Hello, ITalkToSky here.
I hope you enjoy this take on the reason for Touhou casts to interfere with Adventurers' business. You guys might be able to guest what I plan for this organization to grow into later in the fiction.
Also, sorry for dropping exposition on you this chapter. If you are expecting a chapter of Touhou cast showing someone up, you will be waiting for a bit. I adopt the tone of the story I write. Log Horizon is a story more about political intrigue, so shooting bits come later.
00000
Scarlet Devil Mansion
A pair of prismatic eyes scanned through the members seated at the long table. Unlike what the size of their gathering suggested, everyone was unnaturally quiet. Even the usually cheerful and chatty girl like Nitori clammed up. Not that Lunaire could blame any of them as he found it difficult to form a word as well.
Ever since coming to this strange world, this was one of the rare times when their whole team congregated together. Apart from the Kappa under Nitori's leadership, the fairy maids and Flandre, everyone showed up. Rather than a festive atmosphere however, the tension blanketed their gathering. Not the sort in hostile meeting but the one that belied the importance of the topic.
After arrival, everyone quickly picked up a task and rushed headlong to it. Though the efficiency was not particularly flattering from the lack of coordination, the goal was simply to acclimate themselves to the new environment. They thought they were prepared for anything bizarre Yukari had planned for them, but this world took the cake. They needed time and something to preoccupied themselves as they reoriented with the new paradigm.
A little over a week passed and that period had ended. Whether everyone was ready or not, they needed to discuss their first step and get to work.
On the bright side, they managed to collect ample information on their surroundings, which should suffice for their discussion. The coherency left much to be desired though. Everyone had their own interest and reported mostly about the topics that caught their attention. It took Patchouli a good part of the day to sort all the reports into a more digestible format.
Digestible did not equal less bizarreness. The least of it were a boatload of minerals, herbs and animals none had ever heard of before. Scratch that, this whole world was weird beyond compare and that was something when said by Gensokyo's denizens, beings existing outside common sense.
One of such abnormalities was the fact that people did not die when they were killed, to name a few. A certain hero of justice wannabe would weep.
Functional immortality sounded fantastic on paper, but a transient creature like human was hardly prepared to accept the full consequences. In fact, an argument could be made that no one could ever be ready. The concept of mortality was inbuilt into their consciousness. Even the most venerable Youkai understood that their power may fail them at one point, leading to an end by old age or their foes.
It was one thing for someone with a clear goal to achieve. For people gathered at this table, death would be most inconvenient in fulfilling their plan. At the current point, their purpose staved off the contemplation about their immortality. Yet, it was not the same for the other adventurers.
Inability to die rendered death meaningless and thus the significance of taking a life. If killing would not result with permanent consequences, the cost of committing murder would be lowered in term of morality. The most obvious manifestation of this change was the rise of PK-ers, adopting the common terminology, in the past week.
Whether for money or to stave of boredom, some adventurers started banding together to attack their brethren. Most resulted in the victims' party being completely wiped out as there was truly no reason to let them live. They would just come back at the Cathedral anyway, so there was no need to skip out on the fun.
On this side, their members had never run into these renegades themselves. Out in the field, they ensured no one saw them fighting, because of their unique magic. Even out of combat, they mostly kept to themselves and rarely spotted by other players. Yet, there was always that small chance.
These PK-ers should be quite leveled, thus posed a significant threat on such off chance. The loss of XP and items did not amount to much in their eyes. But, dying was still something they were not willing to experience. Just as a person trained with gun would never comfortably point one at his own face, loaded or not. In the end, they still did not know whether they would return from death as their circumstance was quite special.
PK-ers threated their growth in power, wealth and safety. They had to be eliminated permanently. Unfortunately, the most straightforward solution was unavailable. Not only were they no match for most PK-ers in level, the inability to die also reared its ugly head. Since brute force was not an option, they needed to address the issue in a more wholistic manner.
More depressingly, even larger threat loomed over their effort in the form of larger guilds. They made their stance clear that they were looking out for themselves. Monopolizing field resources and beginning to absorb more members by hook or by crook, they cared little for those not in their fold. One could even argue that larger guilds were more damaging than PK-ers as their reaches were farther reaching. Bandits may block away a zone from them, but guilds could easily bar out multiple.
This threat required indirect method as well, but unlike with the PK-ers, they could not afford to be overly antagonistic or forceful. As much as the vampire wished to wash away D.D.D.'s insult for kicking out her employees, she had to admit this point. Like it or not, the large guilds were here to stay and making mortal enemies of them would only result in thousands unkillable adventurers turning on them.
"Clearly, PK-ers had to go first. Although they don't hurt us as much, they are easier picking compared to major guilds." Remilia said, slightly upset after realizing that sorting D.D.D. out would take phenomenal effort. She had her childish impatience, but it was not beyond her to play the long game.
"No, I believe we should focus the effort on the guilds. We can easily avoid the PK-ers as they mostly wait in ambush." Reisen countered flatly. "In fact, it might be better to leave them around to hound the guilds."
Remilia glanced at the rabbit. Her eyes widened slightly at the uncharacteristically ruthless method before narrowing happily. Any hit against the D.D.D., no matter how small, was a plus in her book.
Major guilds occupied zones to extract riches. In the process of doing so, they became a prime target for the PK-ers. Attacking their operation not only become more fun, but also profitable. This in turn would force the guild to divert more manpower to guard their weaker harvesters, limiting the scope of their action in the area. At the same time, the bad blood caused by all the raiding may push major guilds to eradicate PK-ers on their own.
"Too optimistic," Patchouli shook her head slightly.
This was in the most optimistic scenarios that the PK-ers had enough gut and stupid enough to antagonize the guilds. Unlike on Earth, the victim would come back to life and easily point their guild to the culprit. It was very likely that PK-ers would only scurry away to prey on the weak.
Yet, Patchouli did not entirely disapprove of this idea. Whether PK-ers targeted the major guilds or not, Scarlet Devil Mansion got nothing to lose. They might need to be more careful traversing the land, but like they were not already doing that.
"But wouldn't that trouble the others?" Kosuzu remarked softly. "Also, if being in larger guild ended up protecting them from bandits, won't people flock to join their ranks?"
Reisen countered, "but people are already doing that. Adding a few more should not be too much of a problem. Leave the PK-ers alone and see the result. If it becomes like you said, then PK-ers will most likely die out eventually from the lack of prey."
