Chapter 65 – Clan Gathering Part 1
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Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
“We’ve managed to return safely today as well, Alan-sama.”
“Yes, thankfully. There wasn’t a lot of loot this time, but it’s still good that everyone managed to come back in one piece.”
“The loot is still satisfactory nonetheless.”
Walter has been using the word ‘satisfactory’ a lot recently. He might be just trying to console me about the lacking loot anyway. I’m not really that hung up on the amount of our loot anyway. I just wish to have everyone’s efforts rewarded more because we’ve been basically risking our lives all this time.
We just came back from another round of bandit hunting and had just reached Gantz’s gates. When we lined up behind a merchant who was currently undergoing the customary inspection, one of the gate guards immediately noticed us, made a panicked face and rushed to the guard barracks again.
When the merchant and his caravan finally finished undergoing the inspection, Captain Guido and the other guards were already waiting for us to come forward.
“You’ve gotten quite a haul again this time, Alan.”
“Yes. We managed to capture two bandit groups this time. These guys are one group, and those ones are the other.”
“To think that you were able to bring down two bandit groups this time around. Well, you certainly have the manpower though, so I guess it’s not really all that hard for you. Oi, take them away!”
“Here you go.”
Recently, the city guards have been letting our Clan members off without undergoing the customary inspection. I was wondering if that really was okay, but I guess this is just one proof that we’ve gained their trust.
Man, I wanna take a bath right away. We spent a total of eight nights away for this time’s expedition after all. There weren’t any spots to wash off along the way as well, so I was nearly at my limit.
There were several groups of adventurers who whispered with each other when we passed them by as we walked along the city streets. I was a bit curious, so I enhanced my sense of hearing and listened in.
“…Those guys are from Shining Star, right? Did they bring down more bandit groups this time?”
“I’m sure they did. Word is, those guys specialize in bandit hunting.”
“But they sure manage to find bandits a lot huh. They surely have an excellent source of info.”
Those guys probably managed to spot the badges we were wearing, so they recognized our group right away. This is proof that our Clan was gradually gaining recognition around these parts. We’re not really bandit specialists or anything of the sort, but we did hunt bandits most of the time, so I guess getting misunderstood like this was inevitable.
When we reached our Home, we found Team A busy training hard in the square. They were training Corinth-style swordsmanship with Selena and Sharon as their instructors. I already received a report from Selena earlier that Team A returned from their own expedition yesterday with none of the men injured.
They then spotted our group and welcomed us back.
“”Welcome back, Alan!””
“We’re back, everyone. Did you encounter any problems on your expedition?”
“No. However, there wasn’t a lot of loot this time around.”
It seems Cleria was bothered by how few the loot they managed to bring back was this time.
“I see. We’re much the same. I guess bandits with few members really aren’t worth much huh. Well, it can’t be helped. There probably aren’t that many bandit groups in possession of lots of loot anyway.”
We managed to capture a total of twenty-five bandits when we raided the two bandit groups this time around. Also, we managed to loot a total of 40,000 Guineas. There weren’t any items that looked all that valuable though. I guess the loot they were able to hoard was limited because of their small numbers.
Team A continued their training while we from the B Team hurried to the bath to wash up.
When I got out of the bath, the head of our workers, Sally-san, approached me.
“There was a representative from the Adventurer’s Guild who came by five days ago sir, and he told me to inquire if you could pay them a visit once you got back.”
“I see. Understood. I’ll pay a visit to them tomorrow.”
I wonder what’s up? Well, it’s true that I’ve been paying a visit to the Commerce Guild a lot lately, and didn’t come much to the Adventurer’s Guild. Well, I won’t know unless I go, so I might as well.
After we had our dinner, I called out to all the Clan members for some announcements.
“Everyone! Thanks to all your efforts, we’ve already managed to clean up most of the bandit groups lurking near Gantz. Due to this, I propose we put a stop to our bandit hunting activities in the meantime. We need to decide on our next plans tomorrow, so I hereby declare a two-day break, starting tomorrow!”
“”Oooh!””
So far, we did sort of schedule the next day every time we return from bandit hunting as a rest day, but everyone got hooked on training or doing other Clan-work in the end, and they ended up nothing remotely like proper breaks. It wouldn’t hurt to rest properly from time to time guys. C’mon.
I then addressed Captain Dalshim who was seated near me.
“Captain Dalshim, if possible, could you take a break from training for the next two days as well?”
“If that is what you wish, Alan-sama, then that is what we shall do. It is true that soldiers need breaks from time to time to unburden themselves of accumulated fatigue.”
