Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Sia von Lunaria (1)
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The packages sold at the Natural Goods Shop could only be purchased once each.
Instead, they offered plants and natural materials that could only be obtained in very special places.
In return, they dramatically boosted the spirits' satisfaction and growth rates.
『Owned Spirits』
【Sylph】
『Wind Spirit that Summons Storms』
― Top-Grade Wind Spirit
― Rank: 2 Stars
― Satisfaction: Top
『Growth Boost Active』
― Lightning-Struck Tree
【Undine】
『Water Spirit that Summons Tidal Waves』
― Top-Grade Water Spirit
― Rank: 2 Stars
― Satisfaction: Top
『Growth Boost Active』
― Night Sky Pond
【Ifrit】
『Fire Spirit that Commands Infernal Flames』
― Top-Grade Fire Spirit
― Rank: 2 Stars
― Satisfaction: Top
『Growth Boost Active』
― Self-Igniting Flower
Sure enough, my spirits' satisfaction levels shot up to top in an instant.
On top of that, growth boosts were now active for all three.
Spirit ranks went up to a total of 5 stars, and mine had all grown once to reach 2 stars.
They still hadn't formed proper shapes yet, but they would gradually evolve into forms befitting top-grade spirits.
【Natural Goods Shop】
― Spirit Feed (Low): 3000 Cash
― Spirit Feed (Mid): 7000 Cash
― Spirit Feed (High): 10000 Cash
"This is... still a bit early, though."
Spirits normally fed on mana and natural materials, so as long as they stayed nearby, mana supply happened naturally.
But I couldn't stay cooped up in the residence all day.
From 3 stars onward, spirits gained distinct forms and could consume food.
That was when I could buy spirit feed to substitute for their mana supply.
It wasn't a huge problem if I didn't feed them, but their satisfaction would drop slowly over time.
Back in the game days, I'd optimized by sprinkling some feed during hunts and parking the character at the residence during breaks.
Now... no need to skimp. I could just lay it out freely.
"Alright then."
I finally stepped inside the mansion.
Opening the entrance, a straight, refreshing hallway stretched out straight ahead to greet me.
The first floor of the two-story mansion had a large living room, with four rooms lining both sides of the central hallway.
These were the servants' quarters, but now they could serve as storage or guest rooms.
At the end of the central hallway was a staircase leading to the second floor.
Up on the second floor—which seemed to have been the count's personal space—there were two large rooms.
Opening one door revealed a spacious study.
The furniture hadn't been taken: desk, sofa, even bookshelves—all fully equipped.
The bookshelves were empty, so I could fill them with magic tomes later if I bought any.
Not a speck of dust on the furniture; it was clear they'd been well-maintained.
Leaving the room, I checked the last one on the second floor.
"The bedroom."
It was a bedroom with a large bed.
All the furniture inside had been regularly cleaned and laundered, so it was ready to use as-is.
That wrapped up the mansion tour. Now to furnish the interior.
【Natural Goods Shop】
I reopened the Natural Goods Shop and bought the always-available natural materials.
『Mana Herb Seeds x10』
― A plant that floats on water surfaces. Stores mana in its petals.
【10000 Cash】
『Mana-Cultured Soil (Small)』
― Soil artificially infused with mana. Suitable for growing small flowers.
【3000 Cash】
I filled pre-prepared pots with the mana-cultured soil and planted the herb seeds.
Then I placed the pots at regular intervals throughout the mansion.
Mana herb seeds would randomly sprout one type of herb, so that should suffice.
Afterward, I bought spirit feed and placed one in each pot.
【Spirit Feed (High) x100】
― 10000 Cash
『High-grade spirit feed made of pure mana. It has a sweet fragrance.』
Once my spirits hit 3 stars, they'd seek it out on their own and wander around the pots.
The herbs would naturally respond to the top-grade spirits and grow quickly.
Having looked over the whole mansion, I headed back downstairs.
Gazing up at it from the first floor, a swell of satisfaction rose within me.
I'd bought it for the spirits, but purchasing early was still the smart move.
Labyrinth City's value was only going to keep climbing.
Soon, both the kingdom and empire would kick off their major activities.
Story-wise, both nations were gearing up for war.
