It was no massive party, just the core members of Minas Mar and a few selected guests. Once again Seth was reminded of one of their greatest success stories, which was Link. The gourmet hunter had grown a lot, despite staying on Urth.
Following his Path to Legend as a Cuisine Explorer, the chef had reached lv.123, but the most notable indicator of his growth was simply the taste and quality of the dishes he prepared for today. He had even managed to make food that gave experience and attributes that even worked on those of the Path to Legend, given the right quality of ingredients. Especially the attribute food that still worked even on those above lv.100 was of great importance to the members of Minas Mar.
This was the kind of food currently laid out in a buffet for them and their guests to enjoy. Of course, this banquet was not simply to celebrate, the few people here had been invited for a very important reason. To make connections. Except for the champion of Krios, he was also here to explain himself.
Seth and the champion sat down for a private talk in a small salon separated from the party venue. The man in question attended wearing a slightly crumpled-up suit. His wild beard and hair were also a little awkwardly styled, kept in check by a huge amount of hair gel.
Apart from thinking that he could use some styling tips from the dwarfs, the blacksmith also felt like the man looked slightly familiar. Now that he didn't wear the Helmet of Krios and Seth could see his face, he couldn't help but think that he had seen him before somewhere.
“It seems like you can't remember me,” the buff, broad man said slightly embarrassed. he had acted quite confidently in the arena, but now that they were sitting face to face, he was acting fidgety and nervous, which totally didn't fit with his overall appearance.
“So we did meet before? I kept having this hunch, but I couldn't make out why,” Seth admitted readily. There was no use pretending to know him, it was better to get answers quickly.
“No wonder, it's been almost three years. Back then our roles were a little reversed when you and your friends came by our camp in the abandoned ruins of Y-City,” he mentioned reminiscing. “It was shortly after we weathered an attack from Taurens. Our meeting was short, so I don't blame you. The food you and your friends left us with was what allowed us to survive and thrive, so we never forgot you.”
When he mentioned it, Seth remembered. it was when they were rescuing Evee. On their way back they had come past a haphazardly put-together outlaw stronghold in the middle of the ruins that had been abandoned by Y-City at the time. it was the place where Seth had gotten the
“Bart?” he asked hesitatingly, dropping the boss-title he used with the man back then. The buff man nodded with a bright smile. “I'm glad you remembered.”
The conversation that followed was much less strained, now that Seth had a rough idea who he was talking to. Even when he didn't quite know the man, the materials he had gotten from the stronghold back then had helped their party a lot on the way. It was not wrong to say that he felt a little grateful.
When Seth asked what happened, Bart gave a short summary of how their people fared during the past years, since Seth and his party left. The food they gave them had helped them get through the worst, afterward, they had managed to grow and thrive.
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During the descent of Y-City, when the Scene implemented their class society and policies, the abandoned ruins had not only grown in size but had also become more chaotic with many people fleeing from the changed leadership.
“It was a terrifying time and we had to weather a good amount of attacks from bandits, but we also managed to grow and pick out trustworthy people from the flood of newcomers,” he mentioned with a sad smile. It seemed that he had also lost many people in that time.
Then he started talking about the things Seth was really interested in. The time after Lezzekai surfaced at Y-City. That was the time when Mike was captured and had his equipment taken from him.
“We really struggled after the field boss appeared. The infrastructure of Y-City completely collapsed and there were way too many people looking for help. It was at that time that was chosen by Krios, the Titan of Stars and Constellations. Although there was not a lot I was able to gain from this connection, he gave me a revelation about the whereabouts of these items,” he finally revealed the reason he was wearing Mike's old equipment.
Following the god's directions, Bart had led a group of his best players on an expedition to the Y-City. Y-City at that point was a bloodbath. It was shortly after the Scene had slaughtered the civilians and the demons slaughtered the immortals of the scene before everyone from the scene was ultimately whisked away by the powers of Mussa'Practish.
Although the scene of the sleeping Lezzekai and the city drenched in blood was horrifying, there were only a few dangers still left during that time span. it was the best time to loot the place, with the streets being covered in items and item boxes. One just needed the fortitude to face the horrible situation.
“Using the directions of the stars, we found a secret facility and finally the item box with the Helmet of Krios and these other items,” he revealed the most important part. This meant that one of the immortals did have all of Mike's stuff and dropped it when they were destroyed. Seth found it reasonable that Krios was able to locate an item blessed with part of his power.
“After accomplishing Krios' Quest, we made a few more trips to scavenge for equipment before the central Y-City became too dangerous. With the items left behind, we were able to hold our ground in the chaos that ensued and build a safe haven in the ruins,”
“So this is why some of the depots were empty,” Seth mumbled, nodding in understanding. There was no doubt that the rare and epic Polyarkanate sets and whatever else they got from the ruins, would have been a big help to protect and manage a community in the ruins.
Although he had been peeved at the time, that many of the armors he had been looking for had already been taken, he was glad they had not been taken by pieces of shit, like those scavengers that worked with Donnchadh.
Bart wouldn't be attending the party, if Ray didn't vouch for him. Detecting evil and deceit in people was one of the most useful powers Ray had gained from being the chosen of Sol'Fiam. All of the outsiders currently attending the party had been screened by the living lie detector and approved as trustworthy fellas.
Had Ray not vouched for him, Seth wouldn't have allowed an outsider to run around with one of his legendary items. Even less so with one that held an Olympian enchantment. There was only one more question Seth had.
“Why did you come to join the tournament?”
Bart already had the legendary helmet and relic-rated gear. There was no reason why he would come and risk having them taken away from him, just to try and win another legendary item.
“To join Minas Mar. It was one of the conditions to even become the Champion of Krios since these are your items. It's just that I couldn't leave the stronghold because of the constant monster waves from central Y-City. When they suddenly stopped, I got a quest from Krios, that I should show my worthiness to join you during the tournament,” he explained and paused.
Seth looked at him for a moment as his gears started turning. He was the reason Bart was even able to attend today! Because he leveled his golems in Y-City, the situation on Bart's end stabilized enough to allow him to leave. Who would have thought that despite not finding Mike's items himself, his actions would still lead to them finding the way back to him on their own?
“So you want to join Minas Mar to keep your status and the items?” Seth asked, but Bart shook his head.
“There is actually a different reason why I wish to join you. Although I only found it during my journey here,” he said, suddenly sliding off his chair and kneeling before Seth.
“Thank you for everything you did for Y-City. I have heard of all the things that happened on the way here. I know that you probably didn't do it out of altruism, but I don't care about that. I want to sincerely thank you. As the leader of South Ypselon, I want to join Minas Mar for the good of my people, not because of an oath I made in desperation,” Bart exclaimed.
The awkwardness from earlier was gone. He spoke with the confidence of a leader thinking of his people. Despite Bart's humorous getup, Seth couldn't help but admire the man. He seemed to wholeheartedly care for all the people under him like a true leader and was ready to not just fight but also kneel for their sake.