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Never touch Eldmia Egga - Episode 230

Since we had already received the location in writing, there was no point in wasting time, so after preparing, we decided to move right away to deal with the thieves..

I'm not sure if there were separate instructions or if there was an existing agreement, but contrary to the seemingly disapproving reactions of the patrols and guards who came into close contact with the random check, they let us pass with a free pass just by handing over the request form that Kunz gave us..

Thanks to this, the party members had no difficulty in guessing that the hostility currently rampant in this city was intentionally planned to be directed at the adventurers. Their expressions were not good..

That's understandable, because innocent adventurers are being harmed due to the circumstances of the high-ranking people. I don't know what the guild leader had the guts to do, but this is definitely a serious crime..

"Ugh, something is starting to feel off.."

Among them, Sen, a self-proclaimed native of Englem, frowned as if he was very displeased with such a reaction. In fact, she wasn't the only one, she was in the same position as Mer Della, Carls, and Bai Island, so she was reacting in a similar way..

The position of guild leader does not have a specific term of office, and such incidents must have been rampant in the city for quite a long time. I was curious as to whether he really did not know about it, so I asked him. After thinking about it for a while, Sen answered weakly..

"What should I say, I was not interested because I could live a normal life if I just worked hard. There were a lot of competitors and a lot of work, so I guess I couldn't afford to worry about it.."

The daily life of Englem adventurers that I heard about while heading to the waterway was a bit subtle. The reward for requests is lower than in other cities, and the proportion of city chores is higher than work that can be called adventure. As their career progressed, unless they had to handle high-risk requests, low-level adventurers were living a life almost like daily laborers..

However, since there are many minor requests, the earning itself is not bad. Above all, since these requests are made within the city, it is rare for your life to be threatened during the process of fitting the equipment. Compared to other cities, the death and disappearance rate of novice adventurers is said to be overwhelmingly low..

If all the profits generated by adjusting the market using this structure were invested in the welfare of adventurers, it would have set a very good precedent. The problem is that it's so obvious that he ate it..

"I don't know what it would be like to start here from the beginning, but it's not a bad place if you endure it elsewhere and then come in. I thought it was just a characteristic of the city, but looking back now, it seems like they put a lot of effort here and there to use the adventurer manpower as they please.."

Right now, it seems to me that it is similar to the structure of running a business, cutting the unit price, making a profit, cutting labor costs, making a profit, and then receiving recognition for the performance and then receiving new work and repeating the same thing, so I feel a sense of rejection, but they are just like that. I guess it wasn't.

As she said, it must have been because she was able to make a living. Well, it is obvious that only the adventurers suffered losses and the guild leader only made profits, but the parties involved would not have had much to know about that fact..

Right now I am just feeling it because I became an unwilling party to it..

"What is an adventurer?..."

Seneran muttered softly as he looked at Sen and his companions, who looked exhausted, but there was no reply..

We just walked along without much conversation until we finally found the entrance to an even more gloomy underground waterway in a gloomy atmosphere. If Mr. Gin, who started showing great interest in the waterway as soon as he arrived, hadn't opened his mouth, we might not have said anything for a while after entering..

Although it was located in a fairly remote area, it was officially managed by the city, so the entrance to the waterway was not only clean, but also had various security devices in place..

Of course, it seemed a bit problematic that there were no other troops around besides us when it was obvious that the bandits had escaped here, but since we were in a situation where we shouldn't have any expectations from this city, even feeling the absurdity felt like a waste of time..

"hmm. This is a style commonly found in the ruins of Itisel. It's a bit unfortunate that it's not a structure we don't know about at all, but we should be satisfied with the fact that it's easy to predict what's inside.."

Mr. Gin, who had already passed the lock and iron door that had been neatly harpooned by the thieves and took a quick look at the strangely bright interior, nodded and spoke with a faint smile, and Gaendal laughed along with him..

"Thanks to Mr. Gin, I never have to worry when I step foot in a place like this. Should I take out the map??"

"Nope. I memorized the map earlier. This time I'll take the lead for safety's sake."

Wow, you memorized that complicated thing? I looked at other people's reactions to see if I was the only one who couldn't remember it, but my companions had the same reaction as me. Even Asilier was so surprised that she asked him a question..

"Mr. Gin, what did you do before becoming an adventurer? The dwarves I've seen were all excellent people, but they couldn't memorize complex waterway plans in that short period of time.."

"Haha, it's just a difference in technique. Still, it looks great, I feel good.."

It seemed more likely that Mr. Gin would be special than the possibility that all the dwarves Asilier had met lacked any tact, but there was no reason to delve into it, so I decided to just accept it..

