219 - - Episode 217. It's certainly far, isn't it?

I came back from the labyrinth and was a little moved when I heard the story of Gina and the others. Also, the Valkyries have become subtly more active, which is a bit scary.

I returned to my room after listening to the happy story, the story of the growth of the disciples, and the story of the troublesome Valkyrie. I told Gina and the others that I'm taking tomorrow and the day after tomorrow off, so I'm sure they're discussing what they're going to do now.

"So Dolly, were Gina and the others actually in danger?　What was the Valkyrie like?"

We need to make sure we talk to Dolly, who knows what's behind the Valkyries. Gina and the others seem to have a pretty good filter on the Valkyries.

"As for the search, everyone was paying attention to their surroundings, so there were no problems. As for the Valkyries, however, only one of them expressed her displeasure at the rejection of her invitation.

Hmmm, is it cheeky for a newcomer to refuse an invitation to an A-ranked party?　Valkyries themselves are very popular, so they are not used to being turned down.

I wonder if they will run out of control.

"The leader was calm, so he can afford to be. If he continues to refuse repeatedly, there is a possibility that he will go out of control, but I don't think there will be a problem for a while.

I guess so. ...... leaders are the type of people who have dark thoughts behind their holy motherly smiles, so you can never be too careful, but from what Dolly has seen, there's still time.

"If the Valkyrie goes out of control, Dolly can handle it, right?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

Dolly smiles smilingly and elegantly. It sent a shiver down my spine. Even though she was smiling, her eyes were not smiling, which was too scary.

"Well, just in case, you know. And unless they do something really outrageous, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me live as long as possible.

"Yes, I understand."

For a moment, I thought it would be easier if I waited until he went out of control and asked Dolly to take care of it, but it would be wrong to force the Great Spirit to clean up the mess just because I didn't want to get involved in it.

It's a hassle, and I should ask him to go far away like Gulli and his son.　Valkyries have both the power to live and the strength to fight, so it's likely that they'll come back soon on the same continent. If I just pop them on another continent ......, no, my suspicions could be confirmed if people I'm involved with disappear in rapid succession.

Well, if I can get him to break through the 50th layer, he's likely to become more mature, but I don't want to make any concessions since he'll probably come back to take advantage of me if he's in trouble. At any rate, if Gina continues to ask me after I clearly refused her once, I'll have no choice but to go to her and give her a nail. Gina and her friends have a day off tomorrow, but I have a lot of things to do. Let's just go to bed.

Oh, I'm going to have to refill the magic bag that Gina and the others gave me back, or they'll say it's too fresh. It's a hassle, but we'll have to go outside the labyrinth city once.

****

"You have a date with your sister today, don't you?"

...... No one said that, okay?　It's simply a day off today, so Gina and her friends went for a stroll in the labyrinth city after learning how to cook, and I sent Belle and her friends out to play. Sylfie, who has been accompanying me all this time, is also taking a day off, and I've asked Dine to escort her.

"Yuta, first we'll go to the liquor store!"

Dine takes my arm and we head for the liquor store. I said it was a date, but the first place we go is a liquor store, or is it a date?

(Dine, we're not going to the liquor store since we bought plenty of booze last time. Now we're going to Marie's to wholesale some materials and get some information about the magic wand.)

"Ew."

Deane puffs out her cheeks and does her best to express her dissatisfaction. I can't help it if you look at me like that, since that's what I originally planned to do.

"Yuta-chan. Sis was really looking forward to going to the liquor store. Yuta, don't you think you should be rewarded for your sister's hard work?"

As I let the conversation drift away, Dineh spoke up with a serious expression on her face. I'm keeping the water clean, and I'm helping Vita-chan.

I know that the reward for the Great Spirit is more than enough to buy up a whole liquor store considering the profit I have made. But I just bought a considerable amount of alcohol the other day. I look at Dine, and she has the most serious expression I've ever seen on her face.

(...... I get it. But only after we've wholesaled the ingredients. (And please don't buy more than one barrel.)

I've been to all the liquor stores in Labyrinth City. It's hard to buy another barrel in ten days and a bit.

Three barrels!　Yuta, three kegs please!　Sis, I want to choose ale, red wine and white wine!"

Dineh hangs on to me. With my magic bag containing so many barrels of booze, I don't see why she's going to give up even if I tell her ...... not to.

(Okay, only three kegs.)

"Thank you, Yuta."

Dene smiles like a blooming flower. She looks as if she's about to start dancing. I don't understand the feeling of a great spirit who loves to drink. We arrive at Marie's general store with a very excited Deanne.

"Mr. Yuta, welcome!

Sonia greets me as a matter of course. I stopped thinking about it.

"Good morning, Sonia-san. Is Marie home?

Yes, we have received word that Yuta-sama has left the labyrinth, so we have made the necessary arrangements and are waiting for you."

Sonia smiles at me. No, she is indeed a beautiful woman, but such a smile could not fool me, could it?

"Well, are you watching my comings and goings in the labyrinth?"

