Free City of Lindel (2)
"Wowwwwwww."
"W-whoa...."
Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan let out loud cries of awe.
The senior members of Blue were smiling faintly as they watched us.
Seeing how the two of us reacted to the city for the first time must have reminded them of old times.
As soon as the west gate opened, the city came into view, looking faintly majestic.
The basic architectural style seemed to take its cues from the West, and all around me I could feel the unmistakable sense of Earthlings living their lives here.
Most of all, the black-haired people stood out.
"Free City of Lindel is where the Koreans have settled."
"Ah. Now that you mention it, I heard people from other countries were being summoned together as well."
"Yes. In the case of the Tutorial Dungeon held by the Holy Empire, Koreans, Japanese, and Taiwanese are being summoned. They, too, have taken root and are living in the cities inside the Holy Empire. You can find Japanese and Taiwanese people here in Lindel as well. Since they're all from Earth, they interact and live together."
"I see."
Japanese, of all things.
I didn't have any particularly bad feelings about them, but for some reason it still left a faintly unpleasant taste in my mouth.
"What about the Republic...?"
"Chinese and Russians are being summoned there."
Still, that somehow sounded better than being lumped together with them.
As I looked around again, all sorts of scenes came into view.
I could see people selling goods in shops, and I could also see parties heading out on hunts.
"Looking for a priest."
"Looking for a priest to go hunting with us."
"Selling items! Rare-grade item for sale!"
It was as if someone had taken a city square from a game and recreated it in reality.
It was lively enough.
That was probably why Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan had opened their eyes so wide.
The buildings weren't especially tall, but they had a certain old-fashioned charm.
Flamboyant shops were scattered here and there, and people were eating at terrace seats outside restaurants.
Even I felt as though I'd come abroad on a trip somewhere.
Watching the people all around us turn their heads this way and that, taking everything in, made me smile despite myself.
Of course, not everything that caught my eye was pleasant.
"Hm... there's a slum here too."
"Yes."
Unlike the western side where the guild was located, what I could see in the distance looked like abandoned buildings.
Because they were only visible in glimpses even from here, I couldn't really tell how the people living over there survived, but the answer was obvious enough.
The gap between rich and poor here was even wider than I'd expected.
"They do run their own welfare policies inside the city, but the effect isn't all that great...."
"I see."
Everyone just keeps quiet about it.
It had absolutely nothing to do with me now.
By the time we left the gate and crossed the square, a large building came into view.
When Lee Sanghee saw me staring at Park Deokgu with his eyes wide open, she gave a quiet smile and spoke.
"Welcome to Blue Guild."
"Ooooooooh!"
It was a much larger scale than I'd expected.
A towering building stood before us.
It didn't look like a guild that was on the verge of collapse. No, rather, I thought it might actually be because it was collapsing that they were paying even more attention to appearances.
Apparently pleased to see how happy we looked, Lee Sanghee smiled again and went on.
"I'll guide you personally."
"Yes."
"The first floor has the lobby and the shelter. You can think of it as the place where requests from other guilds or groups are received. In addition, it's also where you can rest. If it's just a simple get-together, you can have it at the tavern on the first floor as well. Other parties and guild members often gather there, so I would like it if you used it often."
"Yes. Understood."
"Oh.... Big brother, it looks like you can drink here too."
"Yes. I can assure you it's much better than an outside tavern. There's a guild dining hall in the basement, so you can use it whenever you like. Of course, it's free."
"T-that sounds great...."
"Number Seven, you'll be using the second floor."
"The second floor?"
"Yes. Shall we head up together?"
It felt a bit like touring a newly bought house.
After nodding vaguely at the receptionist standing quietly in the main lobby on the first floor, we went up to the second floor, where a fairly spacious area greeted us.
"There are plenty of empty rooms, so choose whichever one you like."
"Yes."
I had expected as much after seeing how large the first floor was, but the second floor we'd be using was also enormous.
The hallway itself was wide, and there were quite a lot of rooms.
Since there were still only a few of us in the party, the whole place seemed even bigger.
The inside of the rooms looked pretty good too.
A bed a little too large for one person. A chair, a desk, and the most basic bookshelf; it felt a little bare, but thinking that this would be the room where we'd live from now on made me oddly happy.
"Oppa...."
Jung Hayan tugged lightly at my sleeve and leaned into me.
It seemed like she was expecting something, but I had no intention of sharing a room with her. Not even a little.
Feigned ignorance was hard work too.
"There are way too many rooms. I think three should be enough for us... right, Vice Guild Master?"
"......"
"Me and this guy can each take one separately, and you and the big brother can share one. That seems just right...."
This pig...
"Ah... that's fine, I suppose, but um...."
"Ahem... I think the room right next to yours would be best."
"Yes. Do as you please."
There was a strange little contest of nerves.
Both of them looked a touch disappointed, but I doubted either of them had meant it seriously.
