Chapter 3
FLOUR AND GRAINS, frozen seafood, condiments—Mira purchased it all. After buying all of her notable wants, Mira murmured happily, “Well, I think that will do. Now…”
With that out of the way, she charged into the branch office of Dinoire Trading, the specialty shop for adventurers.
“Oh, so these are their new products? There are so many!” Mira’s eyes shone as she stood before a display in the corner of the store. Above the plentiful shelves was a large sign that proudly boasted, “Commemorating our new series!”
Long ago, Mira had met Cedric, the heir of Dinoire Trading. It seemed they had finally released their new series, intended for veteran adventurers with User’s Bangles. The sleeping bag he’d given Mira was quite a useful item. Mira ran over to the display as if magnetized, her expectations high.
“I see. This is quite well-thought-out.”
The first thing that drew her eye was a large tent. It was big enough to fit six adults lying down, and more than two meters tall, making it surprisingly spacious. The fabric was both fireproof and insulated. The attached description also claimed that one could safely cook and keep warm by buying the technomancy-powered stove and chimney (sold separately).
Even more noticeable was a device casually placed in the corner—a magical tool with a cooling feature. An ad proclaimed, “For the coming hot season!” It operated using Dinoire Trading’s magic cells. The air conditioner was a little big, but light. The signage noted that it could cool an area exactly the size of the tent, which stood proudly nearby, clearly meant to serve as an example. The inside was well-cooled.
“Isn’t this just perfection?! With my sleeping bag, it’ll be even more comfortable!” Mira sprawled out in the center and recalled the comfort of an air-conditioned room on a hot summer’s day. “And a mithril frame too? Now that is what I’d expect for luxury camping.”
Mira turned her attention to the frame. There was a lamp attached to this display, illuminating the light, green mithril frame. Strong winds wouldn’t stand a chance against the tent.
With this, she’d be able to glamp in style in the Ancient Underground City. Light, yet sturdy mithril construction. All this living space! It becomes even cozier when using all the equipment sold separately too. What a lovely item, Mira thought, fancying herself a critic.
Just as she began rolling around, the tent flap suddenly opened. A man who looked to be an adventurer peeked inside. She looked up at him, having rolled around right at the entrance, and tensed up when they made eye contact. Though her embarrassment was clear, she managed to squeak out to her fellow adventurer, “It…seems comfortable to me. I’d recommend it.”
From his point of view, he’d opened the sample tent and found a little girl rolling around without a care in the world. And her skirt had rolled up.
“Uh, yeah, seems like it. Uh… S-sorry for interrupting.” The apology was genuine. Perhaps it was because he’d seen her underwear. Perhaps it was because he’d interrupted her fun. Maybe it was both. Either way, he retreated.
The tent’s sheer comfort made me forget I was in a shop.
Mira stood up and straightened out her clothes and hair. After a moment of reflection, she gathered herself and checked the tent’s price tag. She gasped. “Seven-point-eight million?!”
I underestimated the standards of veteran adventurer luxury…
Mithril was in high demand in many fields due to it being lightweight and durable. Likewise, the coal-crystal fabric excelled at heat resistance, insulation, and even blade resistance. Both materials were used amply in this tent, known as the All-Purpose Kumamuro Tent Mk1. Its quality was a direct result of the materials used to make it.
Mira’s previous certainty that she had to buy it had already been blown away by the sheer price. But it got worse.
“And this is three million…”
The air conditioner, which would turn a hot summer’s day into paradise, was jaw-droppingly expensive as well. Even the extra parts that were sold separately, such as the technomancy-powered stove and anti-monster alarm, were all millions of ducats as well.
Totally deflated, Mira fearfully checked to see if she’d broken anything before sneaking out of the tent.
“Well, it’s fine, I guess. I just don’t have the cash on hand. If I sold some of my assets, then maybe…” she blustered to nobody in particular before moving to a section with less expensive-looking goods.
Along the way, she found a familiar object at the end of the expensive section for veteran adventurers. It was the same special sleeping bag that Cedric had given Mira, advertised as being Heinrich the Avalanche’s favorite. It was a million ducats—no less jaw-dropping in price than the other goods here.
“He had seemed rather interested in it at the time…”
Heinrich, an adventurer, had met Mira on her way to the Celestial Ruins. He was a man who was very particular about his sleep, and he’d shown a lot of interest in Mira’s special sleeping bag. Based on that advertising slogan, he must’ve purchased one as well and really liked it.
In a roundabout way, I suppose this means my advertising worked. Next time I meet Cedric, I ought to bug him for a commission. She grinned ruefully to herself in front of the special sleeping bags. The adventurer who’d walked in on her before gazed worriedly in her direction.
