“Woooooooow.”
“Wow…”
Both Park Deok-Gu and Jung Ha-Yan exclaimed loudly and the executives of the Blue Guild smiled lightly as they watched us. This was our first time in the city and I guess seeing our reaction reminded them of their first time here.
As soon as the west gate opened, I saw a slightly magnificent city. For the basic architectural style, they must have used western architectural designs as a reference and it felt like the earthlings were living in different parts of the city. More than that, I saw people with black hair.
“Korean people have settled down in the free city of Lindel,” Lee Sang-Hee said.
“Oh, I heard that people from other countries had been summoned here as well,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“Yes. The Koreans, Japanese, and Taiwanese were summoned for the tutorial dungeon that the Holy Empire possesses. They’ve also settled down in a city within the Holy Empire and have been living there since then. You’ll be able to see Japanese and Taiwanese people in Lindel as well since we’re all earthlings and have been living all this time while trading things with each other,” she explained
“I see,” I said.
It just had to be Japanese. I didn’t have any hostility towards them, but for some reason, it didn’t feel right.[1]
“And the Republic…”
“The Chinese and Russians are being summoned,” she answered.
Being summoned here was probably better than being summoned over there.
When I looked around again, I saw many different sights. I saw people selling items in shops and parties that were about to go out for a hunt.
“We’re recruiting priests.”
“We’re recruiting priests that are willing to go hunting with us.”
“I’m selling items! I have rare ranked items!”
It was as if the squares that I saw in games were being reenacted in real life. It was quite lively. I was sure that Park Deok-Gu and Jung Ha-Yan were widening their eyes because of these sights.
The buildings weren’t that high but they had a vintage look. I saw fancy shops from time to time and also saw people eating while sitting on their terraces. I felt like I had traveled somewhere overseas.
I couldn't help but smile when I saw our people looking around, but of course, the fancy buildings weren’t the only things that caught my attention.
“Hm…I see the slums,” I said.
“Yes.”
Unlike the west side where the guild was located, I saw abandoned buildings far away. Even from here, I was able to see it at a glance and even though I couldn’t see the living conditions of the people over there, it was obvious. The gap between the rich and poor was larger than I thought.
“The city itself has been implementing welfare policies, but the effects weren't really that good…” Lee Sang-Hee said.
“I see.”
‘I’m sure everyone is just keeping quiet about it.’
Right now, it was none of my business.
When we left the entrance and passed the square, I saw a large building. When Lee Sang-Hee saw Park Deok-Gu’s large eyes, she quietly smiled and spoke. “Welcome to the Blue Guild.”
“Ohhhh!”
It was bigger than I thought. I saw a tall building and just from looking at the outside, it didn’t seem like a guild that was in decline. Actually, I thought that maybe they focused on the exterior of the building more because they were in decline.
I guess seeing our reaction was funny because Lee Sang-Hee lightly smiled again before she continued to talk. “I’ll guide you myself.”
“Okay.”
“The first floor is the lobby and the rest area. You can think of it as a place where we usually receive requests from other guilds and not only that, but we’ve also prepared a place where you’ll be able to rest. If you’re having a simple meeting, you can use the bar that’s on the first floor. Since other parties and guild members often gather here, I hope you’ll use this place often,” she said.
“Okay, got it,” I said.
“Ohh…I guess we can drink alcohol here, hyung-nim,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“You can and I’m pretty confident that our pub is a lot better than the ones out there. The guild’s cafeteria is in the basement so you can use it anytime and of course, it’s free,” she said.
“T-That’s nice…” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“Party seven can use the second floor,” Lee Sang-Hee said.
“The second floor?”
“Yes, let’s head up there together.”
It felt like we were looking at a house we just bought.
When the receptionist that was quietly standing on the first floor greeted us, I lightly nodded and when I headed to the second floor, I saw a pretty large space.
“There’s a lot of empty rooms, so feel free to pick one,” she said.
“Okay.”
I expected it after seeing the size of the first floor, but the second floor that we were using was also very big. The halls were wide and there were a lot of rooms. Since the number of members in our party was small, the space looked a bit bigger.
The inside of the room wasn’t that bad either. The bed was big for one person to use, there was a desk and a chair and a basic bookshelf, making the room look empty, but when I recalled the fact that we were all going to use it, I started to feel better.
“Oppa…” Jung Ha-Yan called out.
She lightly pulled my sleeve and leaned her body against mine as if she was telling me that she wanted something, but I didn’t even think about sharing a room with her. But pretending not to notice was a lot of work too.
“Hey, since there’s a lot of rooms…I think we can just use three, Miss sub guild master,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“...”
“Bro and I will get separate rooms. Noonim and hyung-nim can share a room…” he said.
‘This pig…’
“Oh…it’s fine if you want to do that, but…” Lee Sang-Hee said.
“Ahem…more than that, I think the room right next door will be better,” I said.
“Okay, whatever makes you feel comfortable,” she said.
It was a strange war of nerves.
There was a moment of disappointment on their faces, but I didn’t think that they honestly meant what they said. In the end, Jung Ha-Yan took the room that was next to mine. Both Kim Hyun-Sung and Park Deok-Gu decided to use the rooms across from ours. I was a bit worried because Jung Ha-Yan’s room was right next to mine, but she must be happy because she kept a bright smile on her face. I was sure that it would be better than before when she discreetly lay down next to me back then after everyone fell asleep, but I thought about the possibility of her creating a hole in the wall as well.
