Chapter 117: My House is Gone
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: My House is Gone
“Well, I think that covers everything for now.”
“I agree. I’m counting on you, Rosier.”
“Hmm. Let’s do our best.”
“Thank you, both of you.”
The three of them shook hands, smiling warmly like world leaders who had just concluded a successful summit.
I sat on the sofa, watching them and letting out a long sigh of relief. I was just glad things had worked out.
“Um... are you okay...?”
“Yeah. I’m just glad everyone didn’t start fighting.”
In response to Olivia’s worried question, I stroked her hair and told her I was satisfied with how things turned out.
It really was a relief. If even one of those three had disagreed with the current situation and decided to throw down, this house would have been leveled.
Yuria was someone who understood the virtue of compromise, Rosier was someone with a sense of shame, and Leah, being the relatively weaker party, seemed to have decided to follow Yuria’s lead.
“Are you okay, Olivia?”
“Me? Oh, yes... I’m... perfectly happy with how things are...”
Olivia didn’t seem to have any complaints about Rosier joining us.
To begin with, she rarely voiced strong opinions. She seemed to have finally found peace of mind since coming to this house.
“Well then, I shall take my leave. Until next time.”
“Yeah. Come over for a meal sometime.”
“I would be honored by the hospitality.”
“I should probably get going too. It was good to see your face after so long. I’ll come by to play again soon.”
Rosier and Leah departed.
Rosier headed back to the Church, and Lady Leah said she had to stop by her teacher’s place for her afternoon training.
“I’m going to head out for a bit too.”
“Where to?”
“The hole-in-the-wall shop. I need to let Rafnel know the results of the experiment.”
“Really? Okay. Oh, could you pick up some basil on your way back? We’re all out.”
“Sure. I’ll buy some.”
I figured I could pick it up on my way back from the shop.
Cooking in this world tended to use an unusual amount of basil. It was almost like how Koreans use massive amounts of garlic.
I personally enjoyed the scent of basil, so I used it in my food often.
I also ate a lot of garlic and perilla leaves. People here didn't really eat perilla leaves, so I could get them for dirt cheap and enjoy them all by myself.
They only used tiny amounts of garlic in their cooking, too. I tended to buy it in bulk and hoard it. Yuria once commented that I smelled like garlic after seeing my stash.
Since this was a world without kimchi, I had to soothe my greasy palate however I could.
Imagine having to dip bread into bland, pale soup 365 days a year. This world was a high-difficulty setting for a Korean.
I missed pickles, yellow pickled radish, kkakdugi, kimchi, and pickled garlic.
Give me some salted seafood. There’s no soy sauce. No gochujang. No doenjang.
Damn it, all they have is beef so rare it’s still dripping blood.
It was agonizing to have to settle for some strange pickled turnips.
Thinking about Korean food made me crave kimchi fried rice.
I was seriously considering making a batch of kimchi soon.
I didn't have crocks, salted seafood, or chili peppers—which were incredibly hard to find—but I thought it was worth a shot.
After all, I had a massive amount of funds.
The temperature in the Labyrinth is actually perfect.
Come to think of it, the interior of the Labyrinth stayed cool all year round.
What if I made kimchi in the Labyrinth? It would be a natural kimchi refrigerator.
“Huh?”
While I was busy planning my Labyrinth kimchi project, I reached the Eastern Red Light District, only to find it swarming with laborers who were busy tearing the place down.
“You there! Don’t just stand there, move!”
“Heave-ho!”
Crash—!!!!
As the demolition hammers brought the buildings down, swarms of cockroaches and rats came pouring out. A few mages on standby chanted spells to exterminate the pests.
I even saw some adventurers sweeping up the insect carcasses.
They were completely razing a specific section of the district.
Left with no choice but to avoid the scene of destruction, I tried to head toward Rafnel’s hole-in-the-wall shop, but a guard stationed at the construction site stepped forward to block my path.
“You there. Who are you? Where are you going?”
