Chapter 56 – Dinner Banquet 2 Part 1
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
“Now then, since we’ve managed to eat our fill, let us move on to business. It’s about the reward for Arista’s rescue I mentioned yesterday.”
It looks like we’re moving on to the real topic for tonight. Of course, I already had an idea this wasn’t going to be a simple dinner. Now then, how will things go, I wonder.
“To tell you the truth, we were quite stumped thinking about what reward would be appropriate for you all. And so, we thought of asking you directly instead of risking handing you all something you wouldn’t find satisfactory.”
“I see. So that’s why you invited us to dinner tonight. Thank you very much for your consideration. Just as we said yesterday, we only did what we thought was right at the time, so any reward you are willing to give us would be just fine.”
“Fumu. However, Alan, I am truly grateful for what you and your party did. Even with all my wealth, I treasure my daughter Arista the most. And given that you’ve rescued and protected my darling, I want to give you all something you will find the most pleasing in order to express my utmost gratitude.”
“Father…”
“……I see. I understand your feelings, sir. If so, then there’s actually something we need some help on if possible.”
“Oh! What is it? Pray tell.”
“Actually, some of our comrades are set to arrive here in about a month or so. Since there is quite a number of them, we would like to secure a place where all of them would be able to stay.”
Captain Dalshim and the others from the Royal Guard arranged to arrive after a month, barring no mishaps that happened along the way.
Cleria and Elna reacted when I broached the topic.
“Hou, about how many are you expecting?”
“More than fifty, I suppose.”
“It’s fifty-eight people, Alan.”
“Fifty-eight people!? …Are you planning on founding a Clan, Alan?”
A Clan is an organization composed of several parties and is formed in order to accomplish things unsuitable for one party alone and is officially recognized by the Adventurer’s Guild. That’s right. We were planning to make a Clan of our own.
“That’s right. Due to various circumstances, we and the comrades who have decided to follow us have arranged to gather in Gantz city.”
In truth, they were Cleria’s trusted subordinates. More specifically, her Royal Guard.
“Well, with your abilities, I’m sure there would certainly be a lot who would decide to follow you… I see, so you want to secure a Clan base huh.”
“Yes. But we’ve only just arrived here and we were having trouble coming up with how to proceed.”
“……You guys may have not heard of it, but actually, one of the top five biggest and strongest Clans in Gantz city, the「Great Storm」, just disbanded two months ago. Several of the main members went up and died one after another, and the rifts caused by such incidents eventually led to the Clan’s collapse. The Commerce Guild actually secured their former base, you see.”
“Oh! That sounds perfect!”
Silas-san laughed heartily after seeing my reaction.
“It sure is.「Great Storm」had more than one hundred members in its heyday, and the facilities in the base are all top-notch. It’s aged a bit, but that’s not something a little renovation here and there wouldn’t fix.”
“Please, Silas-san! Can you make a referral for us?”
“Oi, oi, weren’t we talking about your reward here? If you say you need it, then there’s no reason for me not to deliver. But of course, I can’t just hand over the entire thing. However, I can lease it to you at the lowest price possible. I’ll also handle the renovations for free.”
“That’s… We’d be really grateful if that’s the case, but is that really alright?”
“Of course. We were planning on renovating it and scouting for new tenants anyway. We’re just going to speed up the plans a bit. Well, the expenses will be shouldered by the Commerce Guild’s coffers, so I don’t really lose out here. It’s practically killing two birds with one stone!”
Will that be really okay with the Commerce Guild? Well, it’s the Guild chief who’s saying it, so I guess it is.
“I hope this won’t cause any inconveniences…”
“What are you saying? There’s no use having power and authority if you don’t flaunt it from time to time. One of the reasons I became so rich is because I used the authority my position as the Guild chief afforded me to favor my company you know.”
“Um, I think you should refrain from saying such things so openly though, father…”
“Well, that’s about it. It’ll be fine as long as I don’t go overboard. No problem.”
“Thank you very much. Now that’s one less thing to worry about.”
