Chapter 97: Clan Founding
Chapter 97: Clan Founding
On the carriage ride here, we had already decided what to reveal to the Guild and what to keep secret.
In the end, we revealed the existence of the secret base, the area beyond it, and the new path leading from the orc territory to the next layer.
The only things we kept secret were the habitat of the Mana Pools and the existence of the secret passage that used a monster's penis.
With each new fact that came from Diana's lips, the Guild Master's calm expression slowly turned to one of utter shock.
“A new route to the next layer?! If that's true…!”
“Indeed. You must understand how significant a discovery this is.”
“Y-Yes, of course. Then I'll contact the other clans at once—”
“Is there not something you should do before that?”
“Ah, right. It's a truly incredible discovery. We'll have to offer you some form of compensation, however small.”
“Surely that's not enough?”
“What?!”
At Diana’s words, the Guild Master’s eyes went wide with surprise.
“Diana, are you serious?”
“Of course, I am. In the first place, these discoveries were not my achievement alone. The reward should be paid to our clan.”
“A clan?! You joined a clan? I thought you were joking when you said that. Don't tell me you actually…”
“Did I not tell you that wasn't the case! In any event, the reward should be paid to our clan. You can discuss the details with our clan leader.”
Diana said, pushing my back.
“And the clan leader is a man…”
The Guild Master stared at me, his eyes filled with deep suspicion.
What's your problem? So what? Even if there aren't many male adventurers, there's no rule that says one can't be a clan leader.
“Ahem. About that. First, the secret base that connects to the other route. It's a place that can be kept completely safe simply by defeating a single Transcendent Werewolf that periodically respawns. Like other clans, our clan would like to claim ownership of that area.”
From what Diana said, it seemed other clans developed and managed safe zones within the dungeon.
A safe place inside the dungeon is immeasurably valuable.
Adventurers would naturally stay there during their time in the dungeon, which would become a source of income for the clan managing the area.
Until now, no such space existed on the 1st Floor.
Of course, it wasn't that the major clans couldn't create a safe zone on the 1st Floor. It just wasn't worth it.
Ultimately, the biggest reason to create such a place was money.
But how much could you really earn from 1st Floor adventurers? Even if you invested in securing such a location, there was a chance the maintenance costs would be higher than the profit.
Besides, a round trip from the entrance of the 1st Floor only takes a few days, so adventurers might not even bother using a safe zone.
But the secret base neatly solved all those problems.
First, you could say it had almost no maintenance costs. All you had to do was periodically kill a single Transcendent Werewolf.
And the issue of adventurers using it was solved by the fact that it was a passage to another route.
As long as they didn't know about the secret passage, they had no choice but to go through the secret base to get to the orc territory.
Once that route becomes known, I'm sure plenty of adventurers would be willing to pay a toll to pass through.
“I see. But does your clan have the personnel to manage it?”
Well, from the Guild Master's perspective, it was a natural reaction to a clan he'd never even heard of. But…
“This is a clan that I belong to. Do you truly think we are incapable of such a simple task?”
In other words, we had a cheat code.
“I see. Understood. We'll do as you say.”
The Guild Master was immediately convinced.
In truth, we hadn't discussed anything about Diana using her power to recruit more clan members.
Simply put, it was just something she said to gain the upper hand in the conversation.
The fact is, the dungeon belongs to whoever discovers a part of it first, so the Guild had no grounds to oppose our claim of ownership anyway.
“However, I do think it's a waste to dispatch people to the 1st Floor. Our clan's goal is, after all, dungeon conquest.”
I said, then paused for effect.
“That being said… if the Guild is interested, we might be willing to transfer those rights.”
It was a little embarrassing to say this after talking so big just a moment ago, but I put on a shameless face and said it.
With that one sentence, the Guild Master would probably realize our clan didn't have the capacity to manage the place.
“What are your terms?”
But the Guild Master took the bait without a hint of suspicion.
Does he think it's impossible for us to lack the manpower with Diana on our side?
Well, if he wants to think that, it works out for me.
“Nothing complicated. Just give us a cut of the income.”
Diana said with blatant audacity.
And so, the negotiations between Diana and the Guild Master continued.
To be honest, I still didn't have an accurate grasp of the value of money in this world, so there was nothing for me to do in this situation.
“Hah… Since when did you become so greedy?”
The conversation finally ended with those words from the exhausted-looking Guild Master.
“Is it over?”
“Mm. No problems.”
In the end, we agreed to split the income from the secret base 70/30. We, of course, were the 30.
It was unexpected to get this much for money that would just roll in from now on without us having to do anything.
I guess you could say Diana's years of experience really shone through.
“So, is there anything else?”
“No. We haven't given you the map yet. Oh, and the guild quest is still active, right?”
At my words, the Guild Master's face scrunched up again.
To make a long story short, our party hit the jackpot.
Creating a new map, discovering a new Transcendent Species and a Layer Boss, all before the guild quest had even ended.
The information was already incredibly valuable, but with the guild quest bonus on top, the reward was beyond imagination.
Normally, the Guild would verify the information before handing over the reward, but this time, perhaps thanks to Diana's reputation, we were paid immediately.
In short, all hail Lady Diana.
We also sold off the Magic Stones we had collected, and now my inventory was piled high with gold coins.
Getting so much money all at once doesn't feel real.
“Are we all done now?”
At Sara's question, I mentally reviewed our to-do list.
All that was left was dealing with the Mana Pools and creating a clan emblem.
Should we go to the temple today, too?
