Chapter 627 - Chapter 558: The Use for Collected Magic Stones
"It's really coming down, huh..."
"Should we take it easy at home today?"
"Yeah, let's do that. I'll make a Goddess Statue to put in the church on the Southern Island."
Night. Upon logging in, the sound of rain was so clear it was immediately obvious, making it seem impossible to go outside and do anything.
I have some leftover lumber from when I built the stable, so I guess I'll use it to make the Goddess Statue.
"What will you do, Mion?"
"I was thinking of making clothes for El-san and Althena-chan."
"Sounds good."
I wonder if the White Dragon Princess is napping? If so, I'll need to put up a Sound Barrier before I start hammering away at the Goddess Statue.
First, I entered the drawing room to tell El-san about today's plans, and El-san, who had been reading a book, stood up as if she had been waiting for us.
"Perfect timing, both of you."
"Huh? Did something happen?"
"The demon's interrogation is over, and it seems there's something they want to discuss. Argenta-sama says she wants to come here, but..."
It seems they managed to extract information from a different demon than the one interrogated before.
Of course, it's fine, so I'll reply.
"Argenta-san. Is now a good time?"
\"Shou-sama. I apologize for the suddenness.\"
"No, no, I heard you wanted to discuss something."
\"Yes. We have new information, and I'd like to consult with you on how to handle it. I can also deliver the Azuki we received yesterday, so may I visit?\"
"Yes, of course."
Argenta-san said she also has another matter to attend to, so she'll arrive around 10 PM. Until then, I guess I'll continue making the Goddess Statue.
...
"Woof!"
"Whoa, thanks."
I had finished the rough carving and was standing back a bit to admire the whole thing when Lupi came to call me.
It was almost 10 PM. Argenta-san should be arriving soon.
"Shou-kun. The snacks are ready."
"Oh, thanks."
The White Dragon Princess, Emeraldia-san, and Sweee and the others were all on standby for snacks, so,
"You can go ahead and eat."
"Okay~♪" "Yes." "~~~♪"
I told them and left the drawing room.
Considering Argenta-san's personality, I figured she'd arrive exactly on time or a little early, and sure enough, there was a knock at the front door.
"Argenta-san. Thank you for coming all this way."
"No, no, I'm the one who should apologize for the sudden visit. First, please take this."
"Thank you."
The wooden box she handed me contained bags of Azuki that had come from Natto.
First, I'll plant some of them, and if there are no issues, I'll use half for making sweets.
"Please, come in. I've prepared tea and snacks."
"Thank you, as always."
I set the wooden box down for a moment and headed into the drawing room.
Seeing Emeraldia-san stuffing her cheeks with snacks alongside the White Dragon Princess and the others, Argenta-san offered a wry smile...
"Mion. Tea for Argenta-san, please."
"Yes."
"I'll help."
The raisin cookies were almost gone, so I had asked for more of those as well.
Seeing me take my seat, Argenta-san began.
"I'd like to get straight to the point, but first. Vermilion, Azure, are you there?"
\"Yeah!\" \"We're here~\"
Both of their replies came back simultaneously through the Guild Card.
This must be an important enough discussion that she wants to make sure everyone is fully in the loop.
She waited for Mion and El-san to return, and once everyone was present, Argenta-san began to speak.
"Shou-sama. Do you have any ideas on how to enlarge Magic Stones?"
"Huh? Enlarge them? Hmm, no, I don't. Could it be that the demons know how?"
"Yes. We don't know the exact method, but it seems they're collecting Magic Stones to create larger ones."
Seriously?
Ah, but it wouldn't be surprising if something like that became possible in the future.
Currently, even Tiny Magic Stones have a use: turning them into Magic Crystal Stones, then Spirit Stones. But that might not be the case going forward.
"Azure, do you know anything?"
\"Hmm, I don't know~. Maybe melt them down and refine them?\"
Like ore, he means.
I could try it in an Ancient Magic Furnace... but then again, people on the mainland have probably already tried that, huh...
"Ah! Mion, do you have any Magic Stones?"
"Eh?"
"Shou. Use these."
El-san, who had been listening quietly, placed several Tiny Magic Stones she was holding onto the table.
She said she usually collects them while hunting, and once she has a certain amount, she stores them all together in the warehouse.
"Thank you very much."
As Argenta-san watched with keen interest, I picked up three of the Magic Stones and,
"[Granulation]"
I chanted.
I caught the granulated Magic Stones in my palm so they wouldn't spill, and then,
"[Crystallization]"
The particles from the three Magic Stones coalesced, forming a Tiny Magic Stone.
[Alchemy skill level increased!]
"!"
Argenta-san, usually so composed, leaned forward in surprise.
I hadn't actually expected it to work either, but it's surprising that my Alchemy skill went up.
"As expected of you, Shou-kun!"
\"Did Shou mess something up?\"
\"I really want to see it!?\"
Even Vermilion-san and Azure-san were getting excited...
Anyway, about this Magic Stone... no, is it a Magic Crystal Stone? Let's appraise it.
[Poorly Regenerated Tiny Magic Crystal Stone]
\"A Magic Stone that has had its Mana drained and become a Magic Crystal Stone by being crushed and recrystallized. Due to unsuccessful recrystallization, it's a poor quality item with a high chance of breaking after a few uses.\"
"Hmm, the quality is really terrible..."
"Is that due to the quality of the original Magic Stones?"
"I can't really say for sure. My lack of skill probably plays a part too."
Nevertheless, my Alchemy skill leveled up to 9.
Applied Earth Magic is also skill level 9, so maybe it won't properly succeed until it hits 10?
"Shou-kun, could it be that you don't have enough Magic Stones? The size of the finished product isn't much different from one of the originals either."
"Ah, that could be it."
Three might not be enough.
Maybe five? No, I'll try it with all 12 remaining.
"[Granulation], then, [Crystallization]."
How about this?
[Regenerated Small Magic Crystal Stone]
\"A Magic Stone that has had its Mana drained and become a Magic Crystal Stone by being crushed and recrystallized. Being a recrystallized item, it may break after repeated use.\"
"It seems to have worked. More like... are they trying to make a large Magic Crystal Stone with this and restart some Ancient Magic Facility?"