“Hold on. Save the gratitude for when you finally settle down. Well, just leave the renovations to us. But we can’t provide you the furnishings and equipment. It won’t go over well if I did that and some might complain. You’ll have to procure them yourselves.”
“Of course. If it’s possible, I’d like to check out the site as well.”
“Sure. We’ll introduce you to some skilled craftsmen as well, so go ahead and check it out along the way. I’ll have Karina accompany you.”
“Thank you very much. That would really help.”
“But this will be the birth of a Clan with more than sixty members right off the bat huh… You’ll probably be the fourth or fifth largest Clan in Gantz once you begin operations. What exactly are you aiming for by doing such a thing, Alan?”
“Of course we’re aiming for the very top. We came to Gantz in order to make a name for ourselves after all. Since we’ve decided to do so, it goes without saying that we’ll aim for the top. No, we won’t just aim for it. We will become the number one adventurer Clan in Gantz city. ………But, well, we’re still B rankers though, so the first agenda on the list is achieving A rank as soon as possible.”
“Hou! Those sure are some bold aspirations! Being the number one here in Gantz practically means being number one in the whole world you know? Interesting! Fine, I’ll take a piece of that action myself.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Adventurer ranks are determined via an internal grading system implemented by the Adventurer’s Guild. Of course, it could also be influenced by the instructions of the upper management. And regarding that grading system, managing to successfully complete requests that are specifically designated by other guilds nets you a fairly substantial amount of points compared to regular ones and could make quite the difference.”
It was much the same as what Verse told us back then.
“I’ve also heard of such a thing from someone.”
“Hou, that person’s pretty knowledgeable regarding the trade then. Well, in other words, I’m saying our Commerce Guild will be putting up a request and designating you guys specifically. But the results will still depend on your overall performance.”
“That will be immensely helpful. If you can do so, then please.”
“Now then, what would be ideal? An escort request? Material collection? There are also investigation requests, but I don’t really recommend those. The benefits aren’t on par with the effort you’ll be putting out.”
“……Are there bandit subjugation requests?”
“……Well, bandits certainly are the worst enemies of us merchants, Alan. We loathe them to the bone. They won’t hesitate to go after our friends, relatives, and loved ones after all. But they are elusive and pretty hard to track. You could chance upon them by luck sometimes, but they usually aren’t people you can hunt down whenever you feel like it.”
“If there really is a request for bandit subjugation, would it be okay to let us try it out?”
“……Alright, fine. Just try it out first. I’ll put up the request at the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Oh, but I would like to check out the Clan base first, if that’s alright with you. I’d like to see what type of furnishings will be suitable.”
“Of course. The request can wait. It’s not like it’s urgent. I’ll make sure to not put up a deadline as well. How about you check out the base along with the craftsmen tomorrow?”
“Thank you very much. I’ll do so.”
“Okay then. I guess that’s it. Oh, right. Hey Alan, how about you become a member of the Commerce Guild? There’s that matter about the liquor as well.”
“Understood.”
“Um, I would like to ask something as well. It’s about that magic tool you lent us while we were at the camp. Just where did you procure such an article? If possible, I would also like to purchase one for myself, so…” Arista interjected.
The rest of the party all moved their gaze toward me.
“Ah, that’s actually something I built. I still have two spares on hand, so would you like to purchase those?”
“……Just what do you mean, Alan? You made a magic tool?”
“I’m actually an A rank member of the Magic Guild as well, you see. I learned magic tool production methods from the guild.”
“A rank…… So you were a full-fledged mage.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not too familiar with these kinds of matters. Are you considered a full-fledged mage if you become an A rank Magic Guild member?”
“Well, it’s just that most, if not all, A-rank Magic Guild members are full-fledged mages.”
“I see. I’m both an adventurer and full-fledged mage then.”
“I personally haven’t encountered someone like that until now though. Well, no matter. So how much are those magic tools of yours?”
“Since we’ll be in your care, I’ll give you a discount and sell them for 20,000 Guineas each.”
“Twenty thousand! That’s quite cheap. I’ll take you up on your offer then and purchase both items.”
“Thank you very much. Well then, we’ll be coming over again tomorrow to check out the base.”
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Comment (0)