Chapter 137

“Your Majesty, Yuri, may I ask you a question?”

The one who raised her hand is Rubetta, the head of the Rostine Trading Company.

Yuri immediately nodded and said to Rubetta, “Please.”

“From what I’ve heard, the “Labyrinth” in the new city of Eureka has the great advantage of being able to mine the ore deposits, making it easy for explorers to make money. How would you differentiate it from the existing labyrinths in Ulysses?”

“Oh, Rubetta. That’s a very good question. You’re right… I’ve talked a lot about the advantages, but the labyrinth I’m building in Eureka has many inferiorities and problems compared to the labyrinth in Ulysses. 

First of all, as merchants may know, some of the ores are toxic. Low-level explorers-at least those who are lower than level 20 can suffer health problems if they touch them.

That’s why the lowest level of difficulty in the labyrinths of Eureka is 30+. That’s why beginners should always go to the labyrinths in Ulysses first to gain experience and train their bodies.”

The city of Eureka is expected to have a certain amount of population from the start since we are planning to move the residents of Dakart there. Even so, it will probably take some time before the city of Eureka starts to have any real armor stores.

At present, the city of Ulysses is more convenient for explorers, with many armor and tool stores, so it is necessary to familiarize them with that city first.

“Secondly, the demons in Eureka’s labyrinth are limited to Kobolds, Fairies, Spirits, Magical Creatures, and Undead.

When you kill them, they don’t leave behind materials such as meat, leather, scales, and bones like the monsters in the labyrinth of Ulysses. Well, sometimes they drop magic stones and gems, so it can’t be said that the drops are generally bad, but… There are also many disadvantages in that you can hardly use them as materials for weapons or armor.”

“I see… I’m a little troubled that it doesn’t drop the meat. It would be a shame to see the supply of meat dwindle, especially when the stalls are so busy in the Principality.”

“Many of the explorers may be close friends with the meat buyers and merchants. Those people will probably continue to use the “Labyrinth” in Ulysses as their main source of income.”

If the number of people diving into the labyrinth of Ulysses decreases, the supply of materials will decrease. Requests for meat and leather will be posted on the Explorers’ Guild bulletin board by merchants.

Explorers hunt for their income. However, many people will take the initiative to complete a request quest if it will also benefit someone else.

“Thirdly, there are no treasure chests in the labyrinth of Eureka. You won’t be able to get any life potions or mana potions, and you won’t be able to get any weapons or armor from treasure chests, so I’m sure a lot of people will see that as a ‘big reduction in appeal’.

On the other hand, Eureka’s labyrinth of tunnels has ‘ore deposits’ that can be mined exactly every 30 minutes, making it easy to secure cash income. It’s quite a matter of taste as to which one you think is better, so I think that users will be divided about Ulysses 6 : Eureka 4.”

“Huh? Why is it that so many seem to choose Ulysses?”

In response to Yuri’s words, Sofia let out a surprised sound.

From the way she was talking, I wondered if she thought that Eureka’s city would be more crowded than Ulysses.

“The most important reason is the meat. I’ve heard that many explorers bring back meat and other ingredients from the demons they defeat in the labyrinth as souvenirs for their wives or use them as ingredients for their cooking.

For those people, Eureka’s labyrinth, where all they get is ore and cash, may seem a bit lacking.”

“Surely… is possible.”

“Well, that’s just it. For the first month or so, Eureka’s labyrinth will probably be more crowded, though. Everyone likes new stuff.”

If we limit it to the first month, the ratio of explorers who use the labyrinth will probably be uneven, at about ‘Ulysses 2 : Eureka 8’.

I can’t help but think that this is inevitable. People are more likely to be attracted to newly prepared things.

“Rubetta, I hope that answers your question.”

“Yes, I understand very well. Thank you very much.”

“Thank you. Now I would like to talk to you again.

As I said before, the labyrinth of Eureka is a place where explorers can easily earn a lot of ‘cash’. That’s why the Yuri Empire is planning to revamp the currency in circulation in the country.”

The four merchants, Rubetta, Aurence, Ados, and Erin, immediately widened their eyes.

After a moment’s delay, the two lords of the kingdom, Artorius, and Cadain, also revealed a look of great surprise.

“Does that mean that since the Kingdom’s coin minting facilities have been secured, the “Beth” coin will be replaced with a design that is in line with the Yuri Empire?

When Ados asked him back, Yuri shook her head.

“No. It seems that the way I said it earlier was a bit of a misinterpretation, so let me rephrase it. I’m planning to abolish the current “Beth” currency circulating in the Yuri Empire by the end of this year, and start circulating a new magical currency called『gita』.”

“‘Magic Currency,’ says… What does it look like?”

“Well, it would be quicker if you could see it for yourself.”

Yuri took out various types of『gita』used in the game 『Atros Online』 from her <Inventory> and sent them to the table of everyone with the【Material Transfer】.

Seeing the currency, Ados let out a sigh of admiration first.

From the point of view of Ados, the head of the Tormark Trading Company, which deals in artifacts, the beautiful『gita』with its elaborate design engraving must have been considered artistic enough.

“The coins sent to everyone’s table increase in face value from『1 Gita』,『5 Gita』,『10 Gita』,『50 Gita』, and so on―――starting from the one on the left, and the one on the right is the highest face value of 『100,000 Gita』.

By the way, the four types from 1 to 50 Gita are『silver coins』, the four types from 100 to 5,000 Gita are『gold coins』, and the three types above 10,000 Gita are『platinum coins』.”