kscans

Chapter 429 - Building a Base and Camping

"How about here?"

Parfait showed Natsu and Chris the candidate site for their base.

It was a piece of land in the Eastern Country. A lake spread out before them, and there was a forest nearby. There were no other player bases in sight, a place where they could have the scenery all to themselves.

Originally, few players based themselves in the Eastern Country because of the unique event, Hyakki Yakou. It was a place for intermediate and advanced players, but those players would set up their bases in even better locations, making this a true hidden gem.

"This is quite good."

"I think so too. The place where I camped with my father and mother was like this. Though it had a few more trees."

Her two friends had a good impression of it. That being the case, she decided to buy this land.

Land in a country with its own unique rules was relatively cheap. The taxes were also lower. It was a common story for people to quickly run out of money if they overextended themselves to buy land near the crowded Royal Capital.

Since it was quite cheap, Parfait decided to specify a fairly large plot of land to buy. It cost 20 million G in total, but she had a lot of money from selling the axe she got from a PvP match. She could pay for it with ease.

"With this, the land around here belongs to the clan ‘Mont Blanc.’"

"Are you going to keep that clan name?"

"Natsu-chan’s ‘Chaos Paradox’ is rejected."

"How unfortunate. But if I think of something better, I will propose it, so please consider it."

"…Sure."

The names Natsu proposed were mostly dark side related. No matter how good they were, they were hard to accept. Besides, Parfait thought any name was fine, so she decided to keep the clan name as it was.

This time, Chris asked Parfait a question.

"By the way, what about the house that will be our base?"

"Good question, Chris-chan."

"Meaning?"

"It costs a bit of money, but we can build a basic house right away. Gathering all the materials and building a base from scratch doesn’t cost money, but it takes time. Besides, you need skills like Woodworking if you’re building from scratch, so that might be a bit much for us."

"I see. So we will buy a basic house. Do you already have a candidate in mind?"

"Yep. There’s a cafe-type house, and although it’s expensive, it looks like it’ll be a lovely base."

Parfait took out a catalog of base houses and showed it to Natsu and Chris.

It was a two-story wooden building, with the first floor designed like a cafe and the second floor having private rooms. It was a thoughtful design with six rooms, including rooms for Abel and the others who would be able to log in later.

"So you’re really planning to run a cafe?"

"Well, yeah. I plan on having you work as a waitress, Chris-chan."

"Yes. I am also considering becoming the strongest maid, so I will need such skills."

(The strongest…?).

"Then I shall sing a song periodically. I can even perform my recently composed ‘Valhalla Bloody Road.’"

"Isn’t that an enka song?"

"Is there a problem? I have also thought of a proper opening speech, so you can rest assured."

(I wonder if enka in a cafe will be popular…?).

Parfait was gradually getting anxious, but she convinced herself that it was a virtual world, so it was fine.

"So, what do you think? Is this cafe-style base okay?"

"It is the money you earned, my friend. Build whatever you like."

"I agree with Natsu’s opinion."

"Then I’ll go with this."

Parfait selected the base from the catalog for the land she had bought. Then she chose the position to build it. A sound effect like a hammer hitting a nail played, and the building was constructed in an instant.

(This building also costs 20 million G, but if it’s this magnificent, it’s worth it. The view of the lake is nice, so it’s not bad at all!).

Parfait nodded in satisfaction, then invited Natsu and Chris to step into the base right away.

Perhaps because she was a maid, Chris immediately checked the floor plan and everything else.

"Though it is called a cafe-style, it is truly only in appearance. There is a counter and a kitchen, but no tables or chairs."

"Now, now, Chris-chan. Isn’t it better to choose those things yourself? Let’s go back to Azuma and buy some furniture. Our rooms are completely empty, after all."

"I want some slightly dark-themed furniture."

"Indeed. I would also like some training furniture."

"Do they even have that kind of thing…? Anyway, let’s go to the furniture store. After that, let’s have a simple birthday party for Chris-chan. We’ll have one in the real world too, but we have to have one here as well!"

"That is a good idea. I shall sing you my arranged birthday song!"

"I am happy that you will celebrate my birthday, but I do not need your song, Natsu. If you absolutely must sing, please do not arrange it."

"But that would be no fun!"

"However, I had enough of the heavy metal birthday song last year."

"Rest assured, this time it is enka!"

"I have nothing but anxiety…"

"Let’s judge after hearing the opening. First, let’s go buy furniture."

Parfait said this to calm the two of them down, and they returned to Azuma.

There was no specialty furniture store in Azuma, but the Woodworking Guild sold furniture. They also sold wooden weapons and armor. It didn’t seem very popular, though.

