Chapter 408 - Chapter 2: Exploration of the Silver Mine (2)
The entrance to the mine is halfway up the mountain, but the entire area, including the forest at the foot, is covered in black trees. Since there are many insects and magic beasts, we jumped into the tunnel in two groups using Alex's teleportation. We all went together to greet them at the tool storage and break area.
"Yo! Here come our employers."
"It's a token of our acquaintance; let's have a drink."
Placing a barrel of alcohol on the table, four Dwarves sitting on long benches suddenly offered Finis alcohol.
"Ah, good work, good work."
"Thank you for your hard work. Are you on a break now?"
Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama immediately joined in and are toasting with bowls.
"We are. Two are inside."
"That's right. Since we're doing it in shifts. To take back the share of the Fire Dragon's spear from the other day, we're working even on holidays."
Isn't every day like a holiday for you?
"Oh! You're Jeanne. I heard from my brother that you're a priest dressed in black, so I knew immediately. Sorry for always being introduced to good work."
He's suddenly talking to Bonnie!
In the first place, I don't remember introducing any work.
Alex introduced us, and they finally understood who was who, except for Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama.
What, so you're Jeanne, they said, looking disappointed for some reason. Since there's no point in pursuing it deeply, I'll just assume it was disappointment over a misunderstanding.
"So, you're Matilda. I heard you want to see our work."
"Yeah. If it's okay, I'd like to see how you use the tools at the site. I want to use it as a reference when making or repairing tools used by stonemasons."
"Isn't that a good spirit? Tools are meant to be used with the correct technique. Fine. I'll show you."
"Th-Thank you. I owe you one."
Matilda's wish was granted, and she was able to see the mining site.
"However, there are quite a few insects, so be careful. Usually, we work in pairs, and if a monster comes, one person controls it and carries it away, but you intend to subjugate them this time, right? You have to defeat at least one."
Dwarves are also quite strict. It seems they can't show it for free.
"Alright, Jeanne. We're counting on you. It's impossible in pitch darkness. Light it up."
"It's fine, but we'll make a proper strategy. Give up on the one-on-one, okay?"
"I-I see. Well, I guess it can't be helped."
Wild boars and earthworms are different, after all.
"What kind of monsters are in the mine?"
This time Bonnie is asking another Dwarf. She immediately began gathering information like a scout.
"Mostly insects. They're not much, but basically they're huge."
"Are they huge?"
"Yeah. Insects and magic beasts. Also, Orcs and Fenrirs are occasionally there too. I think you've heard from my brother, but this place is special. Among those monsters, insects grow huge. Others grow strong. In terms of strength, it's like the rank on the ground has gone up by one."
"That sounds tough. Thank you for your hard work."
"Well, you see, we use magic to control monsters. Up to C-rank is child's play for us."
Only the names of unpleasant insects come out. Moreover, the rank goes up by one. If a D-rank spider becomes like a C-rank, I wonder how strong it would be.
"This subjugation is a treat from the Sertorian royal family. Please work hard to subjugate them, also in the sense of improving the work environment for Alex's brothers who are always helping us."
"I'll work hard, but what will the subjugation rank be?"
"I am sorry, but it will be the formally certified rank."
Beatrix, who heard this, is showing an openly disgusted face. Even if it's a spider with the strength of a C-rank, it's treated as a D-rank.
Somehow, aren't we being cleverly deceived?
While we were having the banquet, the two who were working returned. "Ya, ya," greetings began, and the toast of acquaintance began.
"Well, please get along with them to some extent. When working jointly with Dwarves, these greetings are indispensable."
Eleanor-sama whispered secretly into my ear.
"Beatrix, could you give me some water?"
"Sure. [Water]!"
Matilda, who washed her face with water to sober up, slaps her own cheeks with both hands, smack, smack.
"Ushyaa! Let's go!"
She's fired up, and now, we depart.
We could ride a bowl or a plate, but a mine tunnel is a first experience. We decided to walk for a while as a sightseeing trip.
The lead is the two Goblins. Lewis-san and Bonnie. The vanguard is Matilda, Will, and Roberts-sama. The main force is Robinson-san, me, Flora, and Alex as the guide. The rearguard is Eleanor-sama, Beatrix, and Lyudmila, and the very rear is Henry-sama.
