14 Chapter 14: Hidden Difficulties

Lars started with his experiments. And with his meagre knowledge. He knew that nitrocellulose is from tree pulp.

Putting random shit together, he didn't really know what he was doing. And after he finished.

He knew that something was wrong, it was easy to see. The end product didn't look like fluffy cotton.

"Hah, this is going to take a while..." Lars sighed and he thought of hiring a chemist for this crap.

But that would inevitably spread the recipe of nitrocellulose.

He isn't dumb enough to think that they wouldn't be able to engineer nitroglycerin to complete the package.

Lars shuddered, thinking of being the cause of a world war due to the appearance of new weapons.

"I guess I'll take care of this later. And I should do this myself." He sighed, but it was a worthy endeavor.

After all, arming monsters with guns. That would be ironic and truly amusing.

Besides, having a competent army is a man's romance.

After experimenting, he entered the bath of his home. They can't make reservoirs of water because the dungeon would just get rid of it.

But what they can do, is gather them and put them inside containers. And what's in his bathroom right now is a shower.

What he didn't expect though is Alfia was showering. And she did so while using her magic Silentium Eden.

So the whole bathroom was soundproofed to oblivion. After all, for Alfia. Having a shower is noisy.

And you want to do unto others, what you wanted to be done to you.

"Ahhh, hello there." Lars greeted confidently. For he has an ironclad principle.

Fortune favors the bold. "Lars, I forgot to lock the door. It's been some time since I had a shower like this and not in some river." Alfia just stared at him.

"Yeah, good thing I got some large containers huh?" Lars tried tricking his body. Mind over matter.

He couldn't let his heartbeat go up. Because Alfia would definitely hear it. She's a level 7 for goodness' sake.

"Can I join you?" He asked with a straight face and she nodded.

"Come on in." She was shampooing her hair and was about to lather up some soap to really cleanse her body.

It was burned into his mind. Alfia is an extremely beautiful woman. Her body hot imprinted into his brain.

'Thank god that I don't have a functioning libido yet...' Lars almost sighed in relief.

But when he turned his back on her, he started to calm down.

'Phew that was a close one.' Lars wiped some sweat on his brow. He then quickly washed it off in the shower.

"What are your plans with the xenos?" Alfia couldn't help but think of what he was going to do.

"Isn't it obvious? Make a country for them. But they should stay here for multiple generations at least." Lars frowned.

"Why is that? Don't they want to see the surface?" Alfia was confused.

"That's simple... They grow strong through adversity. And they feed on magic stones to level up. Hard times create strong people, easy times create weak ones." He said as a matter of fact.

And Alfia was surprised that he could speak like that when he's so young.

"They'll get destroyed eventually... Once the pioneers that have established their kingdom is gone. The adventurers of Orario will continue to get strong. And they'll pillage them to extinction." Alfia winced.

It was the cold, hard truth. And it was a tough pill to swallow, even for her.

After all, she could see the xenos. They were practically people in monster form.

Nay, they were akin to young and confused teens that have no allies to speak of. And anyone around them is an enemy.

The duo then finished their shower silently. Both melancholic due to how cruel the world truly is.

After they finished, Lyd was silently waiting in front of their house.

"Hey, Lyd? Why are you here?" Lars asked and he looked a bit nervous.

"Ahhh, you see. We actually have a backer, Lars-chi. Ranye won't be able to have her full plate armor otherwise." Lyd took out something from his bag.

"Is that a magic item?" Alfia noticed the complex magic inside of it. Lars still isn't that sensitive in sensing magic, so he didn't notice.

"Yes, we use it to communicate with a sage. The sage; Fels." Lyd revealed and Alfia blinked in surprise.

"But that person has lived centuries ago..." Alfia was doubtful.

"Ahhh, they're alive alright. I just don't know if they're alive in your view." Lyd winced.

"Well, if they're helping you guys. We need to talk with them. It's alright, make them come here." Lars nodded at him.

