R&D Opening

Hera was getting restless. Rutigan started speaking, then came Ogryn, then Fethy, then Rutigan again, then Ogryn, then Rutigan one more time. Even if they wanted to make a big deal out of this place, it was getting annoying already, and she wasn't the only one thinking that. Most humans in the audience were distracted. They were still respectful enough not to make any noise or anything like that, but it was clear that their minds were somewhere else.

"... and that is the reason why we decided to create a place like this. A place where everyone, anyone, can come to develop their potential without having to worry about bad tools or lack of resources. Of course, we won't be able to provide the more unique or rare material, but we are already in contact with the guild and a few other suppliers willing to sell us said items at a lower price. I won't go into details not to bore you all any more than I already did, but keep in mind that as long as you can show us what you intend to develop and you are willing to share some of your knowledge with us. We will support you the best way we can," Rutigan smiled and looked at Hera, but before he could continue, one of the reporters here spoke up.

"Are you saying that anything people discover here belongs to you?"

"The Q&A session is supposed to happen only at the end of this ceremony, but I will answer that one since it looks like many people had that in mind," Rutigan cleared his throat and adjusted himself in front of the podium, "No. What anyone discovers or develops here is their own. What we ask is that you share some of the knowledge you have. Be it giving a lecture, writing an article, or writing a book. Whatever you want. Of course, the knowledge you are willing to share will influence the number of resources we can allocate to you. Also, this is not a charity. We will charge you for renting the equipment, but the value will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The actual numbers are very complicated, but in broad terms, we will ask for a percentage of your monthly income instead of giving a flat price. So if you made 10 thousand gold last month, we might ask you between 2 and 8 depending on what kind of facility you want. If you didn't make any money, there are ways to go around that. Also, as a part of the contract, we will receive a small share of the profits of any product or byproduct developed here. Let me repeat. We will only ask for some of the profits, not the total value of it. This will be a temporary deal, and while we receive the profits, we will not allow anyone else to research the same thing in our facilities. Consider this a gesture of good faith. Does that answer the question? If you have any follow-ups, I ask you to wait until the end."

"It does. I do have other questions, but I appreciate you answering this one now," the reporter replied, and Hera could see Naka staring daggers at him. Probably because he never referred to Rutigan as king or was overly formal as the captain expected.

"No, thank you for allowing me to clear this out. Now, we also have another announcement to make. Those who know about us, about Boothudurn, also know that we are very new to the MAZE. Most of the mysteries uncovered by the guild are still mysteries to us. But one thing you may not be aware of is that we have a mystery of our own. You see, our kingdom was born after a great disaster in a place called Kul Dorul. Our ancestors lived in that kingdom, and when a fire broke out, they had no choice but to escape to this room. Sadly, only a small fraction of the people who lived in Kul Dorul arrived here, and when the last of them crossed the doorway, it was deactivated forever. Possibly signaling that the room where the kingdom of Kul Dorul existed was destroyed. Or at least, the doorway became inaccessible. Those last details were only uncovered thanks to the help of a couple of new friends," Rutigan smiled at Hera and Blue, who were in the front line, "But that raises a question. Are we truly the only ones that survived that disaster? We have reasons to believe that no. We are not the only ones. The people of Kul Dorul might have survived and might be somewhere in the MAZE. This leads to the announcement we have today. In the next couple of months, we will have a new group in Boothudurn. The Royal Explorers. A group of fearless people willing to brave the MAZE and discover the truth about our origins and ancestors. Of course, that will be only one of their goals. They will also be trained to discover more about this place and help us understand our place among the rest of the races."

Some clapping came from the people of Boothudurn, but the rest didn't seem all that excited about this. Rutigan gave them a moment to settle down before continuing, "That being said. We are not conceited enough to believe that we know how to do this. As I said, we are recent additions to the MAZE and its people. So, to lead the Royal Explorers, I want to introduce you all to a very dear friend of mine and the new member of the council of the city as the Countess of Exploration. Please give a warm welcome to Hera Kingsley!" this time, the claps were louder, and the visitors even joined in. They might not be that excited about the Royal Explorers, but they knew that introductions like this meant that it was someone important.

"Countess of Exploration?" Blue whispered to Hera with a smile.

"Fuck me. He never said he would make me a noble," Hera sighed and got up. She couldn't actually leave him hanging. With a quick glance around, she saw her friend in the front row and her dad a couple of rows back with tears in his eyes and a big smile. Besides him, Renette was clapping vigorously and even whistling to celebrate. Hera smiled back at him and walked up the stage. Rutigan nodded at her and returned to the chair in the back to allow Hera to speak.

She stepped in front of the podium after taking a deep breath and rubbing her finger in the ring on her hand. She got this ring from the Kobold Field dungeon a long time ago. It would allow her to increase her charisma if she spoke to more than 10 people at once, which certainly fitted the bill. It was a bit funny, she had wanted to sell that ring since she got it, but she kept forgetting to do it. Now it might actually be helpful. She sneakily pulled a set of cards she had prepared for this speech and looked at the crowd.

The entire audience was focused on Hera. Even those who were distracted previously. All of them now watched this woman wearing purple leather armor with a pattern of mountains in silver decorating the entire thing. Her blond hair was shaved on the sides with a longer middle pulled back and up, covering the whole top of her head. She was incredibly beautiful, with a mix of soft features and a cold expression that was surprisingly refreshing.