Remilia nodded in satisfaction. Without lifting a finger and wasting their effort, the situation would unfold in their favor regardless. In the meantime, their time and capital could be redirected into strengthening themselves. Severely under-leveled with no reliable income, they already had a work cut out for them and more.
"So, wait and see for PK-ers and the guilds?" Lunaire asked.
"…"
"Yes, for now," Marisa huffed.
"Excellent," Lunaire clapped his hand. "Now, let's move on to the last issue…Hamelin."
"Ah yes, that…Although unsavory in their method, I don't see their interest conflicting with us. At least for now…" Remilia noted offhandedly.
Kosuzu frowned softly but no word left her mouth. Others expressed different degree of discomfort. Out of all, both Marisa and Alice had the strongest response, promptly narrowed their eyes. Hearing an act they found so abhorrent dismissed as non-issue, they fully intended to speak out, but Lunaire cut in.
"Although they do not pose a direct threat yet, they will eventually and by that time, they may be too entrenched to uproot." Lunaire explained as calmly as he could. "The Hamelin is like a seed for the criminal underworld. Before, they sweet-talked people to join their guild, but now they can openly coerce people. If they are willing to push the boundary this early in the game, I fear the extent they will go in the future.
"We need to secure our growth first, then worry about the others," Patchouli chided. "Hamelin may become a legitimate threat later, but it will not matter if we waste our resources to tackle an issue so little."
"…Lunaire, I know this might be personal to you…" Remilia had an inkling, so she went with it. From the way Lunaire almost audibly hissed, she was on the money. "But we can't right every wrong and help everyone who tug at your heartstring."
At her words, Lunaire averted his eyes briefly. He tapped the table softly and breathe deeply, clarifying his thought. Softly clearing his throat and hoping that his tone did not sound too strained, he stood up from his seat and planted his hands firmly on the table.
"I will admit. Those of you who know my history will believe that I am being biased. You are right, but please at least hear me out." Lunaire took a final sip of his tea before continuing. His palm grew sweaty, but this is probably the only chance to get everyone to address Hamelin with more urgency.
"We have arrived in a city unlike any other. There are a lot of people living here, but not a single established system to maintain order. Everyone had to rely on their own moral compass to make decisions. As we all should know, whether human or youkai, all creatures who walk the Earth are ever prone to temptation. Hamelin is an example of this. It has not even been two week and we now practically have slavery in the city. Without the laws, look at how quickly situation can devolve. And this is not the worst to come."
Lunaire scanned his eyes through the rest. Remilia frowned in thought but seemed unconvinced. Patchouli maintained her neutral expression, but her eyes bored at him. Since these two originated from the outside world, they at least knew in some measure the ugly side of the world and that righting every wrong was a lost cause.
Sometimes, it was not worth the effort making themselves suffer to ease the pain of others. Remilia, Patchouli and even Lunaire were under no impression that they were good people, but they were not unreasonably cruel either. They had their moment of kindness, but only when they could afford to do or when it truly mattered. Since Lunaire understood their stance, he knew it would be more productive to sell the option as the smarter one to take than the right thing to do.
"Hamelin set a dangerous precedent. If such callous mistreatment of an individual for petty reason like wealth is allowed, won't other lesser crime be brushed aside as well. Before long, this city will become a cesspool, embodying all the ugly side of humanity, where even the noble souls had to succumb."
Of course, Lunaire could be wrong. People in the city might have tolerated Hamelin only because they were too busy sorting out their melancholy. They would get over it, finally see the atrocity and then do something about it. Yet, that was too optimistic. The cost of the failure should they let things run their course was too high.
"Now, why do we care about the morality of these adventurers? It is simple. We now have thousands of essentially immortal demigods running around. What can be more horrible than giving them a defunct moral. Not only for the people of the land, but for us and yet to arrive Gensokyo as well."
If adventurers became the monsters, they would face enemies armed with both power and cunningness. Lunaire was confident that none in this party held any illusion that they would come out unscathed from the ordeal or even victorious. More likely, it would devolve into a figurative or even literal eternal war that they might as well forget about their original directive.
"It might be hypocritical of me because this issue is personal. I will freely admit that if they did something else, I might not even bother addressing this issue. Yet, I believe I still make a valid point that we should stop a mass of demigods from doing whatever they want. We can't right all the injustice in this world, but at least for this one, we will rid ourselves of a very massive problem."
"Please take this under consideration," Lunaire finished and took his seat.
Patchouli leveled him a stare from across the table. "You know that with this argument, you also endorsed action against anything morally objectionable."
Lunaire shook his head. "Certainly, but we can only act on the ones that we deem to be a trouble later. We have limited resources to go around."
"Hmm…well fine," Remilia huffed softly. It would certainly be a pain. Humans had a penchant to screwing each other over even for the pettiest reason. Having to parsed through all the incidents and decide seemed like a lot of work. But like Lunaire said, it was a necessary work to prevent this city from devolving into chaos.
If the situation went down the gutter, they had many good cards to play. The zone entry restriction prevented uninvited guests from their mansion and a sizable surrounding extremely safe. Even if the entire population of Akihabara turned against them, they could simply fly out. Teleportation could even become an option as their mana pool grew. But they preferred playing it close to their chest, hoping it never came to that.
"I believe we are all convince that something must be done against Hamelin," Reisen scanned through every occupant. Some nodded. The others remained silent but offered no objection. "The question is how. Lunaire, you already suggested our victory condition. This city had no rules and needed one. So, how do we do it? On what authority can we dictate to these immortals what can and cannot be done."
"From here to the point where we can influence the whole city, it sounds so…daunting." Kosuzu muttered softly.
"To answer your question, Reisen. I don't see a clear path to the endgame yet. But…I think I have a good idea where to start…Maybe." Reisen felt an urge to facepalm. She wished Lunaire left his last word out as it really undermined their confidence.
Next Day, Maihama Firm's Akihabara Branch
"…Hmm," Albert grumbled.
Lunaire nonchalantly sipped the tasteless tea even when the merchant seemed less than impressed with the assortment of dresses before him. Albert looked at him time and time again, seemingly mustering his courage. Only when magician half-emptied did he hear the man spoke.
"Ah, well…how should I put this?" Albert rubbed his hands together uncomfortably.
"Not what you expected? Disappointed?"
