"My master is gone...I don’t know when he will return, and I’m afraid what will happen if I grow too weak while I am far away from the runes he made.
"...he said that...my body...has potential, but...due to circumstances, it can’t handle a lot of things," he paused. "And I can only recover when I am there."
Cough, Cough
The elders looked at each other in concern, a bit doubtful, but at the same time somewhat logical as well.
"But... How could this be? Such a waste..."
"Oh no..."
"I suppose... this potential... is a double-edged sword."
In their minds, having S-level potential was a miracle and an anomaly, so it was not a surprise that there were plenty of side effects for having such a physique.
That did not mean they were not disappointed. They were very disappointed.
These peak fortified level and apex-level old men all slumped in sadness, feeling a bit spent. Their excitement was like a balloon growing so big, after all, and Finn decided to casually poke a needle.
Hey, they looked so disappointed that Finn—who was weak to old people—almost felt guilty. Almost.
At the same time, he did not want to disappoint them too much. For better or for worse, in this world, they were part of his backing .
He looked at the elders. Didn’t Leez say the strong adventurers and mercenaries were filthy rich? Let alone the guilds themselves. He could start from there.
"Actually...this house is actually an inn, and I have a few beds I rent out to travelers."
Everyone paused whatever they were thinking about and stared at him. They were definitely confused.
It was like the more Finn spoke, the more difficult his words were to understand.
"Many of your adventurers can attest to the fact that it is actually a safe haven in the danger zone."
Seeing them gaping at him, still confused, he continued his explanation.
"My master installed a very advanced barrier to protect a certain area—one that could burn whoever tried to tamper with it—and it could defend against thousands of awakened-level monsters without having to be repaired."
The disappointment in the elders’ faces changed to shock and disbelief. "What?"
"It’s true. Like I said, you can ask Victor, Marcus, and the group of them."
At this, the elders vaguely remembered something like this mentioned in the adventurers’ reports back then.
It was just that it was so far-fetched that they didn’t really put their minds to it. After all, they had been too busy dealing with the aftermath of so many deaths, and having to investigate the root cause (which they had yet to completely figure out by the way).
But now...the innkeeper himself was here? Confirming that it was absolutely true?
"But...that is unheard of!"
Even in history books, they had not heard of a barrier that was so strong that it was active indefinitely. They had certainly never heard of an inn in the middle of the danger zones.
"It’s true..." Finn said, not offended by their cynicism. "How could I have survived for so long otherwise in that place?"
A cacophony of discussions abound with some elders and assistants recalling the details of the adventurers’ reports, and then asking Finn which one was real and which one was an exaggeration.
"Is it true that your barrier can block any attack?"
"It’s true."
"Is it true that people can attack from within? So archers and mages can just throw projectiles without worrying about defense, as long as they had the energy to do so?"
"Also true."
"Is it true that you have an odd creature mascot that has never been seen before?"
"...that’s true, as well."
"..."
It was here that the branch master Thusallem raised his hand to calm the discussion down. He needed time to gather his thoughts, after all.
For one, he needed to ascertain if this was true or if Finn was hallucinating. They had never seen S-class potential before. Who knew if it had effects on their brains? Still...he couldn’t help but want to believe it.
Besides, he did not want to offend such a good seed by continuously questioning his words.
"If what you say is accurate, then...we will have stopovers right next to the dungeons, won’t we?"
"Well, Danger zone Level 2 is still a day or so away—"
"That’s fine, that is already very good."
Finn smiled. "That said, this inn... is currently in development," he said, looking at them. "We can still improve it to the point that it can become a small village. Imagine, a small village protected from danger while our people can go and hunt with a peace of mind..."
He naturally started with a beautiful image of the future before toning back and started asking for favors.
"Would the Adventurer’s Guild hope to make a little investment?"
"Investment?"
"Yes. The Inn is quite high-maintenance, but it is usually worth it. It increases regeneration rates and increases chances of making essence food, after all."
"Increases regeneration rates!"
"Essence food!"
Finn nodded, pretending not to be blinded by powerful old men’s sparkling eyes.
"But as you know, such magic needed a lot of resources, so I wasn’t able to maximize the inn’s fool potential due to my weakness and my poverty..."
Now, this was a bit risky. If the Guild was greedy (which he doubted now that they were so invested in his growth), then he could have more people—powerful people—vying for his stuff.
Fortunately, he was mostly at the inn and he was relatively protected by the rules and the panda.
Of course, tricks could only get so far. It was still absolute strength that was the safest answer. He just had to grow strong before they made moves.
On the contrary, if he got their support, not only could his safety practically be guaranteed, but he’d also have a stable source of income!
As much as he loved to cook and sell his food, the purchases of the inn would only grow more and more expensive. He doubted that a few Class E and Class D dishes would be able to sustain all those upgrades.
With this partnership, then the adventurers would come in droves and there’d be no null days anymore!
"If the Adventurer’s Inn could support me, I can reserve a few rooms specifically for the Guild’s use," he said. "I will give discounts to anyone who is a member of the Adventurer Guild, which is just advantageous to the entire organization as a whole!"
Then, as a final nail, he triggered another emotion of theirs: Vindictiveness. Of course, targeted at their main (human) adversaries, the mercenaries.
He made a face of annoyance. "Those mercenaries had always had it good! And they still got the money and the network despite not putting themselves in much danger. Why can’t the adventurer guild have this?"
Sure enough, this fired up the old men who, despite their age, could get a bit petty when the topic wasn’t too life-and-death.
"Damn right!"
"Sounds good!"
"What an interesting idea."
"So how much do you need?" The Branch Master asked after a while, feeling his old heart palpitating from excitement.
Finn smiled, flashing his most handsome smile. "10,000 Gold."
"What?"