Chapter 506: The Kingdom-Managed Dungeon

Within Babylon, Tauro had officially become the leader of the dungeon-conquest group registered under the name Black-Gold Wings.

That was natural enough because he was the party’s leader, but in practice it also made him the official representative of the entire dragonfolk expedition.

The dragonfolk had no intention of causing trouble for their benefactor, so they registered as members operating under Black-Gold Wings and began participating in the Babylon expedition several days later.

The key to making that possible was the processed magic stone Tauro had entrusted to Roy, the Great Hero representing the dragonfolk.

The stone had been enchanted to reproduce [Spatial Transfer].

Using it, the dragonfolk could travel directly from the first-floor Rest Room in the Dungeon of Beginnings to the first-floor Rest Room in Babylon.

The transfer demanded an enormous amount of magical power, but the dragonfolk possessed reserves far beyond those of ordinary humans and could activate it successfully.

At that time, the kingdom’s explorers had reached Babylon’s one-hundredth floor, but progress had largely stalled there.

Everything beyond the hundredth floor was uncharted territory.

The deeper levels naturally contained lethal traps that could kill first-time explorers, and keeping enough personnel supplied for long expeditions was difficult. Many teams were forced to turn back before making meaningful progress.

The dragonfolk had once faced the same problem in the Dungeon of Beginnings, but Tauro’s arrival and his unusual abilities had helped them overcome it and eventually conquer that dungeon.

The kingdom’s Babylon expeditions had never possessed anyone like Tauro.

For ordinary explorers, conquering such a dungeon was an almost hopeless undertaking.

Even so, the danger didn’t diminish its appeal.

Dungeons contained rare treasures, some valuable enough to make a person wealthy overnight.

For that reason, the kingdom actively encouraged Babylon expeditions, and finding volunteers wasn’t especially difficult.

There were several major categories of dungeon expedition.

One was a state expedition composed mainly of knights and researchers.

Such groups often had several objectives at once, and reaching the deepest floor wasn’t always their highest priority. They focused heavily on mapping, research, trap analysis, and gathering information that would make future expeditions safer.

Another category was an adventurer expedition funded by the kingdom.

These groups focused more directly on exploration. Their commander was appointed by the state, and their primary goal was to push as deep into the dungeon as possible.

There were also noble-sponsored expeditions operating with royal permission.

Although dungeon conquest was their official goal, the nobles funding them often had other motives: prestige, personal fascination with adventure, or the desire to collect unusual treasures.

Because nobles usually expected at least some return on their investment, many such expeditions were eventually abandoned when the expense became too great.

The final category consisted of independent adventurer parties that had received permission from the kingdom.

In one sense, these were the purest explorers, driven by fame, treasure, and the desire to reach somewhere no one else had reached.

The problem was that they had to finance their own expeditions. Many ran out of money before they ran out of determination.

Some parties had private sponsors, usually wealthy merchants or other patrons willing to invest for the romance of exploration or a share of whatever treasure was recovered.

Because Tauro was an Honorary Viscount, the dragonfolk expedition registered under Black-Gold Wings was formally treated as a noble-sponsored expedition.

“The dragonfolk brought almost all of their own supplies, so I haven’t actually had to provide much money myself.”

Tauro explained this to Zion, who had been looking forward to what would have been her first proper dungeon expedition.

Tauro himself had decided that Black-Gold Wings wouldn’t participate directly in Babylon’s conquest for the time being, which was why Zion looked disappointed.

“Let’s leave the actual dungeon conquest to the specialists. I did have to interfere with one part of the arrangements, though. The kingdom taxes treasure recovered from Babylon, so I had to negotiate the terms.”

“They tax dungeon treasure?”

Ragune asked curiously.

“Yes. Babylon is under direct royal management, so treasure taken from it’s subject to fees and taxes. Most dungeon finds are rare enough that explorers can still make a large profit after paying them, which is why people continue taking the risk.”

Tauro explained how a state-managed dungeon operated.

“And permission from the Crown isn’t easy to obtain in the first place,” Aeris added.

“The kingdom also buys many rare dungeon materials and treasures directly. Some finds are worthless, of course, but valuable items are purchased at good prices, which helps expedition teams recover their expenses.”

Aeris paused, then realized something.

“Wait. Because the dragonfolk can use those transfer stones, they could bring treasure out through the Dungeon of Beginnings without ever passing the officials stationed at Babylon’s surface entrance, couldn’t they?”

“I already discussed that with Babylon’s administrator. We agreed that our people would protect and cooperate with other expedition teams if they encountered an emergency. In exchange, the administrators won’t require every item to pass through the surface checkpoint as long as we pay a higher fixed participation fee to cover Babylon’s operating costs.”

Tauro had negotiated the arrangement with the officials the previous day.

“Hold on. Doesn’t that mean that, legally, all treasure recovered by the expedition belongs to you as the leader of Black-Gold Wings?”

Ankh stared at him in disbelief.

“Officially, yes, because I’m the registered expedition leader. But after necessary expenses are deducted, I intend to give most of what we recover to the dragonfolk as their compensation. At first they said they didn’t want anything beyond reimbursement for supplies because they were simply happy to have a new dungeon to explore, but I couldn’t accept that.”

Tauro gave a troubled smile.

The dragonfolk’s loyalty and generosity made it difficult for him to treat the arrangement casually.

“All of the dragonfolk feel indebted to you, Tauro. I feel the same way. Hahaha!”

Ragune laughed heartily and slapped him on the back.

“I feel like I’m the one who keeps getting helped by the dragonfolk.”

Tauro answered with another wry smile, exasperated but clearly fond of their sense of loyalty.