Chapter 113 - Chapter 101: Ignorance Was Costing Me
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"Phew, I guess this is it for today."
"Good work."
I finished the storage building's stone walls up to waist height. During that time, I also procured another log, so it was quite busy, and time flew by.
"Woof."
"Lupi, thanks for your help again today."
At one point, Lupi's [Mana Aid] art gave me some MP, so I made more progress than planned.
If I kept pushing, the walls would be done by tomorrow or the day after, and the roof would be on and complete the day after that. However, tomorrow I had live stream preparations, so the storage building construction would have to wait.
I just left the cut timber lying around for now. I'd use it for scaffolding, and I'd need to prepare another log or so.
"Alright, let's head back."
"Woof-woof."
As Lupi and I were about to head to the exit,
[World Quest has been updated!]
""Huh?!""
I hastily opened the [World Quest] window.
[World Quest: Expansion and Maintenance of Living Space]
"The [Second Imperial Prince Burklest], who rebelled against the [First Imperial Prince Sigmund], has declared the [Paltheim Principality] with the [Paltheim Territory] as its capital.
"The two nations, glaring at each other across the Grant River, have begun discussions for a provisional ceasefire, fearing the exhaustion of national strength due to prolonged warfare."
"Will a ceasefire be reached? If refugees return after a ceasefire, can the new towns be maintained?"
"Objective: Development and maintenance of new towns. Completion Status: 57%"
Ugh, seriously…?
Well, it had nothing to do with this island, but I wondered how Club President Bell-san, Seth, and the guild [Silver Manor] were reacting.
"Shou-kun, shall we return to the Club Room?"
"Ah, yeah."
Seth was supposed to be investigating whether that rumor was true, but I hadn't heard the results yet.
"Lupi, let's run!"
"Woof!"
*
"Phew, I'm back."
"Welcome back."
Looking around the Club Room,
"I've been waiting, Big Brother!"
"Well, shall we begin?"
Club President Bell-san and Seth were waiting.
It seemed like there was something they needed to discuss. Although, I doubt there's much I can do.
"Seth-chan, could you tell us the truth about the rumor that the two Imperial Princes are on bad terms?"
As I took my seat, the conversation began with the matter that had been bothering them.
"Indeed. To conclude, the rumor of them being 'on bad terms' was just that—a rumor, and no evidence was found to support it."
"So, is there a possibility that they're actually on good terms?"
Seth shook her head at that question. But then,
"The strange thing is that the two have never met in the same place in the past 10 years. It's thought that this is why rumors spread that they 'can't stand to see each other'."
Hmm, so it's still unclear. Am I overthinking it? The flavor text for the updated [World Quest] just said they entered ceasefire negotiations, right?
"It doesn't seem like anything will happen to the Kingdom or Republic for the time being, does it?"
"There is one concern. A 10-year non-aggression pact currently exists between the Kingdom and the Empire. However, that pact will likely not apply to the Principality…"
"Hey, that means…"
"Indeed. There is a possibility that the Principality may attack the Kingdom."
Ugh, how troublesome…
"But, I feel like they don't have enough military strength to attack the Kingdom."
"No, there is one place they can invade. And it's not far from the Principality…"
The Principality was in the southern part of the Empire, right? A place not far from there… ah…
"Is it near the Tower that Club President and Seth-chan went to?!"
"Precisely. The southeastern frontier settlement is before the Tower and closer to the Principality. Development itself seems to be progressing, but truthfully, its defensive capabilities are lacking."
"Is that really okay?"
Having player characters defeated by NPCs would be terrible. It's one thing if they challenged them, but to be invaded and overrun…
"I spoke with Viscount-dono, and he was also concerned about it. Though I don't know what conclusion will be reached, orders to evacuate to the [Capital Wolkel] will likely be issued."
"Will they make it in time…?"
"It would take at least three to four days to get from the Principality to that area, no matter how fast they rush. If they log in regularly, I don't think they'll be left behind."
Ah, it would be quite a shock to log in after being absent for some reason and find your allegiance changed.
"In any case, there is nothing we can do now. If a ceasefire is reached, refugees may return to the Empire or Principality. In that case, we will have to concentrate on maintaining the frontier settlements."
"We'll have to cancel our plans to go to the Tower for Sunday's live stream, then."
"You were planning to go to that [Ancient Ruins] Tower?"
"Yes, I need to show some combat occasionally."
"Hmm, I was planning to sell off surplus materials, but it seems I should consider a different approach."
Huh, they're really thinking about a lot of things. Oh, right!
"Changing the subject, Club President Bell-san, do you use [MP Recovery Potion]s?"
"[MP Recovery Potion]?! You mean you can make them?"
"No, no, if I could make them, I'd have reported it. I just thought there might be something like that because waiting for MP to recover is so tough…"
She's a pure magic build, so she probably has much more maximum MP than me, but even she must run out, especially in prolonged battles.
"I see. To conclude, there are no [MP Recovery Potion]s for now. However, there is equipment that speeds up MP recovery. The robe I'm wearing is one such item. Also, storing mana in a [Magic Crystal Stone] is a common practice."
"Equipment can change it?"
"Yes, some equipment has effects that accelerate MP recovery. While you would normally recover 1 MP per minute without it, some items can boost it to 10 MP per minute. A [Magic Crystal Stone] is, simply put, an external battery for your MP."
It seemed there were variations in MP recovery increases from equipment, such as 10 MP recovery every minute, or 1 MP recovery every 10 seconds.
As for [Magic Crystal Stone]s, you could intentionally transfer MP into them or store overflowing MP from recovery, then use it as reserve MP whenever you wanted.
"I think I had a [Magic Crystal Stone] from the [Red Armor Bear], but the equipment for recovery increase is enviable…"
"Big Brother, why not make one yourself? You have the [Sewing] skill, do you not?"
"Ah, that's right…"
Actually, I have so many skills, and my task list is far too long…
"The mantle I am wearing now was tailored for me by Season-dono. It is an exquisite item made from [Greydeer] hide."
Season-san…
"She's the smaller older sister in the guild."
Ah, right. The answer came the moment I looked at Mion.
"So, how much does it increase recovery?"
"It recovers 3 MP every 30 seconds. Tanks use arts for [Hate Control], so a certain amount of MP must always be maintained."
That means 6 MP per minute, so six times my current rate! If I rest for five minutes, I can make one stone wall brick! I'll make a mantle tomorrow too…