"No, no, it's just that there are some stalls and stores that we know very well, and if they see Yuta-sama after he enters the labyrinth, they will let us know. He always comes to deliver the goods the next day when he comes out of the labyrinth, so we are sorry to keep you waiting. ......"

...... yeah?　In this case, we are not being watched, so is there no need to be afraid?　But if Marie and the others wanted to, they could figure out what I'm doing, to some extent. .......

Well, it's a little late for that now, I'm halfway famous and people will be watching me wherever I go. Let's give up going to the stores at night in the maze city. They've gone out of their way to save us time and effort, and if they really wanted to keep an eye on us, they wouldn't have told us that we'd get information from the food stalls and the like.

"I see. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you. As Marie and Sonia predicted, we are delivering the labyrinth materials. If you are ready, shall we go straight to the warehouse?　Again, a lot of it."

"We have some tea ready for you, if you're in a hurry."

Tea or ...... Dine will want to get to the liquor store as soon as possible, so let's get the delivery done quickly this time. We'll have plenty of time to talk to Marie in the carriages and at the warehouse.

"I don't mean to rush you, but I have a schedule to keep, and I'd appreciate it if you could take care of the delivery.

"Awe, sir, let me show you to your carriage."

Sonia sends a nearby clerk to call Marie, and I head for the carriage with Sonia. They really are all set, aren't they? Probably all the staff members who are going to dismantle the building are also waiting for us.

"Good morning, Yuta-san. Sorry to keep you waiting.

"Good morning, Marie. I haven't been waiting long at all."

In fact, not a minute after I got into the carriage, Marie entered the carriage. That was way too early. After a quick hello, Marie gave me a signal and the carriage started to leave.

"So, Mr. Yuta, here is the list of owners of the magic wand.

As soon as I get on the carriage, Marie hands me a piece of paper. She talks fast.

"Surprisingly few people own this paper.

"Magic wands of the class that Yuta-san is looking for are hard to come by, and I have chosen only those that have been publicly traded or whose owners are known to be in the public domain. I can give you a list of the many items, including those of uncertain ownership and of uncertain quality.

I don't want to negotiate hard for something whose quality is iffy. If I don't find it in the labyrinth, and I can't get it from the list you gave me today, I'll ask you for it.

"No, I would prefer to know for sure who owns it, so this is good enough for me. I will check it out."

I decline Marie's offer and look over the list that she gave me. The list is very expensive, and the names are followed by additional information such as knighthood, rank as a merchant, high ranking adventurer, and so on. I wonder if the adventurers' guilds in the labyrinth city also own them, and why don't they sell them?

The last thing I want to do is negotiate with the Adventurers Guild as much as possible. I'll just say that if I can't get it. There are only two wands of light in the list ......, and the royal family and the church own them. Is it my imagination that it seems impossible to ask them to give them to us?　I hope to find the wand of light on my own.

"Marie, can you find out if any of the people on this list are in mortal danger or are in great fear of being poisoned?"

"Yes, I think most of the people on that list are afraid of being poisoned. As for the diseases, it is difficult to find out anything other than what is publicly known, because they are all too dangerous to be casually investigated. The health of people in positions of power is a tool for political disputes.

That's true, too. If an influential leader falls, there will be more succession wars and more interference from other forces. I guess a great man has his own hardships.

"There is nothing wrong with what is publicly known. Thank you very much.

"Yes, sir."

Marie nods her head. I know she is working for our profit, but it feels awkward that we are the only ones asking for help.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to say this, but we got more magma fish, magic grass, almighty grass, and divine power grass than usual, so we'll be selling them in larger quantities than usual.

Marie's eyes change from serious to greedy. I wonder if this is a good thing for a merchant, but I guess that's just how Marie is. I ask her how much her eyes increase. If possible, I would like you to ask me in words.

"One and a half times more than usual. I would say five times. We will also be selling Emperor Bird, Great Emperor Bird, and White Ape wholesale.

Marie's face is tinged with delight.

"Yuta-san has reached the 80th layer, hasn't he? The Great Emperor Bird is, in a sense, rarer than the Fire Dragon. Are you really going to sell it to us wholesale?

You're too excited. Please don't spit on me. Even I don't enjoy being spit on. ......　Do you really not like it?　...... Let's not think too much about it and just say we don't like it. I don't go out of my way to open the door to my maniacal s*xuality. I'll tell Marie to calm down.

I'm sorry.

No, that's fine. But I think the fire dragon is several times stronger than the Great Emperor Bird, don't you?

The Great Emperor Bird, even I could fight it. I knew the Fire Dragon was impossible just by looking at it, even before I fought it. In fact, I think it's impossible to fight something like that in the 50th layer.

"That may be true, but there is also the problem of distance. In order to get the Great Emperor Bird, you have to advance another 30 layers from the 50th layer. And that's while crossing the mountain, sea, and ice worlds.

Well, that's for sure. I heard it takes 10 days one way to get to the 50th layer, and 30 more layers from there must be hard. It's easy for me with Sylphy's help, but it would be a heartbreaker for me if I go on like a normal person. I feel like the heroes who made it to the 87th layer are monsters.

We arrive at the usual warehouse, quieting Marie who is getting excited again. Marie is too excited.