Chapter 131 - Unexpected Visit
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""...""
The room was filled with an awkward silence as Khione, the deity of snow, sat casually on the sofa, munching on cookies with a complete lack of grace befitting a divine being. The rest of us watched in stunned silence, each positioned at different spots, trying to process the surreal sight before us.
"Ehem~! Hm... Oh? It's delicious."
I, seated before her, couldn't help but break the silence with a sarcastic remark, "Alright, so what piqued the interest of our esteemed deity, Khione, to grace this humble abode with her presence?"
"Surely, you jest," Khione replied, her eyes wandering around the place. "I'm most likely sure this place holds one of the most expensive costs in this city, isn't it?"
"Well, you're not wrong... W-wait, that's not the question here!" I retorted, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
"I'm kidding. Formally, I came here to thank you for all that you've done for this city and for saving me from the corruption that clung within me," Khione explained, gracefully bowing. "If not for a person like you saving the day, who knows what would have happened, both to the people and me..."
"D-Didn't we talk about this before..." I could faintly hear the girls reacting all around the room. I couldn't blame them; a deity was bowing before me. It was a surreal moment that left me heaving a sigh in disbelief. "I'll take the compliments then."
Khione added with a smile, "There's actually more reason. We only met for a short while, but for some reason, your attitude felt like you know me better than anyone. So, with that in mind, I guess you could say that I came at the right time, no? If you know what I mean."
"Eh? What does she mean by that, Master..." Luna, who stood by in the kitchen, confusedly asked.
"Well..." I struggled to find the right words.
Khione, in the game after you defeat her, will become an NPC you can buy several useful items with. Lore wise, compared to the other superbeing, Khione was a few who was quite fond of people, even impersonating as a human, before she decides and became a weapon seller before the corruption.
"Do you mean that I know that you sell items and stuff?" I asked, trying to make sense of Khione's cryptic statement.
"So, you knew. Haha, you truly are an enigmatic man. Scary~" Khione replied with a playful tone. "Since we're here, are you interested in something? Perhaps I could lend some help."
"Of course, could I take a look at your stock then?" I asked, curious about what the deity had to offer. I had a gist, but there's a possibility that it's different.
"Great, I hope something catches your eye." Khione replied, happily showcasing her collection of items:
『Frostbite Shotgun』 - 36 Gold Coins
Tooltip: Converts normal bullets into icicles and fires three round of uneven two bullet spread.
『Glacial Trident』 - 36 Gold Coins
Tooltip: Shoots a volley of three icicles, inflicting frostbite.
『Snowflake』 - 5 Silver Coins
Tooltip: A large throwing stars made of brittle ice. Can home on foes and pierce three times before disappearing.
『Mana Potion』 - 50 Copper Coins
Tooltip: Restores 100 Mana.
『Greater Mana Potion』 - 1 Silver and 50 Copper Coins
Tooltip: Restores 200 Mana.
『Super Mana Potion』 - 15 Silver Coins
Tooltip: Restores 300 Mana.
Looks like it's the only merchandise she could sell for now. The items and their costs mirrored those in the game perfectly.
"Oh! There's a gun as well!" Suddenly, Seia crept behind me, her excitement evident. However, her smile turned upside down the moment she glimpsed the astonishing price. "Geh—?! Thirty-six Gold...?!"
"W-where would you even get that much money..." Lemuen added, laying despondent beside me. I only noticed, but all the girls were already beside me. "I've never even seen such money before..."
Although I said that every girl was here, Lily wasn't present. "..."
"Hm... Was it too expensive?" Khione asked, concern evident on her face. "Perhaps it's the reason no one buys any wares from me besides a few Mana Potions. Ugh..."
"While I do think it was expensive, I think the cost of your wares was just right, considering how well they performed in combat," I replied. Technically, good items normally cost quite an expense.
"It's probably strong," Astra reasoned.
"It's strong..." Unfortunately, it's very underwhelming. It's always that purchasable item that gets outshined by craftable items. "Still, there's more than this weapon. Khione, I'll buy the Shotgun, the Trident, and a bulk of Super Mana Potion, about three thousand."
"Eh?!" Expected, the girls had their eyes widened, mouth agape to my response. I had thought that they're already used to unusual moments like these but that doesn't seem to be the case.
"Haha. Money sure moves as an importance to the world, huh." Khione remarked, giggling. "At any rate, after all the time I spent selling these, you're actually the first person to buy them."
"There's a particular process you need to do to be able to sell something, be it expensive or cheap," I explained. "It's just, I know the importance of these things, hence, I didn't complain about buying them."
"That's a wise way of explaining things. Surely, it was a lesson learned for me," Khione replied. "Well, it's a pleasure to know you, young man."
"Sai Crimsonheart," I replied, offering Khione my hand. "That's my name."
"I see." Responding, Khione formally shook it. "Pleasure to meet you."
And just like that, Khione left the place after I bought all the items. After closing the door, I turned to the girls, seeing the partial surprised still formed into their faces. On the other hand, the Shotgun, the Trident, as well as the three thousand Potions were laid all over the place. Alright, time to put it in the Pouch then.
As for the weapons... "Seia, I'll have you take the Shotgun, while Lemuen gets to take the Trident."
"Eh?!" Seia and Lemuen reacted in tandem.
"Oh! How lucky," Astra commented. "Although..."
"W-wait, Sai! Didn't we already talk about this before?" Seia remarked. "I know I told you that I want to attain things with my own strength from now on. I already owed you enough..."
"Calm down, of course I know that, and I didn't mean to just give it to you for the sake of kindness." I explained. "There's something I want to ask you but it's for later. In the meantime, can you take it for now?"
"...You promise?" Seia asked, her eyes heavily focused on me.
