Chapter 626 - Silver Stands Side-by-Side in the Night's Silence
From the clan home, I went to the [Safe Area] district, and from there, I used my Key of the Ranked as a pass to hop through a series of transfer gates until I arrived at the [Frontier] district (provisional).
It’s scheduled to open to the public after the Four Pillar War, so it's as deserted as ever, but it's not completely empty thanks to the various construction artisan players who are stationed here, working hard every day.
Furthermore, as both a precaution and their duty, a raid-sized contingent of personnel, mainly from the Southern Faction, has been deployed on a rotational basis—but since it was the dead of night, they were few and far between.
I exchanged modest greetings from a distance with those I’d come to recognize from my many visits, then with a quick hyoi, I leaped up onto the rooftops.
When I first scouted it as a potential site for an outpost, it was just a desolate plateau. Now, while it's still a far cry from rivaling the [Safe Area]… it has developed enough to be modestly called a town without any exaggeration.
So, there was no shortage of buildings to use as footholds.
"...Hah, this is really something."
My long white hair streamed behind me as I ran, and the sight below compelled me to mutter to myself. It was only natural; no matter how you look at it, you'd never get to witness the fantasy of an entire town being built in just a few months in the real world.
Let alone being the one who made it all happen.
The Alv Portal, an unlimited-distance transfer gate, was liberated by the subjugation of that White Throne. As its name suggests, it’s a complete version of the transfer gate with no restrictions on installation distance.
By obtaining this means of long-distance teleportation, which broke through the previous restriction of 'within a hundred-kilometer radius of the Great Bell Tower,' the players' range of activity was set to expand explosively… or it would have.
If not for the restriction that required a cooldown period of about four months for each one installed.
To be precise, the available stock of portals apparently increases each time a Four Pillar War concludes, for whatever reason. Was it something like receiving a blessing for entertaining the goddess? I had no way of knowing, but if that was the case, then so be it.
There's a world of difference between zero and one. Being able to expand three times a year was a blessing in itself—which meant that where we placed the precious first one was crucial.
Too close, and there wouldn't be much new to gain. But the farther we went, the more the field's danger level skyrocketed, and the difficulty of establishing a base increased proportionally.
That's why we chose 'the Outside,' a chaotic zone where safe havens and deadly areas were scattered about. In terms of greatly expanding our operational range, it was perfect, and if we chose the right spot, securing it wouldn't be impossible… or so we hoped.
We gathered information from the types who practically lived in that demonic landscape, led by a certain [Traveler], and after I used my own two feet to conduct a thorough on-site investigation, I found this place.
Approximately ten thousand kilometers from the Great Bell Tower, it was a giant, circular plateau surrounded by fields of a relatively safe difficulty. A scenic gap in nature, with no prior inhabitants.
Compared to the [Safe Area], which was surrounded by a vast forest, a quick survey revealed this place was rich in mineral resources, which was convenient for improving the balance of our supply chain. Since it met various other criteria we were looking for, the first candidate site was decided on the very same day.
From there, we issued a proclamation to the general players under the names of the four faction representatives, actually opened the portal, recruited construction and guard teams, and kicked off the development plan… and so on.
Well, after all sorts of hardships, we’ve finally made it this far.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how the [Frontier] develops from here.
◇◆◇◆◇
And so, I arrived at the edge of the townscape—one I had a soft spot for, though not quite like it was my own child. As I landed near the half-finished building designated as our meeting spot, I immediately found the conspicuous silver figure.
"—Been waiting?"
"Just got here. Trying to mess with me?"
It was only the third time we'd met, yet that sullen face already felt familiar.
Still, I had accepted that this was their default expression, so I had no intention of letting it bother me or being intimidated. It was a relief to see the beauty of the [Screen] was in such a fine mood tonight.
"...No, that was a bad move on my part, calling you out here. My bad."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it."
And with that, the honest, scrupulous, tsundere Yurayura persona was alive and well.
I've gotta introduce this person to Sora... I can just picture it, a delinquent easily seeing the light—or something like that—
"...Look, I'm sorry, but if you don't wipe that irritating look off your face, I'm taking my apology back."
"Go ahead and take it back. Let's just be casual—did you just click your tongue at me?"
"Seriously, what's with this guy… so hard to deal with…"
They roughly scratched at their hair, which still covered their eyes, and gave me a suspicious look. But even with that expression, I could tell they were just flustered, not actually annoyed.
And since I was sure from their reaction that they weren't annoyed, being reserved with this type of person is just a detour. If I want to be friends, I just have to stubbornly close the distance.
If I genuinely manage to piss them off, I'll just apologize sincerely. As long as they know I'm not just messing around, I'm sure Yurayura is the type to forgive me.
"So, about why you called me. What's up?"
Also, they seem like the type who would genuinely dislike long, pointless small talk. So, after enjoying a bit of introductory banter, it’s best to get straight to the point.
"..."
"Please stop staring at me. It's embarrassing."
"You really are a pain. You clown."
"Takes one to know one, star of the silver screen."
Then, he—or she—let out a long sigh, and…
"…I heard from Lux. You guys met a 'Dragon'?"
