Chapter 44: The Return and a New Beginning

The journey back was swift for the two of them.

The monsters on the path had long been cleared by adventurers, allowing them to ascend without pause.

“I want to go back and take a bath.”

“Me too.” Elara had already meticulously planned her return.

First, a long, thorough bath, followed by a deep, restorative sleep. After waking, a lavish feast, and then another luxurious bath…

*Heh heh heh*, the mere thought made her mouth water.

As they ascended, the number of people they encountered grew, and with it, their shared joy of surviving a harrowing ordeal intensified.

It was the sense of peace and belonging that only came from seeing their own kind again.

Twenty-five days had passed since the dungeon opened.

****

Dungeon Level 1.

“Next!”

Elara handed over all the materials they had gathered during their expedition, to be counted by the guild staff.

As for the dragon scale, she had tucked it securely at her waist.

“That will be 1806 gold in total.”

Around them, bored adventurers, observing other teams’ hauls, collectively gasped at the sum.

“Is that an A-rank team?”

“They made so much money from a single trip up.”

“I spent twenty days down there and only got a little over 400 gold. After equipment maintenance and potion refills, I was down another 100 gold.”

“That must be Black Rose.”

The surrounding adventurers buzzed with discussion, many recognizing the two of them.

Elara, however, felt a pang of exasperation. They could have returned much sooner; if not for being trapped in the shaft, their haul would have been far greater than this.

In fact, for an A-rank team, this amount was actually quite meager.

Not to mention, there was still tax to consider…

The thought of it made her stomach churn.

Three tenths of 1806 gold would be approximately 540 gold deducted.

Ultimately, Elara chose to sell all the materials directly to the guild for cash.

“This Wind Wolf King hide too?”

“Yes, everything.”

“This material is quite valuable, so we will award you an additional 80 merit points. With merit points, you can purchase certain non-sale items at the city guild.”

Elara raised an eyebrow, surprised by this unexpected bonus.

She wondered if she could exchange them for another high-level space magic spell.

Tucking the post-tax money into her pocket, Elara then retrieved the adventurer emblems, along with their equipment and storage pouches, from those who had perished at the hands of the Treant.

“These are the relics of adventurers killed by the Treant.”

The guild staff examined the emblems and expressed their respect to Elara and Hilvyn.

“Thank you both for bringing them back.”

Such instances of returning relics to the surface were not uncommon, though many adventurers’ belongings never made it back.

With matters settled, the two quickly departed.

Passing the stairwell, Serene was still tending her potion stall.

“Serene, we’re back.”

Hilvyn waved at her.

“Welcome back,” Serene looked up, pausing in slight surprise. “Bai Zhi, little sister, why is your hair white?”

In their excitement on the way back, they had forgotten about this detail.

However, dyeing her hair was originally meant to reduce attention, so being discovered now hardly mattered.

“It’s dyed.”

Elara explained, gesturing to her silver hair.

“I see~” Serene didn’t press further, simply waving goodbye to them.

****

Back on the surface, it was nearing midday. The sensation of sunlight on their skin once more brought an extraordinary sense of peace.

The marketplace above the dungeon, though less crowded than on the first day, remained bustling.

“Bellflower milk! Cheese! Beef!”

“B-rank monster materials!”

“New monster materials from the forest!”

“Magic items…”

The two gazed at the lively scene, quickening their pace towards the city gates.

Upon returning home, the first priority was undoubtedly a bath—a long, thorough one.

Their continuous journey, day and night, had left them both covered in dust and grime.

As for the initial plan of bathing then sleeping, they decided against it. They had rested on the road and weren’t particularly sleepy now, so they would simply sleep at their usual time tonight.

“Hilvyn, you go first.”

“Oh.”

Elara, meanwhile, pulled up a stool and sat by the balcony.

Every breeze that brushed past, every ray of sun that warmed her, felt like a luxury now.

The wind, carrying the scent of wind chimes, had once been unremarkable. But after such a long separation, she now greedily inhaled every breath.

“Master.” A head poked out from the bathroom doorway.

Elara turned, her eyes instinctively glancing down, revealing two white mounds, one above the other, behind the door.

“Mind your image,” Elara quickly turned her head back.

“What’s wrong?”

Hilvyn, seeing Elara’s reaction, glanced down at herself, then smiled mysteriously. “Want to bathe together?”

“Ah? No…”

“Alright then.”

Hilvyn withdrew her head.

Elara sighed silently, once again grappling with the anxiety of how to perceive Hilvyn.

She couldn’t quite figure it out.

She took out the dragon scale. Under the sunlight, it still emitted a faint, cold gleam, as if no light could fully penetrate its depths.

First, a bath, then dinner. After that, she would go to the guild to submit the information about the Level 53 shaft. However, she would conceal the details about the dragon.

The reason was simple: the flying dragon had saved both her and Hilvyn.

Elara intended to hide the fact that she and Hilvyn had fallen into the shaft. She would simply state that during their exploration of Level 53, they discovered a hidden岔道 (fork in the road), which led to an extremely deep shaft. That would suffice.

As the sole resource at the bottom of the shaft, the flying dragon’s entire body was composed of exceptionally valuable materials: dragon blood, dragon teeth, dragon hide, dragon bones… Exposing her savior was something she couldn’t bring herself to do.

If starving to death in the shaft was its choice, Elara would respect that.

“Master, I’m done.”

Hilvyn emerged, fully dressed.

“Oh, good.”

“Master, you go in. I’ll fetch your water.”

That worked. Elara went into the bathroom to wait.

As she removed her last piece of clothing, a strange thought crossed her mind: *Why isn’t the water here yet?*

“Hilvyn, are you back?”

Before the words had fully left her lips, the door suddenly twisted open, as if it had been planned.

Hilvyn pushed a brimming bucket of water through the half-open door, along with half of her head.

“Master, your water…”

A chill ran down Elara’s spine. She quickly covered herself.

Hilvyn’s movements were natural; she delivered the bucket and then retreated.

Was it just her imagination?

Elara couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just been subjected to an intrusive gaze, sweeping over her from head to toe.

“Next time, just leave the bucket at the door,” she called out.

“Okay~” Hilvyn responded.

In the past, when Hilvyn fetched water, she would always open the door and push the bucket in.

*Sigh*, perhaps this time there was too much water, and she couldn’t keep steady.

Elara tried her best to convince herself.

She bathed quickly. When she exited the bathroom, she saw Hilvyn sitting in the spot she had occupied earlier.

The brilliant sunlight fell upon Hilvyn’s head, making her silver hair shimmer brightly.

Her azure eyes turned towards Elara.

“Master, I’m hungry.”

“Help me dry my hair, and then we’ll go eat.”

“Okay~”

They arrived at their usual eatery.

Hilvyn, as always, ordered toasted bread.

“It’s been so long since I had this,” Hilvyn’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, her legs excitedly kicking the floor.

“It certainly has,” Elara softly agreed.

While exploring the cave maze in the shaft, deep within, they had stopped toasting their bread to save firewood and time.

“Hilvyn, look at this.”

Elara mysteriously opened her palm.

In her hand was a cluster of small, round yellow fruits, about half the size of a fingernail.

“Yellow Lantern Fruits? There are still some?”

Hilvyn’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight of the fruit, a hint of distaste in her expression.

This fruit brought back unpleasant memories.

Still, she picked a few and popped them into her mouth. They were slightly sweet and juicy; she could only say they weren’t bad.

“Here are your meals.”

Plates of food were placed on the table.

Hilvyn eagerly grabbed a piece of toasted bread.

Time to eat!

Their first meal celebrating their new lease on life!

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