In the morning, all the important monsters were sitting at the dining table and were taking their breakfast. Strangely, even Ivan who usually slept during the day was also there.
Amidst the clatter of cutlery and plates, Five heard a shy voice coming from the side: "Master... May I ask for something?"
"What is it? Did you encounter any difficulties in your study?" asked Five. Without even looking, he immediately knew that it was Angela.
"It is not about that... I went out yesterday to collect some herbs and should start experimenting on some of them... But, I would like to ask if Master can lend me 1000 DP?"
"1000 DP? What do you need it for? I told you to buy anything you need, why do you need to ask me?" curiously asked Five. It was rather unusual to ask for such an amount but maybe she had her reasons? Lending 1000 DP was not an issue, especially since this morning, the barbarians suddenly decided to explore the dungeon in a massive group.
"It has nothing to do with crafting... I would like to buy a Language Orb..."
Five furrowed his brows, that item should be useless to the monsters, what could they be plotting? "Huh? What do you need that for?"
Sensing her sister's unease, Ariel decided to intervene: "It's like that: Yesterday night, we went to collect herbs but Angela met a young human child called Mira. The problem was that Angela could understand Mira but Mira could not understand her. Angela just wants the Language Orb to be able to understand humans; maybe they will meet again in the future."
"Mira... That name sounds familiar... Isn't she just an eight-year-old child? What was she doing in the middle of the forest alone?"
"Collecting herbs! Apparently, she is learning to become the next Shaman of the tribe. If I am not wrong, she will most probably appear in the forest again in the near future," answered Ariel.
"The Shaman?" Five's expression brightened. In the past few days, he had been racking his brain to find a way to approach the barbarians but could not find any reasonable one. That was especially true since his body was apparently now emitting a dangerous aura. According to the harpies, now that he became a dungeon master, he naturally became the enemy of all other races and they all would instinctively view him as an enemy.
As such, he did not want to directly meet the barbarians as it could be dangerous. But what if he went to meet just the Shaman and his apprentice? This sounded like a better approach that could be explored.
After thinking for a moment, Five answered, "There are no problems, buy the Language Orb and use it. But I would like you to tell me when you see Mira again. Don't worry, I don't want to harm her, I just want to have a short conversation with the Shaman... Don't you think it would be nice for you to learn to craft under a teacher like Mira?"
"Thank you Master... But what do you mean by that last part? Do you want to ask the Shaman to teach me?"
"That would be the best outcome! Don't worry. Just tell me whenever you see Mira," said Five. He was not exactly lying as he indeed thought of making Angela learn under the Shaman. No matter how good she was at self-learning, Angela still needed some guidance and the nearest knowledgeable person was naturally the Shaman.
Angela hesitated but quickly nodded, "Alright..."
Having received the permission, the harpies happily went back to emptying their plates but under the table, Alice swiftly kicked Ivan who had been silent during the whole meal.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Uh? Yeah! Master, I also have something to ask!" hurriedly said Ivan.
"What is it? Is Alice treating you well?"
Ivan did not need to look at her mistress to know that he was receiving a glare. "Yes yes, she is a nice mistress. I would just like to ask if I will also receive 100 DP like the harpies?" asked Ivan with a pleading look.
"Sure, Alice should have explained it to you. 100 DP to buy anything you want. You can just come to me when you need to use the dungeon shop." While Five was observing the Nosferatu, he could feel there was more to this story; there was no way Alice would have mentioned the 100 DP as a gesture of kindness. However, Five decided to not probe into the matter, Ivan needed to impose himself or else, he would simply forever stay under the harpy.
"Dreidus, you need to be careful today. A lot more barbarians have entered the dungeon than usual. Stay with Lyra! I can guess that they will probably reach the 4th floor."
The lich looked at his master and nodded. He understood the hidden message between these lines. Lyra was in a good mood recently since the Banshees now had a floor to defend. However, it also meant that they had responsibilities and it was very likely that many Banshees would perish when defending the dungeon. What Five was hinting at was to look after Lyra since there was a high chance that she would have to witness her kin being slaughtered today. It was their duty but who could accept such a thing? It was better to have Dreidus look after her for now.
