I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 162: Rhaenas Inc.

"Okay, basically, they want a piece of the cake now," Arthur summarizes Maeve’s story in a single sentence.

"They are not bad people. They’re scholars, and they care about the world," Maeve says, defending the Custodians.

Arthur looks at her. "Wanting a piece of the cake doesn’t make anyone a bad person. It’s a need. We all need resources, one way or another."

He leans back in his chair. "This is actually good news, Maeve. I can deal with humans. I know humans." He smiles.

"And honestly, this makes things simpler. Judging by your story, and I don’t mean this in a bad way, so please don’t take it wrongly, your society doesn’t feel dangerous. They’re just desperate."

"Desperate people can be dangerous, Art," Theo suddenly interjects.

Everyone falls silent and looks at him.

Lately, ever since they learned that Thea represents Theo, they subconsciously treat her words as Theo’s. Sometimes, Theo can feel the difference in their behavior toward him. They are more reserved, which he finds amusing. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

But in Arthur’s mind, ever since he learned about Thea’s magic resonance, even though he has never seen her use it, he trusts Theo. He finds himself listening to Thea more and more. The more he listens, the more he realizes that his little sister is far more insightful and mature than he expected, and he quietly blames himself for that.

Still, Arthur has grown to respect Thea.

Julian and Liam do not know why, but they sense the subtle shift in Arthur’s behavior, and subconsciously, they mirror it.

"But I get what you mean," Theo adds. "They don’t give off the impression of being malicious."

Arthur nods. "Maeve, what do you think their next step is? Should we prepare ourselves? I mean, now they know about me, Julian, and Liam."

"If I were your teacher, and my student used magic in front of others, I would investigate. Or at least ask whether those people might spread it," Arthur continues.

"You’re right," Maeve says.

"They do care, but right now, as I said, their focus has shifted to earning heartstones. They even asked whether I received any heartstones from Mt. Helene."

"Well, you should have," Arthur says. "There’s a five percent share taken from the sixty percent allocated to survivors. You’re a survivor, and since you’re the only one, you’ll get all five percent."

"But..." Maeve looks stunned.

"I don’t consider myself a survivor or a victim. I was part of the clearing team."

Julian chuckles. "She means she should get a bigger cut, Art."

"What? No! That’s not what I meant at all!" Maeve panics.

But the others are already laughing.

Theo interjects, "I understand. You don’t want to be called a survivor. You want to be part of the dungeon clearing team. It’s not about the heartstone shares. It’s about your identity, isn’t it, Maeve?"

Maeve smiles softly at Theo, grateful that he understands.

She continues, "My teacher hasn’t said anything yet, but if I had to guess, they, or at least he, would want to meet you. Not to test your trustworthiness, but to make a deal. About me clearing dungeons with you and your team."

"Alright, hang on." Liam raises his hand, cutting in.

"Arthur doesn’t have a personal dungeon exploration team. I do."

"He’s not an active Sentinel. I am. If anyone’s being approached, it should be me. That’s one."

He raises a finger. "Two, if you’re going to start clearing dungeons again, Art, I’m in. Don’t you dare leave me out."

Liam glares at Arthur.

The other three are either glaring at Arthur as well, Julian included, or staring at him without blinking, like Maeve and Theo.

Arthur chuckles. "Fellas, easy. Calm down."

He leans back slightly. "I’m not planning to return to dungeon clearing as a Sentinel. That said, I do want to clear dungeons again. Not for the money, but because I need a place to practice my magic."

"I’m sure all of you feel the same. So don’t worry. When I do enter a dungeon again, I won’t take anyone else but the four of you. It’ll be just us. Rhaenas."

Julian grins. "See? I told you the name was important. It’s official now."

He brightens. "As a matter of fact, I’m already working on our gadgets. We already have our own communication system. Next, I’m designing larger space bracelets so each of us can carry our own Pod."

"Whoa! We get our own Pods?" Liam lights up. He’s always wanted one, but they aren’t for sale, and Montrose Corporation is the only one that has them.

"I don’t mind paying for it. Actually, I should pay for it," Liam says firmly. "Making five units won’t be cheap. I’ll fund them. I’ll pay for all five. I want to contribute something to Rhaenas."

"That can be arranged, but Jules," Arthur says. "How do I put this? I don’t want to enter a dungeon wearing too many trinkets. This one Resya bracelet is enough. Can you attach the new space bracelet to it?"

"Ungrateful people," Julian replies jokingly. "I’m trying to make your life easier, and all you do is make demands."

"When have I ever disappointed you?" Julian adds. "I was already thinking of incorporating the additions into our existing accessories. I don’t want to wear too many things either."

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Perhaps we should limit Rhaenas to entering dungeons that are level six and above," Theo says. "We need leverage. If we only enter weak, easy dungeons, there’s no point. You won’t be able to optimally use your magic there."

"I can get us a list of dungeons that need to be cleared here in Concordia," Arthur says. "We can choose which ones to take. But it will come with bureaucracy and paperwork."

"Thea just gave me an idea," Arthur says, grinning widely. "A brilliant one."

"First, you’re right, Jules. We do need a name. Second, we should operate as an independent entity. Not part of Montrose or Monfort. Rhaenas will be dungeon clearing specialists."

"We sell our services to those who have dungeon entry permits but lack the means or ability to clear them. And Thea is right. We won’t take normal dungeons."

"And we’ll use Mt. Helene to sell our services."

"But how would they know we can?" Maeve voices her concern. "I mean, they don’t know how dangerous the Mt. Helene dungeon is." Everything she has heard so far excites her, but she is also worried about how to present their value.

"This is where our dear Julian shines the most," Liam says with a wide grin.

Maeve turns to Julian, her eyebrows shooting up.

Julian dramatically clears his throat before speaking.

"I have something called HB. Hologram Battle. It’s a training program for Sentinels." He pauses, clearly enjoying the moment. "I modified mine so I can customize the holograms. During Mt. Helene, I recorded everything. Not our fights, but the dungeon’s topography, the haelions, even the King."

"I can extract the data and upload it into HB. Then others can enter the same dungeon simulation. The King won’t be able to speak or think like the original. It’ll just be a hologram generated by the system."

Arthur adds, "We can use this to promote our services. We release the latest dungeon data for free to anyone who wants it. Let them try to clear it themselves."

"Then they’ll understand how dangerous it really was," Arthur continues. "And they’ll know that we cleared it. Without any significant injuries."

Arthur looks at his fellow Rhaenas with pride.