CH.131 Farewell party
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alex, Lua, what are you doing here? Do we have a problem?” I asked the two … intruders? Well, the guards at the gate did let them in, so probably not intruders.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What do you mean? We were invited.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Invited? For what? By whom?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Madam Watchman. She told us we were having a party.” Lua answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">I turned to look at Alice and asked: “Did you know about this?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. I just heard about it as well.” She answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah. I see our first guests have arrived. Wee.” Aneesa came outside and weed Lucia and Alex.
<span style="font-weight:400">First? So there are more. … Actually, I think Zay muttered something about the evening, so maybe he ising as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Please enjoy yourselves for now. Madam will join you soon.” Aneesa said before making her way back inside.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“So, while we wait, Alex, I would like to give you a few cards. Is there anything you would prefer?” I asked Alex.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Cards? Like the ones you use to summon monsters? You don’t have to.” He said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. I will give you some. I’m not going to hoard them and have another Rico happen because I was too worried to give you all some.” I told him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see…” He said looking down. “Then I will ept anything you want to give me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Good. But is there anything you prefer?” I asked again.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... I guess some cute girls…” he said quietly, but I still heard him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Perv. Well, not really. There is nothing wrong with liking cute girls.
<span style="font-weight:400">Fire Princess and Fire Sorcerer. Those are cute girls. They would work, but let’s check for others.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. These are perfect.” I said as I ran into an archetype ofdies. They aren’t exactly what I would call ‘cute girls’, but more off ‘sexydies’.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Did you find something? Could you show me?” Alex asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">I pulled out four cards. Harpie Lady, Harpie Lady 2, Harpie Lady Sisters and Elegant Egotist.
Spoiler
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[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">They aren’t my favorite cards, so I don’t mind giving them away. But at the same time, giving them to someone like Alex feels a bit like a waste. Having a sexydy use them would fit better. But I guess Alex can be the master of a harpie harem.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. I do like these.” Alex said after looking the three monsters over. “But what about this?” He asked, pointing at Elegant Egotist.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s necessary when you summon the Harpie Lady Sisters for the first time, but you won’t need it after that.” I told him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see. Then please, would you give these to me?” Alex asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure, just one thing first.” I said as I pulled out two sleeves and sleeved up Harpie Lady and Harpie Lady 2. I’m not going to ce a toploader on Elegant Egotist as he only needs to use it once, and Sisters should get a sleeve when it is special summoned, so I don’t need to sleeve that one either.
<span style="font-weight:400">And if something goes wrong, I do have a second copy of both Sisters and Elegant Egotist.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why did you ce that thing only on those two cards?” Alex asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, you’ll only need the spell once and the Sisters will get a sleeve when you summon them for the first time.” I told him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see. Thank you.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Take these as well.” I said as I pulled out two Red Medicine.
<span style="font-weight:400">“These potions? Thank you.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No problem.” I said.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Brian. This isn’t fair at all.” Aliceined. “Why did you give him so many when I only got one?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... you know I can still go back on your deal. I don’t need to give you my cards if I don’t want to.” I told her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“This isn’t fair. Why does everyone else get preferential treatment?” She asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Because they aren’t nning on traveling with me, unlike someone not specified. And if you doubt me, just ask Lua how many cards she has.” I told Alice.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Lucia? Then I will.” Alice said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Good. That got her off of my case. Now I can check out the cards for Henry. And then there is that one guard as well, but I don’t know who he is or where he lives.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">For the guard I made a small insect package. Hunter Spider, Insect Knight, Killer Needle and Insect Princess. I put a sleeve on each one and added in one non-sleeved Red Medicine as well. I’ll have to ask Henry or someone else to deliver it to him.
<span style="font-weight:400">For Henry I decided on some machine monsters.
<span style="font-weight:400">Slot Machine, Steel Ogre Grotto #2, Steel Ogre Grotto #1 and Overdrive.
