104: New Workplace

Aidan was certainly glad he managed to find this group on time. He had his senses on full awareness since building the hotel, and was currently looking for some adventurers to be their first customers. It was to his shock that he found this party on the verge of being wiped out and he had to hurry before any of them lost their life.

Would he have cared if one of them died? Not particularly. But he knew that for Nina, losing any one of them would just be a pain to deal with, and just as hard to get any money out of them.

Okay, so he wasn’t that heartless. He did know that he had to change his thinking whenever Nina was involved. If he had any sentimentality, he feared that it would get in her way or worse, it would interfere with what needed to be done. He knew that being soft in the kind of world she operated in would only be a detriment, so there was nothing wrong with addressing everything in terms of what kind of gains he would get out of it.

Still, he did feel a little impressed to see such a young looking woman facing adversity straight in the face with her warhammer, and was glad that he managed to get the party under his wing to introduce them to the hotel.

Though it was totally fair to say that they were rightly suspicious of the place from the feel of their souls and the apparent looks on their faces.

“What is this…?” The larger than life bear man responded, which reminded Aidan of that wolf man that was put down back in the city. He was adorned in loose leather armor, most of his bear muscles shown across his chest. “Why is there a building right in the middle of the dungeon floor?”

“Kola, this has got to be a trap,” The young man said, pointing at the building with suspicion in his eyes. “Ain’t no way anyone can just be living here in a fucking dungeon floor.”

“I assure you, it’s completely safe,” Aidan promised, figuring he needed to use the prepared lines Nina made for him. “As you can see, this place is wide and spacious, with not a monster in sight. There’s a reason for that. This land carries energy that actually pushes monsters away, making it a safe place to stay in. My lady decided to invest in this land, making a hotel for weary travelers to rest between floors.”

“I never heard about a safe zone in the middle of a dungeon floor,” The taller woman stepped up, her dark hair tied to a bun behind her. She seemed more like a rear guard supporter, at least according to Aidan’s guess on her attire and appearance, though the rapier on her hip proved otherwise. “How are you so certain that this is safe?”

“Safe enough that we built an entire hotel here without anyone bothering us,” Aidan answered simply. “Though I can’t exactly show proof of that.”

He turned his direction to the shorter woman of the group, who was strangely the one leading this party. She had long hair tied to a ponytail behind her back, showing off her ripped midriff and open shoulders while carrying a warhammer perfect for her size. Despite her short stature, the look on her face was cold steel, something that Aidan couldn’t exactly put onto a child’s face as she responded.

“...You said we might need to spend some money. How much for the stay?”

“Kola, you can’t be serious,” The younger man replied.

“Jack, we’re tired, barely out of supplies, and quite frankly, I’m starving. We’re nowhere near the exit to the floor, and if this was a trap, this guy could have just ended us right then and there. Why do all this show and dance if they plan on killing us?”

“It could be something worse,” Jack suggested. Kola, however, shook her head.

“Either way, I don’t see a better option. If it turns out to be shit, we’ll leave. Aidan, do we have your word that you won’t punish us or something if we do?”

“Of course,” Aidan said readily. “I’ll even take an oath if you want me to.”

“I’ll take your word for it. So, how much?”

“Two silvers for each,” Aidan said, pulling out two fingers. “That includes food and baths for the first night. The rest will be explained once we enter inside. And I promise you–it’ll be worth it.”

Aidan made sure to keep his offers to a minimum, letting the group handle the decision for themselves. While he would like them to be their customers, he didn’t want to risk antagonizing them and instead acted according to how their souls reacted. Thankfully, the decision was quick, so he ushered them to head into the building, providing a nice viewing of the flower patches that Aidan specifically helped make with Nina’s guidance in mind to make the outside look more presentable.

He opened the door, letting the party inside. Then as one would expect, they stood in amazement at the lobby before them, but that wasn’t the only reason. Aidan kept walking forward, before turning back around, surrounded by the personnel that would be taking care of them.