"I…" Albert almost said yes. He was tempted, but his instinct as a first-class merchant held his tongue. He tried for a more diplomatic answer, but his mind failed him.
Lunaire watched the merchant squirm in brief amusement, but he must admit there was nothing appealing about seeing an old man in a hot seat. The magician rolled his eyes, "you don't have to so nervous. These are made by her apprentices."
The dresses Lunaire brought to Albert were of superior quality, yet far inferior to the national treasure that auctioned for over 8 million gold coins. Let alone making that much, auctioning these could not even come close to quarter the value.
If the mysterious seamstress really produced these, then the last one must have been a fluke, Albert thought. Hearing that explanation, the old man quickly relaxed. If these were made by her apprentice, then he had to give credit to the seamstress. Her students already surpassed an average level of craftmanship by a good margin.
Seeing Albert nodding to himself, Lunaire's expression betrayed no sign of guilt. He lied. Alice did make these dresses, but she did not personally touch even a single strand of thread. Instead, she made these batch with her dolls as practice and felt wasteful to simply throw them out.
Normally, Alice and her legion of puppets could sew three to four dress concurrently without the slightest drop in quality. Their physical strength and mana pool were not the only aspects that diminished after the transference.
Some of their skills regressed. It was hardly noticeable at first but became more apparent as they rebuilt their reserve. Meiling complained about her body and Qi not moving smoothly. Remilia had some problems utilizing her vampiric abilities. Sakuya lost her cooking skills and work efficiency.
Alice was not spared. Her puppeteering skills had declined quite significantly from her prime. The dolls acted normally when she controlled a handful at a time. When the number increased however, they fell behind her command.
From this, it could easily be attributed to their subclass. Just like their mana pool, their characteristic skills were regressed, which was disturbing to say the least. One had to wonder what could possibly be so powerful to alter their minds in such fundamental ways.
Fortunately, raising their subclass level was trivial in comparison to the time it took to hone their original abilities. Alice spent decades to get where she was. Not having to spend another was a godsend. Also, it was not as if their skills vanished completely. They still remembered all the how part, only lacking in proficiency. They only needed practice and these dresses were merely by-product.
"Is that so?" Albert said absentmindedly, quickly committing the tidbit about the apprentices to mind. Hopefully, she might be willing to accept more under her wings. He dismissed the thought as fast as it came. If only things could not be so easy.
"Forty thousand a piece, not a bad deal, don't you think?"
Albert flashed him a look of curiosity. Lunaire flashed him a knowing look, causing the old man's lips to curl up into a cunning smile. Without any further word, they read through each other's intention.
Lunaire did not know exactly about the market condition, but he figured that these dresses should worth a bit more than forty. Fifty thousand sounded more on the mark. He undersold them, intentionally. That fact was not lost on Albert.
"Thank you for this gift."
"Make no mention of it," Lunaire waved dismissively. "It is the least I can do since I cheated you quite a bit last time."
The two broke into an uproarious laughter, surprising the clerks working outside. Albert seemed genuinely amused before his merchant side kicked in.
Albert met a lot of people. From the no-name artisans to the snobbiest aristocrats, he had seen them enough to recognize the feel of someone of significance. Lunaire, although trying to play himself as a mere courtier, betrayed signs of authority. A person like that would never come just to deliver gift and court favors. Albert realized that there must be something that came with the generous gift.
"You got it quick. I am impressed." Contrasting to his words, Lunaire did not sound surprised in the least. "Though before that, I want to get this out of the way first."
Manipulating the interface, an inconspicuous jar materialized on Lunaire' hand before flying toward Albert. The merchant caught it brusquely before inspecting the content. Albert frowned slightly as he inspected the gel inside the jar. It did not look special, that was for certain.
The name "Diluted Moisturizing Medicinal Salve" was shown on the inspection interface, courtesy of his merchant class. He wondered why they needed moisturizing effect in a medicine. As he continued to the effect description however, he froze solid.
"Worth the twelve percent?" Lunaire snickered, mentioning his promise to bring some more extraordinary products in exchange for bigger cut from the previous auction. "With this, all the noblewomen will flock to your firm…"
"How much can you produce? The cost?"
Lunaire blinked confusedly. That surprise quickly turned into a frown when he saw the slight manic glint in Albert's eyes. Even if the cosmetic could make good money, it did not warrant such strange reaction.
"We can make it at around 350 golds per jar. Of course, we will be selling it at much higher price anyway. Cosmetic like this can demand premium price because lower supply, higher demand and the likes."
Lunaire inflated the production cost slightly as the value hovered at measly two hundred golds.
"As for the production rate, we can produce about one hundred every week. Of course, upscaling is possible in case the overwhelming demand drives up the price too high."
Lunaire intended this not only as a stable income stream for the organization but also their source of exposure. They needed to establish a reputation among the Landers. Driving the price up too high and limiting exposure to a handful at the very top defeated the purpose. At the very least, he wanted everyone from baroness to the duchess herself to be talking about this product.
As Lunaire mulled on his thoughts, he was unprepared when Albert's head dipped low. In a posture uncharacteristic of the large man, he bowed deeply. The angle concealed his expression, but Lunaire sensed an air of solemnness from the man.
"Please…"
Lunaire stared and maintained his poker face, wary of the direction Albert was coming from.
"Please…whatever you can produce…we will take them all." His voice trembled as if every word pained him greatly. His tone sounded imploring rather than ecstatic at the potential profit, almost begging Lunaire. If Albert was not seated, the magician half expected him to kneel on the spot.
Albert's desperation hardly matched the conversation about cosmetic. Lunaire tested his intention. "Producing too much will flood the market and crash the price of luxury goods."
"No, the cosmetic effect can go and sod off elsewhere. This," Albert raised the jar and continued with fervor never seen from him. "…is probably the most efficient HP recovery item…ever! Nothing and I mean nothing! Nothing comes even close to healing that much HP for this price. Not only that, you can share one jar with an entire squad of knights."
Lunaire's eyes narrowed. He already expected the issue. With theoretical healing of 20 HP per second and up to 8000 HP per jar, the salve would prove invaluable in combat. As the need for safety far outweigh petty things like cosmetic, the concentrated salve would end up as military goods if sold to Landers. Increasing the military power of Eastal, a country whose attitude was unknown, sounded as bad an idea as one expected.
For this very reason, Lunaire asked Marisa to dilute the salve by half. Lower potency would lessen its military potential, while giving them more volume to sell. Albert's reaction told the magician that this method was not enough.