In the first place, metal or cloth weapons and armor were easier to handle. Wooden weapons and armor were not very user friendly, or rather, they didn’t have any particularly good points. However, staves used by mages sold well.

Since they hadn’t come to buy weapons and armor, they moved to the furniture section.

This wasn’t a section where the virtual reality staff sold simple furniture, but a section where players could place and sell their original creations. You could arrange various things, so it was a test of one’s sense of style.

Players also often placed their items here on consignment, as it was more conspicuous than selling them at their own bases. Besides that, space was also rented out to people who didn’t have a base.

"I like this demon lord-like table!"

"Doesn’t it have horns or claws around it, making it spiky…?"

It was less demon lord-like and more just hard to use. To be frank, it didn’t fulfill its function as a table.

"Hm? Is this a bench press? I would like to put it in my room."

"You have one in your room in the real world, don’t you, Chris-chan?"

And besides, she wanted to ask what the point of strength training in a virtual reality was.

She wanted to ask why they only had things like this, but it was probably the craftsmen’s playfulness, or they prioritized design and completely ignored usability. It was one thing to put it in your own room, but for a cafe table, one’s sense of style was on display, so she couldn’t possibly put these there.

She thought she might have to go back to the Royal Capital, and continued to look at other furniture.

But it was just a waste of time, and nothing particularly caught her eye.

"My friend, you are very particular about these things."

"I just don’t want to have any regrets."

"I understand the feeling. But your real birthday party is starting in about an hour."

"Ugh… you’re right. But we just built the base, so I want to have the birthday party there… ah."

A piece of furniture caught Parfait’s eye. It was a simple table, but what was noteworthy was the illustration of a dog drawn on it.

"This! Let’s get this! We’ll just buy three normal chairs and this table!"

"That is a cute dog picture… My friend, you must not follow a stranger just because they offer to draw you a picture of an animal."

"You’d probably follow someone if they asked if you wanted power, Natsu-chan."

"Rest assured. I only respond to voices that I hear directly in my mind…!"

Putting that conversation aside, Parfait quickly bought the furniture and also bought a large amount of sweets at the Maid Guild. Then she took Natsu and Chris and returned to the base.

Even large furniture wasn’t bulky if you put it in an item bag. She placed the furniture she bought in the spacious first floor of the base and arranged the sweets on the table.

Parfait smiled contentedly at the extravagant display she couldn’t do in the real world.

"Now we’re all set. Alright, Chris-chan, happy birthday!"

"You have finally reached the same heights as I…! I shall say congratulations!"

"Yes, thank you."

The three of them toasted with juice in wooden cups and drank it all in one go.

Chris exhaled and smiled.

"Last year it was fast food, but a birthday party in a hidden place like this is nice too."

"It’s like a secret base, it’s so romantic!"

"I think an evil secret base would be more romantic."

Talking about trivial things with friends where their parents’ eyes can’t reach. It was just that, but for Parfait and the others, it was more fun than anything. They built a house themselves, bought sweets, and indulged a little. It was the feeling of being a little more grown up.

"By the way, Chris-chan, you go camping with Gil-san and Silva-san? Which colony is rich in nature?"

"Colony ‘Amazon.’"

"Isn’t that the jungle colony? I thought it was a place to observe the ecology of plants and animals…?"

"That is right. We sleep there with only a knife… but I am still inexperienced. I only lasted three days."

"My friend Chris, is that not survival rather than camping?"

"Hm? But we catch fish at the watering hole, start a fire, and make noisemakers to prevent enemy intrusion."

"The first two sound like camping, but the last one does not. And you say there are enemies? I thought camping was supposed to be safer and more fun."

"It was fun. Both my father and mother can completely erase their presence. They were nearby, but when I thought I was completely alone, my spirits rose at the thought that I could only rely on myself."

Parfait wondered why her spirits would rise because of that, but she reconsidered that if Chris herself was fine with it, then maybe it was okay. Besides, Chris’s parents would never let her do anything dangerous. Just as Chris herself had said, they were probably watching her carefully from nearby.

"Shall the three of us go camping next time?"

"I cannot. Humans are what they are because of the convenience of civilization. My mother also says, ‘Home is the best.’ I share her sentiment."

"Normal camping is one thing, but survival with just a knife is impossible for me."

"Then you can bring a wooden sword, Parfait."

"What difference does that make?"

"Your combat power will increase."

"Do we need combat power?"

It was a trivial conversation, but it continued on, losing track of time.

Then Diite came over with an exasperated look on her face.

"I understand you all are having fun, but your real birthday party is about to start. I will just say that Esha-kun does not hold back, even if it is not her own birthday."

Hearing that, Parfait and the others hurriedly logged out.