kscans

Chapter 288 - The Panacea's Knowledge and New Information

The conquest of Skyscraper Babel had begun.

However, Veru's team had already conquered a considerable number of floors, leaving only a few remaining. The higher they went, the slower Agres and Suien's movements became, but that was just part of the charm.

From what Hayato heard, the plan was to conquer it with a party of thirteen, adding Ash, Ren, and Mist's group to the existing party. This formed a team of ten Genesis Dragons and three from the Undead elite.

It was a somewhat small number, but there was a reason for this, and the information had been provided by Diite.

On the top floor of Skyscraper Babel, there was a humanoid monster called "False God Babel," and its combat power increased according to the number of people who set foot on the top floor.

Going with too many people would actually be less efficient, so it was better not to exceed ten. However, Mist's presence was mandatory, and Ren could apply powerful debuffs in single-boss battles.

Normally, Esha, who could deal high-power attacks, would have been a good addition, but she could not participate due to real-world circumstances.

The Babel conquest would take place not only in the morning but also in the afternoon. It was possible for Esha to join just for the boss fight, but waiting for Esha until the next morning was not an option, and it seemed they were determined to defeat it even without her.

Due to these circumstances, they decided to go with thirteen members.

That was the content of the discussion between Veru and Mist at the base yesterday, and today was the first day of exploration with those members.

Hayato had logged in to see Ash and Ren off. Ash and his group were scheduled to meet up with Veru's and Mist's groups on-site, so they were about to head out.

"Alright then, Ash, Ren-chan, I'm counting on you. Also, here are some potions and other medicines, and some food. Please give them to Veru-san's and Mist-san's groups."

"...So much again. Unlike during the Clan War, we have Landa as a healer, so we don't need this much."

The amount of potions Hayato handed to Ash's group was reminiscent of the Clan War days when Diite wasn't there as a healer.

"The more you have, the more advantageous it is, so use them freely. Veru-san and his group seem to be holding back and not using them at all, and there's no point in saving them."

"We could sell them for money, though."

Ren said this while accepting the items. It probably wasn't his imagination that she was only taking the dessert-type dishes, but Hayato didn't say anything.

"Well then, we can't help with the cafe, but do your best, you two."

"Right! That's what's important! Just the two of you! Key point!"

"What is Ren-chan talking about? We'll have fewer customers without you two, but it can't be helped. We'll be fine here, so I'm counting on you over there."

"Leave it to me."

"Please leave it to us! It's been a while since all of Dragon Soul has been together. We'll show you how strong we are!"

"Now that you mention it, that's right. Mm. I'm expecting great things, so do your best."

Ren nodded with a smile, then left the base with Ash.

(She must be happy to be able to play the game with her friends. I hope she can have even a little fun.)

The goal was to obtain the knowledge for the medicine. But there was no denying that it was also a virtual reality game. Hayato saw the two of them off, hoping they would have fun.

After that, Hayato was listening to Rose's report on their stock and trying to decide what to prioritize making.

"As expected, the cheaper items are selling well lately. The more expensive ones aren't selling as much. For food items, taste is a factor, so low-quality items aren't bought, but since this shop's items are at least three stars, sales are strong compared to others."

"Are you possibly checking out other shops besides our own?"

"Of course. I receive information from the other maids, but I also take a look at other shops during my break time."

He thought about how different maids could be, but Hayato decided that was just a matter of personality. In Esha's case, she had maxed out her combat power, and everything else was either useless or she just wouldn't do it.

This was only in the virtual reality. In the real world, she could clean, do laundry, and cook to some extent, but other than making chocolate parfaits, she didn't do so proactively, so she probably didn't have much motivation to do anything she wasn't interested in.

"Hayato-sama? Is something wrong?"

"Ah, sorry, I was just thinking. Well then, I'll focus on making high-quality but low-performance weapons, armor, medicines, and food. Items with low base stats can be made with cheap materials, so they can be sold for less."

"Yes. I believe that would be best."

Hayato nodded, then returned to his room and began making items to sell at the shop.

That night, Hayato and Esha logged in after finishing their afternoon work.

They hadn't heard from Ash and his group in the real world, so they logged in to check on the situation.

When they headed to the base's dining hall, Ash, Ren, and Mist were there.

