Chapter 8
Chapter 8
The Spreading Rumors (Revised)
After obtaining a satisfying haul from the Dragon Tree’s territory.
Dragging my exhausted body back to the atelier, I collapsed as if fainting into sleep, and only then was I able to sort through the materials I had brought back.
The result of this expedition was three full backpacks of materials.
My share was originally supposed to be just one backpack.
But thanks to the consideration of my companions, who had no need for materials, I was able to take all three.
I guess I’ll have to repay this debt someday.
“Hehehe. I’m rich now!”
“Pyaaang!”
“Kyuiiiing!”
Since each backpack contained roughly two hundred materials, my material cost problems were gone for a while.
Even though I didn’t have a single coin.
The mountain of materials alone made me feel wealthy.
“Alright. Since I’ve had my fun, let’s do a review session.”
“Kyuu!”
Together with the spirit entities, I organized the warehouse and sat down at the desk, writing in my notebook.
I was reviewing everything that happened during the first expedition, trying to adjust the gap between the game and reality.
“I didn’t end up using any of the prepared alchemy items.”
Maybe because there were only two companions.
The party composition was stable, and timing to throw potions was awkward, making it hard to support properly.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t even get to use the spirit entities.”
In practice, I just got carried, so there was nothing for them to do, but thanks to that I was able to figure out my role in this party.
My eyes sparkling, I wrote down improvements in my notebook, then took out a few materials from the warehouse and stood in front of the alchemy cauldron.
I decided what to sell at the shop based on the results of the first expedition.
“I’ll make this quickly and sell it, then buy food first.”
Practicing alchemy would be good, but that required money.
My wallet situation was so bad I had gone without food since morning.
At least I had the jerky Clovis and Cecilia gave me in the dungeon.
Otherwise, it would have been an early death ending.
To avoid starving, I decided to make as many products as possible for tomorrow’s shop opening.
Since the Empire of Kailas declared the conquest of the Abyss.
Astrum was built, and countless people came chasing success.
Because of that, under the orders of the 3rd Prince and 4th Princess managing the city, anyone who wanted to explore the Abyss had to become an explorer, except for exceptions like alchemists or priests.
Even a noble knight order couldn’t break this rule and ended up forming a guild as explorers, so it went without saying for others.
Since the entire surrounding territory belonged to the Empire, Astrum was effectively the dominant power.
Thus, everyone had no choice but to gather at the guild.
And with so many people gathered, rumors constantly spread inside.
Most of those rumors were false.
But occasionally, there were truths mixed in, or stories that were genuinely interesting.
A low-rank explorer named Marlon, drinking with his companions, spoke in a good mood from the alcohol.
“Don’t you think we’re good enough to try mid-rank explorers soon?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“No, think about it. What kinds of requests have we completed so far? Honestly, we should’ve been promoted already, but the only reason we’re still low-rank is potions.”
“True. No matter how good you are, one mistake means death. How can you gamble like that?”
“So I thought about it! We need good potions!”
“There he goes again.”
“Whatever, just drink.”
Marlon looked at his companions with excitement.
A party composed of a giant woman, a birdfolk woman, and an alligator beastman showed indifferent expressions.
They were used to this kind of talk and usually ignored it like a template, but this time Marlon had gathered interesting rumors, so he grinned.
“I’m not just saying this randomly. There’s a rumor making the guild noisy recently, right?”
“Oh, that one?”
The giant woman on the opposite side shrugged while drinking beer.
She downed her giant-sized mug in one gulp and spoke.
“There are so many rumors in the guild. Why believe that one?”
“The source is those famous twin explorers, so it must be real.”
“I know! They say the owner is insanely handsome!”
At the giant’s words, the birdfolk woman became interested.
She was preening her feathers instead of paying attention to the rumor itself.
Her companions ignored her as usual and continued.
“You know Clovis and Cecilia, right? Those rising mid-rank explorers. Those two hate each other so much but act like twins, so their skills must be real.”
The so-called twin explorers, Clovis and Cecilia, were famous in the guild.
They weren’t actually related, but their thoughts and actions were so similar they were treated like twins, and the fact that they constantly argued made them even more famous.
And what is a mid-rank explorer?
In a ranking system from lowest to highest, being mid-rank meant they were on par with elite noble knights.
The alligator beastman also became interested in the credible information.
“I heard they recently showed up at the guild planning expeditions.”
“They had hoods on so I couldn’t see their faces, but people say the lower half of that alchemist’s face was really handsome!”
“Their skills are real. The loud ones who usually brag are suddenly keeping quiet, pretending not to know anything.”
With continuous testimonies, even the giant woman who had been indifferent became interested.
If Marlon and the alligator beastman were saying this much, then a talented alchemist must have appeared.
“Even so, potions are always useful. I heard everything he makes comes out at top quality.”
“Hm… that good?”
“If he’s that talented, it’s worth remembering his face. Let’s take a day to find out where that alchemist is.”
“I wanna see his face! He must be super handsome!”
“That’s fine. Let’s go find that alchemist the twin explorers are so protective of!”
“What kind of gift should we bring…”
“Finally going to see him!”
Though the birdfolk woman had slightly different intentions.
Their goal was the same, so it didn’t matter.
Checking the new atelier list posted on the guild board, Marlon’s party quickly moved through the city.
And after only a few hours, they arrived at their destination and stopped.
In front of a building labeled “Teo’s Atelier,” a large crowd had already gathered.
Seeing this, Marlon’s party clicked their tongues.
“We thought we were fast…”
“There are so many people!”
“Look at this crowd. Ridiculously packed.”
The giant woman smiled and leaned down, poking their heads.
“You guys don’t know much. In Astrum, alchemists are way more important than you think.”
“I know that much.”
“No, you really don’t understand how valuable they are.”
She clicked her tongue.
Normally, you’d only understand after surviving a life-or-death situation, but Marlon and his group had been unlucky enough not to experience that yet.
Well, better than dying, she thought, and explained further.
“Think about it. Why do we explore the Abyss?”
“To succeed?”
“And what do explorers do in the Abyss?”
“Gather rare materials and explore ancient ruins… ah.”
Marlon finally realized and made a face.
The Ancient Empire had left behind ruins filled entirely with alchemy-based systems.
Even though it had fallen due to the Great Catastrophe, its legacy remained in the ruins.
The giant woman continued.
“To clear those ruins, you need an alchemist. And if they’re weak, the defense systems activate and wipe you out.”
“Yeah, that’s why so many alchemists die.”
Because of reckless ruin exploration, many alchemists had died, worsening the shortage of mid-grade potions.
Modern alchemy itself was built on the ruins of the Great Catastrophe.
Meanwhile, ancient alchemy in those ruins was knowledge condensed over thousands of years.
For alchemists seeking truth, there was no greater temptation.
Many rushed in and died trying to seize it first, creating a chronic shortage of alchemists.
Thus, explorers had no choice but to act quickly.
If a promising alchemist appeared, they had to build connections or buy them out at high prices.
The giant woman asked.
“So what now?”
“What else? We came all the way here, we should meet him.”
“There are so many people…”
With a sigh, Marlon stepped into the crowd.
It was going to be a long day.