"This reeks of deception," Levris said with displeasure, crossing her arms in front of her. "But let's assume she joined your cause before the expedition. Should I inform the rector that you are teaming up with Asura?"
Katrina and Asura exchanged glances, both lacking enthusiasm for the alliance.
"Only for the duration of the trial," Katrina replied.
"And not a second longer," Asura added.
Ah, come on, girls, why can't you be friends?
"Alright, have a safe journey. Other guilds haven't disclosed their dungeon plans, so I'll move to another one. Maybe we'll meet again if luck is on our side."
"Hey! We didn't tell anyone where we were going. How did you find out?"
"Oh, I slipped up. Actually, these magical beacons on the maps inform the rector of everyone's destination. That's why the instructors always arrive before the students."
"But what if someone can decipher this magic? Then the thief guilds can learn about the movements of other guilds."
"Don't worry; this device is ancient and complex. Even the rector doesn't fully understand it. I doubt they can crack it."
"Alright, let's return to the guild's storage?" Katrina suggested.
"Yes, why not," surprisingly, Asura agreed.
"Pff, what are you thinking? You plan to haul everything back to your storages?" Vina's disdainful tone startled the guildmasters.
"And what else?" Katrina replied.
"Aaah, what would you do without me? You can't return everything to the storage just yet; we need crucial information about new dungeons. Or do you plan to wander aimlessly in dungeons until the month ends?"
The understanding look on the guildmasters' faces indicated that Vina had just guessed their strategy. Trade Mistress hit herself on the forehead.
"Haha, calm down, calm down, you knew what you were getting into. These noble ladies probably never held real money before the Academy."
"How rude," the Swordswoman grumbled.
"So, let's gather everything we have and head to the guild. Snowflakes, your guild is in a rented house in the city, right?"
The group of blushing "Snowflakes" nodded unhappily.
"That won't do; it'll be too easy to steal or eavesdrop there. Thunderclaps, your guild is better suited as a base during the trial. It'll be harder to sneak up on us in the open space, and defending the treasures will be easier."
"But why can't we put our treasures in storage?" asked the Princess.
"Princess, haven't you read the rules? If you store the loot, you can't use it for trading. Buying and selling dungeon information is only allowed among participating guilds."
"But we can buy information with money, can't we?"
"Princessss, why would they need money now? If they win the trial, they'll gain a hundred times more. Experienced guilds trade solely for loot. The success of the deal depends solely on the skill of their traders."
"Then let's go quickly. I don't want to risk our loot unnecessarily. We'll find guilds that have returned from their expedition and extract every piece of information we can."
"Now, everyone be quiet!" Vina exclaimed, waving her hands frantically. "This trial is more about traders than guilds! Here, we determine who will triumph and who will fail. The individual strength of each warrior is nothing compared to the genius of commercial acumen! I will show you what a true merchant means. For this month, I'll lead you, and if you think you can negotiate better than me, then let's see it! BUAHAHAHAHAHA!"
In doing so, the girl arrogantly placed her fists on her hips and let out the most devilish laughter I had ever heard. Her impassioned speech only caused confusion among those present, and only the most sensitive were frightened by her diabolical laughter.
Ragni was infuriated by all of this; she stood right in front of Vina, and considering their height difference, she locked her eyes somewhere around the dragoness's chest.
"Hmm. I'm not used to being commanded by such younglings," Ragni said with disapproval, measuring the height and chest difference between herself and the dragoness with her gaze. Vina simply shrugged.
"Regardless, your use in the upcoming trial, Ero-draconess, will be limited. But don't worry; there's always one dungeon with alchemical ingredients, so even you will be of some use."
"What did you say?" Ragni clenched her fists angrily, and then it dawned on her, "What did you call me?"
The dragoness narrowed her eyes maliciously, "Well, obviously, your most potent weapon in trade is your deep neckline and short skirt. But real traders can win using only their wits."
"Hehehe, envy is a nasty feeling," Ragni's face lit up with a malicious grin, "you little one."
Ragni provocatively shook her cleavage in front of the girl's face, and the girl's gaze glued to it.
"Hmmm, in any case, bring everything to the guild; I'll explain there. There might be prying ears here!"
Soon we arrived at our dilapidated little house. The newcomers' first impression was indescribable. For about five minutes, Asura and her group simply stared blankly at the structure. And Vina... she was banging her head against the fence, saying:
"Damn, damn, what have I signed up for? I thought if they have princesses, they at least have some sense of style. If I send such a picture home, they'll laugh at me!"
Seleria, the kind-hearted trader, approached to comfort her. With barely visible tears in her eyes, she embraced the girl:
"I understand you. When I came here for the first time, I spent three hours in the bath afterward. But don't worry; if we accumulate enough money after the trial, we'll buy a better house."
"Thank you. Lady, you are so kind. I'll do everything in my power to turn this wreck into something decent by the end of the month!"
