GILF Hunter

Chapter 364 Guests

Ian climbed the stairs and emerged outside the Labyrinth.

It was around evening as the sun began to set. The Labyrinth guards nearby approached Ian’s group.

’You’re out early. Is everyone alright?’

’Yes. No problems.’

However, upon hearing Ian’s answer, the guard narrowed his eyes and directed his gaze toward the members in the back.

’This one doesn’t look to be in good shape.’

’Hic...’

Receiving the soldier’s gaze, Airi flinched and hid behind Ian.

She seemed slightly tensed up because of the soldiers approaching nearby.

’...This one’s personality is originally like this.’

’Is that so...?’

A slightly suspicious look was directed at Airi and Ian, but since everyone looked fine on the surface, he soon finished the check.

’Be careful. The moment you think you’ve grown accustomed is when it’s most dangerous.’

The guard nodded and opened the way.

Everyone let out a small sigh as they walked out of the Labyrinth entrance.

With this, the short three-day expedition was over.

By the time they crossed the city gates and arrived at the base, the sun had completely set, and darkness lay over the streets.

They hadn’t gone deep into the Labyrinth, but because they had fought that many battles, everyone was quite exhausted physically.

Upon returning to the dormitory, the members all collapsed onto their beds and fell straight into sleep.

＊　＊　＊

The next day, after the sun had risen.

Ian, who woke up in the morning a bit early for lunchtime, opened the door to the small room he had set up in a corner of the base for the first time in a while.

It was the room where the statue found in the Goblin Cave was enshrined.

Since it hadn’t been used since the trial run last time to save it for when it was needed, the statue was in a state where an offering could be made immediately.

Ian placed the offering he had brought beforehand on the altar built in front of the statue.

The item to be offered this time was a mineral.

It was an offering that amplified the basic effect of the statue.

The item Ian placed on the altar disappeared with a glow after a moment, and the light radiating from the statue spread along the walls and ceiling of the building.

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You have received a blessing.

- The basic effect of the statue placed at the base increases.

- Remaining blessing time: 30 days

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The basic effect of this statue is to purify a small amount of erosion at regular intervals. That effect has increased slightly more.

The purpose was to purify the erosion accumulated from entering the Labyrinth this time a bit faster.

The recovery amount of the statue wasn’t that high, but since everyone’s erosion hadn’t accumulated enough to cause curses, most of it would disappear in about a week at this rate.

He could have let it fade slowly over time, but it was so that they could finish recovery and enter the Labyrinth again while the feel of this expedition still remained if possible.

Having confirmed that the desired blessing effect had appeared, Ian stood up from the altar.

As Ian finished the offering and turned to leave the room, the person who was waiting for him outside offered a greeting.

’Good morning.’

’Hello, Miss Elena.’

’Was that the blessing of the statue just now? How fascinating.’

Elena looked up at the faint swarms of light still drifting in the air. It was a sight not easily seen up close in person.

’Um, by any chance.’

’That is a no.’

’...I haven’t even brought it up yet.’

’If you damage a statue recklessly, you might be cursed.’

Elena became slightly dejected upon hearing the words of refusal before she could even properly bring up the subject.

But that wasn’t why she had come to find Ian. She hadn’t expected him to give permission in the first place.

Elena cautiously stated the original business for which she had sought Ian.

’That aside, I heard that you’ve been to the Labyrinth.’

’This time it was just a light trip. There aren’t any special spoils, though...’

’Is that so.’

Presumably, she was planning to ask if he had obtained any interesting new minerals or gemstones from the Labyrinth.

Elena, who had brought it up just in case, became slightly more dejected than before.

Watching her, Ian eventually said the words Elena wanted to hear.

’It’s nothing much, but there are a few ores among the spoils. They should be in the warehouse.’

’Ah, thank you! I was worried because I didn’t have any items that really drew me in.’

Having received Ian’s permission to take this expedition’s spoils from the warehouse, Elena flashed a bright smile and quickly left the spot.

Well, jewelers were originally that type of people. Though Elena seemed to have an especially strong sense of it.

Ian, having finished his business, tried to return to his room, but he immediately ran into another person in the hallway who had come to find him.

’Hello, Captain.’

’Miss Louise. You’re awake.’

’...It’s not like I’m always sleeping during the day.’

Louise frowned and pressed her hand to her forehead. In the first place, the reason her days and nights were flipped like that was that Ian had kept her working on research and development with an unreasonable schedule.

