Ian's party unpacked their belongings at the camp and received a detailed explanation of the situation.
'When our exploration team found this place... these people had already taken up residence here.'
Attending the meeting inside the tent was Ellen from the exploration team.
And there was a blacksmith named Zeke, who possessed an appearance typical of a Southerner—someone anyone would immediately recognize as a blacksmith.
This meant that Zeke hadn't been a local collaborator hired for the search, but had already been established here first.
'Were you also looking for ruins?'
'Ruins? We've been coming here since long before you lot. High-purity mana crystals come out of here, so we frequented the place.'
Zeke spoke with a look of displeasure, glancing toward Ellen.
