The mood grew somber following Ackster's silence. But it wasn't as desolate as it had been when Ackster suffered through his curse, so Wilma stayed quiet as she steered the hot air balloon toward their next stop.
Since getting an inventory would make Ackster's journey a lot smoother and easier, regardless of what he was doing, both Wilma and Ackster happily took a slight detour.
While Wilma still had to go and look for the higherups to arrange a trainer for Ackster as well as see if they could fix his arm, she didn't have to get someone to fix his mind anymore, so her business at the Guild's core branch wasn't as immediate as before.
Before long, thanks to the surprisingly efficient travel with the balloon, they arrived at a secluded part of the Tenger continent. A dense forest, milling with A-rank beasts and monsters, surrounded the large military-style encampment that was their destination.
The forest made sure only those qualified or supported by the Guild could enter the location protected by the Guild's outpost. And the outpost protected the habitat against the beings of the forest and any with malicious intent.
A couple of uniformed guards welcomed the hot air balloon. Since it was the Guild's standard-issue means of transport, they were just there to greet the newcomers and not to guard against them. But considering they were guards that protected against the A-rank beings of the forest, they were nonetheless to be taken seriously.
Not that they could do anything to Ackster, much less Wilma, who had a lofty position within the Guild and who Ackster was certain was above A-rank in terms of strength.
Still walking around with one arm caught Ackster more than a couple of glances as they passed through the encampment toward the center. It was a good choice to have asked Mio to dye his hair red. If he was going to catch attention, he should direct it the way he wanted. There was no way anyone would connect a one-armed redhead with Ackster Phileam or any of his other personas that he had used.
The agents deployed at the outpost that Ackster wasn't allowed to hear the name of should be trustworthy. But Ackster didn't doubt that rumors would spread, regardless of their trustworthiness. It couldn't be often that someone like Wilma brought in a one-armed adventurer dressed in rags, after all.
Ackster ignored any stares he got. But he did use his Keen Senses to scout the area. He kept a constant watch over his surroundings. He didn't even know why. He just did.
And eventually, Ackster and Wilma arrived at the center of the encampment. After entering a dark blue tent the size of a villa, they found what they had come for.
The Habitat.
"I assume you already know what this is?"
"Somewhat."
Ackster answered with a furrowed brow as he stared at the seemingly bottomless, glossy, dark blue pond in front of him and Wilma. It was as wide as a bedroom, and there was no sign of life in the water.
"Okay…? That doesn't sound very confident. I'll tell you what you need to know. That's not water."
"Mm."
"To get an inventory, you just need to carry your Nomi and take a dip. But here's the kicker: the deeper down you go, the larger the inventory you get. You might be able to breathe down there, or you might not. It depends on the person. We usually recommend lying on your stomach and sticking your head in first before going down since you can only try for an inventory once."
"Okay. Why the need for A-rank?"
That was something the original story hadn't revealed, and every character had taken it for granted. So, Ackster took the opportunity to ask something he had long wanted to know.
Wilma shrugged.
"It's not a hundred percent certain, but the common consensus is that it is the minimum requirement to withstand the baptism of energy you will have to undergo to get the inventory."
"I see."
'A little lackluster, but it makes sense.'
Ackster started getting undressed and put his things and Mio on the ground.
"You can do that after you tried breathing the nectar, you know?"
Wilma politely looked away, though she couldn't help but sneak a peek at Ackster's chiseled muscles.
"I don't need to try. I can feel that I can breathe it."
"Huh? That's good, I guess. But you could still have undressed after I left the tent."
"Didn't take you for a prude."
"It's not prudish to not want to be alone with a naked man as a single woman."
"My bad then. Do you want me to take responsibility?"
"Wha—? I mean…"
But before Wilma could properly answer Ackster's question, he had already dived into the pond with a muted splash as the thick, slimy, and translucent nectar spewed aside following Ackster's entry.
"H-hey! I wasn't done yet! I forgot to tell you about the Space Jellies! They look scary, but most of them are harmless!"
Wilma looked down toward where Ackster had disappeared below the surface. She couldn't tell whether Ackster had heard her or not. On one hand, Wilma knew he had excellent senses. On the other hand, she also knew that entering the Space Pond was like entering another world separated by a thick layer of glass.
She groaned in frustration.
"He seemed knowledgable, so let's hope he doesn't kill them."
Wilma sighed and gave Mio a glance before looking at the pond again. She could probably find some administrative work to do in the outpost. But that was even more boring than just waiting for Ackster, so she didn't move out of the spot and decided she could train her mana while waiting for Ackster to resurface. She just had to be careful not to disturb the space jellies, which she was confident in doing.
Even if Ackster's guess that he could breathe the nectar was true, the pressure would eventually be too much for him, and he would be forced to surface. That was how it was for everyone, regardless of how strong they were or if they could breathe the nectar or not.