Chapter 329

We registered for our stay with pay-later, then collapsed into a room at the Inn. Regardless, I crawled into the Kotatsu.

"……Ha……"

Everyone exhaled at the same time and shared a bitter smile. The Snow Mountain was, at the very least, hell. By comparison, this place is practically heaven.

"There's a Kotatsu here too. But that's fine."

"Considering the heating costs of a Tatami Room, the Kotatsu is the best choice."

Perhaps it's because the atmosphere doesn't fit a Hotel or something, but there is heating and floor heating.

"Rather, didn't you choose this Inn because it had a Kotatsu?"

"……Don't tell me."

"Warm and cozy.

Uranus, bring out Sakura."

"Don't overdo it, let me recover my Hatsu……"

We like to chat. Somehow, this is an adventure. Rest is important.

"Do you not have anything to eat?"

"Don't push yourself too hard. I don't go to the Trade Shop, so I don't have money.

After resting for a while, I have to hurry and exchange money or something……"

"Do you have anything else to do?"

"Well, you see. Didn't you end up with the Ring?"

"I have to hand it over before I can receive the Gem Card."

"Ah.

Come to think of it, that's how it is."

"I want to avoid conflict with other players in my current state, I need to let my body rest a little……"

"Uranus, can I drink tea here for free?"

"Yes.

On the contrary, it is self-service and unfriendly."

"Then I'll get it for you."

"Ah……

No, Aisha might not be familiar with this Inn, so I'll go—"

"Please rest.

You all need to recover your Hatsu, I will do these chores."

"……Yes."

My physical fatigue and burden are likely the least, and my current Hatsu has nothing to do with me. In order for the three of them to recover even a little, I had to move.

"Ka……!

Hot tea is nice!"

"You smell, Meleoron. I understand how you feel."

"Yes?

This is also delicious, but isn't the Snow Mountain tea bad?"

"If you eat and drink in that kind of situation, most food is delicious.

But regardless, hot tea is delicious."

"Aisha, you are good at making tea."

"I have seen you do it."

I am happy that it is just like the tea at the inn I stayed at this morning. I am a bit unsure how to make delicious tea based on the tea leaves.

"Don't be too slow, let's go in 15 minutes.

By the way, what do you want to eat for dinner today?"

"──Nabe!!"

"Oh!?

……Hey, the pot is good, but what about that heart?"

"You are leaving Snowflake tomorrow morning, right?

In that case, you will eat breakfast here, and you still want to have a hot pot at the end, don't you?"

"I can't believe I can't eat hot pot because I feel so cold!"

"I've said everything I wanted to say……"

"Alright, alright.

Bell also said she wanted to eat salmon, so is it okay if I go to the Salmon Hot Pot shop?"

Of course, it was unanimous. Drool.

After a short rest, we left the Inn and headed to the Trade Shop. In any case, you must have a budget.

Just when I thought he would finish the sale quickly, Uranus was looking at the Binder and thinking. Taking out a note, very carefully.

"What happened?"

"Hmm. I'm going to Dorias, there's no point in leaving money here, I want to buy a Spell Card.

We have to leave a Monster Card, hmm……"

Oh my, I am worried about some complicated things. Bell and the others will also be involved, it must be troublesome.

"You, think about it at the Inn."

"…I'm sorry. I was careless.

If I had done that, I would have been a bit more relaxed."

When I scolded Meleoron with my eyes, Uranus looked at me with the same expression, making an awkward face. Uranus must be tired, so it is cruel to ask for so much.

Considering the portability of cards, I sold only unnecessary cards under 10,000j and withdrew all deposits from the Trade Shop. With this, the money in my hands is close to 500,000 jenny.

After leaving the Trade Shop, I visited the house where the widow lives and obtained a gem after a poignant conversation event.

"180: Snow Day Opal"

C-Rank Card limit 40

A gentle, pure white gem considered to be a Snowflake.

It is said that it mixes with snow and rarely falls from the sky.

"Finally, the third gem. There is still a long way to go."

"Since it is a condition for obtaining an SS-Class, there is no other way."

"Have you ever been to SS-Class?"

"Impossible.

After obtaining it, I have no confidence to protect it, regardless of just meeting the conditions to obtain it. I must remain vigilant 24/7."

"Is that so…

As expected, it might be difficult to manage after getting an SS-Class card."

This is why I want 'Robust'. I cannot count on trading, so what happened?

On the way back, we ate and drank our fill, returned to the inn, paid the accommodation fee before forgetting, and then returned to the Kotatsu.

Putting tea and potato chips on the Kotatsu, I relaxed warmly. Thinking of the Snow Mountain, it really is heaven and hell. Avalanches are too dangerous…

"Now.

