Chapter 526 - Chapter 468: Your Home is Your Home, Our Home is Our Home
Saturday
"Time to make lunch, I guess."
I'd finished all the laundry that piled up during the trip, including Mashiro-nee's.
Mashiro-nee and Miki had gone to Nat's house, the Kashiwahara Family home, to say hello and deliver souvenirs.
Given they weren't back yet, they were probably being treated to lunch there, and in such cases...
"Hey, Shou!"
"Oh, long time no see." Nat arrived just as they left, bringing some prepared dishes.
"Here's the usual, and a souvenir from camp."
"Thanks. I'm making food, so wait a bit."
"Alright."
The souvenir was probably standard sweets, so that was fine. But the prepared dish... a huge helping of stewed hijiki seaweed. Knowing Mashiro-nee and Miki would be here, yet bringing something I'm not too fond of... that's Nat's mom for you."How was camp?"
"Okinawa was my first time, so it was fun. The plane... well, yeah."
I wonder if we could go by boat next year... Probably not.
"That's not what I meant. Did anything happen between you and Mion-san?"
"How about you and Iincho?"
"..."
Nothing, apparently. That's typical for regular sports clubs, I guess. The club itself has Nat in track and field and Iincho in archery, so they probably don't interact much.
While talking about Okinawa, I quickly made lunch.
"This should do. Here."
"Whoa! That looks delicious..."
Two large servings of Napolitan Spaghetti, with grated cheese optional. Nat, as always, opened the fridge without asking and prepared cold brown rice tea.
""Let's eat.""
When Mion and Iincho are at school, we usually chat while eating, but when it's just the two of us, we eat in silence. It must be because of that ingrained habit from childhood, wanting to finish quickly to go play.
"Phew. Thanks for the meal."
"You're welcome. Did I add too much ketchup?"
"Nah, this is about right."
I brewed coffee, lightly rinsing the plates. I really want a dishwasher...
"You were playing IRO from Okinawa too, right?"
"Yeah, it was a club trip."
"The new administrator of the Ancient Ruins... that wasn't you, was it?"
Of course, I'd be the most suspected. If something like that happened on the mainland, everyone would know who it was immediately, but this one's still a mystery. The other possibilities would be Ice Princess Anshia or Natural Ramune, but if it's neither of them...
"Wrong. Not me. Though, I do know who it is, and your guild will probably interact with them eventually."
"Ah, I kind of get it, but can you tell me?"
"It's a secret until it's publicly announced."
So, I told him that the Silver Manor, to whom I gave the Transfer Magic Circle, found the Ancient Ruins on the Southern Island, and Majo Bell became the administrator.
"What about trade in that case?"
"They're planning to announce it after summer vacation, so it'll probably be mainly for tourism, with trade limited to what they can carry in their inventories."
"Then the ship will definitely get some use."
"Are you ready to go out into the open sea now?"
"No, no, the open sea is still a long way off."
Nat's guild, Fairy's Friend, was steadily expanding its settlement, and the port was almost complete. It seemed trade with the port Bell-bucho and her friends were building was becoming quite realistic.
"Well, the real work starts now. Once you build and sail a ship, then comes the question of sea routes, right?"
"Monsters appear in the sea, don't they?"
"Of course they do," Nat said, laughing.
Sea monsters... like Sahagin or something? It wouldn't be funny if a Kraken appeared and sank the whole ship.
"Also, do you know about the rumors that a World Quest might start soon?"
"Huh? Seriously?"
"I heard that the World Quest thread on the official forum changed after that World Announcement about the new Ancient Ruins administrator."
I'm going to my grandpa's house starting next week, so if it starts while I'm gone... No, Mion and I aren't involved, so it's fine.
*
"Preparations complete."
"Roger. Alright, let's go!"
"Wafu~!" "~~~♪" "Kururu~♪"
Nat went home a little after 1 PM. After a while, Mashiro-nee and Miki returned, then immediately logged into IRO. Apparently, they were diving into the Dwarf Dungeon together after a long time.
Normally, I'd be told to come along, so it was good that I started on an Uninhabited Island.
"Nya!"
"Good morning."
I exchanged greetings with Shal and the others working at the Yakokko and Ecryu coops next to the church. I was just going to talk to True for a bit, but Mion wanted them to guard her, so they came along.
Pan wasn't in the back garden, so I just exchanged greetings with the Urisk before heading to the Ancient Ruins.
"Oh, right. Nina, I have a question."
"[Yes. Please ask your question.]"
"Is it possible to expand this Ancient Ruin, this facility?"
"[Yes. It is possible. Currently, the mana transmission line extending to the west slope can be considered an expansion.]"
Ah, right. Extending the mana transmission line to the Mountain Cabin, that's an expansion too, I guess.
"So, for example, it's possible to dig through this wall and create a new room, right?"
"[Yes, it is possible. However, that location should be investigated carefully. In the case of this facility, there is a possibility that lava may flow out from the excavated area.]"
That makes sense... Lava would be the worst-case scenario, but there's also a chance of hitting an underground water vein.
"U-Um, Shou-kun, do you have something in mind?"
"No, I don't have anything specific in mind. I just heard that the mining facility on the Southern Island was expanded from the 11th floor underground, so I was wondering if we could do something similar here."
Well, even if I know we can, I don't really have a specific plan...
"I see."
"Oh, but I might want to build a small storage room opposite the Blacksmithing area."
"A storage room?"
"Yeah. The Polymo Golem wreckage we fought on the Southern Island, and the mined ore and ingots, are just sitting around."
"Ah, you're right."
I could just throw that wreckage into the Ancient Magic Furnace, but I think I'll wait for Azure-san's investigation results.
Speaking of which, the Polymo Golem transformed from a sphere into a four-legged creature. Is that configured by the core Azure-san took?
"What's wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering if we could create something interesting if we understood the mechanism behind that golem's transformation."
Something that transforms... A sword would be interesting. Even better if it's a Special Sword.
"The Nameless Goddess Statue might be similar, too."
"Ah~."
Is that the mechanism—pouring mana into it, and it becomes the goddess statue you envisioned?