Chapter 199: Guild Headquarters
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: Guild Headquarters
Just before boarding the teleportation gateway from Sandereil to Calax.
"Where did you go?"
"Here, look at this."
"This is..."
Theodora had stepped away for a moment and hadn't returned for quite a while, forcing me to wait. After about ten minutes, she reappeared, holding a paper shopping bag in her hand.
"Clothes?"
"Yeah. It’s always been inconvenient for you whenever you try to use your abilities, right? Even during the sparring match earlier, you had to put your clothes into your storage artifact before starting."
"Ah, that’s true."
My clothes did get in the way whenever I used my powers. The moment I sprouted wings or a tail while dressed, the fabric would rip apart. Besides, these days, my physical frame often grew so large that my original clothes wouldn't fit anyway.
"But I've gotten used to it by now."
"Remember that factory from before? They said they produce silk from Obsidian Silkworms, right?"
"Yeah, I think I heard that."
I’d heard it was made from a special type of silkworm found in a nearby small-to-medium labyrinth. I was about to say it must be expensive and she shouldn't have, but then I remembered the factory belonged to the Golden Glove Syndicate.
"Think about it. If it's one hundred percent animal-based fabric, wouldn't your ability work on it too?"
"Hmm... I wonder."
I certainly hadn't thought about that. Most ordinary clothes in this world were made of cotton or linen. 'Animal-based' usually meant tunics crudely tailored from broad leather or perhaps a gambeson padded with wool.
While leather armor could be stitched together, it wasn't exactly something you wore as a standalone outfit. Plus, I had been reluctant to 'consume' leather that had undergone tanning or other chemical treatments with my ability.
It wasn't that the ability wouldn't work, but materials that had undergone transformation at a cellular level couldn't establish a neural connection.
"What do you think? This should be fine, right?"
"I'll give it a try. Is there somewhere I can change?"
"There's the carriage. Go on, hurry."
Theodora pointed toward the carriage we had taken to reach the teleportation gateway. Since it was designed for sitting, the ceiling was a bit low.
I can just sit and change, I thought. I climbed inside, folded my body awkwardly in the cramped space, and swapped my clothes.
"To use the ability... hmm."
I figured surrounding my entire body with a gastric membrane would be the most effective method. However, sprouting a stomach wall from the top of my head felt a bit much. In the end, I raised my hands, palms upward, and manifested a gastric membrane to envelop my entire body.
"It actually works."
The result was a success. I couldn't do anything about the metal buckle on the trouser belt, but the only thing that came to mind was Draconium, a biological metal. I’d have to ask the blacksmith to make a belt buckle out of it later.
The dwarf uncle had made such a fuss about it being an incredibly expensive metal; he might have a fit if I asked him to turn it into a belt buckle.
"It seems to work. Thanks, Dora."
"Pfft, I'm glad. It was expensive, so make sure you wear it well. Don't you have to go to the Guild Headquarters next?"
"How did you know that? Did I tell you?"
"The Lymain family has its own informants, you know. Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
"Haha, well. I didn't give it much thought."
And so, wearing my new clothes, I returned to Calax. It seemed Theodora was going to be quite busy now that the festival was over, so she had to hit the ground running.
Once I arrived at the inn, I changed back into more comfortable attire, but the new outfit was definitely high quality. For some reason, the clothes I just received felt even more comfortable than the loose rags I usually wore around the inn.
"Yoo Eon, you're back?"
"Yes, Sera. I'm home. Where are the kids?"
"I just saw Tresha off. Ravi is here too."
"Hmm."
Something felt off about Ravi. I often brought people or monsters to the inn, but what was the deal with Ravi? She had her own home—in fact, it wasn't just a home, it was her place of business. If she kept leaving it empty, she’d run out of money.
"I see."
Well, whatever works. She did help out with chores occasionally.
* * *
Three days later, at 9:00 AM. A letter had already arrived from the Guild's Southwest Branch two days prior. It contained a long, elegant greeting written in a neat, firm script that clearly belonged to Dahlia. Below that was a set of blunt, condensed instructions written in a rude scrawl that made me wonder if a human or a dog had held the pen.
['Dress decently and be at the Southwest Branch by 10:00. The higher-ups are trying to pull something. Don't be intimidated; stand your ground. You don't need to agree to 90% of what they ask. There will probably be a lot of onlookers, but don't mind them.']
"Shall I head out then?"
"Are you leaving now?"
"Yes, Sera. I'm not sure how long it will take."
"There isn't... some kind of problem, is there?"
"Haha, there really isn't, so don't worry. I told you before."
"Right... okay..."
Dressed simply, I stepped out of the inn's entrance. Sera followed me out, her expression clouded with worry. Hearing that I had been summoned by the Guild made her restless, fearing something had gone wrong.
"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."
I brushed back Sera's bangs and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. Her hair carried a clean, refreshing floral scent; it was hard to leave like this so early in the morning.
"H-Hiek...! O-Okay! You have to eat dinner at the inn, okay?"
"Of course."
With that, I set off for the Guild. There was no carriage prepared or anything of the sort. Walking had always been my daily routine, but I wondered if I’d grown too comfortable lately, seeing the lack of a carriage as an inconvenience.
I’ve become quite the aristocrat.
Whether it was because I met the right women or because I got the right skills—it was probably both. Come to think of it, I still hadn't heard from Iris.
Keeping the woman named Siv stored away indefinitely felt a bit wrong, but since time didn't really flow inside the skill's subspace, she would probably be fine without food.
After walking briskly for about an hour, I arrived at the Southwest Branch. A restless atmosphere had formed around the entrance, suggesting something unusual was afoot.
Due to the lingering effects of the festival, there were still many explorers moving about, and for some reason, the looks they gave me weren't exactly friendly.