***
From there, Mira—spirit deflated by the high prices—had her vigor renewed by the cheaper goods for lower-ranking adventurers. She splurged madly, indulging in a little retail therapy. She tossed everything that caught her interest into her shopping cart, from extra utensils for her cooking set to the “just add water” laundry bag. Finally, she bought a value pack of thirty magic cells to power all of her goods and lined up at the counter. Mira proudly presented her coupon and received a 20 percent discount for her entire order. Having forgotten all about the expensive tent, she paid with a smile.
Just as she began depositing all of her purchases into her Item Box, the ground shook violently, as if something were trying to split the earth.
“Goodness, an earthquake?”
Twenty seconds later, the rumbling calmed. It hadn’t been intense enough to cause any accidents or injuries; it’d merely made the shelves creak and the signage shake.
As someone who’d grown up in a country known for its earthquakes, Mira didn’t mind a bit of shaking every now and then. The other shoppers didn’t seem to be of the same mind and made their discomfort known. Mira heard their complaints and discovered an unexpected truth about Grandrings: These earthquakes had become common in the city over the past year. Moreover, this region hadn’t had any known earthquakes for the past thousand years. The locals were especially uneasy about the current state of things.
Hrmm… The past year?
There weren’t any volcanoes nearby, and perhaps due to the earthquakes not being particularly strong, some people had stopped caring. That said, many speculated as to why these earthquakes were occurring, due to the cause being unknown. Some had even thought up grand conspiracies involving large fiends, secret organizations akin to Chimera Clausen, and the like. But despite her curiosity, a tiny earthquake wasn’t anything that Mira could fix.
After she finished her preparations for the coming dungeon, she left Dinoire Trading and focused on searching for a place to rest her head.
Wherever adventurers gathered, inns prospered. When Mira asked some patrolling guards where she might find them, they pointed her to a district on the other side of the shopping plaza. Mira thanked them and went down a side street. She strolled down the road, under the evening sky, her interest piqued by the many stalls selling various rare and unusual items. When she exited the side street, it was like merging into a station town. Countless inns lined the streets and competed for attention.
“Business is booming here too, I see.”
It was approaching nighttime, so the place was just as bustling as the shopping district.
Mira found that one of the best parts of traveling was that once-in-a-lifetime encounter with an inn in a new place. Which will I choose today? she wondered as she walked happily down the street. Eventually, she noticed that many of them had put up No Vacancy signs.
“Even this one?”
All of the cliché fantasy inns with beds and dining halls had already been swamped by other adventurers.
She stopped by another inn and questioned a friendly innkeeper. He replied that the average inn cost around 5,000 ducats per night, and they were popular among adventurers. At this time of night, she’d have trouble finding an empty room. This city possessed the largest dungeon on the continent, and many adventurers stayed long-term. Since one could make a day trip to the first level, beginners especially loved to use inns as a base. They would stay for months, making it difficult to find free rooms—and easy for the innkeepers to profit, he added with a chuckle.
“Go back to the road, then go all the way down to the other side,” he said, nodding in the general direction as he cooked, “and you’ll find the more expensive ones. They might be your only hope for finding a room.”
Regular visitors of inns of middling and higher prices were experienced-to-veteran adventurers and merchants. There would be many veterans in a city that drew so many adventurers, but they’d be heading for the lower levels of the Ancient Underground City. That was too far for just a day trip. Once they left, they’d be out of town for some time. As such, the inns that matched their budget would have more space.
After his thorough explanation, the innkeeper remembered something and said, “You’ll find an inn called Folkspeak about a five-minute walk from here. They had a large group of adventurers leave for the lower levels just yesterday, so I’m sure they’ll have space for you.”
He clearly wasn’t an actor; his obvious attempt at advertising prompted Mira to ask, “I don’t presume you know the owner?”
He sighed. “It’s my dad’s place…” he confessed.
“Well, thanks for the tip. I suppose I’ll have to go and see,” Mira said with a smile before leaving the inn.
Just then, she heard the man’s cheerful voice call out behind her, “You’ll be a fine woman someday, young lady!”
In the end, Mira decided to stay the night at the rather expensive Folkspeak Inn. When she mentioned the man’s poor acting, she managed to get a discount on her stay from his father. What would have been a 30,000-ducat stay, excluding meals, had become a 30,000-ducat stay with meals included. A smile crept across her face as she celebrated her successful haggling.
Just after the morning rush, Mira finished enjoying her free breakfast, drank the rest of her lemonade au lait, and stood. She thanked the innkeeper before departing Folkspeak.
“Back to the Guild Union.”
Given its size, the city was still full of morning hustle and bustle. However, there were surprisingly few adventurers. Low-ranking guild members got an early start in order to secure the best hunting grounds, so the only adventurers left in the city were high-ranking ones who didn’t need to rush.
Mira savored the crisp morning air as she walked along the white stone pavement with light steps. The good, old-fashioned fantasy land made her heart jump for joy on her way to the Guild Union.
Mira found the same receptionist from yesterday. “I’m Mira. Yesterday, I was told that I would receive a rank-up. Is the paperwork finished?”
