Chapter 194 - Nevertheless, the World Turns
"Is it about 10:30 now?"
"A little before that."
The sound of rain outside continued as always. There wasn't much else to do.
For times like these, I should probably keep a book or two in my inventory.
"~~~♪"
"Wuff~."
Sweee, Lupi, and I were all munching on Dried Grapeful as a snack.
Well, it's fine to just space out sometimes…
"Tomorrow, will we head back and then go behind the church?"
"Probably. I ate quite a bit today, so I'll have to go collect more."
Dried Grapeful was almost out.
Dried Papu Fruit was also running low.
"How about turning that area into a field?"
"Ah, that's an option. But isn't it a bit far?"
"The area near the Mountain Cabin is nice, but if we end up raising chickens and cows later, it might have to be over there."
"Oh, you're right…"
It's a game, so smells probably aren't an issue…
Ah, but I remember someone on a live stream mentioning something about chicken coops being outside the Capital Wolkel in the mainland.
"It would be great if that entire area, including the church, became a Safe Zone…"
"Yeah. A Safe Zone appeared after I defeated the centipede, but I wonder if it will expand."
Speaking of which, the grassy area at the exit of the southwest forest is a Safe Zone for no particular reason. …Am I missing something, or is there actually something there?
"Also, I wonder if placing a Goddess Statue would create a Safe Zone."
"Oh! That's quite possible!"
A Goddess Statue, huh…
Could I ask Seth to go to the Capital Wolkel temple and use it as a reference to create one?
No, first I need to find chickens and cows…
"And, if I may be selfish, the Mountain Cabin area is beautiful, so if we add too many fields…"
"Ah, I understand. You're right, if we keep adding fields there, it would become terraced fields."
That would have its own charm, but it was a perfectly nice grassy slope.
It was great on sunny days, and even on rainy days.
"Hunting and Gathering in the southwest forest, Papu Fruit and river fish in the southeast, Farming and Animal Husbandry in the northwest, and here in the northeast, brewing and fishing?"
"Yes. I think that's clear and good."
"You're right. Then, the field next to the dirt floor will be small. I'll make a large field behind the church."
I really wanted to grow a lot of Perilsense (sesame), Glycine (soybeans), and Odapra (potatoes).
If I can brew here, I can't have too many Glycine.
However…
"Other places are just a short walk away, but this place is quite far."
"You're right. It's good that our current location has become a residence, but it's tough if we have to stay overnight every time."
Something like a shortcut that lets me come here quickly…
"If the Transfer Magic Circle on the 1st floor led here…"
"How about asking the Silver Dragon?"
"Ah, you're right. It was the destination after that incident, and the record mentioned 'central.' Argenta-san might know something."
But if the facility was destroyed due to the rampage, it might be buried.
Well, I can ask… but would she even know? Besides, it seems completely unrelated to the Ancient Ruins investigation…
[Ancient Ruins Discovered!]
"Huh?"
"I'll go check it out."
"Ah, okay."
I thought it was fine, but she went anyway.
I thought it was the first discovery of Ancient Ruins in a while, but there was also that talk of ruins being found beyond the former Gnome Village in the southwest of the Kingdom, where Nat was.
Before that, I also heard about one being found in the northwest of the Empire.
"Wuff."
"Hm? Oh, should I open the wooden window?"
Lupi looked like she wanted me to open the wooden window by the wall of the loft.
If it's sealed shut, the air will get stale, and I also want to check the situation outside.
I carefully unlatched the central clasp of the double-hung window and pushed it open.
Whoooooosh…
"The thunder has stopped, but the rain seems to be pouring heavily."
Being a high window with a long eaves, there seemed to be no worry about rain blowing in.
But a screen door would be convenient. Or maybe I should make something like bamboo blinds and hang them? I'll try that at the Mountain Cabin too…
"I'm back."
"Oh, welcome back."
"It seems a fairly large Ancient Ruin has been found in the forest northeast of the Empire."
Ah, come to think of it, there wasn't anything particular in that direction until now.
West was the Kingdom, the Empire in the center, the Principality to the south, and the Republic to the east.
To the north, was it the Dragon Capital that Argenta-san mentioned? And further east was the Demon Kingdom, right?
"A dungeon?"
"It's said to be a ruined city. There might be a dungeon there as well."
"Huh, so it's that big?"
According to what Mion heard on the forum, it was said to be as large as the capital cities of the Empire or Kingdom.
So, it's probably time to start investigating right away, but…
"The Dragonfolk appeared and told them that if they wanted to enter, they needed permission from the Dragonkin. They said it was too dangerous due to many undead…"
"Dragonkin, you say…"
That refers to Argenta-san and her kind, right?
Dragonfolk, are they Dragonewts? I remember them saying they commanded more than just the Winged Folk and Giantkin.
"Also, the priest in that party achieved a Skill Level Cap Breakthrough with Holy Magic. It was a world-first, and it seems they gained 3 SP, just like Shou-kun did."
That priest was a top player since the closed beta.
Their base skill level was at the maximum of 10, and with the robe's Holy Magic +1 correction, they managed to break through. That's amazing.
"So, just like with Shou-kun, it seems they can now acquire a different skill… do you want to hear about it?"
"Hmm, what could it be? Just higher-level Holy Magic? I don't consider that a spoiler, so can you tell me?"
"Yes! It's Sacred Spirit Magic. Not the 'spirit' of fairies, but the 'holy' of the Holy Mother."
Hm? Oh, Sacred Spirit Magic, using the character for 'holy.' I see, I see.
"Visually, I'm thinking of something like Sacred Sword. Is it similar to that?"
"They don't know the specifics yet, but compared to Holy Magic, which was more about healing and defense, Sacred Spirit Magic also has offensive spells."
It's probably common beam attacks or something like that.
Like Holy Ray or Holy Wave. It sounds incredibly effective against undead, so the timing might be just right…
[World Quest Initiated!]
""Huh!?""