Chapter 297 - Chapter 263 Unpaid Hegemony
Wednesday
"Morning."
"Yo."
I should tell Nat about my [Woodcraft] skill cap breakthrough before I forget. Since he has [Carpentry] skill, if he can make [Mithril] tools, he should also see a cap breakthrough coming.
"Yesterday, I broke the cap for [Woodcraft] skill. And I also acquired the advanced skill, [Crafting (Woodcraft)]."
"You… you're still making blunders, aren't you? So, how do you break the cap?"
Nat's friends seemed curious, so I told him about how making woodworking tools with [High-quality Mithril Ingot] gave a bonus.
"Isn't that tough? [Mithril], and then high-quality ingots…"
"On the island, we can mine [Mithril Ore] endlessly, and the [Ancient Magic Furnace] is excellent. Speaking of which, one of Lady Leona's twin blades is made entirely of [Mithril] and has skill bonuses, right? I guess it's probably the same thing, so you could probably ask the NPC Dwarves in the [Amiera Territory]."
I'd like to try making other tools out of [Mithril] too, but no, maybe I should get a new [Round Shield] first. My [Ken-nata] is better heavy, so it's fine as it is.
"I see. But the quantity would be difficult…"
"Ah, for a carpenter, how about a [Plane]? For that, it's just the blade part, and I actually made one and confirmed it gives +1 to [Woodcraft] and [Carpentry]."
"Seriously? I might be able to gather enough for that. So, how was that advanced [Crafting] skill?"
"I haven't really felt any difference with that one yet. I only had time to acquire it and try it out a little."
In the end, I didn't get a Pioneer Reward, so maybe it really is just for Rare skills? In any case, I don't think I'll see its true potential until I level it up more.
"Oh, right, the schedule got moved up a bit, so we're probably heading to the Necropolis starting today. I think you've already been contacted, but please tell Miki-chan too."
"Hey, that's more important, isn't it?"
I thought Bell-san, the club president, was coming back from the school trip on Saturday, and that the Imperial and Demon Kingdom bases would connect then, starting the Necropolis conquest.
"So there's a reason to rush, huh?"
"It seems the guild called 'Future's Hegemony', which had monopolized the Imperial side's [Frontline Base], completely fell apart."
"Ugh, seriously…"
Apparently, the production team, who insisted on monopolization and maintaining high prices, had a dispute with the combat team, who focused on conquest and needed more manpower. The production team then left the guild. And their reputation worsened, leading to a surge of people wanting to quit the guild.
"Now, if the remaining members also withdraw, the [Frontline Base] will be empty, and that'd be bad. So they decided it's better to quickly go and follow up."
"What a nuisance."
"Absolutely…"
Though I said that, knowing him, he'll probably manage well with the remaining members of that 'Hegemony' guild. I'm not worried about that, but if Bell-san hears about this, she'll probably freeze up…
*
And so, the continuation of that story at lunch.
"I've been wondering from the start, why were those guys who ran away in such a hurry to make money? I thought everyone would be okay with slightly tourist-trap prices?"
"Don't ask me."
Nat replied, chugging down his milk in one go, then looked to Iincho for help. This guy, is he still trying to grow taller…
"Sigh… I heard this from Yuki-san, and Yuki-san is still investigating whether it's true, but it seems the people who ran away had borrowed money from Empire nobles."
""Eh?!""
Mion and I blurted out in unison. Borrow money from NPCs? For what reason would they borrow money?
"Borrowing money, why? They were making money from being in the limited open group, right?"
"It seems there were more members than expected who didn't have [Dragon Coins], so they were buying the insufficient amount from Empire nobles. Part of the payment was upfront, and the rest depended on the Necropolis conquest."
"But then, if the conquest wasn't progressing, there shouldn't have been a problem… Ah!"
Iincho nodded with a wry smile. Was it because the possibility of a conquest from the Demon Kingdom side increased after Sunday's triple collaboration?
"Well, serves them right. But seriously, can they just bail like that? Can they return the [Dragon Coins] if it looks bad?"
"I wonder. In any case, the monopoly is gone, and now it seems it's become a rush to proceed."
"Well, a hero always arrives late!"
Nat said something like that again, earning a huge exasperated look from Iincho. I was worried that Nat and the [Silver Manor] people, who joined later, might clash with the 'Hegemony' guild members, but it seemed like that wouldn't happen, which was good.
*
Should I contact the club president?
"Ah, yeah. I think it's better to send it… but…"
After school. Today was Wednesday, and it should have been a faculty meeting, but…
"You can tell Bell-san~. She's probably heard it from others anyway~, and she'll find out on the [Official Forum]~."
Since the second-years were on their school trip, there was no faculty meeting, and Yata-sensei was in a very good mood…
You can't return the [Dragon Coins] you bought for a refund, right?
"I don't think you can. From the nobles' perspective, they'd rather have cash than leftover [Dragon Coins], wouldn't they? The Empire also had that civil war game…"
"How did they pay the remaining balance, I wonder~?"
If they defaulted and ran away… would they become a red-named player? At the very least, I don't think they'd be able to stay in the Empire, but I wonder how IRO's system works for that kind of thing.
Should I check the [Official Forum]?
"Ah, no, it's fine. There's no point in us worrying about it, and more importantly, we need to prepare for tonight's live stream."
"That's right~. What's the plan for tonight's live stream~?"
I'd leave the explanation to Yata-sensei to Mion. I needed to go to IRO and have dinner with Lupi and the others first.
*
"Thanks for the meal."
"Woofn."
""Bow!""
Dinner today was [Thick-cut Bacon] and a fried egg, balanced with some [Lycos] (tomato) on the side.
That looks delicious with the thick cuts…
I prefer mine thinly sliced and crispy~. I like it spicier with plenty of [Black Pepper]~.
Mion aside, I wondered if Yata-sensei was talking about a snack for drinks…
"Alright, I need to secure wood for the church's goddess statue. Can you go call Sweee for me?"
"Woofn."
""Bow!""
Watching Lupi and the others run towards the [Divine Tree], I needed to prepare my axe. I'd have Sweee help me pick a tree, and considering the size needed, the southwestern forest seemed best. It might be a bit tough to carry, but my increased inventory should handle it…