"When the monsters attack, do you know what we Landers do when you adventurers aren't around?"
"…"
"Knight order? No, the knight orders can hardly be everywhere at once. Even if they appear, their commanders like to play it safe because of how much each knights cost to train up again. Those who do the real heavy lifting are the town militias. Unlike you adventurers, when poorly trained and equipped villagers go up against monsters, the result is pretty much what you can expect."
Albert glanced up to Lunaire but was met with only impassive stare. He usually appreciated such show from others as it showed the quality and professionalism as a merchant. Such individual would be difficult to outfox and also make better business decision. In this situation however, Albert could not suppress the sinking feeling in his stomach even as he continued to speak.
"My father…He died protecting Fourbridge…and my brother as well." Albert chuckled bitterly. "In the end, the half the town burned anyway. If we have this thing, we don't even need healers. My father and brothers would not have died. Hell, my hometown will probably be in a much better shape now."
At this point, Lunaire felt the urge to roll his eyes, but restrained himself. Albert seemed sincere with his tale, but he was wrong to assume this sob story would move the magician.
Lunaire felt genuinely sympathetic. He really did. Even his nature as a youkai could not take that part away that part of humanity from him. Lunaire did not know the warmth of caring parent, but he could understand the sorrow of losing someone dear. He also knew the utter, all-consuming rage against the one who took them away. For this reason, Lunaire sympathized with Albert, but he had clear priority.
The safety of his friends against the faceless mass, Lunaire chose the first in a heartbeat. Monsters were incorrigibly hostile against human, so such danger was a part of the reality in this world. He possessed the mean to save them, yet he would not do so if it would arm their future possible enemy.
At this thought, Lunaire felt ironic for someone who proclaimed to correct the moral of Adventurers to be so selfish.
This was hardly a choice to make lightly, but Lunaire acknowledged the consequences of his action. Even after an argument with Marisa, he stood by his choice and got her to relent on releasing the potions freely until they confirmed Eastal's intention. As if only human's intention was so easy to comprehend…
"I don't doubt your sincerity." The sheer joy and relief in Albert's eyes forced Lunaire to avert his eyes. "But, no, I cannot agree to that."
"What? Why?" Albert's voice trembled. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. His shock slowly gave way to frustration, then outrage. Still, no word left his mouth and Albert only glared at Lunaire.
Lunaire answered the merchant in kind, challenging if he could overturn the decision. In the end, Albert flinched and looked away, prompting a snort from the magician. "Answer me Albertine Gilford, is there a military application to this medicine?"
"That's…" Albert wanted to object the insinuation but could not. That was the basic of being a trader. A merchant did not dictate where his merchandize went, just like a blacksmith could not prevent his weapon from ending up in the hands of bandits and highwaymen. Then, something dawned on Albert's mind, a terrible implication.
Adventurers did not view themselves as part of Eastal or even the Landers in general.
Lunaire's concern based on the premise that he did not want to give combat advantage to the Landers. This implied that he viewed Landers as a separate group that could threaten his own. Then what was Lunaire's group? Landers growing stronger would not be a problem for any specific guild, but it was a different story if they were talking about Adventurers as a whole.
To Albert, Lunaire's message implied the possibility that the Adventurers were now on guard against Landers. Rather than their trusted employers, they now viewed Landers the same way one nation might look at another.
"A nation can be quite…reckless when it feels that it has advantage over others."
Albert's hands were inches away from slamming onto the table. "How can you think of that? Do you think we will turn on you?"
"Ha ha ha," Lunaire laughed loudly, but so coldly it cut to the bone. "Of course not, you would not be that stupid, would you?"
"…"
"No matter what gadgets were on your side, could you truly defeat an enemy who can't truly die?" Contrary to his word, Lunaire still believed that Eastal could pose a threat. He only said so to misdirect.
When a nation decided to pick a fight, they would gauge their strength against the opponent. Eastal had the absolute advantage in term of economic might as someone from that side clearly had no qualm on squandering 8 million gold on a dress. The potion would add to their arsenal, military wise. Even then, Lunaire felt the Landers would not be a threat on their own.
The story quickly changed however if other Adventurers were brought into the equation. From what Lunaire heard, there were five Adventurer City in Japan. If one were to join up with Eastal against Akihabara, it could pose quite the headache. There were many ifs and buts. Yet, Lunaire erred on the side of caution.
"In fact, I believe I am doing you a service." Lunaire tilted his head up and continued with his little game while ignoring the twisted look from Albert. "I am not really worried that you will use salve against us. You will all die in a mound if that is the case…On the other hand, I am a little worried that your nobility might get ahead of themselves and start a new military campaign against your neighbors. It will be so ironic, won't it, for something sold to save lives to be capable of inspiring unnecessary bloodshed?"
"But you don't know that!"
Lunaire snorted loudly and mocked, "indeed, but what am I supposed to do? Take your word for it? That your nobility possesses such integrity?"
"Ku…" Albert grunted. His hostility faded somewhat. The last reason sat better with him, so he lapped it up quickly.
"No matter what you say, the decision was made. We will provide you with 200 jars at 500 gold coins each. You can sell them at whatever price you want, but we will take 60% of the profit. It is your choice whether you agree to it or not."
This would set the price floor at 500 coins, already a generous sum considering the low production cost. Of course, Maihama Firm would end up selling these far higher due to the limited number. Scarlet Devil Mansion only needed to wait for the profit to roll in.
"…Fine," Albert said through his gritted teeth. His composure as a merchant started to return, but not entirely. The realization about the Adventurers' attitude rocked him to the core.
"Excellent, I will have the goods ready by the beginning of next month. And before I forget, this," Lunaire handed over a bundle of paper. "Give me a quote for all these items in three days. I hope you will give me a fair price."
Albert stared blankly at the paper briefly. It was one thing after the other. His brain finally had enough and needed a few second rest. He recovered soon enough from the sudden change of topic and he parsed the list. It made him frowned. The merchant scratched his chin in a mix of frustration and apprehension.
With his job done, Lunaire left, asking not to be seen out.
As Lunaire walked down the reception hall of the Akihabara branch office, he felt numerous stares from all sides. Most customers only spared a glance at him. After a few weeks, most Landers started to get accustomed to adventurers' antics after their transference, so they did not stare too uncomfortably long. However, there were some that persist, scrutinizing his every action. These appeared to be mainly from employees of the firm.
