Chapter 477: Durian's mansion (1) - preparation
"Oh my fucking system...! Do you know who those two even are?!"
The tall black-haired elven woman in a full set of ancient magic robes covered in runes pulled the rest of her party to the corner of the adventurers guild and whispered, blushing from excitement.
"Relax, everyone knows that this red-haired girl is a big deal. That's the young lady of the Pride family and her familiar..."
Tha short rat-faced man in light armor made out of scales of a draconid, with multiple knives' handles sticking out from various pouches and belts, raised his brow and looked at the elf with concern.
"Her familiar?! HER FAMILIAR! That's Zombie! Zom- fucking - be!"
The elven woman stared at the rat-faced man in disbelief as if he had just casually dropped some heavy insult against her.
"Yes, an undead, apparently she has an undead as a familiar despite not being a necromancer. Lairs... why are you acting as if you met a hero from the ancient stories...?"
The rat-faced man shook his head and asked in confusion, not picking up on what the elven woman was hinting at.
"Shan-shan, you're a fucking dumbass! That's a name, not a species, and it's the name of the guy who broke into the basement in the fucking Envys mansion and freed the elves! He IS a hero!"
The black-haired Lairs scoffed at him and explained with a flushed face.
"Wait what...? That's him?!"
Another member of their party, a muscular male warrior slightly on the bigger side wearing a master-crafted set of mid-ranged armor, with buckler strapped to his forearm and an obsidian bastard sword at his side, joined in the conversation and gasped, raising his brows and looking back at the trio by the counter - the silver-haired old butler, a tall red-haired girl holding a rather bulky scepter, and finally an undead that looked like a seventeen-year-old human boy with blue skin wielding an eye-catching golden shield with a massive ruby mana stone in the middle.
"I didn't know that the one who helped the elves was an undead monster...! And... don't you think that he looks somewhat familiar...?"
Another member of their group, an eight-foot-tall woman in imposing heavy armor with plates thicker than a human fist, holding an enormous tower shield that could easily be used as a front door to the guild, spoke in a soft voice and tilted her head in confusion.
"Yeah... You're right, he does seem familiar... But I'm sure that he wasn't an undead when we met him before but that name... Zombie.. it does ring a bell..."
The final member of their adventuring party, a big-eyed priestess in a snow-white robe wielding a holy-looking scepter with diamond-like mana crystal on top of it, nodded towards the giant woman, intently staring at the blue undead.
"...really? Well, I guess we did travel quite a lot... What makes you think that he wasn't an undead before?"
The warrior frowned and asked the priestess curiously.
"Because he is really cute - I would definitely use my control undead on him and steal him for myslef~!"
The priestess laughed and playfully winked at the warrior.
"Fuck me! He's looking my way! Fuck...! I want to talk to him! You all think that he will let me talk with him even for a little bit...?"
Lairs clenched her crystal ball so hard that if it wasn't made out of the crystalized heart of the elder elemental it would shatter into million pieces from the pressure.
"Geez, someone has reverted back to how she was six years ago when we were still barely scraping by to survive - Lai-lai, relax. It will be fine."
The warrior laughed and shook his head dismissively before approaching the black-haired elf and patting her shoulder reassuringly.
"We are no longer the Dandelions who just want to survive at all cost - we are the Dandelions that can and will survive anything, of course, he will want to talk!"
"Could you repeat that?"
Zombie furrowed his brows and looked back at the guild staff member.
"The Dandelions are our star adventuring party, you need to put out an application and a referral letter in order to have a meeting with them so they would decide whether or not to accept your request."
The guild staff member explained, puffing out their chest, clearly boasting about the status of the adventurers working for their guild.
|What kind of bullshit is this? Dandelions are strong? Not just Shanks after being unsealed, but all of them?|
The blue undead honestly wanted to ask the guild staff member whether or not they are talking about the same Dandelions, but Laris, Shanks, Uresha, Rotte, and In're were all standing only a dozen feet away from him, discussing something in the corner while wearing some impressive equipment...
|Bullshit! Ten years ago I helped them with selling some monster parts so they would not have to sleep on the streets! How is that not altering the story?!|
He complained unable to accept the enormous difference between the Dandelions from the first and current playthrough.
|Ha ha! I always liked them. I've already told you that this playthrough will be different, that's why you were sealed off and all. Same with them - funnily enough, with only the minimal guidance you single-handedly inspired those guys to start taking the risk, and here you have the effects! Hey, umm. Haa...|
The sealed being sounded as if she clapped her hands and cheered out extremely happy to see the adventurers doing so well for themselves before she suddenly sounded timid.
|What?|
Zombie scoffed internally braced himself in preparation for some unreasonable demand.
|Tell them you are happy that they grew so strong!|
|....huh...?|
The sealed being spoke up shyly, making the blue undead shake his head in confusion.
|Oh, and also tell them that you want to help them rebuild an old village at the edge of the Wraths territory - that will surely trigger the quest that would be the gateway for most of the secret quests that we need!|
The sealed being added hurriedly, definitely embarrassed over her own request.
"My master is the heir to the Pride family, I'm sure that a faster method of contact can be arranged."
Back in the outside world, Carambola smiled softly at the guild staff member and casually dropped the not-so-subtle hint about who were they dealing with.
"I'm afraid that's a no. Unless the adventurer or the adventuring party are directly supported by the nobility the procedures of contacting the high-level adventurers remain the same for everyone."
...but unfortunately, it did not work out whatsoever...
"Oh, I know, but I'm sure that..."
"Zombie...? Where are you going...?"
The silver-haired gentleman reached to his chest pocket for the good old shining persuasion but right then the red-haired girl by his side flinched and called out after the blue undead who started walking at the adventurers conversing in the corner.
"Pffft...! Look at that idiot undead - priestess In're will turn him into a puff of smoke in a second...!"
"!!!"
Someone in the back snickered, causing Cranberry to flinch and rush after the blue undead.
But she was too late...
"Yo. Sunflowers, going strong I see - I guess that helping you out in the Envy's territory was a good thing. I'm happy to see you get so strong."
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Zombie raised his hand and called out to the Dandelions, causing everyone in the guild to gasp in disbelief over his rudeness.
"...Sunflowers...?"
Everyone except for the five members of the Dandelions who all looked at each other, stunned.
"...no way... Envy territory... Zombie... and Sunflowers...?"
Wide-eyed Rotte gasped, raising his hand to his mouth.
"Zombie? You're that Zombie then? The kid that was posing as the banished dwarf?!"
"...!"
"No fucking way...!"
"YOU DIED AND TURNED INTO AN UNDEAD?! WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME KNOW?!"
Out of every Dandelion, the big-eyed In're was the one with the strongest reaction by far.
She had immediately rushed to the blue undead and grabbed both of his hands.
"Why didn't you tell me that you turned into an undead! I would have abdu... adopted you right away!"
The sparkling-eyes In're declared, caressing Zombie's hands in a rather unsettling way...
|...is this supposed to happen...?|
The speechless undead thought.
|Haa... yes... though it does makes me want to kill her all over again...|
The sealed being breathed out sounding as if she was clenching her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.