Labyrinth Story 788

Chapter 788 – 779 the Port City of Niamad

Wearing a hooded robe that hinders perception, Hwanin went down to the hotel lobby with his girlfriends and asked the concierge for general information about the area.

Even if it’s local information, it’s not special, but the location of the administrative officer, the location of the labyrinth, the pier and port, and places where many sailors go.

= Then how about this? This is a tourist information book that is necessary for distinguished guests visiting Niamad.=

What the Fleur woman in a neat skirt suit held out was a paper booklet made of vegetable fiber, about 10 pages long.

Hwanin, who paid 1 silver coin for a handwritten guidebook with a texture similar to Korean paper, headed for the labyrinth first.

Because many souls were detected in the direction of the labyrinth recorded in the guide book.

The range of his soul detection continues to expand thanks to the continued use of soul detection while searching for souls in Elwidris, the village at the entrance to the Isthmus of Geod, and Durdane.

Current coverage covers two-thirds of Niamad, with hotels located in the heart of the city putting the entire city within range of the soul.

Furthermore, is it because of summoning and taking Myeonglia with her? It became possible to classify the soul into gray jade, sapphire, red jade, and black jade to some extent, and if you focus your mind, you can even vaguely pinpoint the level of corruption of the soul.

Then I felt a strange feeling.

Somehow, I feel like I’ve finally become a real soul master.

“Let’s take a rickshaw and go.”

When Hwan-in, who discovered a human-powered carriage, horse-riding truck, and rickshaw waiting at a designated place along the main road, brings up the story, Norn puffs out his cheeks and expresses his displeasure.

“I can give you a ride!”

“I’ll just say it. What are Isilite and Baekryeogang going to do?”

“The two of you ask them to come by carriage. Then it will work.”

When Hwanin stared at her, who showed her determination to never let the two of her ride on her back, she licked her lips and avoided her gaze.

At least, the fact that she doesn’t scream and insist on her excrement like before is proof of her growth.

Hwanin, who patted Norn on the head, got on the 4-person rickshaw of a horse woman with the lower body of a horse, Luke.

=Welcome, guest! Where should I take it?!=

“Let’s go to the square in front of the Radom Labyrinth.”

=Yes~!=

A tribal woman sang her hum and lightly pulled a rickshaw weighing nearly 300kg, including her wagon.

The power of one horse is usually expressed as 1 magic attribute. However, the etymology of 1 magic attribute was created in the past.

Modern horses are stronger and stronger than when the word 1 magic attribute was coined, so the formula of 1 hp = 1 horse is not correct.

This also applies to the horse race, and the horse race woman was pulling a four-seater rickshaw with four people at a speed similar to that of ordinary people.

Even that speed was intentionally lowered because the ride quality would be messed up if the speed was higher than this.

I had once ridden a human-powered wagon in Radsea, and I thought the human body was interesting.

As she was looking at the scenery of the street passing by moderately fast, a woman from a village tribe pulling her rickshaw stopped for a moment at an intersection and asked her party.

=Guest~ Is the ride comfortable?=

“It’s okay. It seems that the lady has been doing this for a long time. Unlike other manpower wagons, you can feel the proficiency.”

=Ehehe.=

Although the rickshaw does not have a suspension, the ride comfort was not bad because it pulled the rickshaw so that it would not shake as if it was aware of all the bumps on the road, and it had a soft cushion.

If you look closely, the rickshaw is shiny as if it had been carefully groomed every day, and the centaur-like coachman’s clothes are clean and neat without any alteration or fraying.

Even the horse’s back was covered with something like a cloak cover so that the horse’s genitals and anus could not be seen, giving it a very formal feel.

It should be said that it resembles a manpower wagon that operates in the center of the city.

Against her, her Hwanin began to acquire information about her Niamad, things that were unknown to non-locals, while talking to her with moderate conversational skills.

“It’s been 400 years since the Sanctuary Tower was built. Considering that he built such a great building, the lord of Niamad must be a very good person.”

= Of course! Our lord’s family is a great and wonderful lord who treats the people like family for generations!=

“But feats like that aren’t going to happen overnight. It must have been a lot of hard work.”

=Wow, is Floe a scholar? As she said, I heard from her grandmother that when the Seonghwa Tower was first built, it affected not only demons and monsters, but also people and animals. =

The Sanctuary Tower was a top-notch installation-type magician that made it possible for a 7th-level Holy Sorcerer to pour all his phase power into the realm of destruction and demonic magic, as long as he had phase power.

It is a structure designed and manufactured by the lord of Niamad at his own expense, conceived from the altar of the anti-spirit spirit, which is essential for stationing military camps in the deepest part of the labyrinth.

When such a sanctuary tower was built and test driving started, people suffered symptoms such as mental discomfort, headaches, and nausea, and in the case of animals, the insensitive animals continued to run away to the point of death.

