Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Mirror Ruins Preparations
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Before setting off on an adventure, a time for reorganization is always necessary.
Arsen and his group needed the same kind of preparation.
After a few days of rest to restore their physical condition, they visited a relic shop to gather items that would aid in excavating the ruins.
Naturally, powerful relics specialized for combat were prohibitively expensive, so their targets were relics with supportive functions helpful for excavation.
“Does this thing really have that kind of function?”
“Yeah, it does! Have you only ever been tricked before?”
“Well, yeah, I have gotten duped a bit. Give it here for a sec. Let me check it out.”
After some back-and-forth, Lenoc snatched the necklace like it was his and handed it to Arsen.
The merchant, perhaps worried Lenoc might swap it or run off with it, hurried over to keep an eye on things.
Arsen took the necklace Lenoc offered politely and passed it to Eloise.
Eloise’s hands glowed as she cast a simple appraisal spell.
[What do you think?]
[Seems legit. It lets you designate a target, track them, that sort of thing. Not single-use either, and no weird functions.]
[Thanks. If it checks out, we’ll buy it.]
“How much did you say?”
The merchant quoted an outrageous price, but Arsen paid it cheerfully without hesitation.
Everything in the ruin city was expensive.
Relics kept being unearthed, and people came from far away to buy them, throwing money around.
Because of that, no matter what you bought—meals or lodging—you had to pay several times the price you’d expect in other territories with functioning economies.
The one exception: relics themselves were much cheaper.
In other territories, relics weren’t junk you could just buy with money unless they were utterly useless.
Arsen stepped out of the shop and glanced around, letting out a light sigh.
This area inside the purified zone had a strictly controlled atmosphere, unlike the freewheeling outer zone.
You couldn’t carry weapons openly unless they were sheathed, so all the passersby were unarmed.
Arsen’s group was no different.
It would be inefficient to bring everyone out, and there was a risk of unnecessary clashes, so only Arsen, Eloise, Bazcal, Lenoc, and four soldiers carrying gear had come.
“Hey, bro. Check that out over there.”
Just then, some commotion broke out a ways off, and Bazcal tapped Arsen’s back.
Turning at Bazcal’s words, they saw two knights trading blows for some reason.
Onlookers stared in curiosity for a moment before guards blew whistles and arrived to haul the pair away.
The guards were ordinary soldiers, but they were armed with relics that looked plenty powerful at a glance.
The unarmed knights didn’t resist and went along meekly.
“They say the Black Lion district has good public order, and it looks like that’s true.”
There were a few market areas inside the purified zone, and the one run by a group called the Black Lion was reputed to have the best security.
Arsen had heard it from Moro once and confirmed it again with the innkeeper.
“Meanwhile, the district run directly by the lord is the dangerous one.”
“Yeah, for greenhorns like us, better to stick to the safe spots.”
Of course, it wasn’t without downsides—the Black Lion district took hefty taxes, making goods pricier.
But Arsen figured paying a bit more beat getting dragged into trouble.
After buying a few more items, Lenoc spoke to Arsen.
“With this, we’ve pretty much got all the gear you asked for.”
A digging staff for tunneling through earth, a water purifier canister Lenoc had received one from Luden before, a sentinel lantern that made noise to alert if anyone approached, and various other handy relics were loaded onto the mounts.
To prevent theft, the four soldiers surrounded the cargo, glaring in all directions.
“Alright, let’s head back then.”
“Sir Arsen!”
Just as they were about to leave, someone called out to Arsen.
Turning around, it was Yoohun and the Tiger Claw excavation team he led.
Yoohun waved a few times before approaching.
“Fancy running into you at the market again.”
“Good to see you.”
Yoohun chuckled amiably in greeting, then glanced sideways.
The young knight with the dark expression, Mazran, bowed deeply.
“An honor to see you again, Sir Arsen.”
“...Good to see you, Mazran.”
Arsen addressed Mazran informally, feeling a bit awkward.
Amusingly, Mazran—the “young knight”—was twenty-one, a few years older than Arsen.
As Arsen received the greeting, Bazcal stepped forward beside him.
“Rookie.”
“Sir Bazcal.”
When Mazran bowed and offered his hand, Bazcal smirked arrogantly and clasped it.
Unlike his first impression of a rowdy thug picking fights out of nowhere, sober Mazran turned out to be an introverted, quiet young man.
Once they heard his side, he dropped to his knees, forehead to the ground in apology—so earnestly that even Bazcal told him, “No need to go that far.”
Shaking Mazran’s hand, Bazcal said,
“Still, you look a lot better now. Glad to see it.”
“Thanks to your concern. I appreciate it.”
Mazran gave a faint smile in response.
As promised, his face was brighter than right after sobering up.
Still dark enough by others’ standards, but far better than the suicidal gloom of a few days prior.
While Bazcal puffed up his ego bantering with the young man who’d wronged him, Yoohun asked Arsen,
“Preparing to assault a ruin?”
