Ch.244The Treasure of the 7th Western City

Upon arriving at Westend Seventh, the seventh western city, we secured lodging, left our luggage with Iris, and headed to the Pioneer Operations Branch building.

“Well, look who it is! The heroes of the Wellord Salt Mine! Ho ho ho ho.”

The one who welcomed us with his booming voice was Director-General Geronimo.

As I later learned, Director Geronimo was apparently the only politician who actively supported the development of the Wellord Salt Mine when others were skeptical about it.

Since the mine’s failure due to the dungeon overflow would have damaged his political standing as well, he seemed grateful to us for defending the mine with all our might.

“You folks are truly remarkable. The Pioneer Operations Branch was already turned upside down just from the Great Sage’s memoirs, and now I hear you’ve discovered the highest quality magic core in history?”

“Ah, yes… but finding the magic core was a joint effort of all thirty people who entered the boss room together.”

“Come, come this way. Let’s have some tea while you tell me about what happened. I’ll personally conduct your Frontier License evaluation.”

Moving to a private room with Director Geronimo, we recounted everything that had happened during our resolution of the dungeon overflow incident.

How we first heard about the dungeon overflow while stopping at Leatherwork for rest on our way to the seventh western city.

How we loaded a carriage with food supplies and went to Wellord Mine, defending the barrier towers from Lesser Demon attacks and feeding the mine’s residents.

How adventurers who had transformed into monsters joined the offensive, and the existence of the “guns that fired black magic bullets” they used.

How adventurers summoned for the emergency quest were ambushed and endangered during transit, and how we overcame the crisis with the help of Silver Wolf warriors.

And everything we experienced after the full-scale dungeon raid began…

Of course, we kept silent about information related to the Arcane Ward this time as well.

“Hmm… the throne war between dungeon boss monsters is interesting, but what concerns me most is definitely those black magic bullet guns. Do you happen to have any of them?”

“No. The sniper rifle that appeared at the mine was destroyed when Phyllis shot it… what happened to the others?”

“The man who jumped with the bomb wasn’t carrying a gun, and the pistol of the invisibility magic user who attacked the follow-up team was retrieved by a staff member of the Adventurers’ Guild. I’m not sure if there were any other guns.”

“I see… I’ll investigate that part separately in cooperation with the Adventurers’ Guild. We can’t predict how they might be misused if they fall into the hands of outlaws.”

After saying that, Director Geronimo called a subordinate to process our compensation for this mission.

I, Seti, Mina, and Phyllis, who were already on the verge of C-rank, were naturally promoted to C-rank, and we received a reward of about 12,000 gold along with almost all the money we had spent on relief supplies.

However, Jessica couldn’t be promoted again through this settlement alone since she had just recently been promoted to B-rank.

“Thank you for your time. I look forward to your continued excellent work.”

“We’ll try our best to live up to your expectations.”

“And remember, ‘that offer’ is still valid whenever you feel inclined to accept it.”

“Hahaha…”

After concluding our meeting with Director Geronimo, we returned to our lodging to rest and discuss our future plans.

This place, Westend Seventh, is apparently a city with abundant work opportunities, which is why many adventurers still use it as their base even five years after its completion.

To the south, west, and north, different monsters maintain complex ecosystems, and there are dungeons that haven’t been fully conquered despite being discovered over a year ago, ancient ruins filled with traps, and even perilous secret locations from which no one has reportedly returned alive.

“Wow… we’ve only moved to a different city, but suddenly there’s so much more work available?”

“So you’re thinking of making this city our base for a while and focusing on requests from the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“That’s the basic plan. Of course, I’ll keep looking for ways to restore Iris to her original form, and since our party is starting to gain fame, we might also receive private requests.”

“There’s no need to rush, you know? There’s still time before the Willow Sanctuary, and I’m not particularly inconvenienced by having a dark elf’s body.”

“No, you are inconvenienced. You can’t use magic or wander around the city alone.”

“Well, how should I put it… that’s part of the training to ensure I don’t forget my position as a slave… ufufu.”

Iris’s cheeks were subtly flushed as she said this.

This isn’t good… I need to do something about her quickly…

While we knew there was plenty of work in Westend Seventh, whether to start taking requests on the day of arrival was another matter.

We decided to take a day or two to enjoy the atmosphere of this city and regroup.

According to Jessica, Westend Seventh is a city with an entertainment culture even more developed than Atelier.

Around the main street, there are “daylight” cultural venues like theaters, libraries, and outdoor performance spaces, while heading into the alleys south of the main street reveals establishments that “rougher men might enjoy” hidden here and there.

Private gambling dens, loan shark offices, strip clubs and brothels, and even black markets where slightly dubious goods are traded.

It seems that Westend Seventh’s operating policy is to turn a blind eye to most incidents as long as people don’t deal in prohibited items like drugs or magic cores.

“Among those southern street entertainment facilities, there’s one place I really want to visit. It’s a strip club called ‘Hell’s Garden,’ run by a young madam.”

“…A strip club?”

I momentarily doubted my ears at the unexpected words that came out of Jessica’s mouth.

How should I interpret my girlfriend wanting to take me to a strip club…?

Wait, maybe it’s not women but muscular men dancing naked? Is that why she’s asking for my permission?

“…Don’t misunderstand. I’m not suggesting we go watch a strip show. The place I want to go is the fighting arena in the basement of that establishment.”

“Fighting arena?”

“It’s a place where confident fighters compete in bare-handed combat, and there’s an amazing treasure offered as a prize for winning ten consecutive matches.”

“What kind of treasure?”

“It’s an artifact called ‘The Box of Stopped Time.’ It’s a magical box that can hold much more than its actual size would suggest, and anything placed inside it doesn’t change condition no matter how much time passes.”

“Wow, that’s incredible! It means food and ingredients won’t spoil no matter how long they’re kept inside.”

“With Will’s cooking skills, crafting tablet, and that artifact, we could enjoy restaurant-quality meals for every meal even while traveling.”

I could hear Seti and Mina audibly swallowing their saliva after hearing Phyllis’s words.

Honestly, I don’t think my cooking skills are quite that good… but there’s no denying that box is tempting.

The weather is getting hotter, so we need to pay more attention to the freshness of ingredients.

“So you’re suggesting we enter this bare-handed fighting tournament in the arena and aim for the ten consecutive wins prize?”

“Yes. Though among us, only Will and Seti probably have a chance at winning ten in a row.”

“I’m in. I can’t miss the opportunity to eat Will’s cooking to my heart’s content.”

“Calm down, Seti. We’re not entering today. First, let’s go to this underground arena and get a feel for the general atmosphere.”

“That sounds wise. We should conduct preliminary reconnaissance to learn what level of fighters gather there, what the rules of engagement are, and so forth.”

“But isn’t it kind of weird for a bunch of women to crowd into a place where ladies are dancing naked?”

“Ah… that’s a good point.”

An underground fighting arena beneath a strip club.

Just from the words alone, I can imagine what kind of clientele would be swarming there.

Taking five beautiful women to such a place would definitely attract troublemakers.

Of course, I have no intention of avoiding confrontation and would give them a lesson like at the Cotton Tail Trading Post if necessary, but I’m not particularly eager to subject my women to such unpleasant experiences.

For that reason, we decided that only Jessica, Seti, and I would visit Hell’s Garden.

Today’s visit is for reconnaissance of the underground arena.

More specifically, to understand the general skill level of the participants and the rules of the competition, and to investigate whether there are any illegal or dangerous traps lurking.

After all, if such an amazing prize is on offer and no one has achieved ten consecutive wins yet, there must be a reason for it.

“If you’re caught cheating, your head will roll.”