’t want to meet her now, so I’ll just ask her directly after we meet.
So, I stored my axe and shield in a wooden box and pulled the cart with them, following Nina.
…
……
………
”Who is this?”
”Yes, this is Mr. Mose.”
”I see… then please, go ahead.”
In front of the “Silver Orchid” base, Nina and a female gatekeeper had a brief exchange. While I was probably getting sharp looks from the security team, who seemed to have more people than usual, I entered the base.
As I moved forward, surrounded by the security team, I noticed that the layout looked similar to the “Golden Lion” base, with residential tents and storage tents lined up.
I could only see armed members of the security team around.
Many women seemed to want to avoid being noticed by men, so they were all hiding inside the tents.
Well, considering they are being protected here, that makes sense.
At least they aren’t throwing things at me.
Given the situation, it might be troublesome to provoke the security team, so I quietly followed Nina as she led the way.
”This way.”
Nina stopped and said this in front of a large tent in the center of the base. By the entrance stood Ms. Luka, who I had previously met with Ferris.
She was wearing the same white armor as before, and her expression showed that she was on guard.
After looking me over, she introduced herself.
”I’m Luka. I’m assisting Ferris, the representative.”
’I…’
”Oh, I heard you, so it’s fine. You can park the cart over there.”
’Okay, understood.’
I didn’t mind that my introduction was cut off, and I parked the cart in the empty space next to the tent as she indicated.
”Alright, please come inside.”
As Ms. Luka said this and opened the entrance cloth, I saw a round table inside, with the people I had met as “Koji” sitting around it.
In the back seat, Ferris was sitting, looking at us as if she was judging us in her red cheongsam dress.
The other members were the same, with Ms. Luka taking her seat, and when Nina stood close to Ferris, the conversation began.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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