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Chapter 32: Pre-Investigation

"In my view, it would be better for the expedition\'s captain to also manage the adventurers."

"What\'s the reason for that?" Baron Arsen asked, blinking.

Kai spoke after considering what he would say two, no, three times. "The primary stakeholder of this expedition is Glendale. However, as you know, most adventurers are desperate for growth. If they were to hold command themselves, there\'s a high possibility they would take risks to increase their contributions."

"Hmm, I am well aware of adventurers\' greed.... So you suggest that the expedition captain should firmly hold the reins?"

"Of course, that is for you to decide, sir."

"Hmm...." After a moment of contemplation, Baron Arsen nodded. "That does sound like a good idea. I thought it would be best to give the adventurers some command since they would know each other best... but indeed, given that my soldiers\' lives are at stake, it would be best to strictly control the unpredictable adventurers. However...."

"However...?"

"You will need to offer some advice to the expedition captain. After all, we don\'t fully understand adventurers."

"If it\'s just that... it would be my pleasure."

Kai\'s expression brightened, and he smiled broadly. It was the smile that often appeared when he got what he wanted.

This is exactly what I wanted. Not visible, but free to act at my discretion.

That wasn\'t all. If he could become friendly with the expedition leader, he could enjoy various conveniences.

"But do bear in mind, that while they are my subordinates, knights still have their pride. If you intervene too much, you\'ll provoke their anger."

"I\'ll keep that in mind."

Kai was indeed quite shameless, but he wasn\'t heartless enough to mess with the knights.

If they’re knights from Glendale, they must be at least level 120, how could I dare to fool around?

Even if the knights were to push him to do so, he had to refuse. One must stretch their legs only as far as the bed allows!

Kai sincerely thanked the baron for accommodating his convenience. "Thank you for indulging my unreasonable request."

"Not at all. I\'m the one asking you. Please, make sure to defeat the Orc Sorcerer." Baron Arsen stood up and patted Kai\'s shoulder. "The expedition will set out in a month from today. Recruiting adventurers will happen around three weeks from now."

"Three weeks...."

The schedule was much more relaxed than Kai had anticipated.

"It would be wise for you to grow stronger until then. Once again, defeating the Orc Sorcerer will not be easy. You\'ll have to get past the Orc Warriors and Orc Heroes protecting it."

"I\'ll bear that in mind. I should improve my skills before the expedition is formed."

"If I may offer a piece of advice, it would be beneficial to gain experience fighting Orcs beforehand," Baron Arsen concluded with a satisfied smile, pleased by Kai\'s constant desire for growth and refusal to stagnate in his current abilities.

***

Those who sought to conquer dungeons had to make many preparations. From potions and equipment repair kits to reliable companions and high-ranked items, the most crucial of all was information.

Hmm, there\'s no information about the Trial of Hanox.

Kai had gone through the community site whenever he had time but unfortunately, he found no valuable information.

This won\'t do.

Dungeons, filled with various dangers, were unknown territories. The slight difference between being prepared and not could determine the success of a dungeon conquest!

It\'s unfortunate that it involves spending money, but there\'s a method suitable for such occasions.

Kai headed to the library in Glendale. If he had more money, he would have headed to the information guild, but even if it required more effort, the library was much more cost-effective.

Upon entering the library, the reception desk staff greeted him with a bright smile, "Welcome. Will you be using the first floor?"

"I\'ll look around the second floor as well," Kai said, pulling out gold from his inventory without hesitation.

While the first floor of the library found in each city was open for free, the second floor was not.

The books on the second floor are much more valuable.

Accessing the second floor cost a whole gold coin! It was a price that could seem expensive at first glance but was actually considered reasonable for the freedom to read information from a place known as a treasure house of knowledge.

The first floor is indeed crowded.

Many NPCs and adventurers were reading with books stacked on the desks, or searching for books they wanted.

Kai then approached the female librarian at the first floor\'s desk. "Do you have any books related to Hanox?"

"Hanox? That\'s new to me.... Please wait a moment." The librarian, tilting her head, manipulated a magical crystal on the desk and entered some information. After rotating the crystal back and forth, she exclaimed with a discovery. "Ah... found it! You\'re looking for information on the ancient city of Hanox, right?"

"Yes, I think."

Kai smiled, having finally found a clue to information that was not available even on the community site.

***

In games, the prefix \'ancient\' before an item\'s name naturally increased its value.

After learning that Hanox was an ancient city, Kai couldn\'t hide his excitement and continued, "Where can I find the related books?"

"Sorry, but you\'ll need to go up to the second floor for that."

It was as he expected. Kai wasn’t taken aback and handed over the entrance ticket he had paid a gold coin for.

"Oh! You\'ve already bought a ticket for the second floor. Then, please follow me."

The librarian led Kai straight to the second floor. Soldiers guarded the stairs, but Kai, with his reading pass, passed through easily.

So this is the library\'s second floor, huh?

Kai knew of its existence but had never visited before, as he had never needed information badly enough to come to the library.

The Tomb of the Gnolls was an unexpected entry, so there was no time to prepare for that.

The second floor had much fewer people compared to the first, but there were still a few NPCs and players. They glanced at Kai, the newcomer, then turned their heads back to their books.

It\'s like the study halls from my high school days.

It was a desolate space where nobody showed interest in others for more than three seconds!

"Please come this way," the librarian led Kai to a shelf covered in dust. "Hmm.... ‘Civilizations Lost to the Continent\' and \'The Path of the Ancient Warrior\' should be around here somewhere..."

