Billy didn't remember seeing any of that… probably because he didn't put much thought into his speech. Nevertheless, most parties had six members, and since she could manipulate the four basic elements, Billy thought that Sarah could be useful… the only problem was Natalie. Letting mom join when they head to another dungeon might be beyond her tolerance level.
"If you can convince the others, I don't mind," Billy said.
"Thank you, I will talk with them properly," Sarah said and then left.
She sure had steel nerves… unlike Sarah, Billy wouldn't try to get along with those that hated him. Even for the sake of power… that would be too much of a pain. No… Apparently, Sarah was doing that for her tribe, so her throwing away her pride and enduring hardships of that level wasn't that surprising.
Sarah didn't return to tell Billy of her success, but she appeared on the day of the departure. For some reason, Natalie didn't look pissed. Was she being tolerant, or does she grows tired of letting Sarah's presence annoy her?
"It seems that everyone is ready…" Billy said while looking around the city's exit and seeing some fields of grain being looked after by some workers. "It seems that by the time we return, they will be done with the first harvest of those fields."
"What does that has to do with anything?" Lily asked.
"I will be looking forward to eating more and experimenting with the dishes of Hiloh state," Billy said. "Oh, well… Let's get going."
The group began to travel in silence. Although they didn't get along, Sarah and Natalie sure had many similarities. The fact that their poor communication skills were making things awkward was one of them. Fortunately, to compensate for them, Lily and Kate didn't know when to shut up. Still, since Billy was already used to that, he didn't mind.
"Can you please tell me how was your first time in a dungeon?" Sarah asked. "If I hear them beforehand, I won't become a burden and make mistakes when the real thing starts."
Those were some misleading words, but only Billy thought that. In any case, Kate began to tell in rich details about their adventures during the week they stayed in Silverbreakers dungeon town. She talked so much that the day was over when she finished… two days later, the group found Pierre waiting for them on the other side.
"You must hate this, huh," Billy said.
"Hate, what?" Pierre frowned.
"You are a Captain, but you have to escort us around," Billy said.
"I have no idea why you would think that… Regardless, this is a good chance of pace for me," Pierre said. "Since that incident, a few rumors about your spread around, so don't be surprised if you feel some troublesome gazes."
"If it is only about me, I won't mind," Billy said. "In any case, what about the Count?"
"Things are the same as before, our lord is demanding the leader of the Toles state to hand him over, but he is asking for money…" Pierre said and then sighed.
They were using the same tactic that was used against them. If Billy were in their position, he probably would do the same. Besides, it would be stupid to hand over a skilled individuals that managed to almost stab everyone in the back. Besides, the Count knows how Jean thinks, so he could become an excellent adviser in the next war.
Two days later, the group arrived at the snowforge dungeon town. Although the place was called like that, it was located in the southern part of the state, and it was close to the ocean, so the tropical climate was predominant. It had a weird name because of the first guild that cleared it. Aside from the materials that were gathered inside the dungeon, the main products of the place were sea fruits since there were many fishing villages nearby. While the place didn't look much different from the previous dungeon town, it was a slightly bigger one. The people seemed more lively, probably because men and women used a few pieces of clothing to fight off the heat.
"This place seems nice," Kate said. "If the climate is like this all year round, I can see that everyone here has full spirits all year round."
"It isn't that simple… you get used to this place and then eventually start to think that the weather is troublesome and begin to long for the inverse," Billy said. "This is the kind of place that is only good to visit now and then… that being said, trips to this place really tend to raise your spirit."
Billy wasn't a gloomy person, but he felt like that since he lived in a city close to the ocean in his previous life. Things are a bit different in this world, but as expected, even the most fun things get boring if done with frequency. Few things are exceptions for that rule.
"You are quite right. Our lord spends his vacation every year in this area," Pierre said.
"But since he told us to come, it seems he can't stay away from work for long," Billy said.
"That is a trademark of good leaders. They can't quite forget their work and their people for so long," Pierre said proudly.
Billy didn't agree or disagree with it. Instead of that, he looked at the shops around that had weapons for sale. Their quality wasn't bad, but they seemed quite old… probably because they were things found inside the dungeon. It seemed that Billy and his friends might hit the jackpot this time.
"It has been two years since this dungeon was cleared by a party of newbies and almost six months since the last party cleared it," Pierre said. "This is a good chance for you guys, but if you take your time, the guild will send a party and clear the place.. The last floor is swarming with monsters, so there is a chance that they might escape the dungeon in the next few weeks."