"Don't worry Master. I know what to do."
...
At the Black Iron Tribe, Achi was anxiously playing with his dagger. He was sitting outside his own tent, using the dagger to peel off the bark of a branch. While his hands were actively working on the branch, his thoughts were directed at his daughter, 'Was it a good idea to allow Mira to learn Shamanism?
After last night's events, he started to doubt his decision. Only now that he could see Mira quietly sleeping in the middle of the pile of fur, was his heart at ease. The village was very peaceful as most barbarians were sent to the dungeon; even those who would usually practice forging went there today to bring back as many ores as possible.
Achi was deep in thoughts when suddenly he saw one of the barbarians stationed at the entrance of the village rush toward him. "Chief, the townsmen are back! There are many more than last time!"
"The townsmen? Looks like the Shaman was right... They did come back earlier than we agreed on... Come with me!" said Achi as he tossed the branch to the side and raised his giant war ax.
The townsmen were essential to the development of the village and so, even if Achi disliked their condescending attitude, he was still polite and decided to not make them wait.
As soon as he reached the entrance, he found familiar faces warmly greeting him. "Hello Brother Iron Shark! How come you are back here so soon? Did you miss our village?" exclaimed Achi with a teasing tone.
"Haha, Brother Achi! We just happened to have set up a camp not too far from here! We can come back here sooner now!" answered Iron Shark as he dismounted his horse.
Several other players also did the same to show their respect to the barbarians. "Brother, we brought a lot of items this time! I hope that you do have enough storage space for all of it!" said Iron Shark with a hearty laugh.
Achi smiled, "Of course! Men, tend to their horses," As he instructed the other barbarians, Achi lead the group of players to the center of the village where trades took place.
The players were relaxed and carefree. Although their inventories were currently full, they were not anxious at the idea of being killed; for most of them, it was already the third time coming to this village, they were well aware of the procedures. However, among the players, Iron Shark was the only one frowning.
Other players might not notice small details but as he was one of the leaders of his guild, Iron Shark was always vigilant. The one blatant change he noticed was that the chief of the barbarians leveled up! More importantly, it was not just one level but two. When he first came, Iron Shark remembered that Achi used to be level 35 and even a few days ago when he last came, Achi was still level 35. Yet, in front of him, Iron Shark could clearly see level 37 being displayed. Leveling up was a normal occurrence but skipping one level meant that something special must have happened.
"Brother Achi, it seems that the village is developing well! I noticed more tents were set up," said Iron Shark.
Achi courteously nodded, "Yes, as you said, we need more space to store the items."
"Haha, I look forward to our long cooperation. To show our sincerity, I also brought a lot of other items with me today. I know that you asked mainly for food, but I also brought a lot of materials and books that might be useful to you!"
"Oh, I will thank you on behalf of our tribe then. We do indeed have enough food from the last trade, but we never know. With winter coming, it is better to have enough stock. As for the materials, I am not very knowledgeable about them. I will need to ask for help from some of my tribesmen."
"Naturally, if there are any items you need, do not hesitate to mention them! I just want to have a transparent relationship with you and I hope that if you have any new items like the [Cloth of the Night], you will also not hesitate to trade with us," said Iron Shark while avoiding a direct eye contact.
Achi immediately frowned as he thought about the special liquid the Shaman gave him earlier. He had already used it but there were still a few drops remaining. However, he soon remembered the Shaman's warning: they did not need to prevent the townsmen from trading with the other tribes anymore. It was better to keep those special items to themselves instead of giving them away.
"Haha, don't worry. If we have anything new, we won't hesitate to trade! As for the [Cloth of the Night], as long as you have enough items, we don't mine exchanging."
Iron Shark nodded. 'Seems that you are unwilling to reveal all your cards! But that is fine, I can wait a little more' said Iron Shark to himself. He was naturally curious about the method used by the chief to level up like that, but he could not directly ask for it. He also understood that the barbarians won't necessarily trade all their resources with them but that was all part of the game. Sooner or later, he would get his hands on these items.