—Who the hell is that guy? Is he an explorer? Why is he coming to the Guild dressed like that?
—Hey, look at his face. It’s insane.
—Actually, I have a curse skill that makes me get excited when I see a handsome man...
—That’s just instinct, you idiot.
Now that I thought about it, the issue was my outfit. In the Southwest, there were many low-grade explorers who would be slaughtered by monsters if they didn't wear proper armor.
—Wait, isn't that him...?
—Who? What do you mean?
—You know. Back then, on the 40th floor...
—No way. He looked like a monster on the screen.
—I heard he’s just a normal person usually. They said he’s from the Southwest. I guess it’s true...!
Walking through the whispering crowd, I headed toward the information desk inside the lobby. As usual, I was greeted by Katrina, who was slacking off on the clock. She had a cold smile on her face, her shoes kicked off, and her stockinged feet propped up on the desk, toes wiggling.
"The guest of honor has arrived. You're right on time."
"Yes. Is Dahlia off duty?"
"She was here until this morning and just clocked out. Are you ready to head to the Guild Headquarters?"
"Where exactly is the Headquarters?"
"The center of the continent. It's located in a place called 'Veritas.' You can think of it as the capital."
I didn't know there was a separate capital. Come to think of it, I’d heard the first labyrinth was discovered over 800 years ago. Humanity wouldn't have just appeared on the surface alongside the labyrinths, so there must be cities that prospered due to geographical factors rather than just being built around a labyrinth.
"Are we taking a gateway?"
"That's right. We'll take a carriage to the gateway."
"Are you coming with me, Katrina?"
"I'd like to, but unfortunately, I can't."
Katrina slowly lowered her feet from the desk, shoved them into her shoes, hopped over the counter, and handed me something.
"What is... this?"
"A pass issued by the Guild. You need a justification to enter the capital. This contains information stating that the Calax Southwest Branch issued it for a visit to the Guild Headquarters."
"I see."
It was essentially a visa made into a metal plate. The sigil representing Calax and the Guild's sigil were engraved side-by-side. It seemed the information inside could be read through a magical scan.
"And, wait a moment."
"Is something wrong?"
"Arthur wants to see you."
"Wouldn't it be better if I went up then?"
"That guy needs to move a bit. He’s starting to smell like a musty closet. If you don't go up, he'll come down himself."
"Hmm, I see."
I hadn't really gotten that impression. Wasn't Sir Dexter still as vigorous as someone in their prime? A Titanium-grade explorer isn't the type of person to rust away so easily. He proved that recently.
Still, as I stood there, Sir Dexter soon came down the stairs from the upper floor. Even then, occasional whispers could be heard, but the moment Sir Dexter entered the lobby, everyone fell silent as if intimidated.
"Aven, good to see you."
"Sir Dexter. It’s been a while. Not since that incident."
"Indeed. I rarely go outside, so I hardly know how the world is turning."
"Then get out more, you moron."
He lightly ignored Katrina’s jab... or rather, he seemed to take a bit of a hit, but he didn't let it show.
"...I have something urgent to tell you. We still have some time; shall we go upstairs?"
"Understood."
* * *
"What is it you wanted to discuss?"
"Regarding the recent incident, as you may know, I have the ability to see the future."
I vaguely remembered hearing about it. Katrina had mentioned he had some kind of 'fool's foresight.' He didn't exactly know what would happen, but he could faintly sense that an 'event' was coming.
I’d heard that Sir Dexter had found out about my rampage on the 2nd Stratum through that skill.
"I see. Is something going to happen?"
"You are an explorer of Calax. You received your Explorer’s Plate in Calax, and you primarily operate here. Is that not so?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Those with a certain level of authority within Calax are guaranteed the right to attend meetings at the Headquarters. This is to ensure that explorers responding to a summons do not face unfair treatment or are forced into unequal agreements due to pressure from the Headquarters. While it is rare for them to be given a voice, their mere presence as observers helps to suppress such occurrences."
"I see."
So that’s what Katrina meant when she said there would be a few onlookers.
"Three people from Calax will be attending your summons meeting."
"Three? Who are they?"
"First, the Branch Manager of the Northeast Branch will attend. After all, they have the highest number of high-grade explorers among the four branches of Calax, and thus, they have a significant voice."
"The Northeast..."
"And the head of the Mayerbridge Union, Soles Getia, will be there."
"Soles Getia..."
"That's right. One of only six Orichalcum-grade explorers on the surface."
Were there really that few? To be honest, I thought there would be at least twenty. It seemed the standards were much higher than I had imagined.
"And finally, Mystery Antoinette, the head of the Antonio Brotherhood, will participate."
"...Why that person?"
"For now, she is the head of an organization with a powerful voice that holds sway over the Southeast of Calax. She may have a notorious reputation within Calax, but ultimately, she is a high-ranking figure who holds one of the four districts in her grasp."
"Is that so?"
This was something I hadn't considered. Mystery Antoinette...
Come to think of it, who was the one who commissioned the Antonio Brotherhood to kill me?
In the end, Siv had only mentioned the name of the Antonio Brotherhood; she hadn't specifically mentioned Mystery Antoinette.
And the Antonio Brotherhood was composed of numerous splinter cells; the 'real' Antonio Brotherhood that appeared on the surface was merely a merchant group.
"You don't necessarily have to tell the whole truth. I'm not telling you to lie. This is the only advice I can give you."
"Understood. I'll keep that in mind."
"I trust you will do well."
"Yes, thank you."
* * *
—We are starting! Please be mindful of any dizziness!
And so, at the location of the Guild Headquarters.
"So this is the capital."
In the far distance, at the center, stood a building that soared as if to pierce the heavens.
"Soon, the languages of the surface will split into hundreds of branches."