Uh, you’re no longer soldiers though. You guys are already adventurers, remember?
Since we’ve just returned from a fairly lengthy expedition, I had them all rest early for tonight.
I started going over our first month of operating as a proper Clan when I returned to my room. We managed to bring down a total of eleven bandit groups in this span of time, and the number of bandits we captured amounted to about 215 or so.
The bounty rewards and quest rewards alone netted us about 1,290,000 Guineas. The sales from the loot roughly amounted to 1,000,000 Guineas as well. The special bounty rewards for certain notorious bandits amounted to 310,000 Guineas since we managed to capture three of them. All in all, our total earnings for the month amounted to about 2,600,000 Guineas.
We already sent 300,000 Guineas to Roberto. It would still be a bit lacking once it gets divided to the five thousand people under his care, but it would help them out just the same.
We’ve already cleaned up all the bandits within a five-day range around Gantz. Of course, I didn’t forget to have the drone thoroughly destroy all the bandit bases we found, so no other bandits will be making use of those places again.
Hideouts and bases are indispensable for the bandits after all since they needed a place to stay near the traps and ambush points they set up in order to effectively watch over them. And even skilled veteran adventurer parties wouldn’t dare set up camp for long out in the wilderness that’s practically crawling with monsters. The bandits would be helpless without a secure base.
Since I’ve already destroyed all the spots that could be used as bases, I think other bandits wouldn’t be able to set up shop for quite some time around these parts.
Even if it doesn’t turn out as I expect, I still have the drones keeping an eye on the surrounding areas, so it’s just a matter of heading out again to take care of them. Groups camping out at night were pretty easy to spot because they stood out a lot, so it wouldn’t pose a problem for the drones to find them.
The next day, I planned to visit the Commerce Guild later to report the result of this time’s expedition and tell them our intention to suspend bandit hunting activities for the time being. And I also needed to visit the Adventurer’s Guild right after.
When lunch came, I told the party about my plan to visit the Adventurer’s Guild, and they all decided to accompany me. We’re on a rare break, guys. It would have been fine if you just spent the entire day relaxing or something.
After finishing lunch, we all headed for the Adventurer’s Guild. Based on my prior experiences, there’s a good chance Karina-san will be present at this time. It’s possible we’ll be able to meet up with her.
We entered the guild building and went to the usual counter to report. When the guild clerk saw us, she immediately ran to the back office to report our arrival. It’s great that she’s quick on the uptake.
After a short while, Karina-san came over.
“Good morning, Alan-sama.”
“It’s been a while, Karina-san. I’ll report the results of our bandit hunting expedition first. We managed to capture 25 bandits and handed them over to the guards like usual yesterday.”
“Understood. We’ll confirm it with them right away.”
“And one more thing. We decided to suspend our bandit hunting activities in the meantime. According to my source, all bandits in the immediate area have already been captured.”
“I see… You did manage to round up quite a number of them, so it’s no surprise. And Alan-sama’s informant seems quite trustworthy and accurate as well, so I’m sure that really is the case. So I take it that you will no longer be taking up our request, correct?”
“No. We plan on heading out again once we get some new info. If it’s alright with you, can you not withdraw the request yet?”
“Of course. Our guild would prefer that as well.”
“Oh, by the way, what’s the update regarding the distiller?”
“It should take a bit more time for it to be completed. They need to perform some finishing touches it seems.”
“I see… I’ll wait for the good news then.”
I already gave them an in-depth explanation about the alcohol-making process, and I handed them a detailed instruction book as well. I planned on leaving the rest to them, so I’m basically hands-off as of now, but I’d like to check it out once it’s ready anyway.
“Alright. I’ll pay a visit again if something else comes up.”
“Ah, Alan-sama. Please wait for a moment.”
Karina-san called out to me and went past the counter.
“Everyone! These are the members of Shining Star!”
She then announced our identities in a loud voice. The merchants inside the guild building instantly turned their attention to us.
“What did you say!? Shining Star!?”
The merchants were stunned in place for a bit but immediately rushed over to us afterward.
“Oh! So you are the party members of Shining Star! I’ve finally met you all!”
“They are all so young! How impressive!”
“Thank you very much! Truly, thank you very much, everyone. I cannot even find more words to express how thankful I am…”
Each of the merchants said words of gratitude and praise one after the other. I turned a questioning gaze to Karina-san.
“I was requested to introduce Shining Star to them if ever you came by.”
I see… Silas-san did say that the merchants absolutely loathed bandits a while back. I guess all their gratitude is due to that.