However, the air was heavy, and the atmosphere was such that he hesitated to speak. The source of it was likely Mist. He hadn't noticed Hayato at all, sitting with his legs crossed on a chair, arms folded, staring at a wall in deep thought.

"Um, is everything okay?"

Mist's atmosphere didn't change, but Ash and Ren looked relieved.

"Well, I don't know the details, but Mist is a little... He asked us to wait until you arrived, Hayato, so we've just been waiting."

"Um? Mist-san, was there a problem?"

Mist slowly turned his head to look at Hayato. Then he smiled awkwardly.

"Yes, a number of things happened. Oh, yes, all the knowledge has been gathered. The Panacea can now be created, so I will teach you how to make it."

"Eh, already? Have you finished conquering Skyscraper Babel?"

"Yes. Thanks to Veru-san, Ash-san, and the others, we were able to conquer the top floor today. And this is the method for creating the Panacea."

Hayato checked the information.

With this, he could now create the Panacea with his Alchemy Skill. The items required were not particularly hard to obtain, and the creation probability for the highest quality five-star version was 5%. With Hayato's Crystal Dragon Pendant, that would become 10%.

"I can make this without any problems. The probability for a five-star isn't bad either, so let's prepare a five-star version for everyone. It's difficult today, but I'll gather the materials and make it tomorrow."

"I am sorry for all the trouble. Thank you. That aside, Hayato-san."

"Y, yes. What is it?"

Mist's atmosphere changed again. It was the same heavy air he had created when they first came to the dining hall.

"I would like to speak with Diite-san. Is it possible for you to call her?"

"I think it's fine, but would you prefer it to be right now?"

"Yes, if possible. In fact, that is why I was waiting for you, Hayato-san."

"...Um, Mist-san. Before that, could you please tell me the reason? You're too different from this morning, Mist-san. I'd like to know what happened and why you're calling Diite-chan."

Mist looked at Hayato without answering, then let out a sigh and smiled.

"Did I create a strange atmosphere? I apologize for that. The truth is, there is something I wish to confirm with Diite-san. Today, I obtained the last piece of medicinal knowledge, but I also obtained knowledge, or rather, information, other than that."

"Information?"

"Yes. It is..."

"Hey, Mist, is it okay for us to be here? If it's an important conversation, we can leave."

Ash interrupted before Mist could say anything.

"That's right, everyone here knows about reality, so there is no problem. However, it is not a particularly interesting story."

"Then let us hear it. We're members of the same clan. I want to know what's troubling you, Mist."

"I, I also want to help if you're worried about something, so I'll listen!"

"I will do my best not to interrupt. However, I would like some of Master's coffee."

"You're right. I'll get some coffee ready. Is melon juice okay for you, Ren-chan?"

"Yes, please!"

Esha not asking for a chocolate parfait or her own melon juice was probably her reading the room. What could be so serious that even Esha would read the room, Hayato wondered, feeling a little uneasy.

Hayato prepared everything and placed the coffee and melon juice on the dining hall table.

Then, after everyone had taken a sip, they were ready to listen.

"Well then, I will tell you, but frankly, it is not a big deal. It is just that it has been bothering me. That is what I wanted to confirm with Diite-san."

"What is it that's bothering you?"

"The reason I decided to enter this virtual reality was to save everyone's lives. At the time, it was thought to be an incurable disease, so if it couldn't be cured, the decision was to sleep in cold sleep until a cure was found."

Hayato nodded. He had heard that story from Diite before. He had also shared some information with Ash and his group, so there was no surprise there.

"I made that decision because I saw this virtual reality and the cold sleep technology that was generations ahead, but before that, I received a recruitment email for the virtual reality. I believe Ash-san and the others had something similar happen, but what do you think?"

Ash and his group nodded.

"I got one too. I think it was an invitation to join with Ren and Dad."

"I received one as well. It was extremely suspicious, but I was interested in virtual reality, so I went."

"The wording was probably different for each of us, but in my case, it mentioned my patients and my own illness, which is part of what got me interested. But thinking about it now, I feel like it was all orchestrated to be that way."

"Um...?"

Feeling that things were taking a dark turn, Hayato looked at Mist.

Mist let out one long sigh, then opened his mouth.

"The information I obtained today at Skyscraper Babel. It was that Damian had proposed putting me and Ruth and the others into cold sleep before I had even received the email. I want to confirm with Diite-san if that is true, and if it is, what it meant."

Mist said this with a slightly pained expression.