Chapter 150 - Plans for the Kingdom Continents

It's been roughly half an hour since Kirou and the two elves had resolved their differences and they were now back at the table, joined by the duo previously left in the underground port. Mistaken Fox and Moon Lily both had a confused expression as they stared at the sheepishly smiling Kirou pouring tea for everyone while both elves glared daggers into Kirou's body.

The duo eventually shrugged off this confusion, thinking that Kirou must have played a prank on the two elves and they were still angry. Another difference to the current area was that both Reya and Navi were wearing normal-looking leather armor, as opposed to what they were half an hour prior.

While their respective armors did retain one or two areas that reflected the armor worn by both when they attacked Kirou, the sensual nature they originally possessed is now heavily restrained, leaving the duo wearing two form-fitting outfits. That said, the sheepish yet suspicious smile never left Kirou's face while the girls glared daggers into his head.

Seeing that things were about to devolve into another fight and he lacked the necessary resources to protect himself, Kirou decided to speak up.

"Now that I've had my fun and everyone is properly geared," two confused nods and two cold glares focused on his face, "I believe it's time for us to discuss our plans going forward as it pertains to the ."

Those words immediately quelled the anger in both elves' eyes and got Moon Lily and Mistaken Fox's attention.

With their undivided attention, Kirou spoke up, "As I've told you before, I've got two quests that require me to head toward the . Due to the nature of these quests, I will probably be quite indisposed, so if you guys require my help in any last-minute preparations, I advise you to mention them now."

The three ladies and Mistaken Fox glanced at each other before Fox spoke up, "As it stands, I'm currently good with all the gear you've prepared for me so far, Brother Kirou. Along with this weapon," the epic-grade golden talisman floated next to him, "I should be good until we get quite a bit into the questline.

Next up was Navi, "While the armor sets you've provided to both Sister Reya and I are somewhat troublesome," her eyes chilled for just a split second, "they are still epic-grade armor with very good set effects. And since you've already informed us of how to utilize them, we too should be fine for a while."

Reya nodded in agreement with Navi's statement before adding, "We might need a few more and a set of the tools you use to dismantle monsters. I want to test if using your set will help even on semi-auto mode."

Kirou nodded as he took out the requested items, seemingly already having made spares for himself at some point in the past. He then turned his head to the final person at the table.

"And you, Moon Lily? Got any big plans for the or do you plan to stay and help out at the base until I return?" Kirou had a knowing glint in his eyes but he kept it masked from the rest of members at the table.

Moon Lily took a moment to truly contemplate his words. Unlike the rest of the table, she hasn't received a quest requiring her to head to the nor does she has any personal reason to visit them. That said, she also didn't feel that staying on the Southern Continent and and idling her days away in the base would be good for her in the long run.

None of the other occupants at the table rushed her. They took their times waiting, carefully sipping their tea to ensure not to disturb her train of thought. This lasted all of 3 minutes before a look of clarity appeared on her face.

Seeing this look, Kirou smiled softly as Moon Lily spoke up, "Brother Kirou, is there a continent you require materials from for your crafting work? I don't mind visiting that continent myself and gather the materials before sending them back to the base's storage for when you finish your business on the ." *****

Hearing those words made the others expressions light up as they themselves remembered something important: Kirou is a . He's practically always looking for more materials to make gear. Maybe it was due to them having their own businesses or the fact that Kirou had quite a large stash of high grade materials already from his own harvests, but he's only one person and is always in need of materials to aid in his crafting. With Moon Lily's suggestion, she's found a method to both aid Kirou in his endeavors and to explore one of the .

Before the rest could think on this any further, Kirou spoke up in a joking manner, "I'm quite greedy when it comes to materials and my standards for their grades are pretty strict. Are you sure you want to take up such a responsibility, Moon Lily?"

Moon Lily looked at him with a determined expression that showed her willingness in carrying out this job. 

Putting aside the quantity of materials Kirou would like to receive, just thinking about Kirou's standards on quality gave the elven girls a migraine. Considering what he normally receives when he harvests materials himself made the duo think that Kirou was setting Moon Lily up for failure. 

While he doesn't fully understand how strict Kirou's standards truly are, glancing at his gave Mistaken Fox a premonition that Kirou's standard for materials wasn't something most monster harvesters could even attempt to accomplish.

As if seeing through all of their thoughts, Kirou coughed twice with a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face before speaking, "You three can stop with all those mean thoughts of yours. I don't need to be a mind reader to know you guys are thinking I'm an impossible to please task master."

Even though he said this, instead of easing their worries, it only made the girls glare at him in a deadpanned expression while Fox looked away in embarrassment at being found out.

