Chapter 466 - Chapter 414 Uninhabited Island Start
"Alright, let me know once everything's decided!"
With that, Azure-san flew off into the eastern sky.
I had planned to return to the mountain cabin after this, but…
"What time is it now, about 3 o'clock?"
"Yes. It's almost 3 o'clock."
"Roger. I was going to head back to the mountain cabin, but I'll put it off for a bit."
"Y-yes. Um…"
So, what was I going to do? First, I needed to accurately measure the direction Azure-san came from.
"[Stone Wall]"
I summoned a thin, one-meter-square [Stone Wall] and laid it on the ground. More like a stone slab, really. On it, I used my [Magic Engraving Pen] to draw a map of the island, as far as I knew it.
It was good I acquired the [Map] skill. It's definitely better than nothing.
"~~~?" "Kyoo?"
Lupi, Raz, Sweee, and True looked at me curiously, as if asking, "What are you doing?"
The port, the cove where we are now, is shaped like this, and we're about here…
"Um, we're here right now, and this is the high ground above that cave."
"Kyukyu."
"Which direction did Azure-san come from? Around here?"
When I asked, Lupi pointed to a spot slightly south of the high ground. Lupi, Sweee, and Raz all nodded, so it seemed correct.
"Alright, then, if we go straight in this direction, that should be the southern island Azure-san saw for us."
"Um, Shou-kun. What exactly are you investigating in that direction?"
"I'm thinking if Mion can do an Uninhabited Island Start from there, I can go pick her up with the transfer magic circle."
"Ah!"
The problem was the distance, but Nina had said it was about 500 km. If this island's north-south length was about 10 km, then it should be about 50 times that distance away.
"Mion, you stopped after making a character before, but you know the location of this island, right?"
"Yes! Of course!"
"Roger. Well, I'm logging out now. Let's try to find that island."
First, whether we could even find the island. Its distinctive shape should make it easy to spot. Assuming the direction is accurate, but I want to believe Azure-san came straight. If we could find it, and Mion could do an Uninhabited Island Start from there, that would be best.
………
……
…
"O-welcome back."
"Yeah, I'm back. Um, let's take a look at where I drew that map just now."
"Yes!"
I opened my stream archive from earlier and fast-forwarded to the end. I paused it where I'd drawn a straight line from our current location towards where Azure-san had appeared.
"Okay. So, overlaying this with Mion's stream, I can guide you. Will that work?"
"Yes. I'll try it."
"Roger. Well, have a good trip."
"Ah… I-I'm going…"
When she gets that embarrassed, it makes me feel embarrassed too. But well, I guess she has to get used to it little by little.
"Whoop."
An invitation for a private stream (for me only) arrived from Mion, so I opened it. At the end of character creation, the screen showed where to choose a starting point. Actually, my island was already displayed in the center.
"Shou-kun. Can you see it?"
"Yes, it's fine. I'll align the maps, so wait a bit longer."
"Yes."
I made my paused screen semi-transparent and overlaid it in front of Mion's stream window. Maybe a little more transparent would be better…
"Okay. Next, for the direction of the southern island."
"Did True-kun and the others find… around here?"
"A little further down, I think?"
I adjusted the spot Mion pointed to, and once the direction was correct, I zoomed out. It's annoying how the IRO operations team makes islands disappear once you zoom out past a certain point…
"Is this about right?"
"I think it looks good. You're probably better at this than I am, Mion."
When I checked before to see if anyone could start on the island later, she handled it smoothly too. I continued scrolling in the direction Azure-san had appeared, roughly 50 times the island's length away.
"Stop. I think it's around there."
"Yes."
Mion stopped scrolling and zoomed in on that area…
"Ah!"
Several islands appeared in the bottom-left of the screen. And the island in the middle was indeed 'C'-shaped.
"I-is this it?"
"There are no other islands shaped like that, so I think that's definitely it. Now, if there's a starting point somewhere on that island…"
Mion zoomed in on that island. First, she checked the northeast, where the sandy beach supposedly was. That was the most likely spot, but…
"It seems like it's no good…"
Neither the top nor the bottom seemed to work. No reaction.
"Um, what about the southern tip?"
The southern tip was also no good. She circled the entire outer perimeter, but still, nothing worked.
"Is it impossible from here…?"
"…What if you try somewhere in the middle?"
"Eh? Y-yes. …I can select it!"
It worked! A little north of the center? I wonder why it's in the middle of the sea…
"Let's start from there."
"Shou-kun. If the island's transfer magic circle can't be used, or if it doesn't lead here…"
"In that case, I'll beg Azure-san to take me to that island."
"Yes!"
It was a pain that, with the update after the game resumed, Uninhabited Island Start was only possible once per account. However, there was a high probability that this island was the destination of the transfer magic circle, and worst-case, I could just get a ride and pick her up. If that wasn't possible, Mion would have to remake her character. There was also the option of telling Bell-buchou everything and having her send Mion to the Necropolis.
Mion nervously pressed the start button, and the screen suddenly went white…
"Um…"
The first thing the camera showed seemed to be inside a house? The interior felt like a brick cabin, but only the window and door frames were there, no actual windows or doors.
"Ah!"
As expected, the World Announcement for [Uninhabited Island Discovery!] appeared. This was followed by three rewards: [Uninhabited Island Discovery], [First Lander], and [First Islander].
"Congratulations on your successful Uninhabited Island Start."
"Yes! Thank you!"
"Um, that's a Safe Zone, right?"
"Um…"
When she opened the menu, a green circle indicating a Safe Zone appeared next to her name. It was natural, of course, but it still made me feel a little relieved.
"Alright, could you show me outside for a bit? I want to use it as a landmark when I come to pick you up."
"Yes!"
Mion exited the entrance she saw in front of her, and…
"Ah…"
[Ancient Ruins Discovered!]
What she saw in her line of sight was a gigantic tower…