This is troublesome, but I must think about the future."

Uranus, whose complexion had improved, began. It was already five o'clock.

"You have to contact those two, right?"

"Well.

But before I talk to the two of them, I need to consolidate my policy."

"Mommy...

Once we meet, will we be Together for at least the rest of tomorrow?"

"How about it?

I only told Dorias for one day, so I don't know if it will be a day trip or an overnight stay…"

"What do you want me to do?"

"From my perspective, it would be easier for me to go back on a day trip.

I don't know what will happen if the capture of Dorias takes too long."

"That's right...

Then, who is the young lady eating yakitori?"

"Mu mu mu.

…What does that mean?

Except for me, it doesn't matter if it's a day trip or an overnight stay with Mr. Bell.

On the contrary, I want to hear your opinion."

"I am..."

"I don't like it anyway, but I want you to continue the capture, right?"

Pointed out by Uranus, Meleoron looked away. Probably. After all, I will be with you the longest, and I will be acting with people other than my companions.

"If the capture of Dorias goes well, we will stay for a day trip; if it is difficult, we will stay overnight to continue the capture.

I think that's about it."

"Yeah, I think so."

"…If you don't like it, just say no."

Uranus said this in a gentle voice. Meleoron intensified his troubled face. I suddenly looked at my brother,

"What about you? You've been silent for a while."

The seam looked a bit rough,

"Young lady, don't express yourself for now."

"Ah...

It will hurt to say such things."

Meleoron lay on the Kotatsu. The seam was looked at too much, and there were many.

"Even if I don't like it, I can only act according to the situation…

I will endure it. Should I do that?"

"That's what the sister is worried about, isn't it?"

Meleoron reacted to Vikun. The seam continued quietly.

"Whether you can endure it or not, don't worry.

What you are worried about is whether to expose your true identity?"

Uranus and I exchanged glances. …Is that so?

"It's hard not to be discovered, and maybe it will be discovered somewhere, so don't you think it's better to tell the truth?"

"...... I cannot talk about it just to make it easier for myself.

I might disturb you."

"But the reason for Big Sister's worry is the same, right?

If I get caught making a fuss, I might cause even more trouble."

"......

Ha......

That is correct."

"...... Big Brother. Tell me."

"Is that so.

You don't have to worry alone."

"I came to consult you.

...... Before that, Seam just made a Discovery."

"It's obvious."

No, Shim, I noticed....... You are looking at me.

"If you cannot tell the truth, why don't you try to deceive me?"

Uranus hinted at this. Yes, I was thinking the same thing.

"For example...... alright.

How about a new Beast? That is not even a complete lie."

"Beast.

...... Do you agree?"

"I don't like being conspicuous, so saying I don't want to be seen is enough.

If that is the case, my face will only be shown to Aicang."

"Hmm......"

Shim pretended to be thinking about something.

"Chen, is something bothering you?"

"Hmm......

What should I do?"

Yes?...... One.

"Oh, no, I was careless. This is bad."

"This is not good.

Although the two of them look completely different, brother and sister......"

The four of us said "Hmm." It is difficult. At first glance, Shim is a normal person. But to say I am not human......

"......

Brother-in-law or something?"

"Chen, if someone asks you, what will you do?"

"Ah, uh......

When your parents passed away, you were in trouble, or something like that?"

"That is not an outright lie, isn't that good?"

"...... I don't like it because it looks like I killed my parents."

"Well, that's true, isn't it terrible to be suspected?

...... I lost my parents in a car accident in the mountains while on a road trip with my family."

"Hmm...

However, I think that is fine for me."

"But if someone sees these scales of mine, what should I do?"

"And that problem too......

...... Could it be that it happened because of my Nen Ability?

There are still some unknown aspects of Nen Ability, and many inexplicable phenomena that cannot be explained."

"If you look like me, that hand cannot be used."

"Hmm...... That's right.

Seam hasn't changed much, and some people change their appearance through plastic surgery."

"Ah, the Zodiacs are indeed like that."

"Those people are easy to understand.

There are examples, so I think it's fine."

"I wonder if it will be alright......"

We talked for a while longer, and after making a decision,

"The policy has been decided, can I contact you as soon as possible?"

"Please, please."

"I am fine with it too."

"I don't mind either."

"Then I will contact Bell. It is scheduled."

Uranus opened the Binder, operated it, and then waited for a while.

"It's Uranus."

"Hey, I've been waiting for you.

How is the tail?"

"We'll talk about that later.

For now, this matter is resolved. We could join at any time, but what of it?"

"Molly has finished work and returned home; you can stop by whenever you're ready to head out.

Where will you meet me?"

