CHAPTER 832: CHAPTER 649: RIVIRA (PART 2)

"I haven’t... been here for a long time either."

Ais said beside Reiger, as if noticing his curiosity.

"This is my first time here."

Reiger smiled at Ais and walked through the archway, entering the town.

All the buildings here were temporary constructions made of wood or canvas.

There were cave-like shops and inns, built using the natural horizontal caves or hollows in the rocks.

There were vendor-like stalls, where people simply sat down wherever to set up their stands, looking extremely simple.

Since this town was built on a cliff, steep slopes could be seen everywhere, with wooden stairs set up in various places.

In this town with its undulating terrain, lush vegetation and crystal pillars grew all around.

As for those simple structures, most of them were shops.

Weapon shops, item shops, narrow inns, and a few taverns were all services primarily for adventurers, creating a scene similar to the adventurer’s street in Orario.

The people walking on the streets were only adventurers and a few supporters, all heavily armed, indicating they were advanced adventurers.

After all, this is the middle level, and those who appear here are usually adventurers of Lv.2 and above. Unless someone brings them over, low-level adventurers, common on the surface, were actually a minority here.

The arrival of Reiger and Ais seemed to attract the attention of these advanced adventurers.

"It’s the [Sword Princess] and [Deceptive Swordsman]..."

"The first-tier adventurers of the Loki Familia..."

"Orario’s strongest magic swordsman and the strongest female swordsman..."

"...Why are these two here?"

The adventurers whispered among themselves, quickly lowering their heads, retracting all the arrogance of advanced adventurers, and the gazes they cast at Reiger and Ais were filled with respect and awe.

First-tier adventurers, even in Rivira where advanced adventurers are common, are at the pinnacle, difficult to meet even for a glimpse.

Now, suddenly seeing two figures who had been making a stir in various senses recently, these advanced adventurers naturally couldn’t put on airs, some even quickening their steps to leave, looking as if they feared accidentally causing trouble.

Ais seemed accustomed to this, and Reiger paid no attention, instead observing the surrounding shops.

"Indeed, just as the rumors said, things here are sold at exorbitant prices."

Reiger shook his head with a wry smile.

"Things have always been expensive here..."

Even Ais said so.

Because it’s not easy to secure supplies in the underground city, no matter how people here inflate prices, their goods always find buyers.

Whether it’s water, food, or even weapons and spiritual medicine, all sorts of supplies needed for underground city explorations can be found here, yet sold at excessively high prices.

This isn’t just a matter of being one or two times more expensive, but several times more than the same items sold on the surface, sometimes even including extra zeros in the price.

The merchants in Rivira have it figured out that adventurers can’t carry too many supplies into the underground city, and crucially, they will run out of supplies and can’t continue their explorations, using these pain points to unreasonably jack up prices to ludicrous levels.

Yet, adventurers who want to explore the underground city long-term have no choice but to buy supplies here, because returning to the surface is too cumbersome and time-consuming, and efficiency-wise, quite low.

Moreover, if adventurers reap a lot of loot on floors below the 18th layer, which increases their burden and affects exploration, they must deal with the loot on this floor.

Thus, while things here are sold at high prices, the buy-in prices are pressed low for obtaining exorbitant profits.

Adventurers often need to utilize this base in their long-term expeditions below the 18th layer, repeating the cycle of lodging, exploring, selling loot, lodging, and exploring again until the exploration ends and they prepare to return to the surface.

For exploration and conquest, these adventurers have no choice but to accept being squeezed by Rivira’s merchants, making this place known as a famous black market and rogue town.

From what Reiger observed, he could clearly see the clerks sitting in the surrounding shops, not attracting customers with enthusiasm but rather sitting idly smug with cold smiles.

They were also adventurers, yet their expressions resembled bandits, no wonder this place was considered a rogue town.

Of course, they also noticed Reiger and Ais, and the cold smiles on their faces froze the moment they saw them. Though not expressing fear like the adventurers in the street, there was an air of timidity, as if worried about something, causing a wave of rustling unrest.

"...Is it because a Lv.4 adventurer was killed here recently, that’s why these guys are overreacting upon seeing first-tier adventurers?"

Reiger mused.

Suddenly, Ais spoke up.

"We’ve arrived."

Hearing this, Reiger came back to his senses and saw a cave appearing in the rough rock wall.

"This must be the tavern specified by that magician, right?"

Reiger glanced at the cave entrance, where a sign was placed. It read "Golden Cellar Pavilion" in the common language, with a red arrow pointing downward to a wooden stairway leading into the cave.

"...I didn’t even know there was a tavern here."

Ais seemed also slightly surprised, looking at this place, feeling a bit curious about the tavern specified by the mysterious magician.

"The location is indeed quite hidden."

Reiger realized they had strayed from the main street into a dimly lit alley.

"So... shall we go in?"

Ais queried.

"Of course."

Reiger said calmly, stepping onto the stairs first and heading down.

Not long after, they reached the bottom and entered a tavern hall without even a door.

Here, yellow glowing crystal pillars grew, the space was neither too big nor too small, surrounded by black rocks, and only the center was furnished with several tables and chairs, very simple like the buildings outside.

"...It’s quite crowded."

Ais remarked while looking inside the tavern.

As she said, this secluded tavern surprisingly had quite a few patrons, with adventurers filling five whole tables, some drinking and others playing cards, while the corner bar was empty, featuring a wine cabinet filled with various colored bottles.

Before Reiger and Ais arrived, the place was bustling with laughter and liveliness.

But after they came in, the chatter instantly dropped by more than 90%.

Whether the humans drinking or the beastmen playing cards, they all fell silent at that moment.

They watched Reiger and Ais descend the wooden stairs, their expressions changing noticeably.

"————"

Silence.

A stifling silence.

The appearance of the Loki Familia’s first-tier adventurers, renowned as Orario’s strongest magic swordsman and strongest female swordsman, seemed to have scared everyone here.

"I..."

Ais stepped forward and was about to say something, but Reiger stopped her.

Reiger then directed his gaze to one spot in the tavern, prompting Ais to look over as well.

There sat an adventurer wearing a long white robe with a hood, obscuring their appearance, but they seemed to be a woman, sitting quietly.

Upon closer inspection, Ais noticed the unusual presence and a faint air of mystery and elegance emanating from her, catching a glimpse of water-blue hair peeking from beneath the hood.

"Water-blue hair..."

Ais’s heart stirred.

Could it be, this person is...?

As Ais identified the person, Reiger moved into the tavern and approached them.

"Get acquainted, won’t you?"

Reiger smiled faintly, and what he said made the atmosphere in the tavern drop to an icy chill.