“That’s right.”
“Would it be rude to ask which one?”
Yoohun grinned as if it were a funny joke.
Arsen brushed off the question and turned it back on him.
“Came to restock supplies too, Sir Yoohun?”
“We’ll need to soon... but not yet. Need more rest. Today we’re selling some stuff we picked up on the last trip.”
With that, Yoohun gestured behind him.
Sure enough, one of his comrades carried a large bundle on his back.
“Nothing amazing, but it should cover lodging for a while and prep for the next assault.”
“Congratulations. Where are you selling?”
Yoohun grinned at Arsen’s question.
“To a shop connected to our Dawn Adventurers. They pay top dollar for stuff with historical value. You should note it too, Sir Arsen.”
“Where is it?”
“See that building over there with the red bricks? That’s it. ‘Truth Traders.’ Even non-members get good prices for historical artifacts, so make use of it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
* * *
After returning with their purchases, Arsen gathered everyone in the largest room for a briefing.
Mages and non-mages sat divided to either side, with Arsen at the head explaining.
“Alright, the first ruin we’ll assault here is the ‘Mirror Ruins.’ Sir Maroon?”
Maroon, leader of the Star-Eye detachment and their intel source, cleared his throat and stepped forward.
“First off, the Mirror Ruins have been assaulted once before. Secretly, so folks here don’t know.”
Maroon cleared his throat again.
“The minor issue is there aren’t many records left on it. We all know... Sir Arsen’s special ability makes it easy to pass, but beyond that, no other info. Regrettably.”
According to Star-Eye, their past leader hadn’t told anyone exactly which ruin hid the ‘code.’
Thus, Arsen’s group had to scour the west, checking every ruin Star-Eye had once cleared.
The Mirror Ruins were their first target.
“The publicly known facts: once inside, illusions of your reflection appear everywhere. Unsure if real mirrors or pure illusion, but you have to navigate a mirror labyrinth to the goal. Probably a door that won’t open easily, like before.”
Lenoc spoke with a somewhat puzzled look.
“Isn’t that common knowledge around here?”
“That’s just it—there’s hardly anything left on it. We have detailed records on other ruins we cleared, but this one’s just ‘passed through easily’...”
Maroon shrugged sheepishly.
In truth, they relied on old records and intel from spies posing as merchants for most ruins they’d cleared in the past.
The remaining Star-Eye elders hadn’t been key members back then, so they hadn’t participated directly.
“Sounds too vague. Can’t just charge in believing it’s simple. Better to ask around locally?”
Arsen shook his head at Bazcal’s question.
“People here don’t share which ruins they’re hitting. Could tip off someone to set a trap. No guarantee the info’s even true.”
Arsen added that false info was worse than none, rejecting Bazcal’s idea.
Bazcal wagged his head.
“Then we just dive in and see. Whatever.”
Arsen nodded.
“For now, I’ll select personnel for tomorrow’s departure. First, this ruin doesn’t seem to need a big force. Second, too many of us draws eyes.”
Indeed, in this ruin city, Arsen’s group stood out.
Most excavation teams topped out at ten; theirs exceeded twenty.
If brute force were needed, everyone would go regardless, but intel suggested no need for masses here.
Best to handle it stealthily with a small team—no one the wiser.
Confirming all eyes on him, Arsen began calling names slowly.
“First: Miss Eloise, Sir Maroon, Lenoc.”
The named nodded.
“Lenoc, pick five soldiers. Sir Maroon, select three mages. That makes twelve for the assault; the rest stand by at the inn.”
He added,
“Those waiting at the inn, don’t think your role is insignificant. We can afford a failed assault or two, but this base here is more precious.”
In truth, the truly vital items were in the magic backpack from Luden, but Arsen spoke solemnly.
He didn’t want the stay-behinds feeling useless or slacking off.
“It’ll be boring, but everyone staying, please don’t leave the inn. Outings are risky and could spark trouble. Bazcal’s in charge, so follow his orders.”
This applied to the mages too, so Arsen politely requested with honorifics.
They nodded impassively, no real complaints.
“I trust you, Bazcal.”
“Don’t worry, bro. We’ll guard the gear while you’re gone!”
Bazcal shouted reliably enough.
Leaving Bazcal—a knight—out of the assault hurt, but they couldn’t leave just soldiers and mages.
In a ruin city crawling with hundreds of knights, any incident needed a knight leader to handle.
“Alright, everyone, get some rest. Whatever adventure awaits, we can’t assume it’ll be smooth.”
* * *
The next day, they set off.
The journey went smoother than Arsen expected.
Down to thirteen, they were a bit large but not eye-catchingly huge, so locals dismissed them as some unfamiliar excavation team.
Heading southwest from the barrier for hours, all rode mounts with no separate baggage animals, making them far faster than usual travel.
Thus, they reached the destination under fading sunlight, without meeting the green moon.
A graveyard littered with mossy tombstones.
There lay the ruin called the Mirror Ossuary.