In contrast, Labyrinth City was safe under the Labyrinth Lords' protection.
Its value would rise with time.
That said, if war actually broke out, who knew what could happen—so I couldn't slack on leveling up.
Normally, players would position themselves in the kingdom and empire, tackling resistance and rebel quests to curb the war.
But that wasn't an option now.
I had to prepare for the butterfly effect from those two nations missing their exit timing.
Power was the only way to avoid getting swept up.
I was just about to head to the dungeon when—
"Hey, you really bought a mansion?"
A woman appeared at the mansion's entrance.
It was Beth.
"What brings you here?"
"Got something to talk about. Mind if I come in?"
I cracked open the door and invited her inside.
I sat her on the living room sofa on the first floor, then took the seat across from her.
Once I was settled, she pulled a small platinum medallion from her pocket and handed it over.
"Here."
"What's this?"
"That guy says thanks for last time."
This was a medallion from her guild, the Shadow Alliance.
Handing it over meant they'd provide me various conveniences.
"He said they'd do currency exchanges for free. Details from him."
"Got it."
I accepted the medallion without hesitation and stowed it in my inventory.
That said... I'd already gotten plenty of rewards.
"...So, another job?"
I cut to the chase.
Beth gave a sly smile and continued.
"Not exactly. Among the warlocks chasing our carriage last time, there was this annoying one called the Evil Sword."
Evil Sword... Ivan the Evil Sword?
"They said he killed Count Hamut in the kingdom and came after our carriage."
Count Hamut.
The greedy punk who'd been pressuring the Rockhart Merchant Association.
He was slated to die to warlocks anyway, so no major change.
"With the count dead right in the middle of friction with Rockhart, the kingdom started making noise."
Even for a low noble, it was chaos—but a count? Obviously.
"So, you're hunting the Evil Sword?"
"He's dead."
Beth said it casually, like it was nothing.
"Found his head alone in the forest. Lucky we recovered it, or Rockhart would've been in deep shit."
"I see."
The beef between Count Hamut and Rockhart was obvious.
With the count dead in that state, Rockhart's position had been pretty dicey.
"...What does this have to do with the medallion?"
"Well, obviously someone's already killed the Evil Sword for us."
Beth smirked at me.
"Tell the witch thanks for last time. And give her this."
She handed over another identical platinum medallion.
...The witch. I'd half-guessed, but yeah—Ilana was involved.
"Oh, and we're moving into the city."
"The whole Shadow Alliance?"
"Yeah. The kingdom's atmosphere has been weird lately."
Beth's sharp instincts must've picked up on the war brewing early.
"Won't be hitting the dungeon for a while. Gotta do some cleaning."
She gave a chilling smile.
Her "cleaning" meant purging the back alleys.
"Hit me up if you get time. Could use the help again."
"Sure."
I replied lightly.
The back alleys hid plenty of untapped treasures.
Teaming with Beth's guild meant safe contribution points.
"See you next time."
With that, Beth left the mansion.
I walked her out and we parted ways in the bustling streets.
I grabbed some packed lunches and headed straight for the dungeon.
---
Kieee!
Hellfire scorched the massive mouth jutting from the dungeon wall, and the thing shrieked as it crumbled away.
『Acquired Strange Body Fragment (Teeth).』
― Fragment of teeth that chewed countless lives.
That made four Strange Body Fragments I'd collected.
Only the elite head part remained.
The 6th floor boss appeared after gathering all five fragments and triggering a specific gimmick.
I called it quits on hunting for the day and exited the dungeon.
【Auction House】
The Auction House in my status window had about 10 days left.
Based on last time, activity limits seemed tied to mental strength.
"Gotta hit the Magic Tower before then."
Last visit, the price was awkward, so I hadn't grabbed the Mandrake Elixir.
Just the Mandrake Elixir alone would secure 100 mental strength.
Then stock up on other mental strength items and join the auction.
"Oh."
I habitually headed to my old residence before catching myself and turning around.
Right, I'd bought the mansion.
I was just starting toward it when—
"......"
In the middle of the bustling street, my eyes met those of an unrealistically snow-white woman.
Sia von Lunaria.
Master of the Dawn Guild, and a 5th Circle mage.
It was her.