There was one more Gold Eater lurking in the Junkyard.
Same as before — I destroyed the [Reflection] tentacles.
It let out a shriek that sounded almost like metal being cut. Apparently it could feel pain.
Then Hoss cut through the tentacles with his halberd.
I equipped [Wood Flash] and used [Lev Move].
I set my sights on the Gold Eater's single eye and struck with—
[Azure Sky Piercing Style].
Clean through.
For the record, the girls didn't try to fight and just watched from a distance.
Shardina and Bido in particular kept their cold, contemptuous stares on it the entire time, like they were looking at garbage.
Can't blame them. It was just a pervy trap monster, after all.
I used [Danger Discernment] to sweep the entire Junkyard and check for others.
There were a few suspicious spots where something might have been hiding, and I tried luring them out, but got zero response.
There were only two Gold Eaters.
Well, that was enough. The girls had been pretty on edge.
The witch took part of a Gold Eater as a sample.
The rest I disposed of with [Banish]. Cleanup done, I talked with Mineha.
"I see. So these had the highest rarity. There was no blue glow?"
"No. But there were tons of green ones. And a considerable number of yellow ones too."
The Junkyard in Hyzein was about the same size as Hydrangea's.
After looking through the whole thing, there still wasn't a single blue glow.
Even at Hydrangea's Junkyard, there had only been one blue glow.
That one had been the divine egg of the elixir.
"There were quite a few just from the green glows, right?"
Bid chimed in.
"Yeah. Just glancing over, there were over a thousand, at least."
At first the brightness was so intense I thought my eyes were going to burn out.
As expected of a Junkyard left untouched for years. An unbelievable sea of green light.
"If we picked them all up and sold them, we'd be crazy rich, right?"
I couldn't even imagine how much you'd get selling every green and yellow piece from this Junkyard.
It would have to be in the hundreds of millions.
"Well, probably. But there are dangerous spots and spots where you could die, so collecting everything would be tough."
Pretty tough, honestly. With [Danger Discernment], there were plenty of red and black markers in the junk piles too.
The Golden Eater threat was gone, but other dangers still lurked.
Hoss, who'd been listening in, spoke up.
"That's why there's lots of danger in a place like this."
"So basically, if you get too greedy, you won't just walk away with a few scrapes."
Being gently rebuked, Bid puffed out his cheeks in a huff.
"I know that much."
"But there are hundreds of the yellow ones too. Nobody's ever touched them, so it's a real mountain of treasure."
"They've been hidden all this time, you know. By your uncle."
"Ahaha..."
All I could do was laugh awkwardly.
"Well, well — as much as I'm looking forward to what comes next, let's head back to the surface for now. Shaldina. Stop that. We're going back."
"Desu?"
"............"
The witch gently scolded Shaldina, who had been about to clamber up the junk pile.
Anna Kreutzen sighed at Shaldina's antics.
Shaldina... somehow, it was kind of heartwarming.
"Right. Even if we're going to hide this junkyard, we need to figure out a plan."
"Even selling it off requires calm thought. After all, they're keepsakes."
"But doing nothing is absolutely not an option, desu."
"I know. I wouldn't accept that either."
She's right.
With a treasure trove this massive, I'm against doing nothing too.
"Mm-hmm. Including all of that — for now, for now, let's head back."
And so we returned to the surface.
We immediately gathered in what passed for our hideout's living room to talk things over.
That said, it was pretty much just a recap of what we'd already discussed in the dining hall.
For now, we decided to put off further discussion until we could sit down properly.
Today, we'd each stick to our individual plans.
Mineha and I, along with Bid, would have Hoss take us to meet Torquetam.
We had to talk to Torquetam about that blue-green crystal.
After showing us the way, Hoss would go visit an acquaintance.
The Witch was heading to see an old contact. Both of their goals were greetings and information gathering.
Shardina and Anna Kreuzen were in charge of cleaning the hideout.
Since it hadn't been used in years, grime had built up badly in places.
That was exactly why they were both fired up, saying it made the task more rewarding.
They'd also brought along cleaning tools crafted in Hiyarn's lab, confident they could make the place shine.
Honestly, if it were just Shardina, I'd have my doubts.
But with Anna Kreuzen there, it would surely be fine.
That overwhelming sense of reassurance, paired with her soft-looking appearance, was no mere aesthetic.
I was leaving the hideout in your capable hands, Anna Kreuzen.