The lord, who found out that the cause was due to the strong effect of the sanctuary tower, adjusted the intensity of the sanctuary divergence with feedback.

“…”

Hwanin, who listened to the coachman’s story and recalled some of the side effects that would arise from the torch tower, put the questions aside and calmed the coachman’s alertness by appreciating or admiring the ordinary cityscape.

If you praise someone who feels a sense of belonging for their belonging, the atmosphere will be relaxed and the vigilance will be weakened.

After that, it took off her luck so naturally that she didn’t even notice.

“The city is very clean, but it seems like they do regular seawater relief work like a small animal.”
“Then, since the Sanctuary Tower was functional, there have been no attacks from Nagas or monsters?”
“I heard that fish, a specialty of the Radom Labyrinth, is famous, so I wonder what the atmosphere of the Labyrinth is like these days.”

The coachman lady, who hadn’t even noticed in her dreams about the questions from the sanctuary tower, was fascinated by Hwanin’s eloquence in praising the middle cities, shrugged her shoulders, smiled, and talked about everything she knew and didn’t know.

There were no such things as small animals. The monster’s attack has never occurred. I’ve heard workers complain that the profits on the 1st and 2nd floors of the labyrinth are getting worse and worse…

=We have arrived, guest!=

“Good job. This is a tip.”

Hwanin, who gave her a tip of one fairy tale in addition to her fare, looked at the coachman lady happily returning to the main street, then moved her steps to the vast labyrinth plaza.

A time well past noon.

It is the time of year beyond summer and transitioning into autumn, but in Niamad, which has a climate between the tropics and subtropics, the midsummer-like hot sun is beating down.

The plaza, covered with awnings, was crowded with many people in the hot air that made you sweat even if you were still.

Glancing at Hwanin from the side, who was walking with a cold face, Issilite sensed that something else was wrong.

If it wasn’t for that, there’s no way the master would have such a hard expression.

Did you pick up something from your conversation with the coachman earlier?

Hmm…

= Master. Is there a bad effect attached to the tower?=

“I can’t be certain, but it seems highly likely.”

=You asked the coachman about the seawater relief project. Is it related to the birth of life? ?=

Asked by Baekryeogang, who was walking along with his stride across Isilite, Hwanin nodded slightly, and the two women widened their eyes in surprise.

“A city like this is inseparable from seawater. Moreover, Niamad is a port city. With the fishing industry going on, there should always be plenty of food on the pier…=

It is only natural that there are many seagulls and rats aiming for minnow-like fish thrown by fishermen.

And cats that aim for mice naturally catch up, and it should be full of small animals and insects that are in charge of one axis of the ecosystem, as well as wild dogs that are often found in cities without owners.

However, Hwanin came to the labyrinth and looked everywhere, but noticed that there were too few such creatures.

“… The problem is that the number of children is also small.”

=… !=
= Ah… !=

The women who were glancing at the sky on the beach were belatedly surprised when they looked around the plaza at Hwanin’s point.

What he said was true.

In a middle-class city like Niamad, there are not a few orphans who do not have enough labor for one person, or children from families struggling to make ends meet.

Such children usually gather in squares like this, aiming for errands…

=… I have very few children…=

In other cities, there are usually 2 or 3 children snooping here and there, paying attention to adults, and rushing at them if they feel the slightest hint of errands, but here, I am afraid to see one.

=If it’s 400 years old, you’d probably notice, but why doesn’t anyone know?=

Isilite looked at the orphan girl running beside her with a serious expression on her face, and she asked him.

“It must be because those 400 years are an ambiguous time.”

For humans, 400 years is enough time for 6 or 7 generations to change.

However, half of Niamad’s population consists of the Fleurs and Prouds, and many of the other races live for 100 years.

The reason why the negative effects of the sanctuary occur conspicuously seems to be because the aftermath has to accumulate in the body through at least several generations, but maybe it’s because the 3rd or 4th generation doesn’t really stand out enough to catch the eye.

Or maybe you got used to it at some point and don’t feel strange.

Hwanin pressed the hood a little deeper and opened the eyes of a new-style soul to scan the people lining the tent stalls and the people passing through the labyrinth.

Hwanin, who had figured out the number of 100 people, thought while massaging his slightly tired eyes.

‘I don’t see anyone in such a mess…’

In any case, if the population is slowly disappearing without people noticing, it seems that there will be no problems with the body by exposure to the waves of the Sanctuary Tower for a few days.

But the labyrinth…

= Hey, bro. Apparently, they came here to get labyrinth information, but there are terrain maps as well as heterogeneous species that appear and there are gathering routes that can be used as money for zone information. All of this first-tier information is only 2 silver coins. How about =

“…”

Hwanin stared blankly at a 12-year-old boy blocking his way and touting guests.