Speaking of employees, Lunaire felt that their numbers seemed to increase significantly from the last time he came in. They also grew more inquisitive as of late. One more thing to investigate later, he thought.
Guild Hall
Reisen found it highly ironic. Black Sword Knight, a guild found to be exceptionally suited for their plan, was a major customer of Hamelin. Hopefully, it would be way down the line when the Knights found they were being used to ultimately stop the source of their prized EXP pots.
"Our guild master agreed to meet with you. Please come in"
"Thank you, Rezarick-san." Reisen bowed slightly to the nodding Rezarick. She could not thank the man enough as he made her work much easier.
Reisen made good plan for the negotiation with Black Sword Knight, but initiating the talk was the hard part. She usually saw their members walking around the city, but they were usually more interested in hitting on her or mocking her low level. There was no way she could escalate her request through them. After a couple vain attempts, she had enough.
Reisen searched for their door in the guild hall and waited, discretely of course. She bet that she could catch an important member going in or out at least once a day. By some sheer luck, she fished up Rezarick, their quartermaster, walking out on her first try, leading to the current situation.
As Reisen strode through the spartan guild hall, Rezarick suddenly matched his pace with hers and kept close.
"Oh, Rezarick, who do we have here? A new member and a girl at that?"
"And quite a looker as well."
"Where?"
"Oh, damn, is she taken?"
Rezarick squeezed his temple and turned away. "I apologize for my guild members. We don't have a lot of girls in the guild, so they can get a bit…overexcited."
Reisen merely nodded but show no outward sign of being put off. She maintained her strict business-like expression even as the rough men jeered. In the safe confine of her mind however, she sighed in disapproval. Whether it was the lack of female that made them annoying or their disagreeable nature driving girls away, she wondered which was the case.
Glancing at her stoic façade, Rezarick felt a slight touch of respect. In term of level, she was through and through a newbie. Yet, she barely batted an eyelid being surrounded by late-game players, who could easily blow her away with a swipe of their hands. Such discipline and professionalism gave impression of a rather successful career woman in real life.
"Oh, Rezarick, why didn't you tell me that a cute girl wants to meet me? I would have agreed in a heartbeat!"
Reisen heard a gruff voice the moment Rezarick pushed open the door, revealing a man behind the desk. Granted that most of his heft mostly came from his impractically spiky armor, the guild master still tripled her in size. Being eyed up and down by a giant who dwarfed her in strength made her slightly nervous. Yet, she appreciated that she felt no lecherous intention behind his scrutiny.
"This is Isaac, our guild master."
"Reisen Undongein Inaba, a member from Scarlet…"
"Rezarick briefed me about it, so you don't have to repeat it." Isaac cut her off curtly, almost making adjutant facepalm from the obvious faux pas. He did not sound dismissive in mean spirit but merely wanting to get to the meat of the talk.
Isaac always harbored a slight interest in Scarlet Devil Mansion. He never remembered the name of most guild. Other than D.D.D., Silver Sword and other selected few, they all sounded insignificant to him. However, the fact that even the meticulous Rezarick did not recognize them either piqued his interest as he was usually the one up to date with all the fiddly bits.
For a guild wealthy enough to purchase such large and opulent guild base, they somehow managed to escape the radar of pretty much everyone until the expansion pack dropped. Isaac felt a degree of excitement to hear what they had to say.
"So, what is this deal you are proposing?" Isaac paused briefly before his eyes narrowed. "And why are they sending out newbie to negotiate with me?"
"Everyone in the guild works together in real life, so we know and trust each other greatly. I am the final one they managed to rope in, hence my lower level. For this negotiation, the guild master gives me free reign to deal as I see fit. Within reasons, of course."
"Oh, fair enough then." It was an etiquette in MMORPGs not to pry to deeply into their real-life business. Even the boorish Isaac knew this and promptly backed off. "So, what do you want?"
Reisen psyched herself up inside. She passed the first hurdle and here came the next. "We wish to gain access to some of the field zone, around level 20-30, that Black Sword Knight has secured."
"That's an odd request," Rezarick commented. "What do you need them for."
Most high-level guild had no need to hold such low-level hunting ground. They could neither get experience point nor good loot from those zones. In truth, even Rezarick found no reason for his guild to be holding them either. It was not as if they needed the hunting ground to lure in players to join their guild. It only boiled down to Isaac not wanting D.D.D. to have anything he did not.
Rezarick assumed Scarlet Devil Mansion to be a rather high-level elite guild with vast asset. By the same logic, they should not have any use for these field zones.
"We found one ingredient in these zone that, when processed, can be very useful to late-game player." Reisen determined quickly that from Isaac's apparent personality, there was no way that he would let her through without getting some answers.
"Then you can tell us which ingredient it is. We can easily gather some for your guild."
"The members of an elite guild like yours probably won't appreciate the menial task too much, I presume."
Isaac cocked his eyebrows. "Yet, your guild members will?"
"Most certainly not, but this is not a problem that money can't solve. We are willing to employ new players to collect these materials in our stead."
It checked out, Rezarick thought. He felt comfortable taking her words at face value. However, this told him nothing about their deeper motivation. Profit was a given. However, he believed that there was something more to including the newbies, other than to avoid busy work.
"Are you trying to draw in newbies recruits?" Rezarick presented his most probably conjecture.
"The main goal is of course profit. Producing very useful items from cheap ingredients should net us handsome profit. Endearing our guild to newbies is simply a side benefit. It is just how the situation ended up."
"I understand what you want, but…what is in it for my guild," Isaac asked. A hint of deep interest crept into his tone. He hoped that the other party had better things to offer than petty gold. He had enough of that already.
Instead of a straight answer, Reisen quickly retrieved a jar from her inventory and set them gently on the table. Isaac peered curiously at the item, before inspecting it casually. He shook the jar and watched the gel inside jiggled with a smile, something Reisen found oddly childish of him.
When the guild master opened the description tooltip, his eyes widened comically. Isaac slowly turned toward her, making a good attempt at robotic impression. Reisen expected such reaction.
The jar in Isaac's hand contained the concentrated form of Marisa's salve, being twice as effective as the sample provided to the Landers. This version was intended as combat grade medicine.