<span style="font-weight:400">The Slot Machine was a different copy than the one I used, as is Overdrive. I ced a sleeve on all four before installing one Machine Conversion Factory onto Overdrive to make it slightly better. And I never did give one to Christina, so having the butler have it should be good as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">For Brandon, well I do have something for him, even if I’m not sure he deserves it. But he doesn’t deserve to die, so I’ll still hand that card over to him. It is super strong, but I don’t really need it anymore.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see some of our guests have arrived. Wee.” Christina said as she came outside.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you for inviting us.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you.” Lua added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course. I do hope you will take good care of my daughter in the future.” Christina said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I apologize, but I wasn’t nning on staying in their party for any longer than our trip to Sawyer city.” Alex admitted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t worry. I already heard about it. But I still hope you will help her if she ever gets into trouble.” Christina said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“If that is an order from Madam Watchman, I will do my best.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s the attitude. If you ever want to quit your job as an adventurer, I can get you a position in the town''s guard.” Christina said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That goes for you too, Lucia. You can alwayse back here. This town needs skilled people like you.” Christina said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you.” Lua said back in a tone that made her seem slightly embarrassed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I only hope the dungeon will bring in enough skilled people to fill the hole you two will leave.” Christina said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yeah. I have to agree with that. I hope the meat quality won’t drop too much after Lua is no longer here, perfectly draining the blood from the boars.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Come on Zay. I told you we would bete.” I heard a female voice from the direction of the gate.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You are the one that gave me more work to do just as we were about to leave.” I heard Zayaan say.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. Don’t me that on me. You are the one that didn’t take care of it earlier.” The female voice said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You know I’ve been busy learning the ropes and I’ve never heard of an adventurer that doesn’t ask for their rewards.” Zay said before noticing us. “Oh. Good evening. Madam Watchman, I apologize for beingte.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, you aren’tte. Everyone else was just early. And as you can see, my husband hasn’t joined us yet, so you are fine.” Christina said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank the Goddess for that. Then, do you mind if we do some guild business now?” Zay asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s fine.” Christina gave permission.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you.” Zay said before turning to me. “Now then Brian, we have some business to take care of.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Us? What is it?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... did you really forget? I really can’t believe that someone like you is an adventurer.” Zay said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, what is it? What did I forget?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Seriously. Lua, you need to instruct him on these thingster.” Zay said. “You never picked up your money for either the wyvern sales or the rescue mission.”
<span style="font-weight:400">… oh. Yeah. I didn’t huh. How did I forget something like that? Well, I guess I really didn’t have a major need for money or anything, but still. It’s probably Upstart Goblins fault. Or perhaps the dungeons. When I have easy ess to money, things like rewards just slip my mind. heh. heh.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Of course Master forgets actually important things while remembering the useless Yugioh facts you think about before going to bed.) Lauramented.
<span style="font-weight:400">(... well, you also didn’t remind me, so what do you say about that?) I shot back.
<span style="font-weight:400">(It was an experiment to test Master’s memory. I would have reminded you about it tomorrow morning, so you would have had to deal with it in a panic.) Laura said.
<span style="font-weight:400">(You are evil.)
<span style="font-weight:400">(Of course. I take after you, Master.) Laura said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Fine. Have it that way.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well thanks for bringing that up, but I kind of thought you would have just put the money in my guild bank ount thingy.” I said to Zay.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... you really have no idea how things work, do you?” Zay asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... no? How would I? No one has exined anything to me. How could I know?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well anyway, we can’t put money into your ount without your guild card.” Zay said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Okay, but it had some money in it when I first got it. How do you exin that?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Simple. We can put money into the card as long as we have the card. It was put in when the card was made.” Zay said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. I see. Then can we take care of the reward now? Do we need to go to the guild for that?” I asked, ready to summon Overdrive to take us there.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t worry. We brought it here.” Zay said, before turning to his fiancé. “Kris, take them out.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Kris opened the messenger bag she had on her and pulled out three medium sized sacks, cing them on the table close by. I’m not sure they would actually fit in a bag that size, so that messenger bag might be a magic bag.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Here you go. 98 gold coins for the wyvern materials and 30 gold coins for the rescue mission.” Zay said. “These two bags have 50 gold each and thest one has the remaining 28.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see. Thanks.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Are you not going to count them?” Kris asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Should I? Are you giving me a reason to count them? Are you perhaps a questionable guild?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. Of course not.” Zay immediately said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh really.” Luamented. “Then perhaps you would like to exin why the sale price of the wyverns was that low.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Low? Was it? I think they said they would give me the sale price of 5 wyverns. And if the total is 98 gold that would mean right about 20 gold per wyvern.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Is twenty gold coins per wyvern really that low?” I asked. “If I recall, I got five gold from the bison when I first got into town. And that should have been half of its price. So if a C-rank monster is 10 gold, a B-rank should be 20 right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... I really need to help you with this.” Lua said. “The price of the monsters grows faster than the rank. Just because it is one rank higher, doesn’t mean the price doubles. And your example is just bad. A horned bison’s pricees mostly from the high quality meat it has, whereas wyvern''s pricees from its hide, poison nds and magic stone.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Okay. So how much should I have gotten for the wyverns?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Usually, aplete wyvern carcass goes for 22 or 23 gold. And if taken apart, a little more.” Lua said. “I also drained the blood from them, so they should have gone for the 23 gold price.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“But you didn’t consider the transport fees.” Zay said. “And the butchering fee. They even had burn damage. After all of that, the price we paid is fair.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Just stop. Or more like don’t even get to it. This is fine for me. Zay is my friend and friends get better deals.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll take these to my room. Better not to leave them out here.” I said as I took the money bags and quickly visited my room.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">After I shoved the coins into my fanny pack, I picked up the two I made for Lua and Alex yesterday and headed back outside.