The question was about an adventure from almost two weeks ago.
"Mmm... 'met' is one way to put it, I guess."
"I don't care how you phrase it. You met it, you saw it, you were there, right?"
"Well, yeah, that's true. I saw it."
When I nodded in agreement, Yurayura stared straight into my eyes for a moment before asking.
"Its name?"
"Novem."
"..."
When I uttered the name of the 'Dragon' from my memory… they fell silent, but I could've sworn I saw their lips move, soundlessly mouthing, So it's true. Was I imagining it?
…Hmm. Hmm?
"Do you know something about it?"
"...You could say I do. Or you could say I know nothing at all."
That probably also meant, "I have no intention of telling you." It was a cryptic response, but… well, I get it.
It would probably be wiser to wait until we're better friends before I press any deeper.
"Besides, wouldn't you have heard the name from Lux?"
"Yeah, so this was just to confirm. …That guy doesn't lie, but it's a different story whether you can trust him completely. This time, he sent me a message like an afterthought more than ten days later, and then he went completely silent."
"Ah…"
He's a free spirit who basically just goes with the flow… so wait. Does that mean Yurayura and Lux are connected somehow?
Like fellow solo travelers?
"Well, not that you're exactly the trustworthy type either."
"What was that?"
"Take a look at yourself. You've been overly familiar since the moment we met."
Ha, sorry, but I have to say it. I'm positive that if I pretended to be genuinely hurt and sulked right now, the beauty before me would start flailing in a panic within seconds.
"Anyway, about the 'Dragon.' Do you have a video recording or anything?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Any plans to release it?"
"Undecided."
I've already reported everything about that cave to Goldow and Ashe.
That naturally included the matter of [Novem, the Dragon of Earthen Order], and because the information was so significant, sharing it with the public, including the video, is on hold for now…
"Would it be a problem if it were released?"
"It's not that. But if you're willing, could I get a copy of the recording?"
"Hmm…?"
"I won't use it for anything weird. I'll just watch it personally. I promise."
I had no idea what this was about, but their voice and gaze were quite serious. The reason was unclear, but it was obvious that the 'Dragon' held some sort of significance for Yurayura.
In that case…
"—Here you go."
I pulled up a system window, tapped away, and materialized a copy of the recording data linked to my avatar, holding it out.
Seeing the marble-like object with a rainbow-colored swirl inside, the one who had requested it looked surprised, their eyes widening involuntarily.
"...You gave that up way too easily."
"I wouldn't do it for just anyone."
It wasn't like it was fragile. I tossed it lightly, and Yurayura caught it securely, staring at the sphere in their hand for a few seconds before—
"I'll give you something in return."
After absorbing the object into their own system window, they took out something else from their inventory… a large, familiar-looking scroll, and tossed it to me in return.
I knew what this was. It was map data.
"Your affinity is Water, right?"
"That it is."
"Then this should be useful. It marks the locations of all individuals of [Rapharn, the Great Rushing Water Spirit]."
"...Huh?"
It took me a second to process what they'd said, and I let out a dumbfounded sound. The figure of the [Screen] wore a triumphant look.
As if pleased to have finally thrown me off balance, they offered a cheerful smile, which only emphasized their terrifying beauty and made their gender even more of a mystery.
But more importantly…
"Wait, weren't there only two known locations for the 'Water' one?"
They were the same kind as the [Epel, Great Ice Spirit Guardian] I had fought in the past.
It's said that for each element, there are four special enemies in Arcadia bearing the title of 'Great Spirit,' all with the same name and appearance, located in different parts of the world.
And the massive reward gained by defeating them all is famous enough for even me to know about it, thanks to information brought back by none other than the [Sword Queen]—the only person to have fully conquered [Repika, the Great Glaring Thunder Spirit], whose four locations are all known.
By defeating all the Great Spirits corresponding to one's own magic affinity in a non-raid party, a player can obtain a special skill that greatly enhances their magic.
Needless to say, it's something every single player with magic skills would kill for. Which means that any information about undiscovered Great Spirits would be…
"I knew. That's all."
This wasn't something you should just casually toss over to someone.
"It's not like I was planning to hog it from the start. I just kept quiet because it was a pain and I was following the ways of a veteran traveler—If you're going to make it public, do it under your own name."
"Seriously…"
"If it's a hassle for you too, just leave it to the old man or the Queen. …But when you do, don't mention my name. Consider that the balance of our trade."
And just like that, I was saddled with the responsibility for the information.
I mean, sure, compared to the info I gave—which isn't even exclusively mine anymore—this is an enormous piece of information that more than makes up for it, but still…
Seriously… what am I gonna do with this? Publicizing it on someone's behalf is a huge pain—
"Well then, see ya."
"What do you mean, 'see ya'?"
"Sorry for calling you out so suddenly. Good night."
"Ah, yeah. Huh? Wait, good ni—They just ran off…"
And with a wave, the [Screen] logged out.
I was left not quite understanding what all that was about, and now I had an unexpected information bomb in my hands. What have they done?
"Hey, my peaceful sleep is…!"
Just when I had more things to think about, too. My mind always gets sharp right after something like this happens.