Chapter 69 – Stella likes essence. Attraction Circle.

Chapter 69 – Stella likes essence. Attraction Circle.

Exiting the Checkpoint, the trio entered the Guild Hall when-

"Master!" A man who sat at a table while drinking a beer stood up and walked over.

Gerhart recognized him. It was one of the battle slaves and one of the only ones who spoke fluent Youvamorian, a guy named Avienus.

"Avienus, are you here to guide us back?" Gerhart asked.

"Yes, master." Avienus respectfully said. "Mistress Hope and To-Meri already found a Manor House and some houses for rent outside the city walls, three miles away. It would take several days to complete finalizing the rent for the manor, but they allowed us to stay there for now."

"Good." Gerhart nodded.

Abandoned Manor Houses were commonplace, often belonging to fallen gentry and low-ranking nobles who fell into debt. Wealthy travelers and adventurers who plan to stay at a location long-term but plan to move eventually often prefer renting such places, especially if they bring servants. Of course, being outside the city walls, the place was more vulnerable to theft and armed robbery, but with several combat slaves and an A-rank equivalent staying there, did they need to fear anyone?

The group left the guild and headed outside the city walls. As they walked to their new home, Gerhart looked at the golden summer fields and dirt hovels scattered across the land, and an idea popped into his head.

"Most people are serfs, so there should be some hidden gems, right? It would be a shame to let stay in the dirt." Gerhart narrowed his eyes.

For example, Ray was one of the fortunate ones who awakened when he was still young, but plenty have yet to awaken even on their deathbed.

"Such a waste of talent. If I rule these lands, I will send talent seekers across the land and recruit them." Gerhart promised himself. "Of course, if I happen to run into some on accident, I shall pick them up."

While thinking that, they soon arrived at the Manor House's vicinity, dyed orange by the setting sun. It was a small manor made of stone and wood, about 5-6,000 sq. ft. in size. On both sides of the manor were two two-story houses with terracotta roofs, and wedged between was a squarish tower, three stories high with battlements, surrounded by 3m tall stone walls, guarded by a few armed combat slaves to deter opportunistic thieves.

The place was in disrepair, with overgrown grass and trees everywhere and moss on the walls, but a few days of work should make the place livable.

There were also several stone and wood houses. The stone houses were barracks, while the wood houses were for servants. Of course, some of the servants also lived inside the manor.

Out of brick chimneys, Gerhart saw trails of smoke rising to the air, a sign they were cooking.

"This is the place, master. The place is mostly unfurnished, but we bought some basic furniture." Avienus respectfully said.

"Good work." Gerhart nodded. "Is Hope staying in the mansion?"

"Yes, master. We are preparing dinner at the moment." Avenius replied.

"Good. Return to your duties if there are any." Gerhart said.

"Yes, master." Avenius bowed and left for the barracks.

Going to the mansion, as Avenius said, the place was empty. The previous owner either sold or took away all of his valuables.

"Master, Mistresses, welcome home." Bertrand, the Black Lizardkin butler, quickly arrived and respectfully bowed. "Dinner is almost ready. Mistress Hope and Miss To-Meri are there with Sir Calvin and Sir Ray."

"Thank you, Bertrand." Gerhart smiled. "Come and join us."

"Many thanks, master." Bertrand smiled, not refusing it.

He quickly learned that Gerhart didn't care about social status. He would eat together with his servants without qualms.

Arriving at the kitchen, Gerhart saw a few cooking servants bringing pots of hot food to an oak table, a rich scent of meat and vegetables filling the air, making him hungry. No one liked rations.

"Gerhart, Havre, Qold! Come join us!" Hope, in her Mousekin form, waved her furry arm at Gerhart.

"Haha! Thank you." Gerhart smiled and sat beside Hope.

The group then ate a warm dinner. After finishing their food, Gerhart explained what happened in the dungeon. Everyone had wary looks. However, Hope retained a calm smile, "Gerhart, I believe we shouldn't overreact over this."

"Why? Gut feeling?" Gerhart asked.

"Partially, but as you said, if he wanted to harm us, he would have done so. Although we can't assume he is an ally, I believe he should be at least neutral. At least he won't screw us over. How many people can see through Qold's transformation? If we randomly travel around, there is a higher chance to encounter others with this ability, but they might harbor ill intentions toward us." Hope said.

"True," Gerhart muttered while rubbing his stubbled chin.

True Sight was not something anyone could have. It was as rare as Analyze Status. Of course, some spells and items could give True Sight, but few existed in middling or weaker kingdoms and were considered family heirlooms, some of which had limited uses.

It was unlikely for anyone to use it on them unless they did something especially suspicious and stood out. So far, they didn't do anything to warrant it. On the other hand, if they travel around, their chances of encountering other freaks are much higher.

"Good morning, my lord." Havre woke up.

"Hmhm~ Good morning, master." Qold opened her eyes and said with a chuckle.

"Let's get up. We have a long day ahead of us." Gerhart said.

"Yes!" The three women replied.

After getting dressed, Hope was about to use a cleaning spell on the mattress and sheets, but Qold stopped her.

"Wait. That's Stella's food." Qold smiled.

"Ah... Right." Hope nodded.

Going out of the room, they picked Stella up from the bathroom and placed her in their bedroom before heading downstairs for a quick breakfast. Calvin, Ray, To-Meri, and Bertrand were already at the table.

"Good morning, everyone," Gerhart said as he sat at the table and picked a bowl of food. "We should discuss our plans for today. Calvin, Ray, and To-meri, you should head to the dungeon and start exploring as a team. You will be responsible for the household's income with your Magic Stones. At least, for now."

"Yes, my lord." Calvin, Ray, and To-Meri nodded.

"Havre and Qold will continue grinding the dungeon with me for Magic Stones. We need as much energy as possible." Gerhart said.

"Yes, Master(My Lord)." Qold and Havre replied.

"Hope and Bertrand. The two of you shall stay and continue arranging things for the manor." Gerhart instructed.

"We still need to arrange many things." Hope also smiled.

"We shall restore the manor as soon as possible," Bertrand added.

"Let's do our best today as well." Gerhart smiled and started eating.

After their meal, the eight of them traveled to the city with two other servants to help carry things.

Leaving Hope and Bertrand, the others headed to the Dungeon Explorer's Guild.

"Seems like they won't do anything for now." Gerhart thought as he brought Qold and Havre to the 50th floor.

Before this, they advanced through the floors to reach level 50 as soon as possible. However, this time, they would specifically target monsters for hunting.

The deeper the floor, the bigger the floor, and the more monsters there were! The increase was an accumulative 10% for each floor.

On the 1st floor, there were about 100 monsters.

On the 10th floor- 240.

On the 20th - 710.

On the 30th - 1580.

On the 40th - 4,120.

On the 50th - 10,670.

On the 60th - 27,680!

The same went for the dungeon's size. The first floor barely had a 100m radius, but the 50th floor had a radius of over a kilometer! It was a well-researched phenomenon!

However, the monsters worth more than one Magic Stone lowered this quota, and the lower the floor, the more Magic Stones some elites could be worth, so the actual number of monsters was much lower. And they also gathered in small squads, making it even more difficult to encounter them.

Nevertheless, Gerhart had a practical solution for this matter-

After killing two squads of monsters, Gerhart found a specific trap. Before, he avoided such traps, but now, they were all too suitable.

{Dungeon Trap - Attraction Circle: All non-boss monsters within a 250m radius will rush toward this location when triggered.}

"Heh... Found you." Gerhart grinned.