Though not entirely unexpected, Linnaeus found himself on the receiving end of a lecture shortly after reuniting with Eliza back at the Inn. The fact he had thought about making such a decision on his own left a bad taste in her mouth and, though she didn't want to control Linnaeus' actions, she at least wanted him to consult her on such matters.

Understanding why Eliza was upset, Linnaeus didn't hesitate to spend a fair amount of time coaxing her into forgiving him. In truth, he knew she would be upset even before he took action but, as it was often easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, he opted to follow his gut instincts on the matter. After all, he was now armed with knowledge pertaining to the Debtees, making it a lot easier to convince her of his rationale.

After a long discussion, coinciding with Linnaeus being forced to brush Eliza's hair, the latter finally forgave him for going behind her back on the matter. It helped when Linnaeus admitted the only reason he was comfortable with potentially indebting himself was because he believed she would purchase his contract. He promised that, if it came down to that, he would dedicate himself to doing everything in his power to make her happy, even if it took the rest of his life...

With his words basically amounting to a proposal, Eliza was beside herself for the rest of the night and, while she ultimately forgave him, things became pretty tense until she finally fell asleep. Even this took a lot longer than usual as, despite the relatively low temperature within the room, it felt a lot warmer beneath the blankets than normal.

Fortunately, by the time Eliza was lazily waking the next morning, she seemed to have recovered completely. Though Linnaeus still had to help her prepare for the day, Emilia had started to help out once they all started living together. This left him with the singular task of helping to comb her ever-disobedient hair.

Linnaeus had actually gotten pretty decent at combing and styling hair but, fortunately, he hadn't awakened any Skills related to the task. His current loadout was already rather unique so, even if it gave him benefits related to Dexterity or Wisdom, he would rather avoid obtaining such Skills. Just imagining how his future comrades would react upon discovering them sent shivers along his spine so, for the time being, he only absentmindedly helped the two girls rather than putting a concerted effort into improving...

By the time everyone had gathered in the dining area of the Inn, it was a little after 0600, just after the first light of day. They had already discussed their findings the previous evening so, with their course already set, Linnaeus stated, "We'll make a detour around Briggs Fortress before exiting out on the north-eastern side of the settlement. There are eight Guild Branches where we can register, so, after securing temporary lodgings, we'll sign up and accept a few posted quests. Our goal is to increase our reputation within the Guild over the next two weeks so, please, everyone do your best. Depending on our results, we may not even have to venture to the Hell Hole..."

Though they had varying levels of motivation, everyone had already agreed to Linnaeus' method so, after a brief exchange, they checked out of their rooms before setting out.

Despite how early it was, the settlement was already alive with people making preparations for their own adventures. To accommodate them, various stalls and shops were already open, many leaving their doors or windows cracked in order to let the fragrance of various foodstuffs entice potential customers.

Emilia, ever the glutton, was one of the people affected by this aroma so, despite their relative haste, they ended up stopping a few times when an especially sweet or savory aroma tickled their senses.

Since there was always a chance they would find themselves stranded at some point, it was always better to prepare extra food. Thus, while it was certainly troublesome, it wasn't that big a deal that they made a couple of stops along the way. Eliza, in particular, didn't seem to mind and, after he got a taste of a buttery glazed doughnut, Linnaeus couldn't really complain either.

Fortunately, despite their detour, it only took a little over an hour and a half to reach the Guild on the north-eastern section of the settlement. This ended up being for the better as, while there were still a number of people present, the morning rush had already faded. Most of the more proactive Parties had already set out early in the morning so, until around noon, the Guild would generally be pretty empty.

As a result of their timing, there had only been two people ahead of them at the main registry desk so, after a few short minutes, the Party found themselves face-to-face with a rather intimidating red-haired beauty.

Though looks could be deceiving, the woman's wild hairstyle, her confident demeanor, the sharpness of her emerald-green eyes, and her sunkissed skin all radiated strength. Even the men who had been speaking with her before Linnaeus' group had spoken in subdued tones, indicating the woman at the desk wasn't someone they wanted to antagonize.

Linnaeus had heard the woman's voice during her conversations with the preceding groups but it was a very different feeling to be separated by nothing more than a desk. He suddenly felt smaller than normal as the woman briefly cast her gaze over his entire Party before asking in a confident and husky tone, "Another group eager to make a name for themselves before the next expedition? Well, if you want to join the Guild, even temporarily, you'll have to undergo a basic evaluation first."

Without waiting for a response, the red-haired woman grabbed a piece of paper amongst a tall pile of documents, shoving it towards Linnaeus as she added, "You should at least be familiar with things like Guild Ranks and such, right? This is a D-Rank request. If you can't even do this much, don't waste my time. This isn't a Daycare Guild. If you've got the strength, prove it with your actions."

Since he already knew about the assessment test from his previous investigation, Linnaeus retained his usual calm as he accepted the document without a word. The woman didn't seem interesting in conversing so, rather than deal with such an aggressive personality, he opted to just move on and complete the request.