After that, I saw Mr. Gin's majestic figure striding inside without a torch, and I followed him, wondering if he was really okay, but contrary to my expectations, the surroundings began to brighten strangely, as if there was some indescribable blue light source..

I almost took a few steps back at the strange sight, but the people around me took this strange sight for granted and didn't seem to have any intention of asking questions..

"But why is it so bright here? Is there something that emits light??"

Looking at the reaction, it seemed like a very natural phenomenon, but I was curious, so I carefully approached Mr. Gin and asked him a question, and Mr. Gin raised his eyebrows as if he was very surprised and spoke..

"hmm? Is this your first time seeing ancient buildings??"

"Even though I look like this, I'm still young and my perspective is a bit narrow.."

"LOL. I keep forgetting this as I look at him looking like a worn-out adventurer. To be exact, it's magic. It's like the entire field of vision is painted with thin blue paint.?"

"That's correct."

To be honest, it feels like I'm looking at the world through night vision, but the only color is bright blue. After listening to his explanation, the waterway seen through magic power was itself a feast of magic power fluttering densely..

I didn't feel any discomfort, but being in the realm of magic gave me goosebumps thinking that this was an offensive spell, but I tried to act as calm as possible..

"In reality, it is not that the surroundings have become brighter, but that the magic of vision is acting on people. This whole place is one huge magical space.."

"...Isn’t that amazing??"

"That's amazing. This is also one of the reasons why this capital city cannot be buried despite the risk of monsters forming nests. Because magic isn't the only thing that's amazing.."

According to Mr. Gin's friendly explanation, the entire underground waterway is like a collection of ancient technology. While architecture is becoming more and more advanced, magic-related technologies are often difficult to keep up with..

"Lost technology and magic are common occurrences when exploring ruins. The government does not send researchers to places that are technologically valuable.."

"Construction technology is advancing, but why is it that magic from the past is sometimes superior??"

"Hmm, I've lived quite a bit, but it's a question that's hard to pin down. Because it is a field that scholars continue to research. However, it does not mean that ancient magic is necessarily superior. It's more like a specific field or specific magic just pops out. Some say that related knowledge has been lost over time... but we don't know for sure.."

In most cases, lost technology in previous lives was not of much value due to being overtaken by advanced scientific technology, but this does not seem to be the case with magic technology here..

"Normally, I just think it's like that and move on, but I really want to tell a lot of things to someone who is interested like you, but I think I need to get ready soon. I hear a sound."

Mr. Gin, who sighed as if it was more unfortunate that he couldn't tell me more than the immediate request, said as he adjusted his axe, everyone in the group reacted quickly. It was an expert move, but Mr. Gin laughed heartily at the sight and waved his hand away..

"Don't worry too much. Unless there were dwarves among the thieves, they wouldn't have noticed us. There's still quite a distance. But if you listen to it, it's not a small number. I think it would be better for the wizard and his friends with ranged weapons to take a position first and launch a surprise attack. What should we do??"

"As I said before, I tend to only do fighting. I will follow Mr. Gin's advice.."

"LOL. Okay, then let me get the map out. It looks like it's going to split and have to move.."

In reality, it was a simple plan to attack while taking advantage of the panic after a long-distance surprise attack, but arriving on time was also a task for those who had to occupy a position away from Mr. Gin, who found his way around the yard of his house. Mr. Gin, who knew this, carefully marked the location on the map and explained the location for those who had to move separately from us..

"It's not difficult to climb up and there's plenty of space, so there's a risk of counterattack. It would be better for Sen and his party to move together to prepare for the approaching guys, and for Lellie, Seneran, and Asilier, Gaendal should move together.."

"There must be plenty of space inside, right? I don't think I can handle it if I swing the warhammer incorrectly and something falls apart.."

Catherine was laughing as she touched her warhammer as a joke, but honestly, as someone who knew her movements, it sounded like she was being serious..

"You'll have to go there to find out, but if you go by the map, it's quite spacious. In fact, similar waterways also have open spaces nearby, so I think that's the case.."

"There's something a bit awkward about an empty space in a waterway.."

"It is said that ancient underground waterways functioned like roads that only authorized people could use. It must have been built for the purpose of some kind of shelter.."

I thought it was a crazy idea to use a place where city wastewater flows as a road, but since I didn't feel any bad smell, I thought there was nothing I couldn't use as long as I could tolerate a little discomfort..

"Well... I think the biggest variable in this case will probably be the thief holding a weapon presumed to be a magic sword. Will you be in charge this time too??"

"sure. You can't miss out on this rare experience.."

Although he suddenly started talking like a crazy person in battle, he had no intention of sucking his fingers for the opportunity to face something absurd held by a thief before facing the magic sword held by a skilled warrior..