“It’s all done.” The woman smiled and handed over Mira’s new ID, which had been updated to reflect her A-rank status.
After accepting it, Mira requested permits to go to the lowest level of the Ancient Underground City. The Ancient Underground City was special; as one went down in levels, the difficulty gradually increased. As a result, a total of seven permits were needed to descend to the seventh level. The fee for each permit was 3,000 ducats, resulting in a total price of 21,000.
With her ID and permits in hand, Mira knew that her time had come. She ran out of the building. Just you wait, Soul Howl!
People in the building, who saw her run in and right back out, wondered, Could that have truly been the Spirit Queen?
***
There had been much commotion and speculation yesterday after the reporter had angered Mira.
The woman dressed like a man entered the building not long after Mira’s departure, the emblem of the famous scarlet bell on her back. The guild Écarlate Carillon had a massive information network, thanks to its size, and it was common knowledge that their leader, Cyril, had fought in the battle against Chimera Clausen. Someone happened to ask her if she knew anything about the woman who bore the Spirit King’s blessing.
“Oh, Flicker mentioned her during regular reports, just the other day,” the woman had replied. “Her name is Mira, and I hear she’s an adorable little angel.”
Testimony from someone directly involved would naturally be more trustworthy than rumors passed down the grapevine. Flicker had a reputation for her love of cute things, too; the fact that she was involved made it all the more likely that the Spirit Queen would be cute rather than voluptuous.
When Mira came to pick up her updated ID and introduced herself by name, the riddle was finally solved.
“My god…”
One man looked up to the ceiling. Others slumped over sadly. Their hopes of a buxom Spirit Queen had been dashed. But among them, there were a surprising number who weren’t disappointed.
“Hmm… The Spirit Queen sure is cute, huh?”
“Damn right, she is.”
She might not have matched the rumors, but those who found her charming laughed despite themselves.
***
Mira left, went to the parking lot, and summoned Pegasus.
“Now, I believe it was to the east? I’m counting on you, Pegasus,” she said.
Pegasus neighed happily and took to the sky. Mira gazed down at the city, which still basked in the morning light. She noticed a large carriage lot behind the Guild Union, storing many vehicles. Most of the adventurers leaving the Guild Union headed there, boarding carriages and departing in various directions.
The Ancient Underground City was vast. How vast exactly? Well, everything within Mira’s current field of vision sat atop some part of the dungeon. In truth, the entirety of Grandrings sat directly above the Ancient Underground City. Multiple entrances to the first level existed as proof of its size. The entrance north of Grandrings was close to a location full of beast-like monsters. The southern entrance was home to the undead, and the west was where bugs nested. The eastern entrance had magical life forms and was the closest to the stairs leading to the second level. Adventurers chose entrances according to their purposes.
Carriages leaving the lot often went between the Guild Union and these locations. The roads for these carriages were quite well-maintained, and the carriages could travel at high speeds, showing just how much money the adventurers using them spent. Going one way would probably take less than an hour. Of course, flying was even faster.
As Mira left Grandrings, she watched the carriages on the tidy roads below for a while until she arrived at the eastern entrance. Several groups of adventurers were having strategy meetings nearby; they must’ve left quite a while before her.
After thanking Pegasus for its efforts, Mira looked around at her surroundings. Vast grasslands stretched into the distance, with trees occasionally popping up among large rock formations that seemed out of place. Each time the wind blew, the scenery rippled.
“Goodness, it’s just like I remembered.”
In the midst of all this nature, the area around the entrance had remained unchanged from when she’d first seen it in-game, so long ago, save one thing: there were street stalls lined up there. Mira peeked into the stalls and muttered in amazement, impressed by the audacity. “A little expensive, but very convenient for resupplying in an emergency.”
There were also clinics staffed by priests, forges where blacksmiths repaired tools and weapons, and merchants who were buying unwanted loot. It was like a small settlement. Surprisingly, there were no sleeping accommodations in sight. Curious, Mira asked a shopkeeper about it while she bought a set of eating utensils she’d forgotten to get in the city. They answered that fiends occasionally appeared in the area.
Fiends. They were naturally occurring animals that had been exposed to magic and mutated. Even the weakest was an equal match for a B-rank adventurer. It wasn’t exactly safe or easy to sleep tight around here. When asked what they did when fiends appeared, the reply was that everyone had special permits that allowed them to escape into the underground city until the danger passed. Even the monsters of the first level were better company than fiends.
While Mira looked around and chitchatted at the stalls, the carriages she’d passed during her flight began to arrive in droves.
“Things sure are getting lively out here.”
The adventurers stepping out of the carriages looked to be quite capable; no doubt they were going to the second level or beyond. These men and women gathered into groups and began double-checking everything before continuing onward. It was necessary prep work when moving as a group—but for the lone Mira, there was no need.
Time to get going.
Mira had prepared before she left and quietly entered the hole in the middle of the grassland while the meeting area behind her only grew noisier.
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