330-298 21st layer (1)

Now that we were ready, we decided to start the second layer, but before that, Simon gave us a part-time job.

He said, "It doesn't have to be much, but can you supply me with some wood? He asked.

Thanks to our efforts last year, the shortage of Raffan wood has been alleviated and the purchase price seems to have settled down, but if the supply of new wood stops this winter, the price might go up again.

If it's just about our profit, it's better to go cut the wood when the price rises again than to supply it now when the price has settled down. ...... Simon's request.

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I believe that the lumberjacks are able to separate themselves from the trees they cut in the southern forest in terms of price range, but if we are the only ones who make a lot of money while cutting the same trees, we can't help but be envied.

However, I think they understand the difference in ability between us and them, and they don't do anything to us directly. ...... The more allies you have, the better.

This is why we decided to release a certain amount of wood.

Even adventurers chop down trees, don't they?

"We haven't done that since Mary and the others joined. Not many adventurers go directly to cut down trees, but here in Rafan, it's more of a job to guard the woodcutters.

Mary looked a little surprised when she saw us chopping down the trees, so I told her about the current situation in this town.

I'll tell you what's going on in this town, except for the people who go into the dungeon like us.

But it seems that Mary and the others knew that, and Mitya nodded deeply.

I know!　That's what the kids at the orphanage told me!

Yes. Yes. They said they would guard us, but they would never cut down trees.

It would be difficult for ordinary adventurers to cut down trees in the southern forest. In our case, we sell directly to the craftsmen.

It would be difficult without a tradition. We wouldn't have been able to sell ordinary wood in the first place.

And by the way, it's not easy to take home. So we're a bit of an exception.

We're a bit of an exception.　It's gobbledygook, gobbledygook!

Yuki laughs and says something like that, and moves his hands.

"Hey, what's that move?

"Hmm?　"Hey, what's that move?" "Hmm?" "Is that a gold coin jingling pose?

No, you can get that much, but don't ...... tell Mary and the others anything weird.

Mary and Mitya are nodding their heads in admiration.

By the way, how much do you get for one of these trees?

Hmmm, the price has dropped, but it could be worth 200 gold coins ......?

Two hundred!　That's amazing!

That's a lot of power!

Both of them are gripping the axe tightly in their hands.

Oh, it's good to put in the effort, but don't get hurt, okay?

It's difficult to chop down a tree, so I'm asking them to help me chop down the branches, but it's dangerous if they overexert themselves and hurt their feet.

I can't help but feel sorry for him.

The price has dropped to about half of what it was at first, but we have grown in the past year.

The speed of cutting down the trees has also increased, so in terms of earning per hour, there is probably not much difference.

Well, we plan to finish in about a week this year.

"What?　Why?　Why, when you can make so much money?

Because there is no one who will buy it even if you cut it that much. If you want to sell it at a lower price, you can, but then you'll have a lot of problems.

"Problems?

Mitya tilted his head curiously, but Natsuki nodded and explained.

If there is not a significant price difference between ordinary wood and famous wood, ordinary lumberjacks will be in trouble because they will not be able to sell their wood.

At the current price, no one would ever think of using the famous wood when the ordinary wood is sufficient.

However, if the difference in price is two or three times as great, there is no guarantee that there will not be people who want to splurge a little and use the best wood.

It depends on the product, but the ratio of the price of materials to the price of the product is not necessarily high, so even if the price of wood doubles, the price of the product will not double.

In other words, we would not be able to make any money and we would be in complete conflict with the lumberjacks.

The artisans would not welcome it, either, because the rare value of the wood would disappear.

There is no point in choosing an option that will not make anyone happy.

"Well, I'm sure we can make a killing in a week. Mary, Mitya, let's get to work!

"Yes!

"Yes!

With a week to spare in our pockets, we went to the dungeon with a little more preparation.

These preparations included the construction of a gate, a fence, or something like that.

The purpose was to enclose the square in front of the dungeon, and to make a firm claim to the property.

