The materials used to build the stone house were, of course, the cubic stones from the ancient labyrinth. For Nen users, building a simple house was very easy.
Although the people left behind in the ancient labyrinth still had some "ingredient cards" left, it was always a good idea to plan ahead.
The meats and pickles stored in the stone house were part of their preparation, in case they ran out of supplies.
On the other hand, the "ingredient cards" they brought with them only offered limited variety. After two months, they were already tired of eating the same things.
The storage in the stone house allowed the people staying behind to change their tastes.
This was also a way to relieve stress.
Menchi wiped her nose and smiled at Buhara, saying, "Over the past two months, I've added quite a few entries to the 'Dark Continent Cookbook.' Buhara, I've far surpassed you."
Buhara laughed warmly, not in a hurry.
He had never thought of competing with Menchi to be the greatest gourmet hunter. He just hoped to leave his name in this great achievement.
"You've also eaten quite a few 'Herb for All-illnesses,' though," Bisky interrupted from the side.
Everyone looked at Bisky in confusion, wanting to know what she meant.
Bisky shook her head and said, "Menchi is really too adventurous. She always says she's 'willing to be the first woman to eat a crab' and tries new ingredients. No matter how I tried to advise her, I couldn't stop her."
"Even Ging supported her actions, so it ended up two votes to one, and I had no choice but to let Menchi do whatever she wanted."
There was a hint of complaint in Bisky's tone.
Menchi couldn't help but blush.
Bisky sighed and continued, "Every now and then, she ends up throwing up and having diarrhea because of eating bad food. Fortunately, we have 'Herb for All-illnesses'."
She then patted Buhara's broad back and said, "With you around, things will be different. You can take over the tasting duties. If something's off, you can throw it up right away."
"Hmm!" Buhara replied loudly, banging his big belly like a drum. "You can leave it to me from now on!"
Then Bisky pointed at Sanbica, who was sitting quietly in the corner, and said, "If there's something we can't handle, we can always leave it to Sanbica."
Sanbica, who was suddenly called, looked up at the group, confused, as if she hadn't heard their conversation.
In fact, it was the opposite. Sanbica had heard everything, but she was doing her best to avoid engaging in the conversation.
It was like when people at a dinner table talk about something related to you, but you feel awkward, so you just focus on your meal instead.
Then, the others call your name, asking for your opinion, trying to pull you into the conversation so it doesn't seem like they're ignoring you.
However, compared to a few months ago, things had become much more harmonious between Sanbica and the group. Back then, she would just hold up signs and refused to speak.
Germain, on the other hand, didn't participate in the conversation. He was staring at the stone house below, deep in thought.
After a while, the group sat around a pot that was making bubbling sounds. Inside was a pot of stew, and the main dish was "pickled beef."
To celebrate, Menchi and Buhara had splurged a little and added some "Herb for All-illnesses" to the stew.
The "Herb for All-illnesses" not only cured ailments, but they also worked wonderfully as seasoning. Their aroma stirred the appetite and could mask any unpleasant smells.
It was nice to have a little every now and then, even for health reasons, to help balance the body.
They spent a pleasant evening together, enjoying the meal.
The next day, Germain shared his new plan with the others.
"Ging said he'll be back on the 15th of this month, but considering it's Ging, we should set a more flexible timeline."
The group smiled knowingly at Germain's words.
Indeed, if it was Ging, if he managed to come back on time, it would be quite surprising. Something big must have happened.
Only Shizuku looked around, missing the fleeting joke, a bit confused.
Germain continued, "We should assume that he might return at the end of the month or early next year. This way, during this time, we can focus on other things."
He didn't want to hastily challenge the next "disaster" without Ging.
Fortunately, they were already planning to stay in the Dark Continent for 40 days before leaving, so challenging the "disaster" shouldn't be their only agenda here.
Building the ancient labyrinth into an outpost for their exploration of the Dark Continent is the most important thing. It's part of the bigger project for the future.
Germain pointed at the stone house at the base of the tower and said, "The stone house built by Ging, Bisky, and Menchi gave me inspiration."
"There are so many cubic stone pillars here, all perfect materials. We have enough manpower, so we can build a castle around this safe house at the base of the tower, just like Limeiro Castle."
"The tower will be the core of the castle, perhaps acting like a tower. The main body of the castle will be built next to it, and the walls will surround the area."
"Because of the tower, the Botanical Weapons Brions in the ancient labyrinth won't come near. Meanwhile, any outside creatures getting close to the ancient labyrinth will be easily parasitized."
"With that, the ancient labyrinth and the tower will become our double barrier. The only thing that could threaten us would be the Bloodthirsty Apostle."
Germain pointed at the spot where the Bloodthirsty Apostle had fallen. After a night, its corpse had almost dissolved in the sea of blood.
"However, its resurrection point is only about a hundred meters away from the tower. That means its future rebirth will happen right under our noses."
"The Bloodthirsty Apostle is weakest right after it's reborn. We can wait at its resurrection point and kill it repeatedly after it's reborn."
"This way, we can eliminate its threat and continuously harvest 'Herb for All-illnesses.'"
After a brief silence, the others looked at each other and all smiled.
Bisky shook her head with a smile and said, "Germain, catching the resurrection point and killing the Bloodthirsty Apostle, you really are ruthless."
"But planning to build a castle base and then repeatedly kill the Bloodthirsty Apostle at the resurrection point, treating it like cutting leeks, that's even more savage."
"But I like this method." She raised her hand and made her stance clear. "I agree."
Shizuku raised her hand second, followed by everyone else. They all raised their arms, and the vote passed unanimously, sealing the Bloodthirsty Apostle's tragic future.
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