In the end, Jung Hayan took the room right next to mine, and Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu decided to use the room directly across from it.
I was a little worried about Jung Hayan staying in the room beside mine, but she seemed to be in a good mood, grinning from ear to ear the whole time.
It was better than the old days, when she'd sneak over and lie down beside me while everyone else was asleep, but I still found myself wondering whether she'd punch a hole through the wall or something.
"The training room and practice grounds are behind the building. There isn't a private training room, but there is a shared training hall that Number Seven can use. If you'd like to use a private training room, you can request one at the lobby."
"Ah... I see."
"And as for you, Kiyoung...."
"Yes."
"There's a separate space prepared for you."
"Pardon?"
"Please come with me for a moment."
"Yes. Understood."
I followed Lee Sanghee, who looked oddly pleased.
Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Kim Hyunsung followed behind me as well, curious about what was going on.
When we entered the room at the end of the second-floor hallway, I found myself staring blankly at the sight before me.
It was the first time since arriving in Lindel.
"You'll be able to work here from now on."
"Wow...."
"Whoa...."
Stacks of books were piled up on one side.
More noticeable than that, though, was the alchemy equipment filling the room.
There were beakers and flasks, items used in modern labs, as well as a whole array of basic alchemical tools.
On one side, various catalysts and ingredients were laid out by type, and an alchemy cauldron fitted with a magic circle also stood out.
Most of the items Cha Heera had given me had already been neatly arranged here.
The ancient Republic's medicinal alchemy kit had also been properly set aside in one corner.
In other words, this was...
"The alchemy workshop you'll be using."
"Ah."
"I had hoped to make it a bit larger, but this is the first time we've ever prepared a place like this for noncombat personnel, so...."
"No, this is more than enough."
"I heard that no other impurities should be mixed into experiments, so I installed artifacts with sterilizing magic throughout the entire room. Since it's at the end of the hall, and I also installed other artifacts to make ventilation easier, it should be comfortable to use. Since there could always be unexpected accidents, defensive magic has been installed as well."
"Thank you."
Honestly, it was moving in a strange way. Even on Earth, I had never had a space of my own.
"It feels like one of those labs scientists use. Hah... cool."
"It's cool, Oppa."
Truthfully, the things Cha Heera had given me were worth more than anything else in this room.
But at the very least, I didn't feel as though I were being treated poorly.
If anything, I almost wanted to find out whether there was another alchemist who had started out this well after falling onto this continent.
A Heroic-grade book, a Heroic-grade alchemy kit, a proper workshop supplied by the guild, and then all the materials and catalysts provided by the owner of a major guild on top of that.
If I couldn't produce results under conditions like these, then I wouldn't have a leg to stand on even if someone called me a bastard.
The environment I needed to do everything I wanted was already in place.
Alchemy itself is inefficient to begin with.
It devours gold, and compared to magic, the results aren't especially impressive either.
The problem is the cost of the investment before you even get to the technique.
But that didn't apply to me.
Under these conditions, I could make whatever I wanted.
"Big brother! Shouldn't we go eat first...?"
"No. You eat first, Deokgu."
"Huh?"
"I need to run a few experiments. Hayan, eat with him first."
Park Deokgu looked a little disappointed.
Lee Sanghee was watching me with the expression of a mother looking at a child who had finally started studying in earnest.
Well, from a mother's point of view, it was only natural to feel pleased when a child showed enthusiasm.
She'd bought the workbook and prepared the study room.
From the child's side, it was only right to work hard in return.
Honestly, it wouldn't have been a problem to rest for a day, but there were too many things I wanted to try right now.
I had finally been given the chance to test the things I'd been storing up in my head ever since I acquired the alchemist class.
"Ugh...."
"I was thinking of having a simple gathering today, but I suppose we'll have to put it off until later. The other parties are all out as well, so I suppose that's worked out better. If you need anything, just tell the lobby downstairs. Then I'll go on ahead as well. The various facilities in the guild that I haven't explained today can be covered later."
Her smiling face was strangely cute.
"Ahem. I should probably train a bit too. And unpack my things... what about you, miss?"
"I... I also have... some studying to do separately...."
"And you?"
"I think I should look around the city."
"Hmm?"
"I'm curious about what is where. I was thinking of taking a look at the temple and the slum too."
This bastard...
I felt uneasy, wondering whether he might be going to the slum to do volunteer work again like last time.
That was absolutely the sort of thing he would do.
Still, remembering how he'd behaved before, he wasn't a man who was entirely without sense, so for the moment I decided to trust him.
"And also...."
"Yes?"
"When I looked around the square earlier, there were a lot of people gathered there."
"Oh, most of them seemed to be looking for party members...."
"Ah."
"Yes. I'll go see whether there are any among them who might join us."
Only then did I begin to understand, roughly, what he was thinking.
So there is one.
The slum or the temple.
I didn't know which, but somewhere in this city, our regressor had already marked out the fifth member.