Chapter 426 - 426 - Leon: A Mount? I Can't Afford to Whale That Hard!

[Name]: Alchemy Recipe: Jeweled Onyx Felblade Panther [Origin]: World of Warcraft series [Type]: Crafting Manual [Effect]: Crafts a panther-shaped golem mount alchemically wrought from rare materials such as gemstones, agate, adamantine, and mithril. Driven at its core by a "Magic Stone," it not only provides an adventurer with considerable load-bearing support, but also integrates "Alertness" and "Protection" artforms, giving it superb defensive capability. A rare "shield," and a powerful, all-purpose golem. [Description]: A black Felblade Panther with a necklace-style "key," a noble, semi-autonomous golem. Materials cost: 1.499 billion Valis; craftsmanship fee: 500 million Valis; total showroom price: 1.999 billion Valis. A luxury among luxuries, a symbol of wealth and status. [Requirements]: "Alchemy," "Inscription," "Goldsmithing," and "Mysticism" abilities at "D" rank;

...

"Fing beep*! (An Orario curse)"

Leon's gaze stayed locked dead on the price in the Description line. Blood rushed straight to his head, his cheeks flushed red, and he overheated on the spot.

"Counting the craftsmanship fee, the final showroom price is 1.999 billion Valis..."

His mouth hung open. He all but pressed his face against the parchment, eyes glued to that suffocating string of numbers, and a wave of dizziness hit him.

"Even if I wanted to make one myself, minus the craftsmanship fee, the damn materials alone would run 1.499 billion..."

Leon sucked in a sharp breath, his hands and feet going ice-cold.

"I know mounts and the like usually go for sky-high luxury prices, but this price... that's just ridiculous, isn't it?"

"And on top of that, the crafting requirements..."

One glance at those harsh requirements and he didn't dare look again...

Not only did the skill levels have to reach D rank, the side professions involved numbered four in all.

Alchemy, Inscription, Goldsmithing, Mysticism.

The first two were manageable. He had at least some foundation in them, and with an alchemy master like Iri at his side, plus the introductory inscription texts in hand, there was a chance "Alchemy" and "Inscription" would be added when he promoted to Lv.5.

But "Goldsmithing" and "Mysticism"...

"Back into the bottom of a chest to gather dust with you."

Not enough knowledge, not enough money. Even if he ached to build this flashy gem panther that could serve as vehicle, mount, and shield all in one, he simply didn't have the means.

"Ugh, money, money, money. Everything needs money..."

"You never know how short you are on it until you need it. There's never enough of this stuff, no matter how much you have..."

"I was sitting on a hefty 700 million and had gotten pretty full of myself. Then a home base, a vehicle... with my savings, I can't even cover a fraction."

Mind you... just that plot in the First District alone. If he hadn't gone all-in with the contribution points Demeter had spent decades saving up, the land for the base alone... would have cost 5 billion Valis. Add the construction costs, and the total price of the base had to be barreling toward 10 billion, right?

And that's not counting the interior.

If he wanted to add a few understated but luxurious antiques as ornaments and furniture, plus some magic circles to make daily life easier, the price would sail right past 10 billion.

Worked out that way, a vehicle came to just a fifth of what the house cost.

Have to admit, that's actually pretty reasonable.

...

Watching Leon's face cycle madly from red to green to white, everyone's curiosity had overflowed past its limits.

If it weren't for the unfinished business of setting up camp, the girls would have crowded over at once to see what on earth could put that expression on Leon's face.

"...Whew."

Leon took several deep breaths, calming himself, letting his overheated head cool bit by bit.

Only once his mindset was settled did he turn to the last bubble.

"Just as I thought. I knew it."

When he saw the item inside, familiar beyond familiar, a "called it" look crossed his face.

As for what the last bubble held...

"A Familia Invitation, huh. Tsk, a series regular at this point."

Leon held the black envelope between his fingers, running through the screening criteria for the next "companion" he'd recruit. Then the familiar scene played out once more: the envelope ignited without flame and crumbled into drifting ash, vanishing.

"Who'll it summon this time..."

He was picturing the possible new member when his thoughts drifted back to the problem of the base.

"Tsk... good thing the new base should be about finished by the time we're back from this Expedition. Otherwise, with more people joining later and a home this small, that alone would be headache enough."

"Hey, Leon!"

A shout from the distance cut into his thoughts.

"Leon! Done with the unboxing?"

"Then hurry over and help!"

Looking at everyone busy at work, Leon carefully stowed the bubbles away on his person. As long as he didn't take them out himself, they would stay glass-bead sized forever, even if what was stored inside was a complete set of a dozen-odd inscription tomes, each thick as a brick.

"Got it! Coming!"

Rose, half-crouched as she pinned down tent stakes with a small hammer, watched Leon's back as he jogged off, eyes narrowing slightly, and said quietly to Jeanne beside her:

"A black envelope... looks like once we're back from this Expedition, we'll have another new companion joining."

"What type do you think this companion will be?"

Jeanne answered evenly, her hands never pausing in her work:

"If it were up to me, I'd hope for a companion skilled in logistics."

"Besides, while we're away on Expeditions, the base on the surface needs reliable hands looking after it."

"We can't keep troubling Goddess Demeter forever."

Rose nodded thoughtfully.

"True enough."

...

...

Just as they made camp to rest at the entrance to the Water City on the 25th Floor, settling in to spend the night in the Dungeon...

On the surface, Orario lay steeped in a silence so deep it made the heart quail.

Along one street, Astraea's apostles of justice carried Magic Stone lamps, carrying out their routine night patrol.

"Kaguya, does it feel to you... like something's off about the city tonight?"

Alise stopped short, her hand settling soundlessly on her sword hilt, body tightening as she scanned their surroundings warily.

Beside her, Kaguya, wrapped in her kimono, quietly lowered her center of gravity. Eyes narrowing, she answered softly:

"There is something off."

"Don't you think tonight's a little too quiet? Not only are those 'smash-and-grab' bastards who crawl out every night nowhere to be seen, even the vagrants and beggars huddled in the alley corners... not a single one so far."

At the reminder, realization struck Alise!

"No wonder... this whole patrol, I kept feeling something was missing from those shadows."

"Where did everyone go?"

Kaguya cast her gaze toward the southwest and murmured:

"Daedalus..."

A thunderous chain of explosions rolled through the night!

Before her words had even faded, column after column of flame shot skyward, lighting up the city's night sky in a stroke!

Alise's face changed drastically:

"Damn it, it's those Evilus lunatics making their move!"