Chapter 77 - Chapter 69: Simple Questions
“Alright, I’m going to be holed up working, so [Lupi], you can go play.”
“Woof!”
I watched [Lupi] energetically run off, then passed through the cave to the [Ancient Ruins].
“Are you mining first?”
“Yeah. I thought I could mine, then while the ingots are being made in the furnace, I could do blacksmithing in parallel.”
I needed to utilize the 15-minute wait time efficiently.
Pottery also involved a fair amount of waiting, so if I could juggle three or four tasks simultaneously, I should be able to get a lot done without spacing out.
“In that case, we’d want to put the stone kiln in that room too.”
“That’s what I thought. I wonder if I should try it once.”
As long as the ventilation worked, having it inside would be much better. I could use the stone kiln even on rainy days.
“Tomorrow’s the live stream, but [Mion], you have lessons in the afternoon, right?”
“Yes, sorry.”
I guess I’ll make salt during that time. It’ll probably be a monotonous task of just boiling down seawater.
Nevertheless,
“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. Besides, I think it’s amazing that you’re continuing lessons all the way through high school.”
I went to calligraphy class for a bit once, but I didn’t even last six months.
Still, what kind of lessons does [Mion] take? Is it piano or something like that?
“...Can I ask what kind of lessons you take?”
I debated whether I should ask, but my curiosity won out, and I blurted it out.
“Um, vocal training.”
“Ah, I see.”
Was it because she usually worried about her voice being too quiet? There's no need to worry that much… No, but sometimes she lets me hear her live voice, and it’s always so beautiful.
“Um, is it strange?”
“Eh, no. Your voice is really good, [Mion], so I just understood and accepted it.”
A slightly low, husky voice, I think it’s called? It’s a sweet, sexy voice that sounds like she’s breathing right into your ear… I should stop, I’ll probably get scolded if I say that.
“Good voice, you say?”
“Yeah.”
“…Thank you, Shou-kun.”
Hearing that in her clear, natural voice sent shivers down my spine. This was dangerous. Such destructive power…
Anyway, I needed to get my mind back on the game!
“Ah, since I’m at it, I guess I’ll practice [Spirit Magic] too.”
The mining area was dimly lit by the [Luminous Moss], but it would be easier if it were brighter, and more importantly, my level wouldn’t increase if I didn’t use it.
I took out a [Spirit Stone] from my inventory and asked for the same light as before, and a faint orb of light gently floated upward.
“Huh, the ceiling was quite high, wasn’t it?”
“It had descended a bit, but it looks like it’s about the height of the original corridor ceiling.”
I was relieved that she switched back to synthetic voice.
That aside…
“For some reason, there are also mining spots higher up, but how am I supposed to dig those?”
“Perhaps a ladder or stepladder?”
“Hmm, I can only see myself falling down with too much momentum…”
I’m not really fond of high places. I’m not exactly afraid of heights, but having my feet on solid ground is best.
“Oh well. For now, I just need to dig.”
Just the mining spots within easy reach are enough for now.
I probably won't need to dig up high from now on, either…
…
…
…
“Woof.”
“Welcome back, [Lupi]. Did you hunt [Bicobit]? Good girl!”
[Lupi] returned just as I was about to dump the first batch of [Iron Ore] into the [Ancient Magic Furnace], having mined as much as I could carry.
The way she came back, holding two [Bicobit] firmly in her mouth, made me think I might be the one getting supported here…
I quickly dismantled them, gave [Lupi] one slightly thick slice as a treat, and she took it and returned to the main hall.
Well, I was about to start hammering away, so it was probably better for her to be somewhere quieter.
“Alright, first, turn the [Iron Ore] into ingots…”
I tossed in 50 pieces of [Iron Ore] and closed the door. That would yield 10 iron ingots.
I still had some from last time, but there was plenty of space, so I wanted to make them when I could.
“Are you continuing with carpentry tools for blacksmithing today?”
“Maybe. Last time it was a large [Chisel], so today I plan to make medium and small ones. [Mion], is there anything you think I should make?”
As for me, I was thinking of trying to make a saw once my [Blacksmithing Skill] leveled up a bit more. It looked considerably more difficult than other carpentry tools…
Or a [Plane]? But the body of that tool seems harder to make than the blade, so that would probably fall under [Woodcraft Skill] and [Crafting Skill].
“Rather than making things, aren’t there things you could repair? Like the knives and hammers you picked up.”
“Oh, I forgot about those.”
I wanted to mine as much as possible at once, so I had dumped the contents of my inventory in the main hall again. I’ll go get them.
When I returned to the hall, it seemed [Lupi] had indeed placed the rabbit meat on the lunch plate before eating. Is she too cute?
And since she wasn't visible,
“Did she go off to play again?”
“She seems to be in her playful prime.”
“Hmm, I’d like to play with her, but I can’t do it all the time.”
I refilled the water in the dish that was slightly depleted, then collected the hammers and knives I had left out.
The knives were rusty and chipped, making them quite a challenge to repair. In fact, I wondered how they even managed to stab the [Goblin Leader]…
“They’re still usable, and repairing them should be good for experience too.”
“Yes. And if they’re no good, you could just put them in the furnace, couldn’t you?”
“Oh, right. Recycling is an option too.”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Come to think of it, I’d ignored it, but why did the goblins have hammers and knives? Did they pick them up somewhere?
If so, there must be a place where such things were left. Beyond that locked door deep in the [Ancient Ruins], perhaps?
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, yeah. I was just wondering why the goblins had hammers. Did they pick them up? Steal them? But they shouldn’t have been able to enter those [Ancient Ruins]…”
“Perhaps the goblins were also chased by the Armor Bear and came this way?”
“I see…”
There were not only Armor Bears but also [Ranziboa] over there, so weak goblins wouldn’t stand a chance. It still seemed highly likely that something was left deeper in that area. Even from a game perspective…
“But there’s something I’m more curious about.”
“Eh? What?”
“Could goblins read? They were carrying grimoires and using magic, after all…”
I guess the smart goblins who could read human language were chosen to become [Goblin Magicians] and received special education…