The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 141

Chapter 141   Faint Ripples

Captain Roberto of the “Fortress Archers” was deep in thought as he examined a brochure from the “Spirit Workshop” while on his way to “Dragon’s Ember.”

“What’s up, Roberto? You seem really into that brochure. Did you find something interesting?” his lieutenant, Jeremy, asked.

“…”

“Hey, you’re not seriously thinking of making a deal with that ‘Spirit Workshop,’ are you?”

“Of course not. But this brochure might actually be useful,” Roberto responded with a sly grin.

“What? What do you mean?”

“I’ll use it as a bargaining chip with ‘Dragon’s Ember.'”

“A bargaining chip? This brochure?”

“Exactly. Honestly, I’ve never liked the idea of letting an alchemy guild control our dungeon explorations,” Roberto said, smacking the brochure lightly.

“Every time, without fail, they push us to buy weapons we didn’t ask for, or tell us the price of ores has gone up. We’re always at their mercy. It’s frustrating.”

“…”

“Look at the stats on this equipment. Even ‘Dragon’s Ember’ can’t craft something like this. If I show them this and suggest that outfitting ourselves at ‘Spirit Workshop’ would be cheaper, what do you think will happen?”

“They’d have no choice but to lower their prices.”

“Exactly.”

“But can we trust the stats in this brochure? They seem too good to be true.”

“I’m not saying I believe them. Everyone knows these things are usually exaggerated. But imagine if ‘Dragon’s Ember,’ one of the world’s most renowned alchemy guilds, lost clients to what they’d see as a scam guild. That would be a major blow to their reputation, wouldn’t it?”

“So, we’re just pretending to be fooled?”

“That’s right. Pretending costs nothing, and it might just work, don’t you think?”

“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”

Roberto and Jeremy put on a show of exaggerated surprise at the budget proposed by the sales representative from “Dragon’s Ember.” They deliberately staged a conversation, saying things like, “The ‘Spirit Workshop is cheaper” and “Maybe it’s time we signed a contract with a different guild.”

As they had hoped, the “Dragon’s Ember” representative panicked and immediately offered to lower the price.

“Fools! What are you doing!?” Medes was furious when he saw the contract brought by the sales representative.

“How could you just lower the price because some adventurer guild sweet-talked you?”

“But they said if we didn’t lower the price, they would sign with ‘Spirit Workshop’…”

“They were obviously bluffing!”

“But we’ve already signed the contract under these terms…”

“Renegotiate it.”

“What?”

“I said renegotiate the contract! Now, get going!”

The sales representative hurried off to the “Fortress Archers'” quarters.

Roberto grumbled but eventually agreed to the renegotiation.

“Canceling a contract after it’s been signed… Your guild plays dirty, don’t you?”

In the end, the three guilds—”Fortress Archers,” “Crimson Sand Players,” and ” Knights of the Black Wall “—signed contracts with “Dragon’s Ember.” However, the emergence of “Spirit Workshop” had caused a subtle ripple between “Dragon’s Ember” and the external guilds.

As they waited for the new moon at their quarters, it was time for the “Guardians of the Magic Tree” and Ranju to return.

The members of “Guardians of the Magic Tree” and the “Spirit Workshop” headquarters were preparing to board the ship.

Both the members of the “Spirit Workshop” branch and the core members of the “Spirit Alliance” were there to see them off.

Aina and Ranju exchanged parting words.

“Aina, though our time together was short, I taught you everything I could. I believe you’ll manage the new workshop well and be a great help to Laurent.”

“Ranju, thank you so much. I’ll never forget what you taught me. One day, we’ll visit the ‘Adventurer’s Town,’ too.”

Laurent handed letters to Euphene and the others.

“This one’s for Lily. This one is for Monica. And this one is for Jill.”

“So, Jill is finally coming to this island?”

“Yes. With the growth of the ‘Spirit Alliance,’ all the preparations are complete. Now, we just have to wait for Jill to arrive. I’ve asked you to deliver this letter to her.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure it gets to her.”

Soon, the ship carrying the group set sail from the port.

People on the ship and at the port waved to each other until the ship gradually faded into the distance.

(They’re gone…)

Aina gazed wistfully out to sea.

“Alright, everyone, we can’t afford to linger on our goodbyes. We need to prepare for next season’s dungeon exploration,” Laurent said.

With that, the people turned their attention away from the sea and looked back toward the volcano.

“Aina, how are the negotiations with the three new guilds going?”

“Well… It seems all of them are planning to sign contracts with ‘Dragon’s Ember.'”

“I see. In that case, we’ll just have to show them the power of our equipment.”

The next month arrived.

The “Knights of the Black Wall,” “Crimson Sand Players,” and “Fortress Archers,” who had been fully equipped and supplied by “Dragon’s Ember,” gathered at the dungeon entrance square.