"Yep, I promise." I vowed.
"W-what about me...?" Interjecting, Lemuen timidly asked, guilt visible on her face. "Y-you know, I'm just here because my sister asked you. There's really no reason for you to include me..."
"Eh? Isn't that obvious?" I asked. "There's a reason, of course. After all, you're already a member of our party."
"...Eh? Really?" Skeptical, Lemuen looked at me anxiously. Reassuring her from her worries, I gave her a nod of certainty. In response, Lemuen's eyes widened, eventually leading into a smile. "Ha... Haha, finally... I've always wanted it ever since the start of the adventure... I'm so happy."
"You guys don't mind that, right?" I asked, turning to everyone.
"Of course, you idiot." Astra replied, smiling. "More like, you should've asked the obvious."
"Yeah, Lemuen was kind and easy to talk to." Luna added. "More like, I was actually surprised that Lemuen wasn't still included in the party until now, Master. Knowing Master, I thought you..."
"Congrats, Lemuen." Seia commended. "I assure your life would be full of memorable experiences from now on."
"Hn, thanks to Aruji-sama, every day was so exciting!" Akari added, nodding vigorously. "Thank you, everyone. I had thought that I don't belong here, but everyone's reassuring words made it disappear completely." Lemuen replied, then turned to face me. "Especially you, Sai. If not for you, then my life would be most likely in shambles now."
"No problem," I replied. "Having you here also eased our burden a lot. If not for you, fending against Khione would be a complete pain. We hope you still assist us in the future."
"Yes!" Lemuen vigorously replied, genuine smile evident on her face.
Conversation over, all of us went to our own activities. Seia and Lemuen, having gotten their new stuff, excitedly rushed outside to test their weapons. They looked like kids who got new toys to play with, how cute.
* * *
The day slipped away like sand through fingers, and before I knew it, the moon ascended, casting its silvery glow upon the world—a quiet proclamation of the night's arrival.
"Oh, you're finally here," I remarked, the gratitude in my tone evident. "I appreciate you indulging my selfishness."
"The request comes from none other than my benefactor," Khione replied, her figure gracefully outlined by the moonlight. "So, what task do you wish of me?"
"Well, it's not much of an extravagant request, but I need you to do something," I replied, my words carrying a hint of anticipation. "For now, follow me."
In response, Khione meekly nodded, a subtle agreement that whispered promises of mysteries yet to unfold.
* * *
The moonlight bathed the snowy landscape in an ethereal glow as we traversed the pristine fields, Khione seated behind me on the Snow Malamute we had tamed earlier.
"A Snow Malamute, huh. Normally, one would need to follow some complicated process to tame this ball of fluff, but I guess I won't have to think hard about it if it's you."
Hours had passed since we set out, and with Khione's magical assistance, the Malamute moved with enhanced speed across the snowy expanse. The journey that would have taken much longer now seemed to be drawing close to its conclusion.
"We're already here. That's so fast."
"Fufu~! I guess my magic proved to be convenient, no?" Khione remarked, a smug expression playing on her face.
"Yes, yes, now follow me," I replied with a wry smile.
"Hmph! How disrespectful. Even still, I am one of the Four Elementals, you know?" Khione retorted.
Without dignifying Khione's playful banter with a response, we proceeded towards our destination. After a while, we reached it— an igloo nestled in the snowy landscape.
"Oh, an Igloo," Khione remarked.
"Yes, beautiful, isn't it?" I replied. "Which is why I planned on putting a 『Biome Post』 in this place and turn it into one of our bases. That is my request..."
"Hm, no problem for me," Khione replied. "You know, I can just give it to you without taking me. Ah, don't tell me, you want to be together with me? Fufu~! How bold."
"I would've happily accepted if it's possible," I replied. "Sadly, you're a guardian of this world, tasked with protecting the balance. Joining me would be considered as bias, which is against the rules."
"Yeah, unfortunately," Khione replied.
"Ah, actually, I need two 『Biome Post』," I added. "P-pretty please...?"
"So, that's what the selfish part..." In response, Khione sighed. I'm sorry, but it's necessary!
With a melancholic smile, I started building the 『Biome Post』 at the center of the place, while Khione watched me silently. After a bit of tweaking, it didn't take long before the portal finally worked.
"Finally done?" Khione asked.
"Yeah, it's now connected to the other network," I replied. "We won't need to walk back to the Capital at this rate."
"That's great," Khione replied. "Now, shall we head back then?"
"You're right," And so, we headed back to the surface. I had the Snow Malamute wait while we descended into the aperture, confident that we wouldn't take long constructing the portal. Still, it must be tired waiting, so we had to hurry.
"The girls must've been worried about me now," I remarked. "Let's hurry back,"
"Yeah, leave it to me," Khione replied.
Then, suddenly.
You feel something eerie coming towards you...
"—?! Khione."
"I know," Khione immediately replied. "Something is coming..."
"It really had to come at the worst time possible..." I remarked, clicking my tongue.
"Do you want me to help?" Khione asked. "It's against the rules, but I can make an exception this time."
"No need. But, if possible..." The eerie feeling grew stronger. "I want you to create a platform. I'll handle the rest."
"Okay..." Nodding, Khione began casting her spell. Simultaneously, massive chunk of metal, violently falls down the wintery ground—an iron mech, toppled with a turret on its shoulder, slowly roses from the ground. Its eyes shaped like a shade lighted, faced me.
⟨⟨Swiftness⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Regeneration⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Ironskin⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Endurance⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Strength⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Cold Resistance⟩⟩
"Sigh, let's go." I remarked, wiping my mouth.
[Mass Destructive Contrivance, 『MK I Tenebrion』 has been deployed]