He looks like a nice 12-year-old, but he’s not a real kid. I’m an adult of the Selfin Proud tribe…

Snap.

=Kuh, what?!=

When he picks up his right arm hidden behind his back, it reveals a hand that had been crushed with a hammer and seemed to have healed.

The moment Hwanin penetrated the man’s story, the selpins, who were forced to show what they did not want to show, got angry.

= Fuck! What are you doing! You bastard, if you don’t want to buy, say no!=

“Two silver coins.”

=… Huh?=

“Pay everything.”

Hwanin, who took the five sheets of paper from the man’s left hand, presented two shiny silver coins in front of him.

Then, the man who was looking at the silver coin and Hwanin’s face alternately made a look on his face for a moment, then roughly shook Hwanin’s hand and snatched the two silver coins from his hand.

= Chet. Be careful next time.=

Away after that… The man who tried to catch Hwanin by the collar of his neck struggled.

=Ah, what is it really!!=

“There are a few things I want to ask you. I took 2 silver coins for something I didn’t even pay for one zeal, so it’s okay to do that much.”

=…=

“If you don’t like it, return the silver.”

=You’re lucky, really.=

The man, who roughly shoved the silver coin into his pocket as if he didn’t want to return it, glared at Hwanin and then pointed to one side of the square.

=There is a fountain over there, go over there and talk.=

“If you run away, I’ll beat you in the middle of the street, so you better think carefully before deciding.”

=I don’t even think about running away from a dog-like goblin.=

At the man’s harsh words and actions, Isilite sharply opens her eyes.

The man flinched at a force he had never felt before from his back alley drug dealer.

After reaching the fountain and wiping the sweat from his face with his left hand, the man sat down on the edge of the fountain and asked:

=What do you want to hear?=

Usually, the area around the fountain is cooler than other places. It would be a good place to do business near a fountain like this, but there are no merchants.

The reason must be because there are soldiers cracking down on this area. It must have been a man’s desperate plan to prevent violence in the event that he was brought here to talk.

Hwanin asked the man with a sullen expression with a face that said he didn’t care.

“Until several floors in the labyrinth, the Heterogeneity disappeared.”

=… Are you a spy in another city?=

“If you’re thinking of doing it, I’d advise you not to do it.”

=…=

Hwanin’s voice continues to the man who flinched slightly.

“It’s better to think of this situation as a retribution for trying to cheat and overcharge you for being an outsider. So, what is the answer?”

The man, who was thinking of calling in the soldiers and making them suffer, kept his mouth shut for a moment at Hwanin’s calm attitude, then answered obediently.

= Up to the 3rd floor. Rumors spread that Hyungjong Lee disappeared on the 3rd floor not too long ago.

“Has the mental invasion disappeared?”

=Yes. Instead, I heard that it got worse from the second floor onwards. The first floor of the structure has completely disappeared, and the second and third floors are almost half slower than before. If you listen to the story of the mercenary party that came from outside, you will hear that Hyungjong Lee is stronger than other labyrinths.”

“…”

To describe the ecology of the Radom Labyrinth in two words, it is an underground cave lake.

The map the man sold said that blue caimans and sea snakes appeared mainly on the first floor, and bipedal fish called scale walkers appeared in the lower part of the first floor.

The Radom Labyrinth is a 4th grade, and there are up to 4th floor, but there is no intention to go down that deep.

I only needed to know the type of the 2nd floor heterogeneous species, but it was a waste to pay tens of silver coins to buy a map from the soldiers to find out, and I was reluctant to go down to the 2nd floor and check it.

Judging by the scale of the map, it was a large formation close to a single road.

When Hwanin was silent, the selpin man glanced at the soldier chatting over there and jumped out of the fountain and said,

= Is that okay? I’m gone… ! Cluck Cluck Cough!=

The man who had been strangled by his collar again glared at Hwanin with his tear-stained face while coughing violently.

“Lastly, what are the heterogeneous species of the second layer?”

= Aren’t you trying to eat it raw? If I call the soldiers and shout, you’ll get fucked too, right?=

“One thing is for sure, only you will be fucked. In addition, if you look at that hand and this handmade paper, your reputation will already be in ruins. If a quarrel arises at this time, will the soldiers believe you or me?”

=… Ha, where is this…=

The man let out a deep sigh, then took out a pen that was processed like a pencil with a disgruntled face and scribbled letters on the paper Hwanin was holding.

= That’s all! Don’t grab it this time!=

Finally, when the man growling like a Chihuahua disappeared into the crowd, Hwanin looked at the list of heterogeneous species the man had written, put it in his arms, and told his girlfriends.

“There doesn’t seem to be any reason to enter the labyrinth, so let’s walk around for a while.”

=Yes, Master.=

“Why don’t you come in? Didn’t a heterogeneous species you like come out?”