For a combat guild, specialized in raiding dungeon, the salve was what they wanted and more. It was efficient in term of storage space as one item packed up to 8000 HP of healing and could stack in one inventory slot. They could go for longer without resupply.
The salve could also drastically cut downtime when the party had to recuperate after a fight. At the same time, their healer could conserve MP for combat situation. Hell, the heal over time worked if they were not actively taking damage, so they could even use it while chilling in the backline.
"We can provide your guild with priority access to this salve. We will decide the amount your guild want to purchase beforehand. Our guild will meet your demand first and foremost. The rest would then be sold to the general market."
"Unit cost?"
"700 coins each," Reisen replied promptly.
Rezarick was willing to pay double that price for that potion, so its cheapness came as a pleasant surprise. "Please provide us with as many as you can…"
"I believe you forgot one tiny detail on the description." Reisen reigned in her pitying eyes. Only fools would not read the warning label properly. Eirin taught her that fact oh so very well. "This potion expires in about 1 week. We will only provide a reasonable amount that your guild can use. The rest will be sold to the general market and share the boon with other guilds as well."
Reisen remembered to mention the other guilds to remind them that there were other choices should the agreement fell through. This way, she could also be confident that the Black Sword Knight would not hold the Holfry branch supply hostage in any disagreement down the line.
"Hmm…very well, how about 300 every week?" Rezarick averted his eyes slightly, hopeful that Reisen did not catch him inflating the number a little. "However, if that is too much, 200 will have to do."
"Very well, 300 jars it is then," the rabbit nodded curtly, filling both men with happiness and a little surprise.
Since the two rarely ever saw any of Scarlet Devil Mansion members walking around the street, they just assumed that their guild was small and elite group. Yet, they must boast quite sizable team of craftsmen to be able to muster up 300 jars and then some more. It was a surprise to be sure, but a welcomed one.
After hammering the specifics, like the method to identify the guild's employees and security detail from the Knights' side, they shook hand and went on their merry way.
Reisen's upright posture slumped the moment she left the guild hall and she breathed a massive sigh of relief.
Isaac proved to be more straightforward than she expected from the one leading the boorish and snobbish guild like Black Sword Knights. One could argue he was a simpleton at times, acting like a boy with a new toy gun.
Reisen felt a little sorry for Rezarick. He performed admirably, but his attention was often derailed from his guild master's antics. In the end, she believed she came out on top. She avoided giving any unprepared concession and got everything she wanted out of the deal. But the rabbit felt once again that she highly preferred a simpler lifestyle, not cutthroat business and politics.
Alchemy was a strange art. In theory, even the most untrained hands could carry the processes to completion when provided with detailed recipe, for the most part. Therefore, golem would easily replace any alchemist if not for some steps requiring human touch, like mana injection and spell incantations. Yet, these acts could be simulated by various sources of power and magic inscription.
The concept of automation had been well established in alchemy for the purpose of replicating potions with known recipe. Rather than using finicky constructs like golems, custom-made apparatuses were used to simulate processes like stirring, heat adjustment and spell incantation. A complete setup for mass synthesis was called Alchemical Vessel.
Marisa had known of this, yet never need anything in vast quantity as to require the vessel. Couple with the space the setup took up and the cost to make the parts, she never toyed with idea until now.
When Lunaire said the demand for the salve would be high, he really meant it. Marisa just laughed it off initially, until he smacked her over the head with orders in the a little under a thousand.
There was literally no way she would produce that much by hand. Her largest cauldron could barely fit forty at a time and she neither had the time nor the patience.
Before Marisa stood a strange machine, towering above her height. Made of heavy cast iron, the vessel was created to tolerate harsh abuse from constant operation. In term of bulk, it occupied almost half the standard size room in the dungeon. Its presence alone made the entire room seemed cramped.
Included in the setup were three furnaces burning at different temperature, coolant pipe and large water reservoir. On two corners were hoppers and tanks labeled with the required raw materials. In Marisa's humble opinion, the whole vessel was as ugly as sin.
To Marisa's side, Nitori explained the various mechanical advantage of the pipping system she designed, but the magician tuned her out. Even if the vessel was a monstrosity, Marisa could not help but admire it a little. As long as she could feed its hunger for ingredients, few hundred jars a day would not be an issue.
Still ignoring Nitori, Marisa took a step forward. She approached the vessel slowly at first, so the Kappa remained oblivious of her movement. When Nitori finally noticed, Marisa was already fiddling with the apparatus. The resident engineer grew increasingly fearful by the minute but found no valid reason to pry the magician off her new toy. Hopefully, it would not blow up, Nitori thought.
"We should do a test run."
"Um…should we wait for the others?"
"Come on, ze. We need to make sure that this work first before showing it off."
Before Nitori could object any further, Marisa whipped out ingredients directly from her spacious inventory and charged the device with her mana. The Kappa sighed in resignation. Marisa clearly prepared for this. She would run this machine, no matter what the engineer said. Who could have expected this?
At the very end however, Marisa guided Nitori toward the controls. The Kappa blinked repeatedly, surprised. Her body turned on autopilot and let the magician guide her toward the valves.
"You do the honor, ze!"
"Eh?"
"I mean, you designed the setup, right? The recipe is mine, but you made all the parts. It is only right that you turn this baby on."
Cinderella Castle, Maihama
Saraliya played with her nails as she waited in the salon. After the maid brought her the tea, she sent them away, leaving her to enjoy the chirping birds. She loved silence. Without the incessant appeasers, she could finally hear her own thought. Though at time, it exacerbated her worries.
Johan conducted himself charmingly and calmly. His demeanor shone through in his letter. Yet, the one she received last night worried her to no end. For once, she felt a burning urgency in his writing. His elegant handwriting deteriorated to a step above chicken scratch. She did not know of the issue yet. The matter so important to warrant calling on her and the Duke was not something that could be discussed with a letter, so she waited.
When Johan finally entered, Saraliya's worry deepened. He was presentable, but she saw his tense eyebrows and labored breath. She wondered what could be so important as to whip such a man into a rush to bring her news.
"Where is the Duke?"
"He is occupied at the moment, but I believe I am more than qualified to decide on this urgent matter." Saraliya gestured to the sofa opposite of her. "Tea?"
"No thank you, my lady. If anything, I will need something stronger than tea for this."
