Chapter 947: Bitter Truths

Chapter 947: Bitter Truths

It didn’t take me long to finish enjoying the festival, finding myself walking alone down the streets of Gandor. They didn’t have any fancy rides like a carnival, or anything like that. Instead, there were street performers and food carts, as well as special goods being sold. Because of that, it didn’t take me very long at all.

With nothing else to do, and not wanting to cut my excursion short, I made my way to the local Adventurer’s Guild hall, one of the oldest buildings in the city. Might as well see what quests there are available.

Thinking such with a smile, I made my way inside. There was only a single individual standing behind the counter, an elven woman with softly glowing, blue eyes. No... not an elf. My World Sight swept over her, and I realized that she was a being comprised solely of mana, similar to Gerard. A living spell on the level of a full AI... It was my first time seeing a complete one, aside from Gerard himself.

“Welcome, sir! What can I do for you?” The... Magical Intelligence? I’ll just call them MI for now, until I find their proper name later. Anyways, the MI asked with a bright smile on her face.

“I’m just here to see if there are any quests that I can help with.” While it felt surreal for the guild to be staffed like this, it was also quite telling how the world had advanced.

“Of course!” The girl nodded. “Please provide your proof of identity.” After saying so, she slid a small, crystal slab over to me. Understanding what I needed to do, I placed my hand on it, allowing it to display the character profile that I had established for this avatar.

The MI studied the profile for a long moment, before nodding her head. “Judging by your profile, there are three quests which you are suited for. In the twenty-seventh dungeon instance of Gandor, there was a recent riot, and the authorities are looking for help to subdue the perpetrators.”

“Two hundred and seventeen kilometers to the east, there is a deep-sea mutated creature that often attacks merkin habitats or wandering vessels. God-level fighters are requested to eliminate this creature.”

“Finally, there is a standing recruitment request from Fyor, asking for an individual who can play a support role. May I know if you are interested in any of these tasks?”

My brow twitched as she listed the tasks. Subduing a riot, slaying a god-level mutated sea creature, or joining an adventuring party of Fyor. What happened to the good old days, where the quests were to hunt nearby creatures or harvest herbs? Though, I guess there are already too many avenues to obtain those materials, so they aren’t really given to the Adventurer’s Guild anymore.

With a sigh, I shook my head. “No, I don’t think any of those are suited for me. Sorry, I’ve been in seclusion for a while, so I’m not so familiar with the changes that have happened. Is there anywhere that I can go for smaller jobs in or around the city? You could say that I’m here on a vacation, and I’m looking for something to do on the way.”

“A vacation...” The girl’s eyes flashed, before she sank into thought. “There is a DCG tournament being held in the gaming center, on the western side of town. Perhaps you would be interested in that?”

“DCG?” I blinked, looking confused. The girl quickly brightened up, explaining without a moment’s hesitation.

“DCG stands for Deckan Card Game. It’s a card game that was created based on Deckan’s magic system. You buy card packs of cards from various tiers, or you can make a customized order online. The game was created by Blank, and relies on drawing and fusing various cards to create custom effects, each effect ranked based on attack, defense, or special ability.”

After that thought crossed her mind, Tsubaki saw movement out of the corner of her eye. A large, scaled creature clung to the side of a tree, its scales shifting to match the bark of the tree it was on. It seemed to possess a weak energy obscuring its presence, as even Tsubaki had failed to notice it before it moved ever so slightly.

Slowly, she dropped one of the sticks she was carrying, reaching down to grab the fang dagger on her waist. If I need experience, then...

“Finally!” Dana cried out from her new workshop, looking at the file laid out before her. There was a flashing icon on the screen, reading ‘Simulation Success’ in bolded, green letters. “That’s the last material... Let me just forward this to the travel agencies, and let them get started on setting up the networks...”

When Dana had contacted the agencies previously, she strongly recommended that they contract a mining company to handle the material requirements. After all, there would inevitably be an energy shortage if everyone relied on Digital Conversion to meet their material needs.

Now, she double-checked the file to ensure that everything was properly laid out, with the different variables listed and accounted for. Only after that did she send the information to the various agencies that she had previously contacted.

Once she was done, Dana stretched her arms out happily, glad to have another project completed. “Hermes, can you tell me where the others are?” She asked, wanting to check in with people now that she was done.

“Tsubaki is currently undergoing a Trial of Blood within her palace. Dale is laying in his room, but appears to be piloting an avatar for a form of recreational excursion. Lifre said that she was leaving to have fun in Fyor, and--”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Dana cut him off, shaking her head. She didn’t need to hear updates on literally everyone that had visited Olympus. “Well... I might as well check on them.” She muttered to herself after a moment of thought.

Dana’s shadow wrapped around her body, bringing her into the ground and teleporting her far into the distance. When she appeared, she was standing on a smooth platform, allowing herself just a moment to adjust to the light of the new area. What she saw... caused her to pause.

An army of massive ants were carrying thick trees into a warehouse, where the buzzing of saw-like mandibles could be heard cutting the logs into different sizes. Giant frogs shook the earth as they jumped along, their stomachs unnaturally swollen. When they arrived in front of large crates, their mouths opened, regurgitating piles of crystals and rocks.

These were then fed via conveyor belt into the mouths of even large beasts, flames jutting from their backs. Another opening on the side of the creatures allowed refined ingots and gems to be taken away, where they were picked up by metallic drones that seemed to once again eat them to transform them into various components.

Overseeing all of this was Sienna and Clara, the latter of which turned upon noticing Dana, running over while raising an arm. “Oh, hey Dana! How do you like the factory we built?! Amazing, right?!”

Dana simply gave a long pause, looking at the two proud familiars, and then at the biomechanical factory once again.

“Is this how people feel when they see me?” She couldn’t help but ask, causing the two familiars to tilt their heads in confusion.