As usual, the local adventurers followed the external adventurers like remora fish… or so it seemed.

“Zero!? Not a single one joined our guild?” Simon exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, that’s right,” Liz replied, equally perplexed.

“So, does that mean all the locals have flocked to ‘Fortress Archers’ and ‘Crimson Sand Players?”

“It seems… they’re all planning to join the ‘Spirit Alliance.'”

“The ‘Spirit Alliance’… You mean the one led by that alchemy guild?”

Simon spoke with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. It seems that their recent successful dungeon exploration with the ‘Guardians of the Magical Tree’ has made them overly confident.”

“But the ‘Guardians of the Magical Tree’ have already left, haven’t they?”

“Yes, it’s been confirmed that they boarded a ship and left from the port.”

“And yet, they’re still betting on this ‘Spirit Alliance’?”

“That’s right.”

Simon let out a deep sigh.

(Good grief. These locals… Here we go again. They get a little success with the help of an outside guild, and they start getting cocky.)

“We have no choice. We’ll conduct the first exploration without the help of the locals.”

Without the support of the local adventurers, the amount of ore they could gather would be limited.

Simon decided to focus on winning over the local adventurers during the first exploration, planning to secure their cooperation for the second and third attempts.

“Rock, paper, scissors! Draw, again! Again! Yes, I won!”

“Darn, I lost!”

“That loss stings.”

The representatives of the three guilds were deciding the order of entry into the dungeon with a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Simon won the game and secured the right to enter the dungeon first.

(Alright. I’ve secured the right to enter the dungeon first. In this dungeon, getting a head start is overwhelmingly advantageous. I’ll outpace the other two guilds and the thieves, bring back the ore, and quickly earn the trust of ‘Dragon’s Ember’ and the local guilds.)

With that, the three guilds decided their entry order and began to formulate their strategies.

The thought of the ‘Spirit Alliance’ didn’t even cross their minds.

Soon, after completing their preparations, the three guilds entered the dungeon in their respective order.

The “Crimson Sand Players,” who were the last of the three guilds to enter the dungeon, hurried forward, trying to catch up with the two guilds ahead of them.

They were making unusually good progress through the dungeon.

Without being deterred by the approaching Demon and Wolf tribes, they quickly passed through the “Foothill Forest” and reached the “Metal Line.”

“We’ve already reached the ‘Metal Line.’ We’re making pretty good time this time,” one member remarked.

“That’s because we don’t have those useless local guilds holding us back. It’s making the exploration go much smoother,” another added.

“That may be true, but it’s the same for the ‘Knights of the Black Wall’ and the ‘Fortress Archers’ ahead of us. We need to pick up the pace even more tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry. Once we enter the ‘Metal Line,’ the ‘Fire Dragon’ will show up. When that happens, our guild, with its ability to use ‘Dragon Tone’… Huh? What’s that?”

One of the “Crimson Sand Players” who had been bantering turned around after hearing the sound of many footsteps approaching from behind.

A group wearing unfamiliar equipment was closing in on them. Each piece of their gear was marked with the emblem of a hammer-wielding spirit.

It was the vanguard of the “Spirit Alliance.”

“What the…? How did they catch up to us so quickly?”

“They’re moving pretty fast for a local guild.”

“Wait a minute… They’re preparing to attack us!”

The lead archer of the “Spirit Alliance” had already stopped and was nocking an arrow to his bow.

“Fine. If they want a fight, we’ll give them one!”

The “Crimson Sand Players” quickly took a defensive stance.

Their greatest strength lay in their bard division, capable of using “Dragon Tone,” but their archer unit, which supported them, was also made up of formidable warriors.

These skilled archers had taken down numerous ferocious bird-like monsters that preyed on adventurers in the desert.

They quickly spread out, hiding behind the sparse trees and rocks, and began to return fire.

However, the archers of the “Crimson Sand Players” were being utterly outmatched.

The arrows from the “Spirit Alliance” hit their marks with deadly accuracy, while not a single arrow from the “Crimson Sand Players” found its target.

One by one, the “Crimson Sand Players'” archery division was picked off, rendering them combat ineffective.

Their close combat unit tried to engage in melee, but they were effortlessly outmaneuvered by the swift and agile archers of the “Spirit Alliance.”

Eventually, they were lured into an area where the “Spirit Alliance” had set up a well-prepared defensive position.

The “Spirit Alliance’s” melee unit launched a perfectly coordinated charge against the disorganized “Crimson Sand Players,” swiftly overwhelming them.

“What…? They’re so strong!”

The “Crimson Sand Players” suffered devastating losses before they could even deploy their vaunted bard division and were forced to surrender to the “Spirit Alliance.”