Johan unlatched his pouch and presented two markedly different jars. One screamed of opulence. Saraliya marveled that a glassmaker could blow a bottle into such intricate shape. The pale translucent gel shimmered in the light, adding another layer of beauty. On the other end of the spectrum, the other appeared drabbed and ugly in comparison. The jar was shaped like any other potion bottle, containing something she would describe as a lump of grey mud.
Saraliya looked on with mild interest. She did not recognize these potions for a change. Her information network kept tabs of anything produced in Tsukuba, so these raised her eyebrows. This did little to prepare her when Johan told her of their effect.
"You did Eastal a great service, Johan. You have proven times and times again that my trust in you is not misplaced…Did you identify the source? Can we perhaps…"
Johan knew exactly what Saraliya was suggesting. The production method for the potion could not be widespread or else it would be everywhere. If they could somehow monopolize the supply, Eastal and most importantly Corwen clan would benefit greatly. But things could never be that easy.
"My lady, I am afraid it is not that simple." Johan held his hands together. "We do know of the source. It is the one we both know quite well."
Saraliya blinked, "who could that be? Was it someone under our employ in Tsukuba?"
"No, my lady, it is the seamstress."
"The seamstress, that one?" Saraliya concealed her widening mouth with her fan.
"The one and only."
"Then…that will be a problem." Saraliya mulled.
Saraliya never saw the need to extend her tendril to Akihabara. Adventurers were quite dull and seemed incapable of plotting anything. That line of thought came back to bite her in the rear. Let alone controlling the seamstress, identifying her proved to be very difficult in a city full of Adventurers. Any attempt to tail her messenger always ended up in failure.
"It will be a problem, but not in the way you think." Johan pointed to the potion. "I believe these two potions are actually from the same formula, just modified differently. The effect and the source are similar to consider it such."
"It is possible. Though I find it strange that the poorer version is packaged much better. One would think that the more potent version should be sold to a more affluent customer."
"It is the opposite, my lady." Johan shook his head and tapped on the intricate glass bottle. "We got two hundred of these from the seamstress's employee. She wished it to be auctioned for its cosmetic value. I expect each bottle to end up costing in the tens of thousands."
"Such a waste, but it is a sound decision. Young noble ladies can go to great length for their beauty." Saraliya said that with a hint of pride. She never needed a thick layer of cosmetic to remain uncontested as the Pearl of Eastal. "Then what about the other one?"
"This one, my subordinate bought it off one adventurer, who in turn bought it from a guild. I believe it is called the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
"That's gre-" Saraliya chirped, happy that she finally got the first hint about the seamstress but was cut off.
"He bought it for around 3000 gold coins." Normally, Johan would fear for his head if he interrupted Saraliya, the daughter to the Duke himself, but he needed to get this pertinent information out.
"Three, three thousand!" Saraliya's voice rose a pitch.
"It is not that surprising, my lady. The stronger version has a shelf-life of about one week. It is probably not too useful for anyone except Adventurers."
The gleam in Saraliya's eyes died down as quickly as it came. "Is that so? Then we don't have to concern ourselves with that. The seamstress…or I guess an apothecary as well wants to make some money with the Adventurers at the side with the cosmetic deal."
"Perhaps,"
"But Johan, why did you waste my time?" Saraliya leveled a sharpened glare at the man. "All that you have on hand are merely cosmetics and worthless potion. Why is there a need to call on the Duke?"
Under an accusing look, Johan frowned worriedly but not because of fear for Saraliya. "My lady…I brought grave news. I believe this whole situation is caused by design rather than circumstance."
"Meaning?"
"The two potions came from the same source and is most likely derived from the same formula, yet only one version has a time limit, the one that can only be sold to Adventurers."
Saraliya snapped her fan against her palm. "That is but a mere conjecture. It is possible that there is a tradeoff between potency and shelf-life. It is magical potion, so anything can happen."
"That is what I would have thought too, if not for Albertine."
The first thing Albertine did after finishing his dealing was penning a letter to Johan. The realization was too crucial to delay even a second. Eastal needed to know. The letter read more like a transcribed conversation between Albert and the mysterious seamstress's agent.
"Adventurers consider Eastal as a threat, either directly or indirectly. That is the reason they refused to produce more of the weaker potion. It is not too farfetched to say that they tampered with the formula so that their better, mass-produced version is only viable for the Adventurers."
"Calm down, Johan, I understand your point." Saraliya tapped her fan against her hand, hoping to pull Johan to his sense. She gave him a moment, before posing a question to distract him. "Is this attitude prevalent with all Adventurers?"
"Albertine thinks it is not, but a sentiment like that can easily grow. And unfortunately, we are not in the position to stop it."
"Johan, I need you to get to the bottom of this, by any means necessary. Find out everything about the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the seamstress and the potions. Corwen clan will support you fully, whether it is money or manpower you require." Saraliya felt a trickle of sweat on her brows. Her decision to neglect Akihabara bit her harder than she could ever imagined.
Scarlet Devil Mansion Gate, temporary receptionist desk, A week later
"This is outrageous. It is unfair!" A man bellowed and slammed his armored gauntlet on the table. Koakuma looked up crossly after the shaking almost knocked her inkwell aside. Her hands twitched at the thought of him ruining all her paperwork.
Koakuma breathed in and out but could not stop her growing frowns. "There is nothing I can do to help. That's the policy. Your only choice is to wait in the queue for available slot."
"I don't give a rat ass about policy. I have been waiting for three days! Three!" The man jammed his three fingers right in front of the devil.
The urge to just kick him out grew greater every passing moment, but she endured. "And other people may have been waiting for longer."
"Listen here you…" He pointed his thick finger straight at her, almost touching her nose.
"No!" At this point, the devil lost it and stood up. The chair careened behind her with a bang. She leveled her most baleful glare at the man in armor. "You listen here, you insufferable oaf. You are under our guild's employ, so you will follow our rules."
Koakuma hammered ever word of her sentence. Her intensity drove the man a few steps back from the table. She did not care and continued. "The rule cannot be bent, but do you know what I can, in fact, bend? I am the one responsible for manning the table. And do you know what this mean? It means that I am the one processing all the quests here, including ingredients evaluation. I don't have to spell it out for what being on my blacklist means."
This was the reason not to mess with clerks. They knew all the little details and formality that could make the subject of their ire much more miserable. In this case, Koakuma had the right to reject any ingredients considered inadequate. Too small, unhealthy, too dry, smelled off, any excuse went. It was a sanctioned measure to deal with unruly adventurers, so Koakuma had free reign.