"I want to replenish my spells before eating Snowflake.

So when you're ready, fly to the entrance of Masadora. Let's meet there."

"I understand.

Is there anything you need me to bring to the person I left at home?"

"No, nothing in particular, that's all.

Before I go to Dorias tomorrow, I'm going to leave behind the winter gear I no longer need. I'll take it out then."

"Okay.

As for replenishing spells, should I try to clear out the free pockets?"

"Oh.

Today's budget will be covered here, so you don't have to bring money. It would be helpful if you could carry what you need and keep the available space open."

"Yes, yes. What time shall we meet?"

"As I said before, it's always good.

It's just for your convenience."

"Hmm... it's 5:20 now...

Looking at the time, how about 5:45 at the Masadora entrance?"

"Okay, but will that be in time?"

"Because I've already prepared what I'm going to wear and what I think I need.

Organizing the cards takes some time."

"I see. Then Masadora at 5:45."

"Yeah, is that all?"

"Oh, see you later."

"Hey.

I'm looking forward to the Hot Spring. Bye."

".... Book."

After finishing the communication, Uranus wiped the closed Binder.

"Hmm... Aisha."

"What?"

"Cooperating with others is a bit troublesome.

After all, it's useless not to do it. The time efficiency is completely different."

"Hehe, that's right.

As long as the Binder slots are limited, one person's efficiency is too low.

If you can take your time, you might be able to clear it."

"Indeed...

Even if it's a competition with others, you can't clear it alone. Not to mention, collecting all the cards yourself without actively stealing others' cards... you can't win with this method.

I will admit that."

"If you monopolize the cards, there might be a way to do it, but it will put more pressure on your free pockets, and you're already out of space."

"..."

"I'm reluctant to admit it, but you'll find that the people in the Hame group are doing some good things for some reason. Unlike me, who keeps collecting until it's finished.

I guess that's the reason for their unusual confidence."

"If there are enough geniuses among them, I wonder if we can clear them... a team with a large number of people cannot be underestimated."

"Well, powerful people don't want to form cliques, so it's not easy.

In the end, Battera's bounty was rewarded in a strange way."

This might be true. Mr. Battera must have been collecting draws and games to get the clear reward, but I also feel that this is what prevents him from clearing it. Mr. Battera, who doesn't know enough about the inside of the game, probably can't think of any other way.

"Come to think of it, I wonder how far the other players' strategies have progressed?"

"... I'm starting to worry.

It has only just begun, but there are many events where strategies used before clearing can be utilized, and there may be many teams collecting cards more smoothly than you think.

Let's wait until Dorias settles down tomorrow and check the rankings. Now we might be able to figure out which teams might take measures regarding the rankings in the future."

The agreed time was approaching, so I left the Kotatsu and came to the entrance of the Inn. The slightly recovered siblings were carrying their backpacks as usual. I tried to keep it, but was refused. It was a bit light, so I thought it was fine.

Uranus walked out of the Inn and looked at the time on the Mobile Phone.

"It's time to take off, but are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Wait a moment... it's fine."

"Yes."

Meleoron pulled his hood over his eyes, and everyone agreed.

"Then let's go.

——To 'Companion/Companion'. Masadora."

"Hey, he didn't come after all."

Uranus flew to Masadora and hummed first. Yes, I know.

"I didn't want to wait here anyway, it's too hot."

"What should we do? Should we leave the entrance?"

"Hmm... That's right.

Let's move away from it so we can see it when it flies in. At least 20m away.

I don't know when it will come. I don't want to stand aimlessly at the entrance and uselessly bump into other players."

"Sorry."

"Sorry! I was too busy!"

"This might be the reason why I said it's difficult..."

"Because later Molly will tell you what she forgot!"

"Better to forget—"

"Ah, from the beginning, Omara.

I've been waiting for you, let's go."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"... Sorry, I'm late."

"You don't have to apologize."

"Eh."

Well, you started the farce as soon as you got here. I think this is normal driving for this couple. Frankly, this is better than a bacapple that loses control everywhere.

It wouldn't help if we talked near the entrance, so we started moving around Masadora.

The couple were both wearing Snowflake-conscious clothes, and they were fluffy. I can vaguely understand Bell-san's cute outfit, but seeing Mochi-san wearing a refined outfit is a bit fresh. Worse, he has the most masculine appearance among the members.... Because Meleoron is next.

"What, Aisha?

I've been watching you for a long time."

"Ah, no. I did take a look, but...

I was just looking at everyone's winter clothes, not just yours."

"Hmph. Hmph..."

Uranus isn't very convinced.... Because. Even if I took off the muffler, it's like this.