Since she had come to know that it was for an important purpose, it was an awkward topic to complain about now.

Anyway, today was a rare day off for the shop. Louise asked Ian immediately without wasting precious time.

’I heard from Elena. You’ve been to the Labyrinth, haven’t you?’

’...This time was a simple expedition, so I only brought back a few kinds.’

She just hadn’t been able to show it lately because she was busy, but Louise was the same type of person.

Having received permission to access the warehouse, Louise also returned with a smile.

With this, the guests for today should be over.

As soon as Ian, who returned to his room thinking so, sat down, his secretary Catherine knocked on the door.

’Captain. A guest has arrived.’

’A guest?’

There was no appointment, but Ian went down to the drawing room to greet the sudden guest.

The guest who had come to see Ian was Chris.

’I heard you went to the Labyrinth.’

’...Yes.’

While answering Chris’s question as he sat opposite him, Ian smiled bitterly to himself.

Many guests truly came once he had been to the Labyrinth.

Then again, mercenary groups that consistently went on Labyrinth expeditions were quite rare. Compared to the total number of mercenaries in this city, it was practically just a handful.

Looking at it that way, perhaps there were actually few guests coming. Since people interested in Labyrinth items would be countless in the city.

Chris, who set down his teacup, spoke to Ian with a strangely playful smile.

’About tomorrow’s dinner appointment. It seems I’ll have to postpone it a bit because something came up.’

’Pardon?’

Ian’s expression stiffened upon hearing Chris’s sudden remark.

’I’m sorry, but... have we ever made such an appointment?’

’Ah, forget it. Seems there’s no problem.’

Chris pulled out a notebook and crossed off a few items from a list as he checked them. Pass.

Seeing Ian’s still bewildered face, Chris explained with a chuckle.

’Looking at the journal you sent yesterday, it said you encountered a shop in the Labyrinth. Every year there’s always one or two people who can’t resist their greed and buy something like a [Soul in a Bottle].’

’Ah... those prohibited purchase items.’

’There’s been trouble a few times because of those who break the rules, so if we see a report saying a shop was encountered, the staff checks in once.’

Chris, having recorded a few sentences, tucked the notebook back into his pocket.

’Did you come all this way specifically to check that?’

’Partly for that. I also have something to deliver.’

Chris pulled out another document from his bag and handed it to Ian.

’This is...’

’Weren’t there a few places where we sent proposals for Guild mediation? One of them contacted us saying they would sell. I brought it since I was coming today anyway.’

A contract for the transaction of land use rights. It was a building that used to operate a general store, located close to the Guild House.

In the game, if land was needed, you just paid money and the purchase was immediate, but in reality, it didn’t proceed that easily.

Because each piece of land already had owners, and there were shops operating under contracts there.

Expanding the base was no simple task, even with money.

’A property has finally come on the market.’

’Finally? It hasn’t even been that long since the proposal was put in. You really are impatient.’

Chris replied as if he found Ian’s remark absurd.

For things to move at the speed Ian wanted, it would have to proceed at a level where royalty was requisitioning land. Occasionally, a strange difference in sensibility was felt in these parts.

’This is why strange rumors circulate in the Guild.’

Chris, muttering so to himself, asked Ian as he checked the map.

’So, what do you plan to build here? It doesn’t look like the mercenary group facilities are lacking.’

’On this land...’

Hearing Chris’s question, Ian recalled the information about the area where that building was located.

At the intersection... is it 5 tiles to the right?

The land in Labyrinth City was divided into units called tiles, and each area had its own different bonus or special effect.

It was things like the sales of a building built on that tile increasing, plants growing well, or recovery speed increasing.

Even if a new game started, the structure of the city was always the same, so these bonuses remained constant without changing every round.

Of course, Ian couldn’t memorize the effects of every tile in the city, but he naturally knew the tiles commonly known as ’prime spots’ that had exceptional effects among them.

Since they were places he always bought up to build on every time he played, he had no choice but to memorize them.

Ian, recalling the effect of the area he had just contracted, answered Chris.

’Ah. I’m planning to build a hot spring here.’

’A hot spring...?’

A hot spring all of a sudden in the middle of the city.

Chris stared fixedly at Ian with a slightly suspicious expression.

’Come to think of it, do you remember when we went on vacation to Mirsil together last year?’

’...I told you I’m perfectly fine.’

Chris checked Ian’s mental state again after hearing the plan to create a hot spring in the middle of Labyrinth City.

It took about two more hours before Chris completely withdrew his suspicion.