Chapter 179 - Chapter 159 Clean Slate?
Shou-kun, you have to close the door.
"Oops, crap."
Argenta-san, the silver dragon, immediately left through the Transfer Magic Circle after that. I wondered what would happen with her promise to contact me again later, but apparently, she'll send a magic tool that allows communication after she returns. I have no idea what kind of magic tool it is, but I figure I'll manage somehow. I have the [Appraisal] skill, after all…
"Umm, '4725', there."
I closed the door, reusing the same unlock code as before. I couldn't make it lock without a code, so I left the old one as is.
"Alright, let's continue our race!"
"Woof!"
~ ~ ~ ♪
I ran back to the Mountain Cabin with Lupi. Sweee was in my hood, and she seemed fine despite the rather intense shaking. I think she enjoys it like a rodeo…
"Oof, this is tough…"
I ran up the stairs and gave up when I reached the basin where the Mountain Cabin was. I wonder if I'd be fine if I had more VIT.
Shou-kun, you don't have to rush that much, we still have about five minutes.
"Roger. I'll walk the rest of the way…"
It was a gentle slope downhill to the Mountain Cabin. I arrived at the entrance while walking and catching my breath.
"Alright, see you later."
"Woof!"
When I told him that, Lupi slipped under the loft bed, and Sweee used Lupi as a pillow… Well, it's fine if they live here, but then what about the other fairies?
"Oh well, I'll worry about it later. Goodnight…"
＊＊＊
"I'm home."
Welcome back.
"Club President Bell is… probably still playing."
For now, everything I discussed with Argenta-san is a secret. I've asked Mion to keep it quiet too.
It's surprising to be whispered to when she's right in front of me. It's probably because we don't know when Club President Bell will be back.
Seriously…? Is this some kind of lock on streaming from the game that prevents saving? In full-dive concert streams, there's a mechanism to prevent recorded videos from circulating, so is this similar?
Since I made a promise, I have no intention of spilling it myself. So, if it gets out, I think it'll be either when someone else notices, or when Argenta-san reveals it. Or rather…
From Argenta-san's story, I understood that the Winged Folk and Giantkin were backed by dragons, the Dragonkin. As for the Republic, the Demon Kingdom, and the Principality, Elves had evacuated there… Do they not have any backing? Oh, and the southwestern part of the Kingdom where Nat is. They managed to save the Gnomes, but nothing else has particularly happened since then, right? The main story after the World Quest was 'Fantasy Encounter Arc', so I probably feel like I'll encounter dragons on the mainland eventually…
"Oh, did I keep you waiting?"
No, it's fine. It's exactly 4:30 now.
Club President Bell returned, so our secret conversation ended. And just in time, I suppose…
"Apparently, an Ancient Ruin was found southwest of the Kingdom, even further past the Gnomes' old dwelling."
"Eh? When?"
"It seems it was sometime after noon. Right before we logged in."
You wouldn't know about a World Announcement unless you were logged in at the time. Mion, as expected, seems to be checking the official forums.
It's still unknown what kind of Ancient Ruin it is, right?
"That's right. The 'Afternoon Blossom' guild, who found it, apparently handed over the information and left the rest to the 'Moonlit Banquet' guild."
I see. Since they're a guild that mainly plays from noon to evening, they're passing it on to a guild that mainly plays at night.
"Anything else in particular?"
"Anything particular? Is there something else?"
"Ah, no, it's just that since there are places where Winged Folk and Giantkin are being encountered, I wondered if there was anything else."
"Oh, that. The Principality is apparently in discussions with Elves who evacuated due to the World Quest. Their original village seems to have been destroyed."
said Club President Bell.
Oh no, oh no. Meeting Argenta-san has made me too focused on "what else?"
It feels similar to what happened with the Gnomes.
"True. Only the Winged Folk are causing trouble…"
According to Club President Bell, regarding the Ancient Ruins found northwest of Anheim Territory, the Giantkin apparently didn't make any specific demands. I wonder if it's because of that 'burden' Argenta-san mentioned.
Did nothing happen in the Republic?
"The Republic is a bit different, I suppose. But a delegation from the Demon Kingdom seems to have arrived. It's apparently for Princess Anshia to negotiate new trade routes."
said Club President Bell with a wry smile.
"Trade what?"
"What, you ask? Apparently, she thought of it after watching Shou-kun's stream."
""Eh?""
Apparently, if you go east from the Former Holy Nation, where Ice Princess Anshia became the lord, you'll reach a fishing village at the southern tip of the Demon Kingdom. They're going to trade the seafood caught there…
"Ah, I'm sorry. I found that on the day of the stream, around noon."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Seafood isn't something that can be handled in Amiera Territory. Besides, it's not always 'Silver Manor' that gets to go first, you know."
Ah, right. Seafood, after all. Where can I get seafood in the Kingdom? Maybe I'll ask Nat tomorrow…
Speaking of which, Torotoro Dried Papu Fruit is popular now too, isn't it?
"That's also thanks to Shou-kun. Everyone's eating it while waiting for quests."
"Hahaha…"
Well, since it's full-dive VR, it's better if the food is delicious.
"Now then, shall we clean the club room?"
Um… Club President. Is the teacher not coming today?
"I think she'll come. …Around the time the club room cleaning is finished."
"Eeeh…"
It's our club room that we use as we please, so it's fine for us to clean it ourselves, but there's also Yata-sensei's seat…