When Norn, who held Hwanin’s hand, looked up at him and wondered, Hwanin gave a small smile.

“There are only two types of heterogeneous species that are likely to have souls, but it seems to come from the third floor.”

A stall that happened to be on sale was selling thick meat skewers, so Hwanin bought all the plates, gave one to Isilite and Baekryeogang, and handed the rest to Norn.

Norn’s expression brightens as he sees a bunch of crispy meat skewers with a sweet and spicy smell.

“Wow. Hwanin, I love you!”

After taking a small bite of the exquisitely grilled meat skewer between crisp and crackle, Baek Ryeo-gang followed Hwanin and asked.

= Brother. Unusual portents can be seen everywhere in the city… What are you going to do? Are you going to inform the lord of this land?=

“If you let us know in advance, there seems to be a lot of room for trouble. As you leave, you can secretly deliver the letter through Hwanyeon.”

By the way, it’s a little inconvenient because there’s no spirit monitoring of fantasy.

Norn’s ability to capture or detect enemies is at a level no different from fantasy. I don’t worry about defense.

‘I want to see how many children are in the city and where they are gathered.’

However, in terms of city exploration and simple data research, none of the party can follow Hwanyeon…

Going back to the hotel and waiting for the return of Hwanyeon to relieve it, Hwanin wandered around the entrance of the labyrinth and began to retrieve the souls around the labyrinth that he could feel through his soul detection and retrieve them one by one.

It is slowly becoming evening, but there are many people entering the labyrinth even at this time.

It is said that if there are many people entering, there are also many soldiers who watch over them and maintain security.

Hwanin collected seven souls while wandering around so as not to attract the attention of the soldiers and look suspicious, then moved to a nearby tea house.

A cool breeze lingers inside the building, probably because it is in front of the labyrinth, so it is because it is dealing with a professional. If you order a cold fruit drink and Ah here, the heat that was wandering around under the scorching heat disappears in an instant.

Hwanin looked down on the plaza in front of the labyrinth from a window seat on the second floor, summoned the collected souls, and asked questions.

All seven souls are gray, and although they are not professional souls, they have some lingering attachments to the labyrinth as they stay near the labyrinth.

Hwanin, who asked questions to compare the information he had heard from the Serpin man, unexpectedly found out that the Serpin man told only the truth.

Looking at it, it seems that he knew which heterogeneous species appeared in what class, but the reason he didn’t tell us about it was probably because of a petty desire for revenge.

Hwanin looked again at the name of Hyungjong Lee the man had written on the map.

Ophidian, Lizardscale, Sea Turtle, Lesser Serpent, Wear Serpent, Octo Pulsar.

Next to Lee Hyeong-jong’s name, among the seven collected souls, write the class that was informed by the person who was a labyrinth worker during his lifetime.

Scale Walkers and Lesser Serpents appear on the second floor, and Octo Pulsars appear from lakes located here and there.

The scale walker is a heterogeneous species that grows from less than 1m tall to 1.5m, and the octopulser shoots water jets at passers-by with water in its snout.

Sea Turtle, Lesser Serpent, and Wear Serpent appear on the 3rd floor, but it is said that their activities are difficult because they are in the form of underwater caves that are submerged in water.

And the long-awaited 4th floor.

Here, Sea Snake Ophidian, a heteromorphic snake with arms, and Lizardscale, who resemble Sabi in appearance, appear, and Hwanin guessed that these two might be heteromorphic species with souls.

“It would be troublesome to go through an underwater cave and go all the way to the 4th floor, where Niamad’s forces are stationed, just to check it out.”

On the way, he did not know what kind of rampage the labyrinth, which had been interfered with by the sanctuary tower for 400 years, would cause.

If there was a heterogeneous species on the 1st or 2nd floor that I thought might have a soul, I was willing to go down for their weapon proficiency, but since it is the 4th floor, this is the envoy.

“Now that the sweat has cooled, let’s go find the souls of former sailors.”

=Yes, Master.=

“Ah. Hwanin, I want to eat more meat skewers.”

“If Norn wants to eat it, I have to buy it.”

I bought 24 meat skewers in dark red sauce, the length of an adult woman’s arm, and gave half each to Norn and Baek Ryeo-gang.

Norn hugs an envelope full of skewers with a happy face in the world and eats it.

“Don’t be shy. If you want to eat, you have to eat.”

= Yes…=

Baek Ryogang’s face never returned to normal, as if he was ashamed of being exposed for his gluttony in front of the man he loved.

However, the moment she takes a bite of the spicy and sour meat skewer, a smile spreads across her face.

Hwanin looked at Norn and Baekryogang, who were happy, and held out her left arm to Isilite, forcing her to cross her arms.

Then, Isilite’s face also showed a shy but happy feeling.