adventurers in the sewers

"It's...it's okay now."

About fifteen minutes later, Dai Na's shy voice came from inside the room.

Back in the room, Louis saw that Dina's hair was still wet, but she had already changed into a clean set of clothes.

As for her original undergarment... well, the idea that even a beautiful girl's sweat smells sweet only exists in the world of anime.

Having not showered or taken off her clothes for several days, and having rolled in the mud and soaked in sweat, Dai Na's undergarments could only be described as having a strong, unpleasant odor.

It's all hardened.

Moreover, this girl is probably used to being extravagant; the soap, which was already only the size of a baby's fist, suddenly shrank by almost half.

Soap is expensive!

Noticing Louis's gaze, Dina silently pulled the blanket up, covering half her face, with steam rising faintly from the top of her head.

Louis sighed and soaked the undergarment in the basin, thinking it would be easier to wash it the next day.

"Louis, I..."

The blue-haired girl felt quite ashamed and stammered as if she wanted to say something.

Louis waved his hand, interrupting:

"Just lie there quietly. We can talk after you've recovered."

"oh."

After all that fuss, Daina's drowsiness had clearly subsided considerably. She kept her bright eyes open, glancing at the ceiling now and then stealing a glance at Louis, who was eating dinner.

Seeing that the girl wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, Louis asked:

Are you sleepy?

Seeing that Daina shook her head, he asked again:

"Miss Daina, are you a member of the Warriors' Association?"

Upon hearing this, Dai Na's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously:

"Yes! That's me!"

"Louis, are you interested in joining the Warriors' Guild? I can be your introducer!"

Finally, I've found a way to repay this kindness! That's wonderful!

Louis was also overjoyed, as his biggest problem finally had a solution.

"Once your leg injury heals, could you introduce me to someone?"

Dai Na waved her hand and said boldly:

"Why wait so long? Let's go tomorrow!"

Louis chuckled to himself; it seemed someone was even more anxious than he was.

He nodded, not refusing the other party's kind offer.

Merry was completely confused.

What does this mean? Is my brother going to join the Warriors Association?

But my brother has neither strength nor experience wielding a sword. Would anyone want him?

At this moment, as if she had thought of something, Dai Na frowned slightly and hesitated, saying:

"Louis... the Black Scorpion Gang might continue to track me down. If I show my face in public with you, it might cause you trouble."

Melly was listening nearby, and Dana didn't explain herself clearly, offering a vague explanation:

"I have encountered members of the Black Scorpion Gang more than once. The first time I encountered one of them was a lone individual, and I scared him off. But not long after, he came back with three other men to ambush me."

"Perhaps the Black Scorpion gang member I first met told others about my story."

Louis understood what Dina meant.

If there are other people in the know, they might connect the disappearance of the four companions with Daina and launch an investigation.

Although this is just speculation, we should not be complacent.

Fortunately, I was ruthless enough, and the pharmacy I took to Daina was far from the crime scene, so the Black Scorpion Gang shouldn't be able to trace me for the time being.

Daina continued:

"The Warriors Association's headquarters are not within the Black Scorpion Gang's area of ​​operation, so I can still go and introduce you to the gang as usual tomorrow."

"But I can't stay hidden in your house forever; I have to go out and meet people eventually."

She paused, a fierce glint appearing in the girl's eyes, her pupils seeming to burn with black flames, and her tone turned icy.

"You can't guard against thieves forever! Once I'm healed, I'll personally eradicate this urban cancer, the Black Scorpion Gang!"

Dai Na's words were full of murderous intent, without the slightest hint of bluff.

It seems that the hardships of the past few days have not defeated her, but have instead made this once naive girl grow up completely.

Louis admired this tenacious character.

However, just to be on the safe side, he did not intend to entrust the task of dealing with the Black Scorpion Gang entirely to Dai Na.

After some questioning, Louis figured out where the gang came from.

The Black Scorpion Gang is an inconspicuous gang among the many gangs in Blackrock City, with about a hundred members. Their main stronghold is located on the street where the Hughes Merchant Guild is located.

Therefore, Chairman Hughes had dealt with the Black Scorpion Gang several times during his lifetime. The relationship was roughly that the latter wanted to collect protection money, but the former forcefully drove them away.

This also allowed Dai Na to learn about the Black Scorpion Gang, and that there wasn't a single extraordinary professional in the entire gang.

The strongest among them is just a professional apprentice.

That's normal. Even the most junior superhuman professionals are considered half-nobles. How could they possibly associate with something as low-class as the mafia?

"My dad met the leader of the Black Scorpion Gang. He was an assassin apprentice in his thirties, but I'm stronger than him."

"Dina said."

The assassin she was referring to was a special profession known for its agility and stealth, called "Assassin," which belonged to the Thieves' Guild.

Is there no extraordinary professional in charge?

It is indeed possible to wipe out the Black Scorpion Gang in one fell swoop.

If the bandit leader is killed directly, then the so-called hundred or so henchmen will scatter like birds and beasts in an instant.

Louis was also captivated by it.

He wasn't a person of high moral character. His reasons for wanting to destroy the Black Scorpion Gang, besides self-preservation, were simply to loot corpses in various ways.

Taking down those four thugs brought him considerable rewards.

A seasoned assassin apprentice should provide him with a significant number of attribute points.

But soon, Louis realized that his thinking had gone astray.

Murder and robbery, along with gang warfare, completely deviated from his original intentions.

Why was he unwilling to become an adventurer? And even if he did become an adventurer, why did he just stay in the dirty and smelly sewers and refuse to step out of the city walls?

Isn't it just because they value their lives and want to become extraordinary professionals with minimal risk?

It is well known that humans stand at the top of the food chain not because they are benevolent, but because they are more ferocious and cruel than any other race.

Being afraid to fight goblins and instead engaging in battle with even more cunning humans is putting the cart before the horse! The risk of failure is greatly increased!

"Miss Daina, you should focus on recovering from your injuries first. We can deal with the Black Scorpion Gang after you've healed."

After reflecting on his actions, Louis suppressed the urge to fight the enemy and gently soothed the girl back onto the bed.

Looking at the man her age who was watching her gently by the bedside, the murderous intent in Dai Na's eyes quickly faded. She unconsciously pulled the blanket up and let out a soft "hmm" like a kitten's meow.

After tidying up the house, Louis and Merry went to sleep on another bed.

The oil lamp went out, plunging the house into darkness. Louis lay awake in the darkness, still contemplating how to deal with the Black Scorpion Gang.

We shouldn't easily sever ties with this gang, but we also can't ignore them and let them run wild.

Let's try to investigate and see if we can find out the Black Scorpion Gang's progress in investigating Dai Na.

If nobody cares about the disappearance of the four thugs, then everyone's happy.

As for the methods of spying?

Finding your way to the Black Scorpion Gang's stronghold through the sewers is a good method. It's a bit dirty, but you get used to it.

Even if he were exposed for eavesdropping through the sewers, he could still use his familiarity with the terrain to shake off his pursuers and slip away unscathed.

This is what they mean by "snakes have their own way, and rats have their own way."