“The practice room and the training ground are behind the building. You won’t have your own practice room, but we prepared a joint training ground for party seven. If you want to use the practice room by yourself, you can use it after registering beforehand in the lobby,” Lee Sang-Hee explained.
“Oh…I see,” I said.
“And Mr. Ki-Young…”
“Yes?”
“I’ve prepared a separate room for you,” she said.
“A separate room?” I asked.
“Please follow me.”
“Okay.”
As I followed her, I noticed that she was in a good mood. Park Deok-Gu, Jung Ha-Yan, and Kim Hyun-Sung must have been curious because they were following us.
When we entered the room that was located at the very end of the second-floor hallway, I unknowingly opened my mouth. This was the first time that I had such a reaction after arriving in Lindel.
“You can work here from now on,” she said.
“Woah…”
“Wow…”
There were books stacked on one side, but what caught my attention the most was the alchemy equipment that filled the room. Not only were there modern tools like beakers and flasks, but the basic alchemy tools that I knew of were all here. On one of the side room, there were catalysts and a variety of ingredients. The alchemy jar that had a magic seal installed also caught my attention. The majority of the goods that Cha Hee-Ra gifted were organized here and the Ancient Republic’s Potion Making Alchemy Kit was also placed on one side.
Simply put, this place was…
“The alchemy workshop that you’ll be using,” Lee Sang-He said.
“Oh.”
“I honestly wanted to make the room bigger, but this was my first time preparing a room like this for a non-combatant job…” she said.
“It’s fine…this is enough,” I told her.
“I heard that impurities shouldn’t be mixed in during an experiment, so I installed artifacts all over the room that contain sterilization magic. It’s at the end of the room and another artifact was installed to make the ventilation easier, so I’m sure it’ll be comfortable for you to use. Unknown accidents may occur, so shield magic has also been installed,” she explained.
“Thank you,” I said.
Honestly, it felt strange because even when I was on Earth, I never had my own space.
“It feels like a laboratory that scientists use. Wow…” Park Deok-Gu commented.
“It’s really nice, oppa,” Jung Ha-Yan said.
To be frank, the gifts that I received from Cha Hee-Ra were more valuable than all the equipment that were in here combined, but I didn’t feel like I was being treated poorly. It was to the point that I wanted to see how many of the alchemists that arrived into this world started off with this good of a treatment.
There were epic-ranked books and an alchemy kit, a decent workshop that the guild itself provided, and the many ingredients and catalysts that were provided by the owner of a large guild. If I didn’t show any results despite receiving this much support, I wouldn’t have anything to say even if they called me an idiot. After all, I was given an environment where I could do whatever I wanted.
From the beginning, alchemists were known to be inefficient because not only did they use a lot of gold, but compared to magic, the results weren’t that great. Before obtaining a skill, the amount of investment was the problem, but that didn’t apply to me. In this kind of condition, I could make whatever I wanted.
“Hyung-nim! How about we go and eat…”
“No, you eat first Deok-Gu,” I said, cutting him off.
“Huh?”
“There are a few things that I want to test out, so go eat with Ha-Yan first,” I said.
Park Deok-Gu looked kind of disappointed and Lee Sang-Hee was looking at me like a son that was studying hard. Of course, a mother would be happy to see her son being so enthusiastic about studying. She basically provided me with workbooks and my very own study room. As the son, it was my obligation to do my best.
Honestly, it wouldn’t really matter if I rested for a day, but there were so many things that I wanted to test out right now. After obtaining the alchemist job, I finally got the opportunity to test out the things that were in my head.
“Ugh…”
“I was thinking about having a simple dinner with everyone, but I guess I’ll have to push it back and since the other parties are outside, I think that would be better. If there’s anything you need, you can go to the lobby on the first floor. Well then, I’ll be heading out. The other facilities within the guild that I haven’t explained today will be explained at a later time,” she said.
The way she smiled so brightly was cute.
“Ugh, I think I need to go train as well. After we organize our stuff…what are you going to do noonim?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“I-I also have…some studying to do…” she answered.
“And you dude?”
“I think I should look around the city,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered.
“Huh?”
“I’m curious as to what’s around here. I’m also going to visit the temple as well as the slums,” he explained.
‘This bastard…’
I was worried that he would do some charity work when he reached the slums and since it was him, it was definitely possible. But when I recalled his actions last time, I confirmed that he wasn’t a complete idiot, so I decided to trust him this time.
“Also…”
“Yes?”
“I noticed a lot of people gathered when we were at the square earlier,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“Well, it seems like a majority of them were looking for people to join their party…” Park Deok-Gu said.
“Ah.”
“Well, I’ll go see if there’s anyone that’s willing to join our party,” he said.
That was when I realized what he was thinking all this time.
‘They’re here.’
The slums or the temple. I wasn’t sure which one it was, but the five members that our regressor had been keeping an eye on were within this city.
1. Disclaimer: All characters’ attitudes or opinions are purely for plot purpose and does not reflect the opinions of the author, translator, or publishers. ☜
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