After rummaging through the shelf for a bit, she let out a short exclamation, climbed a ladder and pulled out two books. "Cough, cough... Oh, so much dust. Here you are."

The librarian dusted them off before handing them to Kai. He took the books and bowed his head saying, "Thank you."

"Hehe, no worries."

However, she did not leave after that brief response. Instead, she stared at Kai, her fingers fidgeting as if she wanted something.

Oh, a tip.

Realizing what she wanted, Kai immediately took out about 5 silver and handed it to her.

"Hehe, thank you!" The librarian smiled brightly.

As she started to leave, Kai quickly grabbed her sleeve.

"...What’s wrong?" She held on to the 5 silver tightly and showed a wary expression.

Kai raised his hands in a gesture to show he meant no harm and said, "Excuse me, but by any chance, have you been having trouble sleeping at night?"

"Oh.... How did you...?" she nodded, her eyes wide with surprise.

Just as Kai said, she had been struggling with worsening insomnia recently, which made it difficult for her to sleep at night.

"It\'s obvious, really. The dark circles under your eyes indicate you haven\'t been resting well, and your eyes look tired as if you\'ve been waking up multiple times."

"Th-that\'s right. I\'ve always had insomnia, but lately, it\'s gotten worse due to overworking," the librarian shared her complaints with a gloomy expression.

Kai smiled as if he understood everything. It was a moment for the persuasive skills he had acquired while treating the villagers of Frica, similar to those of a scammer, to come into play.

Of course, I guessed her symptoms though.

Anyone could tell she was exhausted just by looking at her face, not just Kai! His ability to professionally package such observations was one of the big takeaways from his time in Frica.

"Hmm.... I don\'t usually do this, but...." Kai looked around and subtly raised his hand. "Sunlight’s Warmth, Bless."

Sunlight’s Warmth was a top-tier heal skill that not only healed but also removed all status effects! Additionally, when he also applied Bless that temporarily boosted all stats, her face brightened so much it looked as if she had received botox injections.

"What\'s this...?"

"First, take a look in the mirror."

She took the mirror Kai offered, observed her face here and there, and was astonished. "Oh, oh my! Look at my skin.... It looked so dry recently...."

The librarian smiled as she stared at herself in the mirror.

Kai cleared his throat with his arms crossed behind his back, "Ahem. The merciful Solarian God teaches us to help those in trouble."

"Oh, are you a cleric of the Church of Solaris?"

Kai didn’t say anything and showed a necklace that signified he was a Solaris Cleric.

Seeing this, the librarian clapped her hands in joy. "Oh my, you really are. I heard that being blessed by a Solaric Cleric improves your skin!" As if realizing something, she rummaged through her pocket and took out the 5 silver again. "I can\'t accept a tip from a Solaris Cleric. Please, take it back."

"Ahaha, I cannot do that."

"But I won\'t feel right keeping it...."

"In that case, I\'ll gratefully accept it."

"...."

Kai wasn’t the person to refuse twice!

The librarian, after making an awkward expression, bowed her head and went down to the first floor.

Kai, watching her leave, quietly danced without making noise.

Solaris, hooray!

In fact, Kai\'s sudden decision to treat her stemmed from an intriguing post he saw on the community site that morning.

[A player of the Chef class. Here’s a life hack.]

-I am a player running a small Western-style restaurant in Barden Castle. Our best-selling menu item is Red Boar Steak, so I visit a nearby boar hunting ground once a week to purchase fresh ingredients. Those who know already know, but Barden Castle charges a toll fee of 50 silver. In some way, the soldiers there are similar to real-life police, aren’t they? I wanted to show my appreciation and gave them food that was close to expiring while passing through the gate. But this morning, the soldier didn’t charge me the toll fee, likely because the NPCs Affinity increased after receiving the food. If you’re a player of a producing class, you might also get toll exemptions by offering your crafted items or dishes.

- Dang, that’s actually not a bad life hack.

- I’m an artist, and the chief guard who I gave one of my paintings to always asks to get a drink together. I thought it was a life hack I only knew...

└ Sharing is caring, you know.

- You’re lying. I give my dishes to the soldiers there whenever I pass through the gate, but my toll fee only went up.

└ That’s probably cause you suck at cooking.

└ It must have been that bad lol. The soldiers are saints for not kicking you out.

Interesting....

Kai, after reading this, wondered if similar results could be achieved through healing or blessings.

The result is a success. This will be quite useful.

With a bright smile, Kai sat down at a desk and began reading.

“Let’s see.... Shall we start with the Civilizations Lost to the Continent.”

Kai quietly began reading.

As expected of a library, only the sound of pages turning quietly filled the air. If he had studied with this level of concentration, he would have been accepted to Korean University.

Two hours after starting, Kai had finished reading Civilizations Lost to the Continent.

There\'s no information I need in this book.

While the book contained information about the ancient city of Hanox, it only listed basic details.

According to this book, Hanox was an ancient city that took a tribal form, having their brave warriors at the top.

It was a city where the survival of the fittest prevailed!

Why would Patrick, a paladin, leave the trial of such a barbaric city for future generations?

Kai earnestly hoped The Path of the Ancient Warrior would resolve his curiosity.

The sound of pages turning resumed. With a calm gaze, Kai meticulously read every corner of the book.

Found it!

As his back began to ache from sitting and reading too long, the word ‘Hanox’ caught his eye.