To be honest, I'd been putting it off until last because going to the temple meant I'd have to study, but I had to go eventually.
“We still have time, so shall we head to the temple to deal with the Mana Pools?”
“No, let's go to the inn first.”
But Diana had other plans.
“The inn? Why?”
“Did I not mention it? I registered my mansion as our clan house. Since it's done, I'm saying we should live there from now on.”
“What? Is that okay?”
“Mm. Why wouldn't it be? It is my mansion, after all.”
“But wait, didn't you run away from home?”
“I told you I did not run away!”
Right. The moment we registered the clan and went to the Guild, her being found out was inevitable anyway.
Tomorrow, the Guild would probably spread the news of the new route our party discovered, and the rumor that the Supreme Archmage was in that clan would spread like wildfire.
Was she thinking that since she'd be found out anyway, she might as well take the initiative?
“But…”
Sara also trailed off, sounding a bit hesitant.
“Do not worry. There is no one there besides the people I hired to manage the mansion.”
But Diana’s next words were unexpected.
“What? Then who exactly did you run away… no. Never mind. I'm sorry.”
Diana was starting to look genuinely annoyed, so I quickly apologized.
Then who were those people in armor we ran into at the Guild? No matter how I think about it, it sounds like she ran away from home.
In any case, the party returned to the inn to pack our things.
Truthfully, I didn't have anything to pack. I never left anything in the inn room.
The inn was just a place for me to sleep. All my belongings were in my inventory.
So I just changed my clothes and went back down to the restaurant on the first floor of the inn.
I'll just sit here and kill some time.
But this was a careless move on my part.
Since I'd already paid for the room, I should have just rested in my room if I wanted to rest.
It was still a little too early for dinner, so I sat at a restaurant table without ordering anything.
I figured it wouldn't take them that long to pack their things.
Ten minutes passed, then thirty, then an hour, and I finally started to feel self-conscious.
A stare… I can feel a piercing stare.
Is it my imagination?
“Why aren't they down yet? Maybe I should go see what they're doing.”
I muttered my thoughts aloud, intending to get up from my seat.
The moment I did, I didn't miss the glint in the waitress's eyes as she watched me.
Damn it. It wasn't my imagination.
I knew full well what a nuisance it was to occupy a table without ordering anything. I'm not that clueless.
No choice. I guess I'll order something.
“Miss. Over here.”
“Yes. How may I help you?”
“Um… I'll have a cup of coffee, please.”
“Yes. Will that be just one cup of coffee?”
…I feel like she put a lot of emphasis on the "just one" part.
“Haha. Yes. It feels a bit weird to eat alone before my companions get here. We should eat together.”
I said, forcing a strained smile.
“Hehe. I see.”
Hey now. Your eyes say you don't believe me at all.
Don't you recognize me? I've been staying here for quite a while, and I've always eaten with women… Damn it. I've almost never been in the restaurant at this time of day.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen this waitress.
I slowly sipped my coffee, keeping my eyes fixed on the stairs.
Hurry up and come down.
And finally, Sara and Diana came down.
I don't know when they bought so much stuff, but they had a lot of luggage.
I'm pretty sure neither of you had any luggage at all when we first met.
As soon as Sara and Diana came down, I glanced at the waitress.
See that? I told you I had company.
Well, not that it changes the fact that I was a nuisance customer occupying a table with just one coffee.
I could make up for that now. It was a little early, but we could just have dinner.
“Sorry. Have you been waiting long? Let's go.”
Sara said, handing her luggage to me.
I took Sara and Diana's bags and put them in my inventory.
“No, let's have dinner before we go.”
“Are you hungry already? If you want dinner, my mansion can provide a luxurious one. Just be patient for a little while.”
But Diana took my hand and led me out of the restaurant.
No. Wait a second. If we leave like this, I'll just be branded as a freeloader and that'll be the end of it.
…Oh, whatever. It's not like I'll ever come back here anyway.
As I left, I decided to flash the young waitress a refreshing smile.
Diana led us past the residential area where the Arachne Clan House was located, to a building further inside.
To be honest, it was smaller than I expected.
She'd called it the mansion of the Supreme Archmage, so I was expecting some incredible building to appear.
Of course, that's not to say it was bad.
It was a sufficiently large and splendid mansion.
It was just different from my expectation of a mansion even grander than the Arachne Clan House.
Then again, she said she lived alone besides her employees, so there was no need for it to be ridiculously large.
I guess I should just see it as a building with a different purpose.
Though it was smaller, the design of the building itself seemed more beautiful.
It was probably an incredibly expensive building that I could normally only dream of.
“L-Lady Teluna?!”
As we approached the main gate, the guard standing in front of it saw Diana and his eyes widened.
“Mm. Open the gate.”
“Y-Yes!”
Diana spoke as naturally as if she had never run away, and the guard, flustered, quickly opened the gate.
As soon as we entered the mansion, my eyes caught sight of an employee.
“Diana!”
I shouted energetically.
“Wh-What is it?”
“Good job!”
I gave Diana a thumbs-up and a bright smile.
Because the employee tending the garden was wearing a maid outfit.
A mansion like this has to have maids! You really know what you're doing!
“If you so much as lay a single finger on the maids in this mansion…”
Seeing my reaction, Diana's eyes flashed.
“O-Of course not. I barely have enough time to deal with you guys every day. Where would I find the time for that?”
Damn it. A man's fantasy, right before my eyes, and it's a forbidden fruit.
If I can't touch the maids, then at least you guys could wear the outfits… If I said that out loud, would they beat me to death?