“Oh, I was just trying to get to that alleyway over there.”
“Sorry, but this area is off-limits today.”
“Excuse me?”
“We received a tip that remnants of the heretics are hiding here.”
Ah, Paramel must have reported it.
He probably informed them that there was a transfer stone connected to the Underground City in the sewers beneath the Eastern Red Light District.
Since they needed to secure any transfer stone connected to the Labyrinth as soon as possible, it looked like they had started the demolition immediately.
I hope Rafnel didn't get caught up in this.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, someone ran toward me, looking like they were on the verge of tears.
“Sion...! Sion...!!!”
“Eh. Miss Rafnel?”
“My house... my house is gone...!”
“What?”
It seemed Rafnel’s house had been caught in the demolition.
*
“So, you’re saying you woke up to find your magic circles shattered, the barrier broken, and half your house blown up?”
“Yes. That is what happened...! My atelier... my home that stood for over a hundred years...”
“Wow.”
Rafnel’s hole-in-the-wall shop, which had shared a hundred years of history with the Red Light District, had been leveled today.
Fortunately, it seemed only the shop entrance had been blown away, so she hadn't lost her truly important items.
However, since the magic circles she’d used to keep the shop hidden were gone, it seemed best to move her base of operations.
“Are they going to compensate you?”
“Well, the supervisor did come by and tell me to report the damages... but I have some products that would be a bit awkward to report, you see.”
“I see. Do you have anywhere to go?”
“I can find a place to stay, but... I have so much luggage... Could you help me?”
“Of course I’ll help. Let’s go.”
“Thank you. You’ve taken a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Rafnel hugged me, still teary-eyed.
Since half of a shut-in’s house had been blown away, it was understandable that she was mentally shaken.
“If we loop around that path over there, the laborers won’t notice us. Let’s go.”
I followed Rafnel through the back alleys.
“By the way, I see you returned safely. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m not really hurt, but I have a lot of things I want to ask you.”
“Is that so? Ask away while we move the luggage. I shall answer anything.”
Feeling strangely reassured by her promise to answer anything, we arrived at Rafnel’s shop.
“What on earth happened here? The entrance really is gone...”
It wasn't just collapsed.
From the entrance to the counter, it looked as if a giant knife had sliced through a cake, deleting that entire section.
“It vanished when the magic circles overloaded and exploded.”
“Wait, it just disappeared that cleanly?”
“Seven layers of protection magic exploded simultaneously, resulting in this... Even I have never seen such a case.”
“Who could have possibly triggered all your protection magic at once?”
“Judging by the traces of destruction... it seems Moira paid a visit.”
“Ah.”
At the mention of heretics, it seemed Moira had swept through the area. Rafnel’s shop must have been caught in the crossfire. They probably evacuated the civilians beforehand, but Rafnel, hidden behind her barriers, wouldn't have heard the news.
Once I heard Moira was involved, everything started to make sense. If it was Moira, such madness was entirely possible.
“Shall we start moving the luggage?”
“Let’s do that.”
Even I couldn't say anything to Moira. It couldn't be helped. I just had to treat it like a natural disaster.
“I didn't know this shop had a basement.”
“It’s more spacious than you thought, isn't it?”
“Yeah. I mean, how did you dig out a tunnel like this?”
Following Rafnel into the basement, I found something that looked like a German bunker from World War II.
She had been living in a tunnel system this extensive?
“This place will be discovered soon as well. Once they start scouring the sewers, they’ll find their way here.”
“I see. So that’s why you’re moving the entire atelier?”
“Indeed.”
As I began putting alchemy tools, materials, and reagents into my inventory, I decided to make a suggestion.
“Hey, Rafnel.”
“Yes?”
“Since you’re moving anyway, why don’t you come into the Labyrinth?”
“Huh? The Labyrinth?”
“Yeah. The Garden Section of the Underground City was recently cleared out. There’s plenty of space there. Are you interested?”
“Space in the Garden Section? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, you see...”