<span style="font-weight:400">“.. a guild master should never do that.” I heard Lua argue.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But I really didn’t. That really is the value of the wyverns.” Zay defended himself.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You two. I said don’t even start.” I told the two of them.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But…” Lua tried to argue.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I said it is fine. It’s fine because it is Zay. If it was someone else, then I would ept yourints, but as it is Zay, just let it go.” I told her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... fine.” Lua said before taking some distance.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thanks Brian.” Zay thanked me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No problem. I really just don’t want to see you two fight on yourst evening.” I said. “But I do actually have a question. Isn’t 30 gold too much for the rescue mission?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. It’s actually quite little. Not only did you save a noble, you also rescued a guild master and high ranking employees of Bakpany.” Zay said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. Is rescuing people worth that much money?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course it is. Actually, Diamond Sword wanted to thank you as well for your part, but I said you wouldn’t want to take it, so I had them drop it.” Zay said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... well, that’s not entirely incorrect.” I responded.
<span style="font-weight:400">I mean, I would take the money and then probably install a card into each of them in return. It just feels strange to demand money from someone you saved. I saved them because I could, not because I want money from them. I get the money from them when they buy something from me and if they are dead, no more business.
<span style="font-weight:400">Well, I don’t really have a business yet. I could always sell some of the LoBYmons to people as one time use monster summoning devices. That might help people save their lives when they are in trouble.
<span style="font-weight:400">… Well, it could also cause some major problems. Like what if they are used for terrorist attacks? Or assassination? Yeah. Let’s not sell them. At least not until I have a way of controlling where they end up. And even then, I should probably talk about it with a high ranking noble or something first.
<span style="font-weight:400">A minister of defense? Wonder if this country has something like that.
<span style="font-weight:400">Or perhaps it should be the master of the central adventurer’s guild.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alex, Lua. Here are the magic bags I promised.” I said as I handed them over.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you, Brian. How much is this?” Lua asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You don’t need to pay for it. At least not now. That can wait.” I told them.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Just give us a number.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“80 gold.” I said. I think I sold the one to Lawrence for about 110 gold, considering the trade items. And I got 130 (minus the things I bought) from Bak, so 80 from a friend should be fine.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see. I’m sorry, but I don’t have that much at the moment.” Alex admitted. “Is it really fine if I payter?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, it’s fine. Because if you don’t, I will find you and get my money.” I jokingly said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“And how would you do that?” He asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t know. Would be a shame if I just gave you multiple things I can track.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">I can’t actually track the cards I’ve given them to that point. I do know who holds them, but I can’t actually track down their location.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Then I’ll make sure to pay as soon as possible, so you won’t send any dragons on my tail.” Alex said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What about you, Lua?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I can pay now, but if possible could you wait. If I pay now I’ll have nothing left.” She said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. I can wait.” I told her. “Better not to give away every penny after all.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not that bad. I would have some silvers left.” She said.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see that everyone has arrived. We can begin then.” I heard Brandon say before giving a signal to Henry to bring out food and drinks.
<span style="font-weight:400">After that, we had a small garden party with drinks and food. I kept the alcohol to a minimum, so I wouldn’t have a bad time tomorrow.
<span style="font-weight:400">Amid the party, I gave the cards I prepared for Henry to him. I also handed him the the four insects and the Red Medicine I wanted to give to the guard with Card Summoner, after he told me he could deliver them.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So Brian, what about me?” Brandon asked after he saw me giving cards to Henry.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... really? That’s how this is going to go? At least I know where Alice gets it.” Imented.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I could order Henry to give me the ones you gave him.” Brandon said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t worry. I do have something for you.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I knew you wouldn’t leave me without something. So, what is it? Perhaps a mighty dragon? Or a great sage?” Brandon asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. It’s just a fiend.” I told him as I pulled the card out of collection. Well, then again, it is the Ultimate Obedient Fiend.
Spoiler
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">As I handed it over to him, he asked: “Do I really get only one? I know we don’t have a perfect rtionship, but still.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. That’s not why.” I instantly defended myself. “That monster is super strong. But you cannot use it at all if you hold any other cards anywhere on you, so I can only give that one to you. And having a monster stronger than any other one I’ve given away makes you thest line of defense.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see. So you want me to be the hero that saves the day when all hope is lost. Good thinking.” Brandon said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“...yeah. That’s totally it.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Probably better not to admit that Master of Oz is stronger with none of the downsides of Ultimate Fiend. Well, to an extent having Ultimate Obedient Fiend does make Brandon the hero. Or perhaps a raid boss. Let’s just hope Ultimate Fiend doesn’t get seen as a demon. I totally don’t want to see Brandon in prison. No I don’t. Really.
<span style="font-weight:400">Why don’t you believe me?
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">For the rest of the evening, we drank and ate. When the party was over, Alex and Lua tried to leave, but Christina made them sleep in the manor’s guest rooms, saying it will be better if we can go together tomorrow.
<span style="font-weight:400">With that, I headed to bed for thest time in the manor. Well,st time for now. I’m decently confident that I’lle back here at some point. And Christina did once say that this is now my home.