Did she just call Seleria "kind"? How deeply mistaken she was. But the satisfied smile on the princess's face made it clear that she had found her first friend in the guild.
"Now, what did you want to say?" Katrina got straight to the point.
Vina carefully inspected the two piles of antiques laid out before her.
"Hmm, even less than I expected. Had I come half an hour earlier, you might have been able to bring out something worthwhile from the dungeon. But with this, there will be problems."
"What's wrong?" Asura was also concerned about their trading strategy.
The girl calmly clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Out of this whole pile, only a few items are genuinely valuable, but that's not important. We'll deposit everything else in the bank at face value. Antiques are best saved until the end; many guilds will compete for them."
"Eh?" The guildmasters were puzzled; from Vina's tirade, they only grasped the valuable items and the bank.
"Hahaha," taking a deep breath, the poor trader realized she'd have to explain everything from the beginning, "most of what you brought out is junk, worth at most five gold coins each. It's not worth bargaining for, but you can deposit it at the Academy's trading pavilion at nominal prices; they won't cheat you much. The money will be transferred directly to our guild's account. The most valuable items should be saved for the end. You surely know that on the last day of the festival, collectors from all over the world will come here to purchase treasures from the Academy. Then you can negotiate for each item, each artifact you manage to retrieve from the dungeons."
Asura and Katrina listened with their mouths wide open. It now seemed that Vina had truly become a guildmaster.
"Many guilds will store their valuable loot in their storages. Even if they don't have an appraiser, they can use the services of 'romantics'. It's forbidden to bring in appraisers from outside. By the way, the odds for these traders to win are the highest. With their skills in conjuring deals, I won't be surprised if they end up in the top three."
"What? Are you participating in gambling? Aren't you ashamed?!" Noble Leira couldn't hide her indignation.
"Oh no, how could I engage in such an unpleasant affair," Vina adopted the most innocent expression she could muster, nearly convincing Leira. But as soon as the aristocrat's vigilance waned, Vina's face returned to its usual sly state, "Of course, I didn't place bets. I ORGANIZED the entire betting pool."
The jaws of all the present nobles dropped to the floor.
"And how high are the odds for our victory?" I was still curious.
"Krito!! You won't participate in this, will you?!" Katrina exclaimed furiously.
"It's my money, and I'll do what I want. Truth is, I only have 50 gold coins left."
Vina sized up the gold coins in my hand.
"Hmm, with nobles, it's easier; they bet by thousands. Well, if you insist, then fine," the girl elegantly took out a small black notebook from her dress, "so, considering that the great ME joined you, your chances increased significantly, one to fifteen. After uniting with Asura, it's one to twenty..."
"Eeeey! Why did their odds decrease after joining us??" The left twin was beside herself, "Do you think we'll be a burden to them?"
"No-no, it's just that there can be many issues with unification, so your chances went down. But based on the results of the first joint expedition, I'll say whether they'll improve or not."
"Hmm, one to twenty... Not much. Can we make a group bet?"
"What do you want to bet on, predicting the top three places? Well, take a risk if you want, but I'm not sure anyone will succeed. The circumstances are quite unpredictable right now. Many are betting on Alfred and his gang; I'm afraid he might win, although not entirely fair. But the thieves' guild is much stronger this year. They say they even plan to rob the storages. And the traders can always pull ahead. Whom will you bet on?"
"Let's do this: first place for us, second for Asura, and third for the traders."
Katrina and Asura were slightly taken aback; they didn't expect that I'd have such faith in them.
"Pff. Buahahahaha," Vina's hearty laughter sent a nervous shiver through the guildmasters, "cough, sorry. A true trader shouldn't show emotions... But my, oh my, do you really believe in your friends that much? I understand that you trust your own guild; you have many advantages. I get the traders' choice; they can trick anyone they want, but they..."
The girl cast her gaze over the four warriors.
"I understand it all, but they're: few in number, strong only in close combat, and among the appraisers, there's only the guy who worked in an antique shop. Besides, their initial possibilities with connections and starting funds are meager. It's the worst option. You'd better reconsider your choice."
If one were to interpret Vina's words, Asura's guild indeed seemed rather pitiful.
"Accept my bet, and I'll make sure they won't end up in last place."
"As you wish, as you wish."
"I also want to place the same bet," Kurone chimed in, "I have a hundred gold coins, but I believe in our victory."
"I'm betting on Krito and Lady Asura as well," and this was unexpected from Werner, "this is all my savings, but I believe in our strength, and if we manage to win, it'll be thanks to Krito. That's why I'll wager all my money on that outcome."
Werner took out a weighty pouch of money from his pocket.
"Wow," for everyone present, it was a substantial amount, even for temporarily bankrupt princesses.
"Hey, Werner, how did you earn this money?"
"We went on missions together, and you were paid less than us," the twins pounced on the poor lad.