The man reddened and stuttered briefly. Perhaps realizing that he lost his ground, he stepped forward and roared, "are you threatening me?"
"No, step back or you will be banned, permanently. Now, I am threatening you." Koakuma answered in a voice that chilled the people down the line to the bone.
"This is a farce!" The man turned around and yelled into the line of people behind him. "Don't you see how they treat us. This is just a scam."
Koakuma chuckled coldly. Manipulating a menu, she quickly whispered a few words. Moments later, the raging man disappeared in a flash of light. For anyone who forgot, they were standing on the property belonging to Remilia Scarlet and only by her grace they remained.
The redhead fixed her hair and drew a deep breath. Then, the bubbly persona returned.
"Now then, Cat, a fruitful harvest I presume?" Koakuma beckoned the next in line as if nothing happened. The vindictive glee she got from booting that fool sedated her wrath quite nicely. "May I see the request paper and ID card please?"
"H-here you go," the peppy girl cowered slightly from the previous display but held out a crystal plate obediently.
Black Sword Knights only allowed around fifty players into their territory. This was quite fair since they dispatched their members to guard the operation from PK-ers. To sweeten the deal, they even allowed those players under Scarlet Devil Mansion's employ to hunt in the area. The employees would be receiving both money and privilege to level up, provided their quests were properly completed.
Since the job came with many upsides, they needed a proper restriction. Every new adventurer that ever applied for the quest was given a crystal plate with their names, images and the affiliated guilds. Every time they received a commission from the mansion, their plate would be stamped with fading ink. Only then could they gain access to the ground held by Black Sword Knights.
"Thank you. So, how much did you find?"
"47 Holfry branches, 30 slimes cores, 12 triffid bulbs, no more, no less."
Koakuma gave the ingredients a quick look. They looked healthy and of adequate size. She nodded and said, "the branches over quota will be bought at a fixed rate. Is that…"
"Alrighty, alrighty!"
The adventurer named DrunKenCat cut the devil off, who smiled wryly. She recovered quickly, Koakuma gave her that.
"I assume you want to continue taking quest tomorrow."
"Umm…s-sure." Cat hesitated and for good reason.
The privilege to hunt was a big deal. All the zones around Akihabara were already occupied by larger guilds, straining the resources and capability of small groups to the limits. This meant that the employees would want to hold on to the job indefinitely, for the chance to farm. There would surely be conflict as shown by the boorish man.
To alleviate this, more quests must be taken the more consecutive days their permits were active. By the third day, most adventurers would spend more time foraging to meet the quota than hunting. This forced the active permit to be cycled around.
As Koakuma logged all the information required and prepared the new requests for the girl, Cat tried striking up a conversation. "Koakuma-san, can you tell me what these piles of construction materials are for?"
"You pretty much said it yourself," Koakuma chuckled.
"Ah, right, but I mean are you trying to renovate the mansion? Even though it already looks like," the girl pointed at the imposing mansion behind the wall, "spanking as is?"
"Not the mansion, but the plaza."
"Wow, the entire plaza! But why though?" Cat still could not see the benefit of renovating the plaza. Beautifying the surrounding should be the last thing on the mind of people trying to survive.
"I guess you will find out," Koakuma handed back the documents and ushered the next in line forward.
"Damn, these things are useful!"
Isaac juggled the small jar playfully, while leaning against a boulder. He sighed happily, thinking about a great deal they struck with the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The salve performed as advertised and then some. Their downtime outside combat was cut down significantly, but Isaac loved its effect in combat even more.
20 HP a second everywhere, anytime, that should be the slogan. It was like everyone in the party had their own personal healer. Recovery magic was only necessary when someone suffered a huge burst damage from multiple hits or boss's attack.
With everyone in great shape and healer MP to spare, they could just keep going until they exhausted their stamina. The only gripe that Isaac and other meatheads had was the short duration of the effect. Sometimes, they forgot to reapply the salve after the effect expired.
Seeing the almost cheat-like utility of the salve, the Black Sword Knight abused them to its full potential. They would be stupid not to. At the current rate, 300 a week might not be enough anymore.
Isaac had to admit that forcing Scarlet Devil Mansion to increase production or partition more for him crossed his mind more than once. However, it felt kind of lame and cheap to renounce his words like that, so he never indulged too deeply in the thought. Those people were probably working their butt off to meet their orders and have some for the others, Isaac thought.
Also, his guildmates had a blast with these. Their recklessness caused him quite the headache as the salve did not make them invincible. They got carried away playing with a broken item as most gamers did. Isaac owed the Scarlets this much at least.
Suddenly, Isaac heard a ping in his ear and a flashing icon.
"Isaac, the Scarlet Devil Mansion asked to expand the quota of people allowed into our turf. They also wish that we open up our deeper zones to their gatherers."
"Oh, are they expanding the production? Give them everything they want!" Isaac snickered gleefully, happy that their supply would not run out any time soon.
A silence followed before Rezarick continued, "it seems that yes, they are expanding. They also offer one hundred more per week as compensation for the security."
"Isn't that perfect?"
Rezarick cut in, "but! I believe that this is more than it seems. People are starting to spread rumors about them."
After people found out that Scarlet Devil Mansion could issue permit to enter the Knights territory, people flocked to them. With the demand overwhelmingly exceeding supply, people got frustrated and took it out by spreading malicious rumors.
"Something about SDM being our lapdog and trying to control the newbies. They are no different than Hamelin, such and such."
"Let the dogs howl. What can they do anyway?" Isaac snorted challengingly. "We let whoever we want into our turf. The Scarlets paid the price for those spots, so they can do as they damn well please."
Rezarick sighed, "fair enough…Until now, nothing too serious happened, but that may change."
"Keep watch. I don't want anyone obstructing the Scarlets. We can't lose our golden goose."
00000
And there you go.
The Scarlets are finally making a move. All these high-profile moves, just how does it relate to their final goal to establish order in Akihabara? I guess you will have to find out. I believe I left quite a good amount of hint.
Other characters from Log Horizon will not be sitting still. Maryelle will be making appearance soon, given that she is mentioned to have done something about the state of the city. Also, Shiroe will be returning soon from his pleasure trip to Suzukino. Ah, so much good interact to write about.
Also, we can't forget the Landers who are feeling quite the heat. I wonder what they will do now that they realize that Adventurers might not be so accommodating.