"Okay, I've been wanting to ask for some time now." Lyd activated the magic item.

The sphere glowed and a hooded individual appeared like it was a camera feed.

"Lyd, what is it that you need?" A gender neutral voice resounded.

"Sage, we're actually moving." Lyd didn't really know how the sage would react.

"Moving? To where? Did you find a better hidden village?" Fels of course, wanted to know the details.

"Uhhh, to be exact. We're already on the 39th floor." Lyd scratched his head with worry.

"..."

Fels went silent for a moment and Lars broke the silence. "Yo, so you're the one who's helping them from time to time?" Lars greeted.

"Lyd... Who is he?" Fels' voice sounded stern. "He's Lars-chi, he brought us to the 39th floor and we're fortifying a village..." Lyd replied.

"Come here, we need to talk. I'm taking care of them well. I even have friends to help the community." Lars assured Fels.

"I will be there in a moment, please wait for me." Fels ended the call and Lyd got nervous.

"Don't be afraid of them, they're most likely just worried about your situation. The xenos I imagine should be a secret." Lars concluded.

For the surface would be in a massive uproar if they revealed the existence of the Xenos.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Airmid chimed in.

"The backer of the xenos from above is visiting. And Lyd here is nervous as hell." Lars snickered at him.

"This is no laughing matter you know? Fels helped us a lot. If they didn't help us, a lot more of us would have died." Lyd snarled.

"Then if they truly want to help you, this Fels fellow will let all of this be. Strength in numbers." Airmid widely said.

"It does not matter if people target us anyway. They won't be able to do anything." Alfia left to do her own thing.

"Yeah... We have Alfia too, what do they have? Some level 6's?" Lars' pride for Alfia started to show.

"L-level 6!? Are we going to be okay?" Airmid got scared.

"Well, didn't you know? Alfia is a high level 7. And her strength is way above her current level." Lars informed her and Airmid's jaw almost dropped.

"B-but that's impossible, the only level 7 in Orario is the king, Ottar." Airmid didn't know about Zald or Alfia.

"Alfia is an executive of the Hera familia. And that was when she was ill. She also told me that she could rival her captain who was level 9.

But now, she's completely cured. And her illness isn't simple either. It's so debilitating that normal people would be disabled their whole life." Lars explained to her.

"W-wow... She turned to a level 7 with that kind of disease? Is she even human?" Airmid couldn't believe it.

"Sometimes, I wonder if she's some kind of demigod too. She's so strong it's ridiculous." Lars chortled.

"How about you, Airmid? Why do you want to be a doctor?" Lars was curious.

"Me? I came from a pretty well off family. Better than most, a middle class one." Airmid reminisced.

"So I have access to books. And I've seen the magic of potions. Liquids in a bottle that could reattach even severed limbs? I was in awe." Airmid smiled.

"Yeah, it's pretty insane what potions can do. Especially those amazing elixirs." Lars thought of Marie's blood.

It helped him survive the now dubbed nightmare of the 27th floor greatly.

And due to it, he was also slowly regenerating his left arm.

"So I researched what the requirements are for making them. And bit by bit, I learned that I'm talented at them too." Airmid chuckled.

"We don't know that yet, so we're going to Demeter in order for you to have your falna later." Lars snorted at her.

"I'm going to be the best doctor and potion maker in Orario, just you wait." Airmid smiled at him.

"Should I leave?" Lyd who was watching them flirt felt awkward.

"I don't think that's necessary, Lyd." A gender neutral voice said to him and they looked at the new arrival.

They were cloaked, so Lars and Airmid couldn't tell what they looked like. But they weren't one to pry.

"So, you are Lars huh? It is nice to meet you." Fels gave a small bow and they were really respectful.

"And Fels, likewise. It is nice to meet you." Lars got a feel of them and they were pretty mysterious.

