DMS Chapter 212

Although Flinx hadn't encountered any travelers while walking the roads outside Riverside, the town itself was bustling with people. From the conversations he overheard, many of them appeared to be visitors from other regions.

Listening more carefully, he realized that most had entered through the town's other gates. Since he had arrived by following the eastern road from Ilioven, he naturally thought of it as the east road. However, many adventurers referred to Ilioven simply as a kingdom to the west.

Most of the visitors seemed to come from neighboring kingdoms. Flinx assumed Ilioven was still considered relatively close since only three or perhaps four weeks had passed since he had left. Because he had paid little attention to the passage of time during his journey, he hadn't kept track of the exact number of days.

After wandering through the streets for a while, Flinx realized he was simply meandering without any real destination. Under normal circumstances, he would have considered himself hopelessly lost. However, since he had never planned a specific route to begin with, he didn't feel lost at all.

Even so, he decided it was time to ask for directions.

He wanted to visit Riverside's dungeon first, so he stopped a passing adventurer.

The man immediately glared at him.

"What do you want?" the adventurer barked.

Flinx had expected at least a little courtesy. His Diamond-rank adventurer badge hung openly from his neck, and adventurers of that rank were normally treated with considerable respect.

The man was broad-shouldered and muscular, accompanied by two companions just as imposing as he was. Unlike him, however, the other two merely looked confused by his sudden hostility.

Without saying another word, Flinx met the man's glare and cast the second-level enchantment spell Hold Person.

The burly adventurer instantly froze in place.

His companions immediately paled.

"What did you do to Anselm?" one of them shouted. "We're in the middle of town! The guards will arrest you!"

Although he tried to sound brave, the tremor in his voice betrayed his fear.

"I'm a Diamond-rank wizard adventurer," Flinx replied calmly. "I merely intended to ask for directions to the dungeon, and your friend responded by shouting at me."

At that moment, Flinx heard hurried footsteps behind him.

A group of guards approached.

"What seems to be the problem here?" the patrol leader asked.

The two companions remained silent.

They knew perfectly well that their friend had been the one at fault.

Flinx calmly explained what had happened, including his reason for stopping the adventurer. When he reached the part where the man had shouted at him for simply asking for directions, the guard captain shook his head in disbelief.

One of the guards standing behind him leaned over and quietly whispered something into his ear.

"Ah... Sir," the patrol leader said politely, "part of your badge is hidden beneath your shirt. They probably couldn't see that you were a Diamond-rank adventurer."

Flinx glanced down.

Sure enough, a fold of his shirt partially covered the badge hanging from his neck.

He sighed before dismissing Hold Person.

The burly adventurer stumbled as control of his body returned.

"Even if my badge was hidden," Flinx said coldly, "that doesn't excuse your behavior. Your first response was to shout at a complete stranger. That tells me how you treat people you believe are weaker than you."

He pointed toward the street.

"Leave."

The three adventurers hurried away without another word.

"Thank you for showing mercy," the patrol leader said with a smile.

"It was partly my fault for not noticing that my badge was covered," Flinx admitted. "Still, his attitude spoke volumes."

He smiled faintly.

"Since you're already here, could you point me toward your town's dungeon?"

"I'll take you there myself," the guard replied. "My name is Rheingold. I'm one of Riverside's corporals."

He turned toward the rest of his patrol.

"Resume your rounds."

After the other guards departed, Flinx introduced himself.

"Will you be staying in Riverside for long?" Rheingold asked as they walked.

"Not really. I came from Ilioven, although I was originally a foreigner there as well. I'm simply traveling across the continent to see its beauty."

"You came all the way from Ilioven?" Rheingold asked in surprise. "The roads between our towns aren't exactly safe."

The corporal immediately remembered he was speaking to a Diamond-rank adventurer.

Flinx smiled.

"My journey has been fairly peaceful. I haven't encountered anything dangerous. Through my familiar, I spotted a few monsters deep within the forests, but they stayed well away from the roads. Most of them were minor creatures such as goblins and kobolds."

Rheingold looked relieved.

"I'll report that to my superiors. Word will probably spread among the adventurers. We'd like more adventurers to visit Riverside. They bring plenty of business to the town."

As they continued walking, Flinx complimented Riverside.

"I've been impressed by how clean and well-maintained your streets are."

Rheingold smiled proudly.

"We've worked hard to build that reputation. If adventurers enjoy staying here, they're more likely to return."

"Aren't you worried that attracting more adventurers will make it harder to keep the peace?"

"Not really. The Adventurers Guild has a branch here. If one of its members causes trouble, the guild usually handles the matter themselves. Anyone else falls under the authority of the town guard."

Eventually, they arrived at the dungeon entrance.

It was known as the Ruins of Menir.

The entrance resembled the remains of an ancient stone structure. Beyond the weathered ruins stood a slanted stone gateway descending into darkness.

Nothing could be seen beyond the threshold except an endless black void.

Flinx already knew that, much like the cave leading into the Dungeon of Mara, the gateway itself functioned as a portal into the dungeon.

His curiosity was piqued.

"I have a question," Flinx said. "Can I go directly to the last floor?"

Rheingold blinked in surprise before remembering, once again, that Flinx was a Diamond-rank adventurer.

"The Adventurers Guild staff stationed here can send people directly to the fiftieth floor," Rheingold explained. "Anything deeper is considered extremely dangerous. The few adventurers capable of exploring those floors usually don't remain in Riverside for very long."

Flinx simply shrugged.

He was only curious. He had no intention of conducting a serious expedition and merely wanted to see what the dungeon looked like.

Before parting ways, he asked Rheingold where he could find the best accommodations in town.

The corporal smiled immediately.

Flinx couldn't help suspecting that recommending wealthy visitors to certain establishments probably earned him a few favors.

A few minutes later, Flinx found himself staring in surprise.

Rheingold had led him directly toward what appeared to be Riverside's red-light district.

Seeing the curious look on Flinx's face, the corporal quickly reddened.

"The hotel is right at the entrance to the district," Rheingold explained hastily. "It's the finest hotel in Riverside."

Flinx looked ahead.

The hotel was indeed grand and luxurious.

Its clientele, however, was somewhat questionable.

Many of the guests appeared to be men returning from deeper within the district, often accompanied by elegantly dressed women whose profession required little imagination.

Flinx didn't particularly care.

As long as the room was quiet, comfortable, and luxurious, that was all that mattered.

He had always wanted to experience staying in a high-end hotel where every need was taken care of.