Chapter 275 - Chapter 244: Fire Spirit Stone
[Access by a Blessed One confirmed. Unlock?]
"Yes."
I pushed open the door on the west side of the balcony, revealing a straight passage. The ceiling was brightly lit, a comforting sight.
After confirming that [Presence Detection] picked up nothing, I deactivated [Spirit's Blessing].
"Looks clear."
It does.
While I trusted Nina, it was always best to be cautious when entering an unfamiliar area. Things had gotten pretty dangerous last time...
I could see a Transfer Elevator at the end of the passage, so I hurried along.
"This place seems to be the same, too."
Shou-kun, it might be hot when we get down there.
"Oh, right..."
It was a place where we might be able to see the volcanic crater, so I had to be careful.
"Nina, is the Power Section Monitoring Room hot?"
[Yes. The perceived temperature will be higher than in the current passage, but it is not dangerously hot.]
"Roger."
Well, it wouldn't be hot enough to roast us alive.
"Alright, let's go."
"Woof!"
"~~~♪"
I pressed the single button, and the door immediately opened. Yep, same as all the other Transfer Elevators.
I stepped inside and pressed the button. The door closed, there was a momentary floating sensation, and then a chime.
"Right, this was the other side."
Having checked the map beforehand, I wasn't surprised this time.
The exit was a short walk followed by a left turn, but as soon as I stepped out of the Transfer Elevator, I felt a creeping heat...
"~~~♪"
"Oh, thanks, Sweee."
"Woof~"
Had Sweee asked the Wind Spirit for help? A gentle breeze swept around us, and it seemed we wouldn't be drenched in sweat after all.
Wind?
"Yeah. I think it's Wind Spirit Magic."
We slowly moved forward, and as we turned the corner, I felt the perceived temperature rise a bit more. I was starting to get a little worried if it was really going to be okay...
"Up there, huh?"
The stairs ahead apparently led up to the Monitoring Room. Looking up, all I could see was volcanic fumes.
I cautiously ascended, one step at a time, and did a [Presence Detection] check just before my head cleared the top... All clear.
"Now, what kind of... Whoa!"
Amazing!
A solitary rock shelf jutted out from the side of the crater. This small space, no bigger than the Cybernetics Club Room, was apparently the Power Section Monitoring Room.
Wait, weren't volcanic fumes, like, hydrogen sulfide, and therefore toxic?
"Nina, is this really okay?"
[Yes. It is protected by a Magic Safety Fence, so there is no issue.]
Ah, that thing on the balcony, then... I looked around. It neatly covered the entire outer perimeter of the floor, and the volcanic fumes didn't seem to enter inside.
"Woof!"
"Yeah, let's go out."
If Lupi wanted to go, then there was no helping it. When I reached the top of the stairs...
"Wow... This really is the crater..."
Looking up, I could glimpse bits of blue sky through gaps in the volcanic fumes.
Being able to see volcanic fumes from this close was a VR-exclusive experience, alright.
Shou-kun, where's the Power Section?
"Oh, right. Actually, it's better if you explain it. Nina, can you explain what the Power Section is and what everything is?"
[Yes. First, the white panels installed on the cliff face directly above are Mana Collection Panels. They recover a portion of the mana diffused into the atmosphere and use it to operate this facility.]
Looking up as she spoke, I saw white panels installed on the cliff face opposite. They looked small at a glance, but considering the distance, they must have been about 10 meters square.
[Waste materials are deposited into the crater from the Input Port located below on the right side.]
Bottom right... I needed to move a bit more to see it. As I cautiously moved to the right, I saw a square hole opening up below this floor.
"Won't it explode if you just throw stuff directly into the crater?"
[No. The amount of waste material deposited simultaneously is limited to a certain quantity or less.]
So they dispose of it bit by bit. It wouldn't be funny if they suddenly dumped a huge load and caused a massive explosion.
As for actually watching them throw it in... I'll pass. It felt a little scary.
"Well, I probably won't come here much anyway."
Indeed.
I stepped back to the stairs and looked up again. Hmm? I thought I saw tiny sparks of fire dancing within the volcanic fumes, but could that possibly be...?
I was sure I had a tiny [Magic Stone] in my inventory.
Shou-kun?
"Just a moment. Found it, found it. Purify this... Alright!"
Bell-buchou had told me before that a [Magic Stone] becomes a [Magic Crystal Stone] when purified with Holy Magic. I hadn't tried it at all, but I was glad it worked.
I should place this on the ground, no, a little closer to the edge of the floor.
"Woof!"
"Ah, Lupi. Thank you."
Lupi, sensing my intention, picked up the [Magic Crystal Stone] in her mouth and placed it precisely at the edge of the floor.
Huh? Huh?
As I stroked Lupi, who had returned, and watched the [Magic Crystal Stone]...
"Oh, here it comes."
What I thought were sparks of fire were being drawn into the [Magic Crystal Stone]. At first, I thought it wouldn't work because of the Magic Safety Fence, but then, if that were the case, no heat should have gotten in either.
After watching for a while, the transparent [Magic Crystal Stone] transformed into a glowing orange stone.
With this, probably...
"Woof?"
"Yeah, please."
I had Lupi pick it up and [Appraisal] it.
[Spirit Stone (Tiny): Fire]
A [Magic Crystal Stone] imbued with a Fire Spirit. [Spirit Magic]: Can employ Fire Spirits by consuming MP.
Ah!
"Alright! Got a [Fire Spirit Stone]!"
"~~~♪"
Sweee clapped her hands. I had a feeling this might be it, but I didn't expect it to go so smoothly.
Congratulations! You're the first, Shou-kun, to get a Fire Spirit!
"Thanks. But aren't the conditions for this a bit too strict? Are there even volcanoes on the continent?"
No, I haven't heard of any myself.
They said there was something called the White Dragon Mountain Range in the north, but I hadn't heard of any active volcanoes there. Or perhaps...
Could it be a place we'll be able to go to later?
"If it's mountains or Ancient Ruins underground, then maybe."
I see.
Underground caves with lava pools are a staple in RPGs, so it felt like IRO might have them too.
Come to think of it, they said the 'Dwarf Dungeon' in Anheim Territory was stuck at the 4th floor, so maybe there's something beyond that.
"Wait, why couldn't they go to the 5th floor of the Dwarf Dungeon?"
Was that Buchou and the others? I think they mentioned there was a door and it said, 'Insufficient Authority.'
"That's right. Authority... Oh, I see."
Could "authority" be this? The ring on my left middle finger. That was for the highest-ranking administrators, right?
Could a similar ring have dropped somewhere?
"I wonder. But I do feel like there might be similar rings, especially in the Necropolis."
You're right. It used to be a research institute, after all.
"No, wait. If there's a ring with the same authority as this one, there's a possibility of restarting the Necropolis facilities..."
Ah...
"...Yeah. There's no point in us thinking about it any further, so let's just ignore it for now!"