We walked through the streets of Hyzen.
The layout of the land meant there were still plenty of slopes and narrow alleys.
"Just like it says in the letter, Torquetam lives in a standalone house."
"So it's not an inn?"
"...Could Torquetam afford to rent a standalone house?"
"That's a good point."
Mineha tilted her head. Bid did too.
Hoss tilted his for a different reason.
I don't mean to be rude, but I've always had the impression that Torquetam is constantly scrambling for money.
"What's so strange about it? Third-rank delvers earn plenty, right? Mineha, you too, yeah?"
"Well, I... even when I earn money, it all goes to food... and it's gone."
Mineha mumbled vaguely, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Oh, right..."
"That's how it is, yeah."
"So it is."
We all nodded in understanding. Then it suddenly hit me.
The breakfast she always makes. Of course — there's never quite enough.
"Torquetam is aiming for first rank as a team. I don't know the details, but apparently reaching second rank costs a lot of money... We do work hard on commissions, but... oh, that's what's going on!"
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"I figured it out. It's Tasan. They're lending part of the hideout as a separate residence and providing financial support on top of that. That house — wasn't it rented using Tasan's support funds?"
That made sense.
Incidentally, lodgings in Heisenen ranged from cheap to expensive, and places with decent security naturally cost more.
In that case, renting a standalone house would be the better deal for them.
"That thing about support programs for female delvers. I've heard of it."
"There's something like that?"
"Heard of it, yeah."
"And I passed the 'Torquetam' entrance exam."
"Oh, nice."
"Mineha, aren't you planning to use it?"
"I'm not strapped for cash right now, and honestly, it's not really my thing."
Yeah, she definitely doesn't seem like the type.
"I'm the same way."
"Bid. What about you? You already got into 'Torquetam,' right? They were recruiting you, and you're already living in the same building."
"My old party's hideout happened to be there, so I just kept living in the same place. As for joining, I'm less resistant to it than I used to be. But... when it actually comes time to decide, I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger, you know? There's still something weighing on me. So I told them I'd hold off until I've sorted out my feelings."
The dissolution of his former party, 'The Brave.'
It still seemed to be lodged in Bid's chest like a thorn.
"What about you, Mineha, what are you gonna do?"
"Huh? Me?"
"You've been thinking about a party, right?"
"Hmm. I'd like to stay solo as much as possible and just team up once in a while. Wof, you're the same, right?"
"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah. Something like that."
Getting suddenly put on the spot startled me.
Hoss let out a resigned laugh.
"Only I'm the one with a proper party around here."
"That's fine, isn't it? Hoss, that's the best fit for you."
"Hoss, you do you. A solo run from you guys, though? I can't even imagine it."
"Sure enough."
Thunder Fang was Axe, Rel, and Hoss.
I liked it when all three of them were together. Torquetam was the same way.
"Hey, why don't you try putting together a party with Wof, Mineha, and Bid?"
"Huh? Me and Wof and Bid?"
"With these two?"
"...Something about that just feels..."
The three of us looked at each other, blank-faced.
Three delvers who all run solo... We really do feel like leftover scraps.
And then we arrived.
Single-family homes lined up in a row, and on the far left stood a two-story white house.
It looked like the kind of place women would be into.
"That white house there."
"Huh. Fancy."
"I like that kind of thing."
Sure enough, it did seem to have that appeal.
We stood in front of the house. A white door. Mineha knocked on the round, golden ring of a door knocker.
Twice. Three times. Four times. Five times — no response.
"Hello! Pakira! Riv! Lupinus!"
Even after calling out, there was no answer.
"Not here, huh?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
"Oh, come on."
"Well then, can't be helped. Let's head to the guild."
Reluctantly, I changed plans and headed to the Delvers' Guild, Heisen branch.
Ah, right — here they called us "subjugators."
I was looking forward to seeing what it'd be like.
Trading city Heisen. Central administrative district.
The Zenzera family main residence. Front gate.
Muscular guards stood on either side, eyes sharp and vigilant.
"Halt."
"Who goes there? Come no closer."
They issued their warning, spears leveled.
"My, my. What a stern welcome."
The witch produced an item from her bosom — from between the swell of her chest — and showed it to the guards. Their eyes went wide.
"Our sincerest apologies."
"Please, right this way."
Their attitude did a complete one-eighty as they bowed and scrambled to open the gate.
The witch glided gracefully through the entrance.
She was off to meet an old friend.