With a hot heart, I went to the trading shop, disposed of the Monster Cards worth over 10,000 Jenny that I didn't need, sold a "Castle Gate" to adjust the quantity, deposited the full amount, and left a budget for buying Spell Cards...

"You guys, this is easy because someone will do the calculations."

"Ahaha..."

Give me a dry laugh. It's easy, but I'm sorry.... Well, I didn't do it in the last scene. Of course, it's not that they didn't do it at all, but no one did the math like Uranus. Including me.

Then go to the Spell Card Shop.

"Once you also confuse our spells?

I'll have to return it in the end."

"Yes, I will."

"Ah... maybe it's also 'Theft'?"

"This is a card we also keep, so don't worry too much about it.

I will return it properly in the end."

"... Okay."

Thinking about it alone would be confusing. I'm going to accompany you for a while anyway, so it's better for both of us. Motarike seems unhappy, but there's nothing he can do.

After buying 45 packs, we have a total of 227 Spell Cards.

"Spy/Steal" 4 cards.

"Clairvoyance/Full Laparoscopy" 4 items.

"Bullet/Defense Wall" 8 items.

"Reflection/Reflection" 2 cards.

"Magnetism/Magnetism" 3 items.

2 "draw/pickpocket" cards.

2 "Theft/Thief" items.

1 "Exchange/Trade".

22 "Return/Return" cards.

4 "Imitation/Transformation" cards.

3 "Copy/Clone" items.

"Downgrade/Downgrade" 6 cards.

2 "Beginner/Departure" items.

3 "Leave/Leave".

"Divination/Horizon" 1 card.

10 "Drift"

5 "Collision" cards

2 "collection/levi"

21 "Castle Gate"

1 "Forgery"

4 "Plunder"

5 "Corruption"

3 "Compromise"

1 "Discovery"

3 "Dark Curtain"

3 "Holy Water"

1 "Tracking" card

3 "Stone Throwing"

3 "Assassin"

4 "Signpost"

14 "Analysis"

18 "Treasure"

4 "Adhesion" cards

1 "Purification"

1 "God Eye"

6 "Recycle"

10 "Roster"

18 "Companion" cards

19 "Communication"

Uranus had a short-tempered number card. Mr. Bell made a strange expression,

"Hm? You don't have any of these?"

"Can't you get an Angel?"

"Don't be Together."

"Hm?

If we also match your hands."

"There are 39 types.

... There is no 'Robust'."

"Ah.

Can't you force yourself to take one? Trade or something."

"Mr. Li.

It's not a card that can be traded, and at the start, no one knows who got it.

On the other hand, if I draw 'Robust', I will quickly collect the other 39 types."

"Geez, that card won't come out..."

I sighed and said, Uranus scratched his head,

"If I only had one, it would be much easier, but...

This time I couldn't draw 'Imitation', I'm so angry."

"Yes?

Your level is already quite high, isn't it?"

"... No, we don't have many useful cards.

Conversely, unnecessary cards get dubbed.

I've only drawn 2 of the 'Companion' I wanted so far, but I've drawn 15 'Recycle'..."

"You can use 'Recycle' individually, right?

Isn't that good, you got a lot of them?"

"Generally.

But since we will be traveling as a group of 6 for a while, of course we will use 'Accompaniment'.

If you spend time using it effectively, then 'Recycle' will become an Obstacle beforehand."

"Ah...

"I've already drawn 10 'Drift' cards, hmm."

Oh my god, I'm nervous.... Managing cards for 6 people makes me nervous. I'm still tired.

Uranus finished the plan, so we left the Spell shop in a group.

There are 18 "Treasure Draw" in total, and since there are exactly 6 people, we will divide them into 3 and draw lots along the way. Hmm, it doesn't look good. Even looking at everyone's expressions, it's still the same—

"Ah"

"What's wrong, Bell? Did you pull something?"

"Oh, uh. Hmm..."

When asked by Uranus, Mr. Bell stuttered unusually. Mr. Motariku, who was walking beside me, stared,

"... I see. A bit of smoke came out."

Don't worry. I slow down and peek at the card from the side.

"266: Transportation Ticket"

B-Rank Card, limit 150.

Must purchase a ticket when exiting the game.

Can be obtained by purchasing with the Game Master's money or by defeating the Game Master.

By the way, no matter how many times you ask me for an impossible task, I won't give you a ticket.

"That is..."

When leaving the port.

"Oh, do you have a pass? You've pulled a lot of money."

"... I don't need one."

"Take it.

It is used as an item, so even if you possess it, it won't put any strain on your Free Pocket."

"Hmm."

It's so ironic that someone who doesn't want to be out of the game would draw something like this. I am grateful for the chance to convince the two of us.