Chapter 107: Perks

"So you say you received those stones from your organisation?"

Even though with the depopulation of the entire rural areas some rumours have been spreading about how dangerous it was to be outside the city, their return to the nearby train station didn't seem risky at all. With the pleasant weather only improving the mood of everyone as the leaves of the nearby trees continued to rustle gently on the wind, their glorious return seemed more like a pleasant stroll than the end of a deadly expedition.

"You could say that we are only testing the possibilities and usefulness of those artefacts. Whether they will hit the open market or not…"

Spreading his arms for an answer, Tommy, the leader of the other group smiled gently. 

"It's not like they tell us anything. Everything that I just told you is nothing but the shared guess that we made as a group."

Adding to the discussion, Tommy explained as he pointed his hand at the rest of his group.

"Tell me, would it be potentially possible to… join…"

Hesitationtion overtook Penne's mind, forcing his lips to stop moving. Lowering his head, the young adventurer looked at his shoes.

"I have no idea, man."

Once again spreading his arms, Tommy looked sharply forward, at the slowly emerging outline of the nearly abandoned train station. With almost the entire population of the local area disappearing to the cities around, there was hardly any reason for the spare few trains that remained after the apocalypse to stop in this now desolate piece of no-man's-land.

"If you are talking about joining the cult itself, then I don't see why there should be any problems with that. Just keep in mind that for now, it's only established in our city, so I doubt you could expect any sort of special treatment in your own home. But who knows? Maybe I'm absolutely in the wrong here?"

Raising his sight high to the skies as his eyes clouded, Tommy fell into a state of deep thought. 

'I wonder....'

Shaking his head, Penne looked at the first line of the building that surrounded the former train station. Only because the trans-city train took one of its rare stops here, did any major human activity ever occurred in the area. In the arbitrary border of the local community, only one step separated them from the wilderness of the former farmlands and the slightly urbanised area.

"Since you guys are going home by train… Do you think you could take us with you? I mean, I didn't ask my friends yet…"

Suddenly taking notice of this either slight or a huge problem, Penne looked back at his friends.

"I think I know what you are hinting at. We will gladly accompany you to the base of this Boruta's faction. Right, Distra?"

Turning her head to their friend, Keria initially wanted to gauge his opinion from his reaction, before suddenly taking notice of one thing.

"If we are allowed to go with you, that is. Going to that city on foot… We might be stronger than average humans, but it would be utterly reckless to go there right after quitting that dungeon."

Quickly changing the tone of her response, Keria smiled with unease and social anxiety written on her face. As many problems as her character had, it was this kind of basic humility that endeared Penne when he first met her several years ago. 

"Sure, sure. Giving you a ride won't be a problem. We might be using only a single cart, but there is still more than enough space for everyone to fit."

Pulled out of his deep thoughts, Tommy only smiled lightly before kindly responding. From how not only he but all three of his friends acted, it was clear that Penne's group was the only one considering their time in the dungeon as a competition. 

But there was something unsettling about Tommy's behaviour. For some reason, Penne felt as if his confidence and amiability towards his group didn't stem from the natural friendliness of the young man, but rather from his confidence that nothing could stand against him or his group. WIth that thought in mind, it would be seriously unbecoming for him to even consider the race in the dungeon as competition in the first place!

"That's good to hear… But aren't you surprised by this question? I genuinely hoped to see your shocked face…"

In the end, Penne couldn't find a single reason to sour the relationship between the two groups with those pointless doubts. Whether Tommy's motives stemmed from his positive character or arrogance, it didn't really matter.

"Isn't it obvious? Since we are not the ones making any decisions if you want to cooperate with the cult, it's best to go and meet its executives. Isn't it the only rational decision for some smart enough to notice the potential perks of doing so?"

Now, Tommy didn't even bother to hold his giggle down. If it was the natural way for him to react, then it would speak a lot about the relationship with his group and the cult itself. 

"Either way, let's hurry up. While we are using a train, we can't move as quickly as they used to. Even for the mission of this importance, our leader couldn't bother to rent more than the cheapest engine."

Soon, Penne could understand the reason for Tommy's sudden scold. Finally arriving at the station itself, he could see what kind of vehicle did this group use to arrive at such a relatively remote location.

It wasn't a train at all. While the back of it was composed of what used to be a passenger cart, it's wide window allowed him to see how little of the original design remained inside. But to top it all off, instead of being pulled by a proper locomotive, the front part of the vehicle consists of a simple platform on wheels with a huge engine attached on top of it. 

"Oh…"

Releasing a short sigh of disappointment mixed with shock, Keria didn't seem to appreciate the… creative design of the vehicle. Most likely hoping to see the proper type of train that once carried countless people across the country, everyone could see on her face how did this sight let her down.

"Don't worry, it works and it's actually comfortable inside. Despite how it looks, it won't break in the rain either."

Most likely perfectly aware of what thoughts were going through the girl's head, the female member of Tommy's party suddenly spoke up. For as silent as she was both during the fight and while they were returning to this rally point, her suddenly speaking up on such a minor topic was quite a surprise. 

"Oh, that reminds me. What happened to you? It's been a long while since I last saw you silent so long. Where is your usual…"

Before Tommy could even finish, the girl the asked suddenly blushed as she cast a quick glance on Distra. As suddenly as she spoke up a moment ago, her blush turned into anger as she stepped forward before lunging and kneading Tommy's back with her fist.

"Ah, serves me right. I think I get it now. From the looks of things…"

Turning around and taking several steps back, outside of the girl's range, Tommy smiled at Penne's male friend.

"... we would be very happy if you would like to accompany us to the city. Fear not, I should be able to beg my father to make him give you a ride back home on the train."

Only at this moment did Penne finally realised that those people weren't some kind of bloodthirsty monsters wielding unthinkable weapons. Seeing how the leader of the other party openly teased his friend about the evident crush that she seemed to have on Distra, the young man couldn't help but admit that he was way too cautious when interacting with those people.

"Okay then. We will be in your care during the journey, and I hope you guys could put a good word for us to make the meeting with one of the executives possible in the first place."

Lowering his head, Penne hoped that his humble and respectful attitude would get him some brownie points. To his surprise, Tommy only laughed at his act.

"What do you think you are doing? Inticing the crime of nepotism? Heh, just a year ago something like this could easily get you sued…"

Barely capable of holding back his laughter, Tommy took a moment to calm down before suddenly approaching Penne and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, the people in the faction are not as cold as you must imagine them to be. Either way, I will do my best, but you need to understand one, important thing."

With his face suddenly souring, Tommy looked to the side as if to hide his embarrassment.

"We are not an official party commissioned to explore the dungeon for the faction. Just like I said before, we came here to do some testing, to prepare the foundation for the potential exploitation of the dungeon. That's why, I believe, we got those artefacts in the first place. As for whether you guys can count to get some for yourself… I wouldn't say it's impossible, but I wouldn't let my hopes grow too much either. If I were in your shoes that is."

For a moment, Tommy's face turned weird, as if this topic actually was capable of souring his mood. 

"I understand. We are only asking whether we could… hope to be commissioned to some work as you guys. It's not like I can expect a special treatment right after joining an organisation."

Hearing Penne's response, Tommy's expression brightened once again.

"Good. Since we understand each other on this point, let's not waste any time. I hope you will like the trip!"