One of them stepped forward, a graceful smile on her lips as she bowed her head, the others following suit.

“Welcome to the Raining Treasures Hotel, first generation,” Nina said, her voice grandiose and poised all the while. “As our very first customers, we’ll see to it that your needs are met and leave completely satisfied by the end.”

…..

The rest came by as expected. The party known as Conductors were all swept up into the mood of the hotel, followed by the two siblings named Haley and Van giving them a short tour around the hotel and showing them their rooms. When that was done, they put aside their torn armor and equipment to put on fresh clothes given to them by the workers, then presenting them over to the bath for a well-deserved cleansing.

All the while, the Conductors were just astounded and mesmerized by everything that surrounded them. The inside of the hotel, after many days of careful decorating, gave the feel of being in a noble’s mansion where the halls were dressed in lavish attire, paintings that Nina picked up adorned the walls while plenty of expensive loosing vases, lamps, and even armored trimmings worn on mannequins gave the building a more luxurious feel. They weren’t just presented to their rooms, but also shown the training room for them to partake in sparring with each other, a lounge for them to meet with the other occupants of the hotel, a spa-like room for them to unwind and relax, and finally a dining room where they could eat as they desired.

Naturally, Haley and Van weren’t the only workers in the hotel giving the Conductors a much needed reprieve. While Kola sat on a plush chair that she swore was more expensive than anything she had ever owned, she found herself practically melting from its luscious feel, only to realize a little too late that an incense was lit up in the room she was at, and it was a particularly expensive make that might have been at Rare rarity.

Or was it at Epic rarity? Surely this hotel wasn’t so vastly rich that it could use up something as valuable as that, right?

“May I offer you a drink, ma’am?”

Kola opened her eyes, finding a rather beautiful young woman with long blond hair, dressed in civil servant attire just like the two siblings she met earlier. She wore a dazzling smile, all the while presenting a silver tray carrying a refined glass of purple liquid.

She could already smell the tantalizing scent of grape, her favorite, before shooting a raised brow at her.

“For how much?”

“Free, of course,” The woman didn’t falter once, offering another smile as she answered. “You already paid for it as part of the special campaign we’re offering for our first customers.”

Kola hesitated for another moment, but her taste buds screamed at her to reconsider as she carefully took the glass, wondering if perhaps this glass was as expensive as that lavish incense used for the room. Taking a careful sip, she had to hold herself back from drinking the entire thing in one go.

“Delicious…” Kola muttered.

“Please don’t be afraid to ask for more refreshments,” The woman answered, offering a bow of her head. “My name is Nicky, and I would be glad to serve you again. Only call for my name if you require anything else.”

“...Then, I would like a pitcher of this stuff, if possible.”

“Gladly!”

…..

It was natural that Nina called forth the Wise Guys party to come and work for the hotel. It wasn’t that they were forced to do so like before, but due to Nicky and her party still sworn under Nina’s contract to do her bidding.

While some would say it was still forced, the fact was that they were being handsomely paid for doing this. As Nicky walked through the hall, she recalled the incredibly unbelievable scenario that played only just recently.

Her and her party were just returning to their inn after dealing with some matters in Forontia. At the time, Yin asked them to take it easy for a few days, letting others do their share of the work within Forontia. While Nicky wasn’t keen to just do nothing, she took the chance for her party to rest and relax. That’s when Aidan suddenly came around, proving that they indeed will not relax as they expected.

He offered them a job, or rather, his patron Nina offered them a job, and everyone there knew that one didn’t say no to Nina Alcatrox. However, to her utter shock, when the party were gathered up around Aidan, he suddenly cast a spell and their entire world vanished before reappearing, this time in a completely different place than before.

They found themselves in this building, in a hotel inside a freaking dungeon, and were told by none other than Nina who was there that they would be working as servants for the hotel they were handling. While Nicky’s brain was frying from the fact that Aidan basically teleported them there, Nina already established their pay before giving them their duties.