"No, I didn't hide anything from you. I genuinely saved up this money from our missions. I simply didn't have much to spend it on since I'm not as actively involved in battles as you are. So, I collected the money little by little; I wanted to spend it on our guild."
"Werner, you shouldn't squander them like that. It's better to spend them on yourself," Asura showed unexpected care for her guildmate, which genuinely surprised him.
"No, I decided long ago that I'll spend this money on the guild. And I trust Krito; he can lead us to second place, so I'll bet all my money on victory."
"Alright, the bet is accepted," Vina snatched the money from Werner before the GM could stop him, "so with the new bets and the odds for such an outcome, it'll be... one to a hundred."
"I feel like it's too little."
"It's fine; you've already bet a lot. Well, it's your choice, but remember, Krito, I won't be able to pull you to first place if you keep hauling all sorts of junk."
"Vina, I'd rather not meddle in your dealings with the betting pool," Katrina interrupted our discussions, "but isn't it time to get back to business? We should decide on a plan for the future and scout for sources of information."
"Oh, Princess, don't rush to extremes. It's too early to go buy information. It's better to start tomorrow after lunch. Think about it yourself, Princess; all guilds have now gone on their first raids and won't return until tonight or tomorrow morning. So, we'll only get reliable information by tomorrow at lunchtime."
"So, tomorrow, we'll exchange our loot for information? We'll need to find out which guild went where."
"Princess, you didn't listen to me again. Yes, buying information directly from the guild would be preferable, but no one is immune to deception. Moreover, guild laws don't apply to these agreements, and if they cheat us, we won't be able to get our payment back. We'll have to negotiate with reliable suppliers."
"Do you mean the traders?"
"There's no other choice. They won't risk their reputation, even at an ordinary festival. But we should still verify the information since they might present last year's data as fresh. And teachers, even if they repeat some dungeons every few years, change the monsters or loot. Sometimes the dungeon's difficulty increases several times with just a slight change in the monster's type, so we must be prepared for anything."
Vina spread out a map of dungeons before us, with 49 points marked, and one point was crossed out.
"Wow, so this is a magical map! I didn't notice it before," Katrina marveled, as she always did at anything unusual.
"Yes, it marks the places we've already visited. I know that the dungeons on the academy grounds are the easiest, and the rewards there are, of course, simpler. But reaching the ones farther away will take several days, and if we go through them in sequence, there's a risk of encountering our brave thieves or assassins."
"As for the latter, you don't need to worry. They won't even come within a kilometer of me. But yes, we should indeed be cautious of thieves," Asura assured.
"That significantly simplifies matters. I heard that thieves are planning something risky, and they'll be occupied during that time. So, we can set off on a journey to the distant dungeons. The main thing is to return by the end of the month. I also suggest visiting several dungeons in the central part of the continent. That's where dungeons with alchemical ingredients are usually located. I'm not very knowledgeable about them, but I hope our former healer is."
I looked more closely at the map and noticed something.
"I'd like to visit one of these dungeons; our friends live nearby. I think they'll help us with some clues."
"Hmm, Merenlake, I believe you completed a mission there. Well, alright, I would also suggest visiting the eastern part of Verania. There are dungeons with a large number of wild monsters. Individually, you probably wouldn't be able to handle them, but if you organize the battle correctly, you can win. There's usually a lot of antiques there, and that's something I'm good at. Then, we should visit Leran or Nordrune. Which one do you prefer?"
Everyone exchanged glances and stared at Seleria.
"Well, it would probably be easier to go to Leran."
"Excellent choice. Now, the main problem. I heard from extremely confidential sources that the thieves will directly rob the academy's vaults and take the most valuable items the guilds brought back from their expeditions. Perhaps we should come up with a place to store our loot?"
"I have an idea," I looked at Ragni, "Tell me how long it would take you to fly from the eastern coast of Verania to the central part?"
The dragoness raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Well, at most a day. But why do you ask?"
"I have a plan. Let's organize a temporary storage facility in one of the cities in the central part. Ragni, I'll need you to deliver our trophies to this storage and return to the ranks."
"What? You want me to fly such distances every day?? I'll die from exhaustion, not to mention hunger."
"Don't worry about that. Leira will take care of you. And, of course, I'm offering these services to our new comrades."
I looked at Asura, and she hesitated a bit, "I don't want to owe you so much. It's too much."
"It's alright. I'll ask for a separate storage space for you, so don't worry about the safety of the trophies."
"Well, since our deputy is so kind, I'll offer you my services in evaluating the trophies in exchange for a share of the profits in case of your victory," Vina nodded contentedly.
"Alright then. Today, we'll leave the trophies in the guild; three people should stay guard. Tomorrow, we'll deposit the simple trophies in the storage and exchange the antiques for information. And then, we'll set off to conquer the dungeons!"