Upon seeing that Pannis had finally completed the plans, Catherine finally spoke to inquire: "I'm sorry, Mr. Pannis, I don't mean any distrust toward you, but could you explain to us what these items are for? There are some things I don't quite understand."
"Of course, I'm glad to be of service."
"First, there is the Crystal." Catherine pointed at the added position on the list and asked: "We know that a Crystal, activated without any Magic Array to suppress it, exhibits a slow leakage of energy. Sometimes, people carry Fire-attribute or Ice-attribute Crystals, activated in advance, to serve as portable heaters or coolers. So we have no objections to bringing low-capacity Crystals. However, this method is usually employed in extreme temperatures. Is the lower space of the Crying Cave such an extreme environment? Moreover, seeing that both heating and cooling crystals are prepared, does the temperature inside the cave vary greatly?"
"Yes." Pannis confirmed: "The lower layer of the Crying Cave is quite peculiar, with areas of either extremely low or high temperatures, making it very tricky. A Silver Rank adventurer once rested in a lower-temperature area, fell asleep, and froze to death. You all are Gold Rank, so you shouldn't die from this, but the cold could affect your rest and subsequently your combat effectiveness."
"I see", Catherine nodded, pointing to the next line: "But what about the Light-attribute crystals? Are they for lighting? Why not use torches? We have never encountered a situation where Light-attribute crystals were needed for illumination before."
"Yeah, why not use torches and fire pits for lighting and heating? We've always used torches for lighting and fire pits for heating during our previous adventures. And that's what the books say too." Lina wanted to pull out her books as proof but was promptly stopped by Catherine.
"The Light-attribute crystals are indeed for illumination." Pannis continued to explain: "This is a special technique for cave adventures. The fact that you're unfamiliar is understandable since it is your first time on a cave adventure. We use crystals for lighting and heating because there's no fuel available in caves. There are very few plants in caves, and most of them are mosses and fungi, unsuitable for making a fire. And it's simply impractical to carry a full backpack of firewood for an adventure, hence the crystals come in as substitutes."
"Next is the quantity" Catherine did a bit of calculation before asking further: "A Fire-attribute Crystal of 100 Taels dissipates completely in about eleven hours, so two are needed for a whole day. A 150-Tael Ice-attribute Crystal disperses according to the environmental temperature --- the fastest is ten hours, so we can also figure two a day. With four of us, the maximum consumption per day comes to eight pieces. Of course, the actual consumption of crystals won't precisely match these figures. You've asked us to prepare two hundred crystals, meaning you're considering staying down there for at least twenty-five days? Hmm, seeing that you've prepared thirty days worth of food, following the principle of having one and a half times the required provisions, indeed, we're supposed to stay for twenty-five days, but is that much time really necessary?"
"Not twenty-five days. Our maximum stay should be fifteen days. If we don't find our target, we must come out, replenish supplies, and re-enter. Unlike your previous adventure areas, caves are completely unsuppliable environments, so our supply carrying amount is not one and a half times but two times what we would usually need. This is yet another peculiarity of cave adventuring."
"Thank you, I understand now." Catherine nodded, continuing to review the list: "If we can't use fire pits, then the Crystal Energy stove must be for heating food and water. What about the headgear? We each have ours already."
"I'm referring to a specific type of headgear. One that is double-leather layered, filled with lizardtail tree gum in the middle, is quite elastic and can protect from falling rocks." Pannis explained: "Loud noises made inside the cave can cause rocks to fall, which could be fatal for Mages or priests below the legendary level who can't keep their shields open all the time, but will be less troublesome with the headgear."
"Will we need to go underwater?" Lina seemed somewhat apprehensive upon seeing the waterproof equipment: "I can't swim."
"That's why there is the underwater breathing potion." Pannis pointed at the text behind and said: "It's not certain if we'll have to swim, but there are several deep water sources in the lower layers that may require us to dive down for investigation. Then, someone else can pull you along. As for the Breath Retention Potion, the area where the research institute is located may have some poisonous gases, so we have to prepare some."
"And the sleeping bag." Catherine pointed to the end of the list and asked: "We already have sleeping bags. Although they're not made from Katatak Beast skin and are less waterproof, it should suffice, right?"
"If you don't mind waking up to a soaking wet outfit every day, then sure." Pannis answered confidently: "Otherwise, you'd need the Katatak Beast skin. The humidity inside the cave is beyond what you can imagine."
"Alright, but about the quantity, can't we bring more at once? From your explanation, it seems like it will be very difficult and time-consuming to find this research institute. If we come out every fifteen days like this, won't we waste a lot of time?" Catherine was somewhat concerned about the mission time limit.
"No" Pannis rejected the idea outright: "You'll find that fifteen days is already an incredibly long time."
"You are the professional, we will follow your suggestions." Catherine accepted Pannis' explanation: "There are no other questions."
"Then I'll go prepare my share of the items." Pannis downed the remaining half-cup of strong liquor in one gulp before getting up and heading towards the door: "By the way, you guys will be paying for my share, right?"
"Of course."
"Then, when are we regrouping, and when are we setting off?"
"We leave tomorrow. But once you've prepared your supplies, you should come back immediately. We have already arranged a room for you. Given that we need to familiarize ourselves with our future teammate, you must return once you've finished gathering your supplies." Catherine added as she watched Pannis' retreating figure: "You must come back immediately. That is a command from the employer."
Pannis' figure paused slightly. After a moment's hesitance, he shrugged and said, without turning back: "I obey your command, my lady."
"He truly is a professional." Only when Pannis was completely gone from the tavern did Lina finally exclaim: "That fraudster we encountered previously couldn't even begin to compare. However, is it really alright to just trust him like this?"
"There's no problem." The one who spoke was Vivian, her young face beaming with an enigmatic smile: "He was crying."
"You see, as I said earlier, there's no problem." Catherine lightly slapped the table as if she found the basis of their decision from Vivian's inexplicable statement: "That settles it."