When I checked in at the institute's gate, I was finally able to let my guard down and it seemed like I was worried for no reason. It looks like Viktor doesn't even have a negative intention, and it's a shame I couldn't make a profitable deal with him, maybe in the future if I meet him again, I can work with him.
Today he showed me that even after being turned down more than once, he still hasn't done anything bad, well if I'm attacked in the next few days, I have to change my new positive opinion about him, in the future I can look for him to negotiate, from what he can deduce in addition to being an adventurer he is also an item and information merchant since he is allowed to give out recruiting invitations on behalf of a clan of adventurers.
Before I walked away from the gate, I was attacked by Hilda who hugged me. Looks like she's tired of following me and is curious to know what happened at the inn.
"Tell me, what did that fat man want?"
"His name is Viktor and it's rude to call others fat, even if he is. He wanted to buy the orb, but unfortunately we can't sell it, Raziel has decided to get the money so he can buy it."
"Was it just that? What a waste, I said you were being paranoid, but you insisted you could be attacked today."
"I admit I was wrong today, but I still think it was right I could have been attacked, and if that happened, I would want help from you and Raziel."
"Paranoid, but then the trip was a waste? What are you going to do now?"
"The trip wasn't a waste, just because I couldn't sell the orb to Viktor doesn't mean I can't sell him something in the future. After I turned him down, he offered me an invite, it was for a clan entrance test it seems he has ties to a lot of adventurers and since I haven't been attacked so far, he must be a nice guy so in the future I can go after him to sell or buy rare items."
"A clan? Because you didn't accept it, you said you wouldn't become a vassal to a noble family, because that would tie you to stringent obligations and you would lose your freedom. Join a clan of adventurers and have strong support and not so many ties to various adventurers who leave the clans and don't have to worry about retaliation."
"That's true, but the self now is not strong enough to demand favorable terms in a contract. If I passed the test I would receive support from the clan, but I would also love it, they can be weaker ties and then entering a noble family more walks are ties that you don't want to have. In the future when I get stronger, I will be able to join a clan with less unfavorable conditions and that will give me the freedom I want or I can just make my own clan."
Hilda started laughing hysterically, she even had trouble breathing. She was laughing for a few minutes, only after she started to recover, still with a huge smile on her face, she starts nudging my face in a cute way to get my attention.
"Sorry, but I didn't expect you to make a nonsense like that, I know you can build a clan but that would be a few decades from now, now you'll barely be able to assemble a group of adventurers. Don't sulk like that."
"I'm sulking, and stop poking me. I know I can't set up a clan now, it would be absurd if something like that happened, but I don't understand why it's so funny to you?"
"But you never showed much interest in leading many people, you and a good leader if it weren't for me, I wouldn't have allowed you to lead our group, which by the way is falling apart, but it's strange that you want to lead a few dozen adventurers a clan has at least a hundred adventurers, some even have more than a thousand adventurers spread across several realms. Of course, a mega clan like this and very rare must have all three in our entire continent, they are no longer called a clan but an alliance of adventurers, but the guild still puts them in the clan category"
"I don't like to be led by others, and let them control my destiny and it's natural for me to want to be a leader, and to grow and natural to aim at creating a clan. If I am the leader of a clan, I can easily keep myself safe, so that I can travel across the continent strengthening myself and seeing the wonders that exist. Of course, I have to start by forming a group of ten adventurers, to be able to evolve into a mercenary group of thirty and then transform it into a clan."
"This is not easy to do Ulric, as it were going to be able to keep so many adventurers together. Even families have problems keeping the adventurers who work for them controlled, if it were easy the family would not create and invest more money in the family's personal guard but in an adventurer clan that tends to have stronger warriors and mages. It has happened more than once a clan split from a noble family, even when the leader of that clan was part of that noble family."
"Well, it wouldn't be easy, but it's also not impossible and just Hilda building. But this is just something I can achieve in the future, the me of now, has to look for a place in the groups that are frantically entering the dungeons."
"So, you will participate in these incursions with dozens of adventurers. And dangerous, but I'm looking to join them alongside the adventuring groups that are sponsored by my family. I can try to get you a place so we can go to the dungeons together. I believe Deneve can support your entry, so that annoying bitch won't be able to veto your participation."
"Annoying bitch? Aren't you calling the expedition leader like that?"
"I am, that bitch had the courage to say that she is not a slobber for rich little girls, when my aunt told her that Ingredi and I would be part of some expeditions. She doesn't even know our strength and skill levels; she thinks we're weak. This is unacceptable!"
Hilda really hates being called a rich little girl, even if it's not a lie, but she feels that being called that is to say that she has a weak character and depends entirely on the power of her family, Ingredi may not have the same reaction as Hilda and scolding the person in charge of the bitch expedition, but I doubt she won't try to show she's competent during the expedition, even if her strength level isn't high.
During expeditions gray core adventurers are considered basic workmanship, as most groups are those with the lowest level of cultivation and led by a smaller group of green core adventurers and in their eyes the gray core adventurers are expendable pieces of the shipment.
So having two princesses in the group makes them have to protect them, and if they fail the Menfis family will kill them. So, I understand the response of the expedition leader I also would not want to be responsible for the new generation of a noble family, Ingredi and Hilda might be competent and would not use their family to question the leadership during the expedition, but there must be dozens of nobles rich and young who would do that.
It is normal for the expedition leader to think that the two will be an annoying problem and try to refuse their participation. But I'm also not an idiot to defend someone I don't know just to piss off Hilda even more, only after she lets her anger go, she can think clearly, she must need to curse the expedition leader a few more times for her anger to go away.
"Well, I would be happy if you can join the expedition with you two, but if it's troublesome I don't want you to force my participation, Hilda."
"Relax, if it was just my word the bitch can veto it completely, but if Deneve and the others who know you are going to vouch that you're not useless, then it's easy for you to join. I just can't decide what your role in the expedition will be, but I can be sure you'll get the share of the winnings you deserve just like the other gray-core adventurers."
"I'm happy to know that Deneve's group will be there, how many people are on the expedition? And which dungeon will the expedition enter?"
"As far as I know, the expedition will be a group of approximately train adventurers and we will enter two dungeons in the bloody arena and in the black stone. Have you ever been to these dungeons?"
"Only in the bloody arena did I not enter the black stone, how is this dungeon?"
"It's a dungeon in an open environment, it's uneven terrain with lots of hills and scattered rocks, the vegetation is very sparse and the sun is hot. Most monsters are creatures associated with the earth element like golems and some different ones like reptiles and hyenas, the dungeon is also lit by a sun so it's really hot."
"Are the floors small or large?"
"Big ones, we'll have to take plenty of water and food that is not affected by being in the heat, our resistance is well worn out by the dry and hot environment of the dungeon."
"Then I'll have to prepare myself to go to this dungeon. When my participation is confirmed, let me know."
After Hilda finished venting her anger about being called a rich little girl, we went training and during training Hilda was more violent than usual.