Volume 7, Chapter 27 – Before Stepping In

To make it easier for adventurers to complete quests, the adventurer’s guild was built very close to the northern mining district. It took Yisi’s group less than five minutes to reach the circular plaza above the labyrinth entrance.

Even though Gota was exceptionally hot near noon, with the sun baking the air to the point of distortion, many figures could still be seen moving about the plaza. The chaotic and lively scene reminded Yisi of an old-fashioned farmer’s market.

Of course, this was not a vegetable market. The reason for the many stalls was that the labyrinth was situated in the center of the plaza, and the adventurers coming and going were a considerable stream of traffic. There were not only stalls selling food, clothes, medicine, maps, and monster encyclopedias, or repairing and selling weapons and armor, but also shops specializing in providing labyrinth guides and short-term slave rentals for adventurers. Further away in the plaza, one could even see casinos and brothels, forming a unique street dedicated to serving adventurers.

“The last time we came, we didn’t go through the main entrance, so the feeling wasn’t as strong. Now that I see it with my own eyes, the liveliness can rival the Blood Clan capital of Alvier.”

Glancing left and right, Yisi couldn’t help but sigh. The plaza was filled with the aroma of barbecue and spices sizzling on charcoal. If she weren’t so sleepy, the smell would surely have tempted her to feast first. The sleepiness hadn’t been too strong during breakfast, but now, after being baked by the sun, fatigue and drowsiness washed over her like a tidal wave.

“Do you have any Crescent Moon Salve? Someone here got bitten by a snake.”

“Crescent Moon Salve? Poisoned by a sand snake? Hurry, bring him over here. Five copper coins for one application.”

“Tsk, five coppers. Forget it, just use it on him quickly.”

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A few adventurers supporting their companion passed by Yisi. She paid special attention to the healing process. The so-called Crescent Moon Salve was just a black ointment prepared by an apothecary from herbs, which had to be applied to the wound with a brush. Since the adventurer who had the ointment applied to him was in great pain and struggled to get it off, it was probably a very potent medicine.

“That looks so painful… If we get bitten by a snake, will we have to have that potion applied too?”

Mary asked, lifting her large purple eyes to look at Yisi.

Yisi returned a smile.

“If you get bitten, Mary, I’ll use healing magic immediately.”

“Th-then I’ll stick close to you, Master!”

Mary’s serious expression made Yisi smile.

“Then what would you do if I wasn’t by your side, Mary?”

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“I’ll protect her.”

As if declaring her ownership, Tiffany hugged Mary’s arm tightly, only to be gently pushed away.

“You’re too warm, Tiffany.”

“Mmm, the sun.”

“I’ve been wanting to say this since we were at the adventurer’s guild, but do these adventurers have no organization? Just letting them enter the labyrinth in a scattered mess like this. The insight of human rulers is nothing special.” Also noticing the injured adventurers all over the plaza, Edith pursed her lips in disdain. “At the very least, they should be incorporated into the army for regular, organized training in the labyrinth. It would not only improve their strength but also minimize casualties, and the treasures obtained could be used to expand the national treasury.”

The one who answered was Camilla. Due to the sand-filled winds and scorching sun of Gota, she was holding a black parasol with white lace, which, combined with her dazzlingly white dress, gave her the unmistakable air of a young lady, completely out of place with the earthy yellow ground.

Camilla moved the black parasol closer to Yisi.

“In the Blood Clan, such a management model would indeed increase efficiency. But it would be very difficult to implement in the human world. Lower-ranking Blood Clan members, due to traditional concepts, will spontaneously obey the orders of their superiors. They will obey unconditionally and without complaint. But humans are different from the Blood Clan. If they are forcibly conscripted into the army without being given the same relaxed environment and high profits as adventurers, they will either become deserters or leave this land long before they even hear the news of conscription—or they’ll just slack off and wait to die in the army.

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The national power of the Hels Kingdom is not what it used to be. The military management is lax, and its strength is less than half of what it once was. If the Norta Empire to the south weren’t worried about a sneak attack from neighboring countries like the Ymir Church, the United Kingdom, and the Dragon Kingdom, the Hels Kingdom would have been annexed by the Empire long ago.”

“Less than half of its former strength? Why?”

If a country was governed too poorly, not to mention being attacked by other countries, the populace would be the first to express their dissatisfaction. A regression to half its strength would cause an avalanche no matter what.

“It seems to be because of the crown prince. I heard from the Count before that the Hels Kingdom is facing the same problem as the Blood Clan. The power held by the lords is too great, causing them to often disobey the king’s orders. In addition, the country has to resist incursions from the far north every year, so its national strength was slowly surpassed by the Norta Empire to the south. However, recently, the Norta Empire also seems to be having some problems…”

With an expression of uncertainty, Refina trailed off.

Edith waved her hand.

“What? Is there something you can’t say? It’s a rare chance to have the freedom to act, granted by Father. I don’t plan on missing this opportunity to observe the other countries of the continent.”

“…I’ve only heard rumors. I haven’t verified the authenticity of the information.”

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“It’s fine, just say it.”

“Yes, Master. I heard that the Norta Empire has a problem with its royal succession. To maintain the purity of their bloodline, the imperial family can only marry within itself, and the crown prince can only ascend the throne if he has an official wife. But in this generation, the Emperor of the Norta Empire only has the Second Prince as his heir. The eldest princess died at birth due to a rebel attack, so now the Second Prince can only marry the Third Princess. But the Third Princess is only eight years old this year, and the Second Prince is unwilling to abide by the ancient law and marry his own sister. So, since the Emperor’s death a year ago, the Empire has had no true king. I also heard that the Second Prince is secretly in close contact with the princess of the Dragon Kingdom, and there seems to be a secret between them that cannot be made public.”

“Hoh, interesting.”

The one who said this was not Edith, but Yisi. The latter was already imagining a Romeo and Juliet-style romance. Two people from opposing countries, forced by their family circumstances to take their love underground, having secret dates unknown to the world. Just the thought of it was romantic.

Amidst their conversation, the group unknowingly arrived near the labyrinth entrance.

The so-called labyrinth entrance was a modified mine shaft entrance, a square-shaped passage sloping downwards.

The walls of the entrance were reinforced with Inksteel. The distance between the floor and the ceiling was over five meters, and it was wide enough to accommodate four carriages side-by-side without feeling crowded. Countless adventurers and non-adventurers were coming and going.

It was worth noting that there was a huge difference between the adventurers going in and those coming out. The faces of those going in were all filled with anticipation, and one could occasionally see teams laughing and joking. But the teams coming out almost all had injured members. Not only were their faces filled with exhaustion, but they also had to limp forward with the help of weapons or companions. Blood-stained, blackened bandages were a common “decoration”.