Dig rubbed his reddened neck and said. Lapis glared at him, still looking unhappy, and he ducked his head and turned away to avoid her eyes. They had moved to a small work shed nearby to talk. The simple shed, despite being dirty with all the dust and mud, was sturdy like dwarvesâ handiwork always were. The chairs and table didnât even creak.
âItâs not a good thing to joke about. At least for meâŚâ
Lapis grumbled. Knowing it wouldnât go anywhere to keep talking about that topic, she asked Dig, who was sitting opposite her:
âWe have to cross the mountain range, no matter what. Is there any map of the Great Tunnel?â
Fueled by the displeasure from the dwarfâs joke earlier, Lapis had become a bit more threatening. As if feeling pressured, Dig nodded continuously while leaning back slightly:
âOf course, there is⌠Do you want to see it?â
Loren could sense a rather bad characteristic of dwarves from Digâs response. Seemed like a lot of dwarves had the artisan temperament and did things based on intuition and mood.
Meanwhile, Lapis took one look at the map and immediately gave up on trying to understand it.
âWhat a mess.â
Gula declared. The map was packed so full with writings and drawings that they couldnât understand what was what or which route to take at all. Dig looked at it closely just to put it down on the table and out of his sight after a while. One by one, the other dwarves picked up the map and discussed something amongst themselves in a whisper, but all gave up and put the map back on the table in the end.
âCould it be that you guys also canât read it?â
Loren pointed at the map and asked. Dig relaxed into his chair and answered cockily:
âOur memory is more accurate.â
Loren face-palmed, this was just hopeless. He realized that this was the reason why the dwarvesâ guiding business could hold up. If the routes were properly managed, people could pass them with a map even without the dwarvesâ guidance. But these tunnels were dug with no planning and no control, and only the dwarves could navigate them.
âWell, please guide us then.â
Lapis leaned towards Dig and said. He replied in a fluster while avoiding her eyes:
âI-I donât want to die. I know your strength very well, little miss, but I donât think you alone can make it.â
From Lapisâ point of view, Loren and Gula were just as strong as her, and there should be no worry with the three of them going together. But to Dig, someone who knew of her true identity, it was unbelievable that the other two could be her equals.
âItâll be a different story if there were more people at least.â
âMore people, you say, butâŚâ
Even Lapis couldnât just find more people to go with them out of nowhere. Not to mention that it couldnât just be anyone â it must be capable characters whom Dig approved. The difficulty was on another level.
âIâm at a loss here.â
âIs there no other route?â
Loren asked, feeling this was the right time to turn around and take another route if possible.
Lapis tilted her head in consideration:
âI think there is, but Iâve never tried it.â
There were other dwarvesâ settlements aside from the one they were currently at, so naturally there should be other tunnels that ran across the mountain range. However, as Lapis wasnât acquainted with other dwarves, the negotiation would be a gamble.
âWeâll have to manage, some way or another.â
âIf we canât cross this mountain range, we canât do anything, right? Even if we can gather enough people, wonât the way back be a problem?â
Even if the dwarves agreed to guide them to the demonsâ territory, they wouldnât be able to come back without their escort. But they couldnât make the dwarves wait for them, or rather until whatever blocking the Great Tunnel was eliminated, their return trip couldnât be guaranteed.
âIf itâs too troublesome, letâs just dig our own way through? I can work real hard.â
âBut how many days will it take?â
If they could dig their way straight across the mountains, there would be no need for a guide. But the distance to dig wasnât a short one, and even Gula couldnât dig through it in a short time.
âShould we try it?â
Evil Gods were quite sturdy, and Lapis wondered if their beyond-imagination strength would make the impossible possible. Sensing the change in the atmosphere, Gula hurriedly moved away. A knock came right then.
âAre there any soil workers here?â
Without waiting for an answer, the door was opened, and a woman dressed like a hunter peeked in. She had straight blond hair with ears pointed like daggers, and she had a bow in her hand and a quiver on her back. She didnât seem to think that opening a door without permission was something bad. She then surveyed the shed and, after noticing Lorenâs party, said in a flat, slightly surprised voice:
âLoren? Have you been a good boy?â
âHuh? Eh⌠Is that Nim?â
The woman was an elf, and Loren remembered her. She was from a party of silver rank adventurers Loren had meet during his first job as an adventurer.
âWhy are you here?â
âWe are silver rank adventurers, we have to contribute something to our country and the Guild. Weâre to scout the demonsâ territory, a job to earn money as well as credits.â
âHey, Nim, are the dwarves here? If yes, you should tell us soâŚâ
Loren knew the voice coming from behind Nim. Three people appeared behind her: a thief-like, unshaven man with brown hair, a swordsman carrying a round shield and a longsword, and an old man clad in a robe and carrying a staff. All were silver rank adventurers.
The thief-like man lightly pushed Nim aside to enter the shed. Seeing Lorenâs group, his face broke into a smiled:
âSomeone came before us? Oh hey, isnât that a familiar face?â
âLong time no see. Nice to see you doing well.â
âYou have one more member? Another girl? Do you aim for a harem?â
âI donât have such a plan⌠It just became like this somehow.â
Loren answered with a slightly bitter face. Thinking that he was joking, the man clapped Loren on the back and shoulder. He was a silver rank adventurer called Jack. The swordsman behind him was Ritz, another silver rank adventurer and the leader of their party. The old man who was clinging onto his staff was Quartz, a magician.
âWell, well, itâs not like I donât understand how you feel, but have some moderation, ladykiller.â
âJack, youâre a bit noisy.â
Nim, who had been pushed aside, thrust a tight fist into the side of a defenseless Jack. The impact of it seemed to reach his internal organs, and he fell to the ground in a somersault. Nim kicked him aside, then turned toward Loren with an expressionless face and said in a flat tone:
âLoren is a good boy. He wonât gather his companions for such a dishonest purpose.â
âSuch trust⌠Where does it even come from?!â
Jack shot the question at Nim in between painful gasps, and she answered nonchalantly:
âFrom experience.â
âAh, is that so.â
Jack weakly collapsed on the ground as if he had used up all his strength and glanced at Nim. She was stroking Lorenâs head, who was sitting still in his chair with a troubled expression. Lapis looked at them with envy, and Gula turned to the dwarves, who were taken aback by the rapid development of the situation, and clapped her hands once:
âThe problem is solved, isnât it?â
âWhat?â
âWe have one copper rank adventurer, me, and two iron rank, Loren and Lapis. How about adding those four silver rank adventurers? With this, we can deal with pretty much anything that happens, right?â
In theory, copper rank adventurers who didnât die during jobs or subjugation could become iron rank after a certain time, but only a handful of iron rank could become silver rank. So, the addition of these silver rank adventurers would be enough to reassure Dig â that was what Gula thought. It wasnât incorrect, but to Ritzâs party, who had witnessed Lorenâs fighting before, being considered as better was a touch uneasy.
Read Latest Chapters at wuxiaworld.eu
âCould you tell us about the situation first? Then weâll think about it later?â
No matter what, they had just arrived. Lapis gave them a summary about the current situation, what they had to do from now on, and introduced Gula to them, of course, not without withholding 'someâ information.