It is also a preparation for a building that will be built in front of the dungeon.

The idea is to build a gate at the entrance of the dungeon and fence off the square, hopefully stopping demons from entering at least for a while, but ...... I don't think a simple fence will be enough to stop demons around here if they want to... ....

If you're going to build a full-fledged building, you might want to work hard with your wizard team and build some earthen walls.

I'm sure you're not going to be able to just walk in unnoticed if you've gone this far.

That's true. But what kind of adventurer would come this far?

At least, it's unlikely for any adventurer in Raffan.

Are you still going to do it?

Mary twisted her head curiously as she heard Haruka's answer.

But there are reasons other than the feeling of "I've been given this, so I want to claim ownership of it somehow! But it's not that I don't have a reason other than the feeling of 'I've been given this, so I want to claim ownership for some reason!

"It's a bit tricky to say whether we need it or not, but there's no guarantee that high-ranked adventurers won't come from another town.

What we're concerned about is the milk from the Red Strike Ox that we gave to Baron Diaz.

It seems that the milk is in demand by some of the nobility, and its value is more than its actual trade price.

The fact that Viscount Nenus, who was in a rather depressed state, prepared such an item would provide a certain amount of buzz in the aristocratic society.

And if the aristocracy is so inclined to look into it, it is not so difficult to trace the source.

Especially since Haruka and I were also present at that party.

Diora also warned me about this.

So, it would be nice if you could send us a request for collection. ......

We don't want people to think it's easy to collect things and then break in without permission.

Especially if they send a high ranking adventurer.

Even if they say we can fight them off freely because it's our property, it's meaningless if we don't have the ability to do so.

Even if we were killed, no one would know about it.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

Kill us all, and you've got a high probability of the perfect crime.

Of course, it's unthinkable for us to do such a thing with a little milk from Red Strike Ox, but we live in a world where you can kill a man for a loaf of bread.

That's scary. ......

I'm sure you guys will be fine!

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's nice that you trust us, but we're not that strong.

So we're taking precautions, in case we have to kill you by surprise.

"If you ignore this and come in, you can't complain about being killed, right? And.

"Well, that's groundless. There's no reason for an adventurer who can get this far to Red Strike Ox to do that.

As you can see, we're capable of making enough money without taking such a risk.

But that's only if you think about it normally.

I can't say for sure that there are any noble family ties or anything like that.

But I'm not going to tell Mary and the others about that.

It'll only scare them, and it won't do much good.

"Well, that's it. Let's go in. We're here for two layers.

Right. We've got a fair amount of other stuff left in stock, so let's get a move on.

Yes. We'll have to rely on Nao-kun and Yuki, though.

That's what we do, right? Let's go then.

After a short break, we entered the dungeon, and after repeated transitions and breaks, we arrived at the end of the boss room on the 20th level.

We descended the long stairs to the second level.

And then we see it, a huge waterfall.

...... It's still a hell of a sight.

If it were on Earth, it would be a natural heritage site, for sure.

Yeah, ......, but we're not here for sightseeing today. We have to go on. I don't think we can camp here.

You're right. You can't really sleep here. ......

Not to mention the noise, the constant spray of water, and the wind.

There are comfortable tents, but it doesn't matter to the people on guard, and no matter how [strong] they are, if they're wet and blowing in the wind for hours, they'll catch a cold.

"Let's bury the transition point here first. In case we don't make it up the cliff.

Right. That's a good idea.

So we dig a hole at the bottom of the stairs.

Place a transfer point and backfill.

Works fine at ....... --Hmm?　Hey, Yuki. Can you detect the 20th level transfer point?

What?　It's right above us. - What?　No. Is it broken?

No, I don't think so. It's the newest one.

What's more, we can't even detect the transfer point at the 19th layer.

Even if the transfer point in layer 20 is broken, it should still be able to be detected, because the detection distance has increased significantly.

...... Yes, under normal circumstances.