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Chapter 273: Signal

We finally found the pill bug and successfully had it remember all of us. Everyone seemed disgusted when I put it on top of their palms.

The eyesight of pill bugs is quite poor, and they rely on their antennae to detect scents in the air so it can’t be helped, we have to do this so that it’ll remember us well.

「So I guess Shiva’s the only one left now? 」
「And the kids too, please. 」
Dinosso replied.

「Tina and the boys are fine, we already searched for pill bugs together. 」
「Wait a sec! You already did!? 」
「I usually go with them to the forest to play and hunt for mushrooms and wildflowers, so we did it during one of those times. 」
Dinosso was dumbfounded.

「Kids love bugs. They played with it by rolling it on their palms, but since Tina is a girl, she’ll probably be disgusted with them later on when she’s grown up. I hope Shiva will be alright… 」
I have an impression that grown up women generally hate bugs, so I’m a bit worried.

「Whoa. What a dangerous game, poking pill bugs without the parents knowing. 」
Dean looked appalled.

「It shouldn’t be dangerous if Jean is there. 」
Ash commented while Butler wiped her palms.

「For multiplying type of monsters, if the oldest and most intelligent individual is defeated, it will take decades, even centuries for their swarm or group to gain intelligence again, so they can be rendered powerless — 」
Butler commented.

「As long as we know they exist, we can also burn them down to ashes!! 」
Chris said something horrible.

「If worse comes to worst then let it escape. 」
I have to protect the pill bugs since they’re weak.

「Hey, never ever reveal that you’re keeping pill bugs as pets, got it? 」
Retze warned me.

And so, our discussion about pill bugs ended. The following day, we decided to search for the last group. It’s highly probable that they’re on the 27th floor looking for magic crystals, but it’d be a problem if we miss each other, so we could only go to all the possible areas they’re in step by step.

「Oh. They have a talisman with them, huh. 」
Retze said as he examined the first base of the 25th floor.

「Talisman? 」
「It’s slang for a veteran adventurer among those who specialize in carrying luggage and performing miscellaneous tasks. They’re known for being tight-lipped too. 」
「Uh, in short, it’s someone who accompanies the powerful but stupid guys? 」
「Really, you don’t have any filter, huh. 」
Retze wryly smiled.

I squatted down beside him and stared at the patch of ground that he’s looking at. A few white pebbles littered it.

「Is that a sign from that person? 」
「Yeah. Based on the shape, four… we’re on the 25th floor, so it’s probably the 34th or the 40th, huh. Well, I didn’t hear anything noteworthy about the 34th floor, and if we consider how far the hero went, then it should be the 40th. 」

「I never heard of that sort of sign before. 」
Dean frowned.

「I’m saying this because of the way they’re lined up, but nobles aren’t the only ones who change schedules outside of the contract, you know. 」
「Ah, so some adventurers are also like that? 」
If word of the sign comes out and it gets blown up, the sign would be destroyed and that’s the end of it, and the talisman’s gonna be blamed.

「Yep. That’s why only a handful of people know about this. Whoever discovers the sign notifies the guild. It’s for the protection of weak guys like us, so it’s only natural that Dean doesn’t know about this. 」
Everyone squatted down and peered at the pebbles while listening to Retze.

The lantern was below us, so I’m about to laugh out loud because of the shadows on our faces.

「Maybe they changed their minds and followed the route? Or maybe those pebbles are already there, like, something that’s made way before this situation? 」
Dinosso asked.

「I can’t say for sure whether they changed their mind or not after leaving this place, but it’s definitely not an old one. The surroundings where the sign is placed have been leveled just recently. 」
Retze responded.

Inside the labyrinth, the slightly damp stones formed dents on the dirt, and a little bit of the displaced soil piled up around the stones. In contrast, half of the pebbles were deliberately pushed into the dirt as if to hide them.

And yeah, the water does seem a little darker compared to the other places after absorbing water? I think? This is so hard, Retze Sensei!

The person who interpreted the signal would destroy it on his way back to the guild after finishing the request, apparently.

If the destination is en route to his own commission, then the interpreter will pay more attention, but if not, they won’t proactively go looking for it. After all, it’s just a coincidental opportunity, and the intention to cooperate is very weak.

「It’s like bringing back the adventurer tag. 」
Retze indifferently said.

If an adventurer’s remains were discovered while exploring, they would get one of the adventurer’s tags and send it to the guild along with the details of the place where it was found.

「The guys this time are lucky that Retze is among the rescue party. 」
Dinosso.

「I want to learn how to read the signs later. 」
Ash asked Retze. Me too, me too.

「Yeah, somewhere brighter. 」
Retze picked the lantern and stood up.

Since we have the message left by one of the party members we’re looking for, it was decided that we’ll head straight to the 40th floor after checking the 27th floor in case they’re there for the magic crystals.

Ahhh, being serious in the adventurer occupation means there’s tons of things to study!!