Chapter 688 - The Reason for the Regenerated Magic Crystal Stone?
[Regenerated Magic Crystal Stone (Large)]: A Magic Crystal Stone created by crushing Magic Stones and re-crystallizing them after the mana has been drained. Because it is re-crystallized, there is a possibility it may break after repeated use.
It was a size smaller than the Emergency Magic Crystal Stone Nina had. It was about the size of a handball. Regardless...
"I wonder why it's a Regenerated Magic Crystal Stone..."
"I don't know."
Mion shook her head. Thinking they might know something, I asked Sera-san and El-san.
"I apologize, but this is outside my expertise."
"Likewise. Lord Azure might know something, though."
They were right. Azure-san was the one to ask. It was still before 9:00 PM, so I decided to try calling him via the guild chat.
"Azure-san. Do you have a moment?"
"Ah, Shou-kun! Of course. You're investigating the northern tower right now, right? Did something happen?"
As expected of Azure-san, he was quick on the uptake. I explained that we found a Control Room in the tower's annex and that the Emergency Magic Crystal Stone there was a Regenerated Magic Crystal Stone. I told him I didn't think there was a problem with it functioning, but I asked why it was used instead of a natural one.
"I did some research on Regenerated Magic Crystal Stones myself. Large natural Magic Stones are quite rare, right?"
"Well, yeah."
"But as magic tools and Magic Facilities increased, there wasn't enough of the large ones to go around. It seems Regenerated Magic Crystal Stones were the solution to compensate for the shortage."
"Ah..."
So far, the largest Magic Stone obtainable in the game was apparently medium size. It seemed likely that massive ones would drop from raid bosses in the future, but people were saying that was still a long way off. I really needed to return that extra-large Magic Crystal Stone I took from the Control Room in the ancient ruins on Sabana's Island.
"So Regenerated Magic Crystal Stones have existed for a long time."
"Seems so. You don't see them in the castle at the Dragon Capital, so I only remembered after hearing El talk about it."
Azure-san laughed. To begin with, the castle where the White Dragon Princess lived was originally the Royal Castle of an ancient city, making it an ancient ruin. However, that place didn't have a Control Room, and all the magic tools were powered by natural Magic Crystal Stones. Also, since it was maintained by the Silkies Emeraldia-san contracted with and people from protected races who came to help, they never really worried about it.
"In the end, Regenerated Magic Crystal Stones were the result of trying to make small ones bigger."
"I see. So what's the difference in how natural and regenerated stones are used?"
"This is just a guess, but I think it's based on importance."
He suggested that important facilities, public buildings, and such used natural stones, while individuals used regenerated ones. After all, there was that mention of regenerated stones breaking after several uses.
"So is it alright to use this as it is?"
"I think it'll be fine."
When I had tried turning a tiny stone into a small one before, it had simply turned to dust the moment it failed. I didn't think it would suddenly explode.
"El is there, right? Have him put some mana in for you."
"Understood."
"Eh?"
I didn't think anything would happen, but...
"There is no need to worry. I have trained for this."
El-san said this confidently. I didn't think training meant you were immune to everything.
"If Emeraldia were there, I would have had her do it."
"Azure-san..."
While they were talking, El-san placed his hand on the Emergency Magic Crystal Stone. He already did this for the Magic Crystal Stones in our mansion's storage, so he poured in mana with a practiced air.
"Ah, I think about twenty percent should be enough to start."
"Acknowledged."
Given the size, twenty percent was reached quickly. I had struggled with a stone one size larger, but El-san seemed perfectly fine. He really must be high level.
"Ah!"
"Oh, here it comes."
The ceiling brightened instantly, and the console began to glow faintly. When I did this for Nina, there was some kind of announcement, but...
"It's not saying anything."
"Shou-kun. Look at this."
"Hmm?"
Text was appearing on the monitor... or whatever it was. It said it was restarting. It looked like it would finish in just under five minutes.
"Let's wait."
"Okay."
It was just as Azure-san said. If it only managed this tower, it probably didn't have many high-level functions, so a Regenerated Magic Crystal Stone was sufficient. Or rather, did someone own this tower and the castle privately? The book collection on the first floor was incredible. Was this a personal research lab for a top-tier engineer? While we discussed this with Azure-san...
"It seems to be finished."
"Thank you."
Called by El-san, I read the text on the console again. It said it had been initialized and asked for administrator registration. I wondered if I needed the Azure Moon Ring for this.
"Mion, do you want to try becoming the administrator?"
"I can't. You are the lord of this island, Shou-kun."
"Ah, right."
So... I just need to put my hand here? Yeah, that seemed right. And with that, the registration was complete.
[You have become the administrator of the Ancient Ruins!]
"Ah..."
I instinctively looked at Mion.
"Yes. A World Announcement."
Mion told me that a message saying [A new administrator of the Ancient Ruins has appeared!] had appeared, just like when Bell-bucho did it.
"Well, I'm going to talk about it on the stream anyway, so it's fine."
First, I reported to Azure-san. I had successfully (?) become the administrator, but I wondered if I would have to refill the mana every single time. If so, it was less of an emergency power source and more like the main power... or rather, the main mana source.
"Probably. After all, important Ancient Ruins are usually built on ley lines where mana flows. Didn't you say your Nina-san was an autonomous type? Originally..."
Azure-san's explanation wouldn't stop. I appreciated it, but this wasn't really the time...
"Azure, shut up! You're troubling Shou!"
Vermilion-san cut in. Honestly, it was a help. Wait, was he listening? I suppose it was more accurate to say he could hear us.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. So, what were we talking about?"
"No, it's fine. Um, there wasn't anything particularly dangerous, but there were a lot of books. Would you like to come see them when you're free?"
"I'm going!"
As expected, he answered instantly. Hearing that, Vermilion-san started saying it wasn't fair, and that if we were talking about being unfair, Emeraldia had everyone beat... Eventually, Argenta-san showed up, and we decided to coordinate our schedules later. At any rate, I was glad we finished before the White Dragon Princess got angry...