As she recalled those memories, her mind finally processed what had just occurred, and she was definitely sure that Nina wasn’t paying them as much as she would’ve liked. It was definitely better than any quest reward they worked so hard for, but Nicky wanted to vent and bitch about it anyways.

She turned to a room after walking through the hall to find Bill folding the clothes inside what looked like a prep room for the sauna that was currently being used by the men of the Conductor’s party on the other side. Hot steam rose from the room, though it didn’t bother Bill at all as the enchantments in the room, provided by the enchanters that Nina had under her thumb, allowed for perfect ventilation and air-conditioning for a relaxing atmosphere.

“Hey boss,” Bill called out once he finished folding the clothes precisely for the men to wear after they were done. “Just finishing up here. Is everything all right with the others?”

“I just finished serving their leader,” Nicky shook her head. “Tell me, Bill–am I dreaming?”

“Do I have permission to pinch you?”

“No.”

“Then that’s all up to you,” Bill answered immediately. “If you’re asking me, I’m just glad I’m alive to see all this in action. I stopped caring about whatever the hell Aidan does in his spare time, and just want to make sure that Nina’s all satisfied with our work ethic.”

“Same here, but I still can’t believe what I’m witnessing here,” Nicky said, turning to the window outside to see the beautiful glade they found themselves in. She wouldn’t believe for a second that they were inside a dungeon, but knowing who it was that teleported them here, she wasn’t going to deny it. “A hotel in a dungeon… what’s next? Does she plan to make a franchise out of this?”

“Is that really surprising?” Bill asked. “With teleportation under her belt, and how that damn bastard can basically make anything he wants with just a thought–who wouldn’t take advantage of that? I’m sure as hell you would.”

“I don’t deny that one bit,” Nicky said, shaking her head. “But it’s one thing to imagine it. It’s another to actually make it a reality. I mean, did she even consider the consequences of making a business here in another city? So close to Palestorm of all things?”

“She took advantage of the free real estate to make some cash,” Bill answered, shrugging. “Doesn’t sound so revolutionary. How else can Palestorm establish, fund, and take care of a hotel inside a dungeon? Hell, I didn’t even know there were even safe zones in dungeons until now.”

“And you’re not afraid of any potential trouble that might arise from doing this?” Nicky asked again.

“I’m not the one who made the damn hotel,” Bill answered, almost exasperated. “Come on, Nicky. Let’s just take advantage of all this and do what she says. As long as we’re done, we can do whatever the hell we want while we’re here. Ander is definitely taking advantage of that by training with Aidan and the others.”

“Ugh, that battle junkie doesn’t care at all about the circumstances,” Nicky groaned. No matter how much Ander tended to let things go and just go along with what he felt, she still felt responsible for taking care of him.

“Or maybe he just knows that there’s no point in worrying, and is, as I said, taking advantage for his own benefit. Nina certainly doesn’t seem to mind.”

“I can’t just shut my brain off like you can, Bill,” Nicky groused. She knew she was just being bitchy at this point, but Bill knew her for long enough that he knew when she was being unreasonable before shaking his head.

“Listen, I’m going to go check on that tall lady, see if she wants anything. Where is she again?”

Nicky knew that when Bill changed subjects like that, there was no point in continuing. “I heard she’s gorging herself in the dining room from Nina. She told us to ‘ensure she’s well fed’.”

“Roger dodger,” Bill gave off a mock salute. “When you’re ready to reap the benefits, come find me. I’ll be having a little snack for myself if you don’t mind.”

Bill left the room, leaving Nicky in the prep room all on her own as the steam curled up to the ceiling. Everything in her soul was screaming that this was just too unbelievable, and thought of multiple scenarios where things would go wrong.

But soon enough, her anxiety drained from her the longer she stood still and let her mind take a break. Before long, the relaxing clutches of the hotel soon hooked on her soul, and before she knew it, she shook her head and shrugged.

Whatever happens, happens. For now, she’ll check up on Ander to see if he was currently eating dirt under the hands of the most powerful mage she had ever encountered.