The group stopped reuniting for a few weeks to give Alexander and Lily some time to adjust to their new lifestyle. Billy only learned recently that Alexander still wanted to work as an instructor from time to time, and much to his surprise, Lily would work too, so that they could be together while working together. It seemed like a real pain in the ass, but that wasn't Billy's problem.
Another thing that he learned recently was that she got more self-aware about Alexander during the time he left for the war. Apparently, she got really flustered and never stopped thinking about him… Billy's plan worked, so he was thinking of asking Alexander for money since his plan worked so well. In any case, in those three weeks, Billy had time to work on his crossbow, the real deal, and he liked what he achieved.
Metallic Hand Crossbow Lv 10
Mana Bolt: at the cost of five points of mana, you can shoot a special bolt that can fly longer and pierce deeper according to the level of your magic.
DEX + 70
Durability: 40/40
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhile its original power wasn't that amazing, Billy obtained that effect once it reached level ten, and more importantly, in its original form, the crossbow just looked like a metal bar. However, once Billy applied some pressure on it, it turned into a hand crossbow, so he could keep it in one hand and use his spear with the other. It was a pretty neat feature, and that was Billy wasted so much time forging it.
In any case, the power and the accuracy of the weapon were guaranteed. Billy could knock down a tree after hitting it three times, even when he was one hundred meters away from them.
"Oh, it has a lot of firepower… the design is a bit weird, but I suppose it is pretty close to the real deal," Alexander said.
When Billy turned around, he saw his friends for the first time since the party three weeks ago. They looked the same as always, but Alexander and Lily looked too happy… so whenever Alexander approached, Billy put his feet on the way and made his trip.
"Why are you doing that again and again?" Alexander asked.
"You look really punchable while smiling, but punching you for that reason would be too much," Billy replied. "So, bear with this."
While they were talking, the girls moved away a little bit and began to Whisper to one another… women… Billy said that under his breath. They probably were talking about Lily's new lifestyle. As for Billy, he couldn't care less about what Alexander was doing at his home.
"Hey, Billy, I was thinking…" Alexander said.
"That is a dangerous pastime you have," Billy said.
"... isn't it about time for us to go and clear another dungeon?" Alexander asked. "We received an offer to instruct some recruits in three months, so I think this is a good time."
Billy was thinking about that now that he had finished his crossbow. He has been practicing his Archery lately, but a dungeon would be better for that. The new Edish trees finally reached the level of the others, so Billy had some mana to spare, and it would be good to use it to earn some money… even though Billy had around fifteen gold coins for the rewards of the last war and the sells he made of his forged weapons.
"I suppose that is fine… I will talk with Edward and send a letter to Jean," Billy said. "After helping in the war, we shouldn't face any more problems with rumors, after all."
"Sorry if I am being pushy about this even though we are trying to schedule this according to our agenda," Alexander said.
"I don't mind. Besides, with you two gone, there will be fewer people here to bother me," Billy said.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Ouch, that hurt…" Alexander said. "Anyway, let's enjoy these adventures as much as possible before another war starts or you get married."
"I am going to get married? Weird, no one informed me about it," Billy said.
Billy finished his work a bit earlier than usual and then went to write his letter and talk with Edward about it. He didn't look that old anymore, so it seemed that he either got used to the silent treatment or Kate decided to stop with that. Still, he seemed troubled.
"Are you guys going to leave again?" Edward asked. "Before that, I would like to inform you that Jean is going to give us some part of his territory. After the war, they had annexed a part of Toles state with a dungeon as well, but they were short-handed because of the losses. So he is planning to give us the region around the beetles' dungeon."
"What about Gerald?" Billy asked.
"Apparently, Marie gave up on her title, so he is going to become the new guild master there… all guild masters lost a lot of adventurers, but her unit was…"
"I know, I was fighting with her, so I saw it," Billy said.
Fighting in two wars and losing so many underlings probably took a toll on her. Still, giving the area of her dungeon would probably make more sense since the gems of the beetles' dungeon were too useful for producing weapons. Maybe Jean was considering strengthening Edward's people for the future…
"I am going to accept the offer and make some of our people move to that region. Don't you want to move to that region to help and work in the dungeon on a daily basis?" Edward asked.
"I will consider since I need the materials of that place, and our people will need to learn the ins and outs of exploring a dungeon," Billy replied. "Maybe this is the thing you looked for. Make your daughter the guild master, and she will have to work there."
"I already offered that to her, but she refused," Edward asked.