Though Eliza looked like she had a few choice words for the red-haired woman, she chose to follow Linnaeus' example and hold her tongue. Emilia and Krone followed immediately after her so, for a brief moment, it appeared as if the matter had been settled.

Unfortunately, the red-haired woman hadn't missed the glance cast by Eliza so, after the latter had already turned away, she mused, "That's a good little girl. At least you have enough sense to avoid causing trouble for your allies~."

Hearing the woman's remark, Eliza's pace slowed until she came to a complete stop. This caused the atmosphere within the Guild Hall to become palpable but, in spite of her fury, Eliza managed to keep her calm by taking a few deep breaths through her nose. It helped that, just as she was thinking of a response, Linnaeus smiled gently and said, "Come, we do not need the approval of someone we just met. Let our actions as a Party speak for us."

As there were absolutely no benefits to making enemies within the very Guild they were trying to join, Linnaeus' words allowed Eliza to quickly regain her calm. Then, after a small nod, she accepted his outstretched hand before alighting from the Guild. This left the red-haired woman sitting at her desk, a smile on her face as she scribbled down a few notes into a journal she kept at her side.

---

Finding a place to stay when there was an expedition coming up was a bit harder than expected but, after spending most of the morning searching, Linnaeus and Co managed to find a place just outside a disorderly bazaar. Though it would be hard to get a peaceful night's rest in the area, as the market operated through the night, it was better than nothing.

With their housing situated, Eliza was finally given the opportunity to release her pent up frustrations as, after an hour-long trek, they reached the destination mentioned in their request. Essentially, their only objective was to obtain a material known as Blacksweed, a medicinal herb that was mixed into wheat and grain stores to repel various pests.

Agriculture on the Fifth Floor wasn't exactly easy so, when it came to making sure their harvest was well-preserved, cities and settlements spared no expense. After all, while not absolutely necessary, it was very unpleasant to live without a variety of staple foods.

Though Blacksweed was relatively common throughout the entirety of the Fifth Floor, the Monster Ants actually cultivated the herb along the periphery of their territory. They used it in small amounts to prevent mites and other troublesome insects from infesting their own food stores. They were one of many monsters that practiced a form of nascent agriculture and, if not for them, early settlers of the Fifth Floor would have had a lot of trouble establishing themselves in the relatively inhospitable environment.

Unfortunately for the Monster Ant Workers, Linnaeus' Party hadn't arrived to thank them for their contribution to the early settlers of the Floor. Rather, as a result of her earlier anger, Eliza was far more proactive than normal, using her [Crush] Magic to flatten a number of Workers that had been minding their own business.

Monster Ants were surprisingly resistant to Gravity Magic but, with a few well-placed spears of ice, Emilia was able to finish off the majority of the crippled ants. This served as a learning experience for them all as, while Linnaeus had already asked about the various weak spots from Yorgen, theoretical knowledge was useless unless you could put it into practice.

Though there were differences between each sub-species of Monster Ant, the vast majority had a weak spot between the plating between their head and alitrunk. It was also possible to cripple the ant if you cut them along their petiole, the section that connected to the abdominal region, known as the gaster.

Monster Ants could be divided into Scouts, Workers, Soldiers, Majors, Super-Majors, Royal Guards, and Queens, each demonstrably more powerful than the group preceding them. As a result, it was pretty easy to determine which kind of Ants were suitable for your Level but, so long as you fought cleverly, even powerful Ants could be killed by relatively weak individuals.

The key to success was understanding the habits of the Monster Ants and knowing when and where to strike their weak spots. These were things that could only be learned from personal experience so, after Eliza's preliminary onslaught, Linnaeus had everyone practice using weapons that allowed them to conserve SP.

Since Emilia was skilled in the use of a spear, Linnaeus felt she would be a suitable teacher so, much to the Vangardandr's satisfaction, he elected to learn how to use one. It provided him with the reach he sorely lacked and, though it wouldn't be that useful within subterranean tunnels, it would be very useful against monsters on the surface.

Though Eliza was initially tempted to try and learn how to use a spear herself, she quickly gave up that idea after stabbing into an ant's gaster. It had been filled with a viscous green liquid and, due to hitting one of the main tubes that fed nutrients into the ant's body, Eliza ended up getting covered in the pungent plant refuse. Afterward, she opted to make use of a heavy crossbow, borrowing the one Linnaeus had obtained after learning how to use it from Cyrus.

Eliza had always been proficient at judging distance and trajectory so, while it took a bit of time to get used to, she actually managed to learn [Archery] in a relatively short period of time. This had dealt a small blow to Linnaeus' pride as he had actually been the one to show her how to use it, despite not having the Skill himself.

With Eliza fitting into the role of a mid-range support specialist without much issue, this left only Krone to choose a weapon. He would normally never rely on such things but, after nearly losing his leg to the extremely powerful mandibles of the Monster Ants, he elected to use the Warhammer that Linnaeus had picked up in anticipation of this event. Krone had given him a hard stare when he first brought the object out but, rather than comment about Linnaeus being a busy-body, he ended up crushing the heads of a few Ants in silence...

(A/N: We're back >:D)