I gave Rafnel a summary of what had happened in the Underground City.
“A giant from the 7th floor came up? It set everything on fire and burned it all? All the trolls are dead... and what is this about a Frogman?”
“Crazy, right?”
“There is too much information. No, wait, a giant came up? What about the vine beans?”
“I planted them all at the entrance to the Gate Section. Monsters kept trying to cross into the Central Section, so I used them to block the entrance.”
“And did it work?”
“Well, they worked incredibly well against the monsters, but their firepower was a bit lacking. So I took the soul of a cultist apostle...”
“Eh?”
When I told her I had inserted Fainel’s soul to increase the defensive power, Rafnel asked what on earth I was talking about.
So, this time, I told her about the Spirit Chain and Eternal Dominion.
“The information... there is just too much information. Spirit Chain? Eternal Dominion? You’ve gained the attention of the Roas? You can manipulate souls at will?”
“What do you think? Do you want to come to the Underground City and set up an atelier? They say the Nightmare of the Labyrinth might wake up soon. I want to turn the Underground City into a base for conquering the Labyrinth.”
“Hooo... First. Let us organize this first.”
Rafnel began to slowly process everything, one by one.
In the middle of it, when I told her about the Bracelet of Growth, she almost fainted.
“Alright. Let’s see. To settle in the Underground City, we must first solve two problems.”
“Two problems?”
“Yes. First, we must make it so that it is not affected by the Great Cataclysm.”
“Ah.”
If a Great Cataclysm occurred, everyone inside the Labyrinth would be warped to random locations. It would be a catastrophe.
“We must ensure the Underground City is unaffected by the Cataclysm. At the very least, we must ensure it isn't transferred to the Deep Layers.”
“How do we do that?”
“The Magic Tower must get involved.”
Rafnel explained that we needed to create a Phase Stabilizer.
The problem was that building and utilizing one properly would require an enormous amount of capital.
“It requires maintenance costs. Since the primary materials can be found on the 6th floor, we will likely need to pioneer the 6th floor as well.”
“So that means we have to pioneer the 6th floor dungeon while simultaneously developing the Underground City.”
“That is correct. Even if we use money as a temporary fix to maintain it, it won't last long.”
“Understood. And the next one?”
“We must prevent monsters from spawning in unpredictable locations.”
Monsters in the Labyrinth spawn randomly. To make the Underground City a livable area, we had to be able to control those random spawns.
“This also requires research. However, if there is one ray of hope...”
“Yes.”
“I believe your Eternal Dominion and Spiritual Eye will be of great help.”
We had to be able to regulate the monsters so they spawned only in desired locations. To do that, one apparently needed to be able to manipulate souls.
According to Rafnel, I would need to use my Eternal Dominion to interfere deeply with the Underground City.
“We will need to bring voodoo shamans and necromancers to the Underground City as well. Oh, and druids too. And we must resolve the issue regarding the Roas. Sigh.”
“It sounds like we’ll need a lot of things.”
We needed to gather intellectuals.
The Tower Lord, Rafnel, Helena, and even Olivia.
We needed a vast amount of knowledge regarding the Labyrinth.
“The pioneering project will not be easy. After all, you are trying to turn the Labyrinth, of all places, into a safe zone.”
“It’s definitely difficult from the start. Is this... even possible? The more I look into it, the more hopeless it seems.”
“Still, I see hope. It shouldn't be entirely impossible.”
Rafnel was looking at the situation positively.
“First, we will need to meet with the leaders of the city. Conflicts are bound to arise when interests are intertwined. To begin with, if I am to re-enter the Labyrinth, I will need their permission.”
“I suppose so. We definitely need to solve that part first.”
Rafnel was currently banned from entering the Labyrinth because she had caused several accidents there in the past.
To bring her in, we had to lift her entry restriction first.
I would have to meet with Moira, the Saintess, and the Tower Lord. Starting with them, I needed to have a conversation with the top brass of the Labyrinth City.