More merchants continued to thank us for a while. After accepting their thanks, we finally left the Commerce Guild. Next is the Adventurer’s Guild.
“It certainly feels really good to be of use to the people, doesn’t it?”
Sharon seemed really happy. The other girls looked elated as well.
“Yeah, that’s right. And we’re even receiving money for it, so there’s nothing to complain about. It would be nice if we encounter more similar quests in the future.”
We reached the Adventurer’s Guild and went to the reception counter.
“I’m the party leader of Shining Star, Alan. I was told to come if I had time…”
“Ah! Yes, of course. Please come with me. Your other members can follow as well.”
And so, the receptionist led us to the usual meeting room. After a short while, the guild chief Kevin-san came in along with a male staff member.
“You sure took your time. Well, you made it in any case…”
“I’m sorry. We just got back from a bandit hunting expedition yesterday.”
I wonder what he means by me making it?
“Alright. First things first then. We’ve decided to promote all the members of the Shining Star party to A-rank.”
“Eh?! Already?”
Well, that was unexpected. I didn’t think we would get promoted this quickly. Everyone was surprised as well.
“Well, yeah. It certainly is a bit quick, but according to the guild’s evaluation criteria, you guys already met the requirements for promotion. You accomplished such a high-profile designated request and captured a whole lot of bandits after all. There’s no one who remains unconvinced.”
Is that how it is…? Well, I’m sure the Commerce Guild did rate us fairly high in the evaluation reports.
“What about the other members of the Clan?”
Everyone did their best, so I wanted a fair evaluation for them as well.
“Ah, well, the request was designated specifically to the Shining Star party alone after all. Basically, the other Clan members only helped out. So we can’t exactly credit them for it.”
I see… Somehow, I feel like they’re holding off in order to exploit us more. But, well, our main goal in coming to Gantz was raising our party rank anyway, so I guess I can’t complain much.
Ranks are basically thought to signify the strength of adventurers in general, but with the current evaluation system, any adventurer could become an A-ranker even if they weren’t particularly strong individually.
Mm, no, the ability to lead and make effective use of other people can also be said to be a type of strength, isn’t it?
Well, ranking up does seem highly dependent on getting good evaluations from quests, so I guess individual strength isn’t that much of a factor after all.
“Please hand me your guild identification plates. We will need to update them.”
I handed my guild ID along with everyones to the male staff. He went out of the meeting room right away to update them.
“Now that that’s settled, let’s move on to another matter. There have been rising concerns that something strange has been happening in the depths of the Demon Forest. Some experts say the signs might be a prelude to a monster stampede. We will be holding a Clan gathering to discuss possible countermeasures. Oh, and a Clan gathering is a meeting in which the leaders of each of the major and influential Clans in Gantz will participate. It will be held at 1 o’clock tomorrow afternoon, so please do attend as well.”
A monster stampede is literally a phenomenon in which a large group of various monsters go out of control and attack human settlements en masse. I see. That certainly does sound worrying.
“Am I the only one that’s invited to attend?”
“Yes. Only the Clan leaders are supposed to attend the meeting.”
“Understood. I’ll definitely come of course.”
So the chief was relieved that I made it back in time for this meeting huh. Ah! Come to think of it, I completely forgot my promise with the Clan leader of Gale, Karl, to get in contact with him once we’ve settled down and registered our Clan! All this talk about major Clans reminded me.
Well, he did say Gale was a pretty major Clan, so I’m sure I’ll get to meet him again tomorrow. I’ll just apologize to him at that time.
It looks like that’s all they needed me for. Kevin-san asked me a couple of details about our bandit hunting activities thus far until the male staff brought back our updated guild IDs. We received back our shiny, new A-rank IDs and left the guild building.
“Alan! We’re now A-rank adventurers!”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect us to get promoted this quickly. This is thanks to the hard work of everyone in the Clan.”
“That’s right! We’ll have to tell everyone the good news later tonight!”
Cleria was pretty excited and looked really happy. Well, it can’t be helped since we did take a major step toward our goal. Everyone else was happy about our promotion as well.
Cleria and the others proposed that we go shopping to celebrate since we’re already in the downtown area of the city anyway, but I didn’t feel like getting dragged around by excited girls keen on shopping till they dropped, so I excused myself and started walking back to the Clan Home by my lonesome.
Oh, but come to think of it, I also had something I wanted to buy, didn’t I? But it’s not that it’ll take that long anyway, and we’re on break. A nice, long afternoon nap doesn’t seem so bad every once in a while.
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