Chapter 476 - A Little Too Clingy Is Still Too Clingy?
Tuesday
"Alright, I'm counting on you to look after Mion."
"Woof!" "Meow!"
"~~~…"
Lupi barked a confident 'leave it to me,' and Shal responded with a respectful nod. Sweee looked a bit exasperated at their antics…
Today, after finishing our homework, we logged into IRO. While I focused on Mining and Blacksmithing, Mion planned to scout the entire Southern Island Area.
"I'm off, then."
"Yeah, be careful."
I watched Mion and her party head south down the [Ancient Ruins] passage, disappearing at the T-junction.
Lupi, Leda, Roy, Shal, and the Cait Siths were escorting her, and with Sweee along, I figured she'd be fine.
Raz and the Fairies, incidentally, were helping out with the farm work behind the church, to the north.
"Sigh… if I'm too doting, it's just as bad, isn't it?
I felt a bit uncomfortable, reminded of how clingy my dad used to be with my mom.
Mion said she was fine, and with Lupi and the others, I felt somewhat at ease.
I continued down the passage to the mining site.
It had been untouched since the tests, and I wanted to increase my supply of Mithril Ingots. I'd need them for Mion's Spirit Stone Pendant and Opal Brooch.
For now, while I waited, I'd try upgrading my Weapons and Armor.
"Alright, let's do this!"
………
……
…
[Highest Quality Composite Armor]
Composite armor combining Armor Bear leather and Mithril plates. Defense +43.
This one turned out great; I was satisfied with the +18 defense boost from before.
If I had to ask for more, some kind of positive modifier would've been nice, but it wasn't Red Armor Bear material, so perhaps that was why.
Then,
[Highest Quality Ken-nata]
A one-handed Ken-nata. Highest Quality. Attack +45.
Dagger/Special Sword: One-handed weapon. Logging: Capable of cutting trees up to a certain size.
This one was a bit disappointing. Despite my efforts, its attack only increased by 4. I guess there's a limit with just iron.
I rejected Mithril because it would make it too light…
Last night, I read a Basic Alchemy book and learned about Heavy Silver Steel, but apparently, you need Purple Steel Ore. What even is Purple Steel?
"The Southern Island was supposed to be a mining facility, right? Maybe I'll find some there?"
Perhaps it was because I'd gotten into the habit of Mion watching me, but I found myself vocalizing my thoughts.
Since I started on the Southern Island's Sandy Beach, that tower at the northernmost point felt like the highest difficulty area, and I really didn't want to go in with subpar gear.
[Refining in the Ancient Magic Furnace has completed.]
"Oh, thanks."
I'd asked Nina to notify me when the Magic Furnace was done, as she could check its status. It was incredibly convenient and helpful.
Opening the Ancient Magic Furnace's door, I found 10 Mithril Ingots. This should last a while.
I spent the remaining time making accessories for Mion.
First, to polish the opal… Wait, can you even carve opal with an iron file?
………
……
…
[Stonemasonry Skill Level increased!]
"Phew…"
Polishing the raw opal.
I tried with an iron file for a bit and thought it might work, but it turned out to be quite difficult.
Then, I had a sudden idea: using Applied Earth Magic's [Granulation] skill to thin the outer layer (turning it into granules). That was the perfect solution.
Even just shaving consumed a lot of MP, but by using the recovery time to check, and also using the file, it worked out nicely.
Perhaps because the raw stone Raz picked out was good, the iridescence that appeared was incredibly beautiful.
"Woof!"
"Shou-kun."
"Ah, welcome back."
Seeing Mion and her companions appear in the workshop, hmm, seems like there were no problems.
Lupi and the others, Shal and her Cait Siths, didn't seem particularly tired, and Sweee was sitting on Mion's shoulder, munching on Dried Grapeful.
"How was it?"
"Lupi-chan and I defeated some boars!"
"…Huh?"
Apparently, some Ranziboas had gotten caught in the traps she'd set, and she, Lupi, and Shal's group took them down.
Mion said her main role was casting Holy Magic buffs on everyone.
"Meow meow~"
"You hunted Forebits too?"
"Yes. Leda-chan and Roy-kun did that."
Mion's character level had also risen to 3. Was that why she was a bit more energetic?
She also said her Holy Magic and Dismantling skill levels had increased. It felt like she was progressing faster than me…
"Did you dismantle the materials, Mion?"
"I have them. They're a bit heavy, though."
"Ah, you don't have much STR, do you? Shall I carry the Ranziboa meat?"
"It's fine. More importantly, how did things go for you, Shou-kun?"
When she peered at my hands, of course, her eyes fell on the polished opal.
"I tried with the smaller one first, and I think it turned out pretty well."
I handed her the sparkling, oval-shaped gem.
"It's beautiful… How will you use it?"
"It's for a brooch to fasten your robe, Mion. It would be best if it gave some skill bonus to Holy Magic or Spirit Magic, though."
"Ah, thank you."
I had a feeling it would suit Mion, given that Shizuku-san used one too.
If I could make a Mithril holder for it and get some skill bonus, that would be ideal.
"How were the sword and armor?"
"The armor got significantly better, but the Ken-nata was a bit underwhelming, I guess."
Mion also had the Appraisal Skill, so I let her examine them. It should give her some skill experience too.
Mion praised the sword for improving from high quality to highest quality, but for me, while I wouldn't call the Ken-nata a failure, I was still unsatisfied with the result.
When I mentioned the Purple Steel Ore from the book to Mion,
"What about the Southern Island's ancient ruins?"
"Right. I guess we'll have to make time to go check it out…"
Its official name was the Southern Ocean Seabed Resource Mining Facility, I think. That means the deeper we go, the stronger the enemies and the better the resources we're likely to find.
"Well, once things settle down here, I suppose?"
"Yes."
Next, I wanted to prioritize making furniture so we could move into the mansion.
Though, Sweee would probably be eager to go fruit-hunting on the Southern Island first…