Chapter 85 - Rivira!
"Here is Rivira Town. How about it? It's even more rundown than you imagined, isn't it?"
Finn, accompanied by Luke, Ais, and several members carrying the giant magic stone, arrived at the entrance of Rivira Town.
Even though they were aware beforehand that Rivira, being a town built by adventurers themselves, would appear somewhat dilapidated, Luke couldn't help feeling somewhat helpless when he laid eyes on the legendary Rivira Town.
"This is beyond 'rundown,' right?"
Standing at the entrance and looking into the town, most of what caught the eye were shabby wooden buildings.
To call them buildings was already giving them more credit than they deserved; many of the so-called shops were basically makeshift structures made of a few wooden planks.
It looked like street stalls with added back panels and canopies.
"Haha, there's a reason they look so simple."
Hearing Luke's comment, Finn chuckled.
"Even on the safe floors, accidents have occurred over the years. Occasionally, monster riots and the movement of deep-floor monsters can deal devastating blows to the town here."
"So, the construction style here, convenient for reconstruction, is a necessity."
Finn led them into Rivira Town, explaining some of its history to Luke and Ais as they walked.
"Of course, there aren't any master builders among adventurers who reside here. That's one of the reasons this place looks so rundown."
As they entered the town, Finn's group, carrying a conspicuously large magic stone, quickly drew a lot of attention.
"Is that the Loki Familia?"
"Such a big magic stone! It must be from the floor boss. Haven't seen a magic stone this big in years."
Accompanying the crowd of onlookers was another person who seemed to be their leader.
"Hey, Finn! What are you up to? Trying to cause trouble?!"
The leader was a middle-aged man with an eyepatch over his left eye, and the scars that couldn't be completely concealed by the eyepatch were clearly visible.
Obviously, this is a seasoned adventurer.
His name is Bors Elder, the de facto manager of Rivira.
"I certainly don't intend to cause trouble; I'm just here to deal with the materials the expedition team obtained on the upper floors."
Finn shrugged innocently at Bors.
"Expedition? I see. Is it time for your Loki Familia's expedition again?"
"But, when you say 'materials,' you don't mean that big thing behind you, right?"
Bors furrowed his brow at first, and realized that it was indeed time for the Loki Familia expedition, and then he pointed at the huge magic stone behind Finn.
"Of course not. I came here to borrow some space from you. After all, we can't bring this magic stone with us on the expedition."
Finn walked up to Bors, gesturing for him to calm down, and then explained to him the reason for bringing the magic stone here.
"Well, if you have plans for this magic stone, I certainly wouldn't mind. It would actually save us a lot of trouble."
After hearing Finn's explanation, Bors felt relieved.
When he heard about the disturbance caused by Loki Familia at the entrance, it had given him a cold sweat.
"Hmph, a magic stone of this size is useless for anyone except the Guild. I'd be a fool to spend money on something like this."
"Let's be clear; whether it's borrowing space to store the magic stone or hiring people to guard it, it will cost money. And I won't give you any discounts."
After speaking, Bors dispersed the crowd and led Finn's group inside. At the same time, he muttered under his breath.
"By the way, leaving it here, aren't you afraid of it being stolen?"
Regarding Bors's last 'malicious reminder,' Finn just smiled and didn't take it to heart.
Setting aside whether anyone dared to openly provoke the Loki Familia, the sheer size of this massive magic stone would make it impossible to steal without making some noise.
And once any theft was discovered, in the current Orario, except for Freya Familia, no one could withstand the wrath of Loki Familia.
…
Finn led the members of Loki Familia to arrange the massive magic stone with Bors.
Meanwhile, Luke and Ais didn't follow; Finn suggested they explore the town on their own.
Once the handling of materials and placement of the magic stone were completed, Finn would come to find them.
After about a week and a half, Luke once again took Ais for a stroll through the streets.
However, this time, the shopping was genuinely just for leisure.
The prices here were absurdly high.
A small regular whetstone, not even the size of a palm, cost 13,000 Valis.
A small patch-covered supporter backpack went for over 20,000 Valis.
(PS: In the original work, it seems Valis is roughly equivalent to Japanese Yen. So, a whetstone should cost 900 JPY, and a worn-out backpack around 1,300 JPY on the surface.)
However, the most outrageous price increases were seen in essential biological supplies such as food and water.
While items like whetstones and backpacks had their prices inflated by around ten times, food and drinks soared by more than thirty times.
"Now I truly understand why Finn and the others prefer camping over resting in this town."
Luke looked at the price tags of various items, feeling a headache.
Even Ais, standing beside him, nodded with a conflicted expression.
A meal in this place would cost them tens of thousands of Valis.
"It's not just expensive; it's outright robbery."
"Hey, kid, is it your first time on Rivira Street?" A passerby adventurer overheard Luke's complaints.
He grinned at Luke and said, "It's always been like this here. Before you say the food here is expensive, think about how difficult it is to get food in the dungeon."
"When you really need to buy supplies in this town, it's undoubtedly a desperate situation. In such cases, do you think the merchants here will go easy on you?"
The explanation from the passing adventurer left Luke feeling helpless.
The open exploitation and scamming people seemed to be an accepted practice in Rivira.
Regardless of how outsiders felt, once you were here, you had to abide by their rules.
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