"Hello. I'm Hera Kingsley, one of the people who helped open this room to the rest of the MAZE. Some of you may know me as the girl who got her ass whooped by a Wendigo in Brinnefront or the fastest silver card holder. Although, if I'm being honest, I don't know if I lost that position or not. With so many people joining in, it wouldn't be off if someone else had beaten my record. I just hope they didn't have to be almost eaten by a Wendigo for that," Hera smiled, trying to be funny, but the joke didn't land, "Either way. I'm an explorer, and I don't just mean I'm part of the guild. My role is to be an explorer. I discovered this place by accident, helped a friend find the mausoleum of the Naga, and even found a giant snake in the Wailing Valley. I'm saying all this not just for those who don't know me but for those who are going to join the Royal Explorers. I am young, and I'm new to all of this. It's been a couple of years since I've come to the MAZE for the first time. However, don't take that as me being inexperienced. I am an explorer. I came to the MAZE to discover new things and unravel its mysteries, and that's what I intend to keep doing. I can promise a life of adventure and danger, beautiful places, and terrifying discoveries for those who want to join me. It's a life that never gets old, but you also never do the same thing for long. I will be the first to admit that this is not a life for everyone. Most people want comfort, consistency, and a routine. We won't have that, not really. For us, the routine will be the unexpected, the new, the discovery," Hera stopped and looked down. She didn't memorize that speech. Instead, Scythe was in her ears, reading the cards for her. But now, she wanted to say something else.

"If I'm being honest, I'm not sure I'm the right person for the job. As much as I love it, exploring is not easy. There is no guide on how to discover secrets or where to find hidden doorways. We will need to scour every inch of every room to see if there is something that others have missed. We are searching for the mistakes others made to make a name for ourselves. Adding that to the idea of finding another lost civilization… the task seems daunting, to say the least," Hera chuckled with a weak smile, but that didn't last long. She blinked and looked up to the crowd with determined eyes, "But I have no intention of backing down. Rutigan and the people of Boothudurn trusted me with this task, and I'll do my absolute best to complete it. For all who will join. I expect you to have the same resolve as I have right now. People are counting on us, and we must find answers, whatever they may be. In the end, it doesn't matter the role you choose. We, every single one of us, are explorers. Chasing mysteries and adventure is in our blood. It's in our bones. It's in our souls. And it's time for the people of Boothudurn to answer the call of the MAZE."

There was loud applause coming from the crowd that surprised Hera. She thought her speech was bland and cliche, but people seemed to enjoy it. Or it was just because of her attributes. Either way, she was happy it was over and she didn't mess up. She stepped to the side and let Rutigan take over the podium again while he started with the Q&A session. That lasted a long time, with most people focusing on how the R&D building would work. Even so, some reporters did ask Hera questions directly. They were clearly the kind of gotcha questions only to make headlines, but she was ready for them.

"Miss Kingsley, now that you are part of the nobility and the council of Boothudurn, do you intend to stop the preferential treatment that the dwarves receive here?" the same reporter that questioned Rutigan before he called Hera spoke up.

"I don't believe I know the preferential treatment you are talking about. Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Beastmen, Triton, and the Children of the Sky, all receive the same treatment as anyone else here. I will say that Boothudurn does take care of those who live here a bit better than the rest, but every city does that. After all, even tourist spots take care of their citizens first and the guests second," Hera replied.

Another reporter, an elf this time, raised his hand, "Miss Kingsley. Why were you asked to be a part of the Royal Explorers and not the other person that came to this room? One… Pamella Blunt."

"I believe it was because of my accomplishments. What I do is more focused on exploration and discovery. While Pamella is someone who focuses more on fighting and training. That's exactly why we form such a great team," Hera looked at Blue, who nodded in response.

"The terrorist attacks only started after Boothudurn joined the rest of the MAZE. What do you have to say about that?" another reporter asked.

"You are correct. The terrorist attacks only started after we opened this room. After the guild removed the fee to level up for the first time. After Leliana stepped down from the position of chairwoman. After the New Dawn started investing in the guild. After the tower appeared. After everyone got another role skill. After a new role came along. After a k-pop band won several international awards in the same year. After chocolate-chip-spicy-mint ice cream was discontinued. Should I go on? There are so many things that happened for the first time before those attacks that singling out Boothudurn as the reason is a bit short-sighted. If we talk about reason, they have none. They had loved humans ever since before we got here. I apologize if I'm saying too much," Hera looked back to the king, who just nodded and gestured for her to continue, "A human helped ignite the fire of their culture. It was because of a human that they were able to be happy again. And because of two humans, they were able to meet everyone else. See the advances, the food, the technology as it is today. I'm not trying to be defensive here; Trust me if they were involved, I would be the first to be up in arms. But I assure you, they are not. Heck, there is not a single native of Boothudurn that was ever more than four rooms away from this place. How do you expect them to go all the way to Union City?"

Someone else put their hands on the reporter's shoulder, and he stopped his questioning. Apparently, everyone was a bit unhappy with the question. Either because this wasn't a subject they wanted to bring up here or because he was going about it the wrong way. With that, no one else asked Hera any questions, and the rest of the ceremony went out without a hitch. It was a good thing since she was already stressed out. Now all she had to do was survive the after-party.