Chapter 667 - Side Story: Emergency Fan Support Meeting
On the final day of the three-day weekend.
As it was past noon, the Necropolis was filled with players heading out on quests or hunts.
"Making any money today?"
"Could be better, I suppose?"
Reaper chuckled at Master Chef's reply.
He, too, was having a late lunch at this "Rivanderi" after transporting goods from the Southern Island.
"Is the exploration of the Southern Island going to take much longer?"
"Looks that way. The north side seems fine, but the south will probably take a while, won't it?"
"I see. It'd be nice if they had sugarcane or cocoa there."
Master Chef sighed.
Still, with fresh seafood now available from the Southern Island, restaurants featuring those ingredients were beginning to pop up.
"Where are you headed today?"
"Off to the Demon Kingdom, then I'll report to the big boss in the Republic, and after that, I'm heading to Molt in the Principality."
"Thanks. Could you order two of each of the cooking utensils here? If Shou-kun doesn't use them, my members can give them out when they open their shops."
In his hand was a list of cooking utensils that Master Chef had compiled.
Reaper quickly glanced through the list that had been prepared for Shou.
"Making them shouldn't be a problem at all, but even adding up the cost of all these, wouldn't it still be less than 100 gold coins?"
"Probably," Master Chef shrugged.
While they would continue to trade seasonings on an ongoing basis, the amount would be minimal.
The gold that had been pulled into Shou's island would just end up gathering dust if this continued.
"Isn't there some better way?"
"Well... that's something we'll have to ask Daytron about. There's no rush to decide yet, apparently."
As they were talking,
"Sorry, Guild Master. There's something urgent I need to tell you."
"Akel-chan? Sorry, just a moment."
A guild call came in from a member of Reaper's guild, Iris Postal, and he excused himself to Master Chef.
"Alright. What's up?"
"Shou-kun is coming to the Southern Island."
"What did you say!?"
It was reported that Shou, accompanied by the Emerald Dragon Emeraldia who had flown in, along with Lupi, Rigel, and the fairies, was heading toward the island's church.
Reaper quickly reported this to Master Chef as well.
"What should we do? Should we head there now?"
"Wait. The Vice Guild Master should be with the big boss, so let's see what he says. This news will spread quickly..."
Reaper said, contacting another member.
"I'm going to check what's happening downstairs."
Master Chef went down to the first floor, which was set up like a restaurant.
It seemed information was already starting to spread there, with parties hastily finishing their meals and heading to the counter.
"This is a mess..."
"I got in touch with the big boss. It's no use rushing to the Southern Island now. It'd be better to have Akel-chan stream it from there since she's already on-site."
"Good point. If Shou comes to see me, he'll contact me, and if not, it's better not to worry unnecessarily."
"True. Then let's just watch from here?"
"I have deliveries to make, and there's also the matter we were just talking about, so I'll be going."
"Ah... be careful."
"Thanks. See you later!"
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, in the Marsis Republic.
"The Guild Master has deliveries to make, so he's leaving without watching the stream."
"Understood. It's a shame he's going to be late, though."
"He looks rough around the edges, but he's quite principled."
Cyan, who serves as Reaper's right-hand man, replied with a wry smile.
He specializes in delivering valuable items and was once a top player in the guild "Future Hegemony," which had discovered the Necropolis.
Having opposed Future Hegemony's attempt to claim the Necropolis, he left the guild and distanced himself from main gameplay content, instead enjoying traveling to various development sites across the mainland while making deliveries.
"Looks like it's starting."
"I'm watching, of course."
"Of course."
The two opened the menu and started Akel's live stream.
"That's quite the large group today."
"The Goddess doesn't seem to be present. I suppose she thought it would cause too much commotion?"
"It's causing quite a commotion even without her..."
As they talked, they stared intently at the screen.
After going to the church to receive blessings, they formed an impromptu raid party and defeated the Wither Lacy and Kobolds in the forest.
"Wow, he's strong! He could probably take on an equal number of regular players and win."
"He would, definitely. Besides Lupi-chan and Rigel-kun, the coordination with the Cait Sith and Kijimunaa, and the other players is great."
"How is Shou-kun himself?"
Cyan paused slightly at the question but then said,
"His skills and equipment put him on par with top players. However, he doesn't seem to be the type to put himself forward. What surprises me more is how accurately he assesses the situation and gives commands."
"He has a wide field of vision and stays calm. It's like they're perfectly in sync with Nat-kun from Fairy's Friend, whom he seems to have known for a while."
They evaluated how he had given precise instructions not only to his companions like Lupi and Rigel but also to the fairies and participating players including Nat.
"Vice Guild Master Cyan. Are you still with Daytron?"
"Yes. Is something the matter?"
"The medium-sized magic stones from the loot are being passed around among everyone. Would it be alright if we gave them to Shou-kun?"
Hearing this, Cyan nodded in understanding naturally.
A medium-sized natural magic crystal stone is extremely valuable, and it would be proper to give it to Shou, who had led the Forest of Confusion expedition.
However, with all that had been happening with magic stones recently, they seemed unsure whether to just hand them over.
"That's true... Well, if Shou-kun says he doesn't want it, could you propose that I buy it and split the money among everyone?"
Cyan agreed with Daytron's suggestion and passed it along.
In the end, Shou accepted the magic stone, but upon hearing this, Daytron concluded that magic stones would remain important in the future.