Seeing that they didn't believe him and Moon Lily was starting to second guess her decision, Kirou coughed lightly into his hand before speaking up, "I'm not asking for too much. While I prefer items of good quality or rare rank, I will still accept materials with grades and ranks lower than that. As i previously said, I'm greedy for materials. Also, I'm not in a rush for the materials so you can just take your time and farm those monsters. Heck, you can even use them as practice for harvesting materials, improving your harvesting proficiency in the process."

Those words calmed the down the four, though the two elves gave Kirou skeptical glances. Seeing this, Kirou could only return a wry smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Moon Lily took a moment to digest Kirou's words. She allowed herself a deep breath before speaking up, "If that's really all you need, I am willing to help you obtain materials from whichever you require."

Hearing her speak those words, both elves looked at Moon Lily with a resigned but proud smile while Mistaken Fox nodded his head in understanding. As for Kirou, he gave Moon Lily a small smile, thankful at her willingness to help him farm materials on another continent.

With that in mind, Kirou opened his menu and sent Moon Lily a trade request. After she accepted, Kirou placed a few sets of tools for harvesting materials from plants and creatures alike in the trade window, along with a somewhat conspicuous set of armor glowing blue, signifying that its a rare armor set.

While Moon Lily was admiring her newly obtained gear, Kirou spoke up, "Now that I've delivered the items, I should inform you of where to go, Moon Lily. I've already got the Beast Continent covered and I'm sure Fox here will be heading to the Demon Continent, probably due to his class and a quest," Kirou said with a knowing expression. "As for the Dragon Continent ......."

Navi spoke up at this point, "Sister Reya and I will be heading to the Dragon Continent. There are many unique plants native to that continent that are very useful to both potion and pill making."

"And that leaves the Insect Continent free for exploration," Kirou quipped before taking a sip of his tea. He continued after placing down the cup, "A continent overrun with insects of all shapes and sizes. I only hope that you don't have any insect related phobias, otherwise we'll have to figure something else out."

At those words, Moon Lily shook her head before speaking, "No insect phobias here. If anything, I'm looking forward to seeing what kinds of materials I'll be able to obtain from those creatures when I head over there to hunt."

There was a look of excitement on Moon Lily's face after saying this, prompting Reya and Navi to look at her surprised, raising an eyebrow in response. Even Mistaken Fox took in her reaction for a moment before giving Kirou a glance.

Kirou, for his part, ignored their reactions and emptied his cup of tea before getting up from his chair. He did a light stretch before heading towards his base. 

As he walked away, he left them with some parting words, "Now that we've established a plan of action, I'll leave you guys to talk amongst yourselves. In the meantime, I've got a few projects to finish, so enjoy your chat."

Following those words, Kirou vanished through the side entrance of his base, leaving the quartet sitting next to the large underground lake. The four looked at each other for a moment before releasing a sigh at Kirou's antics.

With all the official stuff out of the way, the four started chatting about their various plans as it relates to their respective continent trips and what they each plan to accomplish. This conversation went on for another 15 minutes before the group split up, each member having their own thing to do.

*******

Elsewhere on the Southern Continent.

Somewhere in SC Pier City, another conversation about the Kingdom continents was currently being held. This conversation, however, had a more official vibe to it as it was being done in a meeting room.

If Navi or Reya were present, they would recognize the faces of those present as this was a meeting held by members of the Sanming Guild Alliance. Sitting at the head of the table was Frontline Protector, the leader of this guild alliance. Surrounding the table were the respective guild leaders of varying Sanming Guild branches with their vice leaders standing behind them.

The group was currently in an animated discussion about whether or not they should split up and explore different kingdom continents and which continents each branch should head to. Frontline Protector stayed out of it as he wanted them to decide on this between themselves.

That said, he already had plans to lead a group and join both Navi and Reya on the Dragon Continent. Due to his various responsibilities, he hasn't had a proper chance to party with his sister, so he's taking this chance to join her in her endeavors and provide her with some help with her work.

It's definitely not because he thinks that both Reya and Navi are actually having fun gaming while he's stuck doing work all day. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he heard that Kirou won't be able to accompany them, so now he'll have time to properly show off his dignity as both an older brother and the leader of the studio. (Maybe, probably, who knows)

With that being said, this meeting continued late into the night before the different branches finally decided on where each were heading. Surprisingly or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it seems like the Assassin Branch of the Sanming Guild Alliance decided to head to the Beast Continent.

(This won't put them in conflict with Kirou and come back to bite them in the butt, will it? We'll see.)