"I have seen what you've been aspiring to do here. And I have to say, it is quite something indeed." Fels nodded at them.

"How about we talk inside of our house?" Lars pointed at his cabin with Alfia.

"That would be appropriate." Fels agreed and they followed Lars.

"Should I come with?" Airmid didn't know if she should.

"You're a part of Monstro now, of course you should." Lars grabbed her hand.

"Another human that is not. Afraid of helping the xenos. How intriguing." Fels looked at her direction.

"Well... I was forced to come here." Airmid looked at Lars incredulously.

"Ahhh, we sort of kidnapped Airmid... Hehe~" Lars decided to play it off with a lighthearted chuckle.

"..."

Fels and Lyd just stared at him in silence. "She's with us now! I swear!" Lars put his hand on his chest.

"No matter, she does not have malicious feelings." Fels waved it off and they sat down in his cabin.

"I have to be blunt and ask this, who is your benefactor, Lars?" Fels is a genuine level 4 in power.

They could feel it, Lars wasn't strong enough to lead them towards the 39th floor.

"That would be me." Alfia suddenly appeared behind them and Fels was visually startled.

"T-the monster of calamitous talent!? How?" Fels was shocked to the core.

"He saved me." Alfia pointed at Lars and he sheepishly scratched his head.

"You're gonna make me blush, please don't stare at me too much." Lars chuckled and Alfia rolled her eyes.

"He used an elixir that can only be called as a panacea. My body was basically reborn after he gave it to me." Alfia explained.

'But her disease has been reported to be incurable. I doubt that my philosopher's stone can even lift her curse.' Fels went pensive.

"Hello, so what do you want to talk about?" Lars brought Fels to the world of the living.

"Oh, yes... So she is the reason why you even dared to do this in the first place." Fels understood everything now.

Alfia is a deterrent that not even whole countries can siege through.

She was the one who finished off one of the beasts of the three great quests, the Leviathan.

The woman is a genuine army of one. And her being a guardian made Monstro one of the safest cities in the whole world.

"That's right, she's my lucky charm. Now, enough of that. How can you support Monstro?" Lars clasped his fingers.

'So young, yet so intimidating.' Fels didn't dare treat him as a mere child.

"I'm affiliated with the guild. You can say that I am the one running it in the shadows." Fels revealed.

Lars then grinned. "Then you can buy our magic stones and drops right? I'll deliver it to you weekly. And in exchange, give us materials to build a city.

Arm the xenos, fortify the 39th floor. You want them to live prosperously I assume?" Lars looked at Fels seriously.

"That is correct, but the xenos desire to be at the surface. And my master also hopes to integrate them to society." Fels replied.

But Lars frowned. "Sorry Lyd, but that's impossible." Lars shook his head and Lyd was surprised.

"Why? Lars-chi? We can have a pretty strong group that can fend for ourselves in due time." Lyd can't accept it.

"Well, there's a variety of reasons actually. No, a myriad of them." Lars donned a serious expression.

"First of all, the biggest and fatal weakness of the xenos. Your population, can you even reproduce sexually?" Lars asked and everybody was stumped.

They didn't think about it because monsters were naturally born in the dungeon.

"Second, who is going to feed you outside when you make a country? Nobody, that's who. And new countries rely a lot on imports." Lars put up another finger.

"Third, can you resist an all out war against humanity? Elves? Dwarves? Beast people? The Pallum? Heck, everyone will be out for your blood." Lars didn't want to give him a reality check.

But it was sorely needed. "T-that's..." Lyd was speechless.

"I think you've made your point, Lars." Fels sighed and the sage put a stop to it before Lars breaks his dreams further.

"I also want you guys to explore the surface, but there's just too many variables at play here. It isn't as easy as wanting to. The world doesn't work like that." Lars patted him on the back.

"Yeah, thanks for telling us all the problems we need to tackle." Lyd got depressed.

An awkward silence then dominated the cabin. And Alfia loved it.

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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.