There are five Fireflies. Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, Lewis-san, Bonnie, and Robinson-san hold them. If anything happens, I'll chant a high-level [Light] toward the front and repel them. Aside from Alex, who is not participating in combat, Goblins don't need light. Moreover, the inside of the tunnel is covered because Alex is there. It should be fine.
"There's a barrier beyond the two doors. Monsters shouldn't be able to enter this side of that barrier. The monster subjugation starts from there."
It's the same principle as the cave of the altar. He said humans made it, but the management is by the Dwarf gatekeepers. They used the same method as the mine.
"Just in case, I'll tell you, the double doors also have the role of confining the dense magic power. The leakage has stopped, and we blocked it in the back, so there should be no danger, but even so, beyond the doors, the magic power is slightly denser than in a normal cave. Well, as long as you don't stay cooped up for days, it shouldn't have any effect on your body."
The Dwarves working in shifts is also just in case, apparently. The exploration time was limited to four hours once a day. I was also told that if I felt a headache, dizziness, or any other change in my body, I should go outside immediately.
When we passed through the two doors as he said, a barrier was glowing on the ground. Beyond it were the usual slugs.
"What's that? Aren't they huge?"
They are two sizes larger than the ones I've seen before. The semi-circular tunnel was originally dug by Elves with magic to obtain silver and magic stones, so it's sufficiently wide. It's wide enough for a person to pass easily by the side even if an adult spreads both arms wide. The height is about the same. Moreover, since stone pillars are fitted here and there to prevent cave-ins, it also has strength.
The ones blocking that tunnel are only three slugs. Soap might not be enough no matter how much we have.
"Wonderful. Can't we somehow breed those?"
Eleanor-sama is clapping her hands in joy. She'll probably use them as materials for Eleanor's armor.
When I explained this and that, Alex was laughing loudly.
"If they don't grow here, they won't get that huge. Even though the magic power leakage has stopped, it's denser here than in a normal cave."
"Then, please let me have the ones you've bred here. I will add to the reward according to the number of heads."
Right now, they are apparently breeding and increasing the ones caught in forests or caves in a dedicated underground facility. The size is naturally that of a normal slug.
Once they lay eggs, they'll be handed to Alex. Alex will breed them here, and once they grow large, they'll be handed to Eleanor-sama. The feed can be vegetables or fresh wild grass.
The feed was decided to be prepared by the Eastern Plains Corps. In short, it's grass cutting.
After turning back once and talking with his brothers, it was approved with a "Well, fine."
Immediately, a construction plan for the breeding place was drafted, centered on Eleanor-sama. The management of the mine is entrusted to the Dwarves. We can't just dig holes as we please as usual.
After the general scale was put together, it was decided to leave it to Alex's brothers. Naturally, a bonus will be paid.
In Eleanor-sama's research, they grow large in one year after the eggs hatch. Once breeding begins, it'll probably get on track.
We went significantly off track, but the goal is earthworms, not slugs. No, that's not it. It's the exploration of the cause of why monsters spawned.
We decided to leave the giant slugs to Alex's brothers and move forward.
We go further and further down the stairs to the mining site.
According to Alex, in the era when the Elves were digging, mining and refining techniques were immature, and there was a lot of waste. Currently, technical development by the Dwarves is progressing, and they are apparently working on the redevelopment of mineral veins that were pointlessly overlooked. In other words, as a mineral vein, it's not that good. Even so, the fact that they are producing a certain amount of results is likely why they are called the Great Spirits of the Mine.
When Lewis-san held the Firefly high, the two Goblins who had been preceding came running up the stairs out of breath. A monster was discovered. The two scouts cleared the way, and the vanguard advanced instead. Robinson-san began the chant for [Subordination].
"It's a house centipede. A really huge one, apparently."
The identity of the monster was revealed through Flora's translation.
When I looked at Alex, he seemed to think it was natural for it to be there. He has a composed face.
Since Robinson-san succeeded in controlling it, when we drew it closer, a long one came out that looked like a centipede and a house centipede had merged. As usual, it has a ferocious face. No wonder the Goblins came running away. Even a Cyclops might struggle.
"What is this? A new species?"
"Na, you'd think so, wouldn't you?"
Alex nodded at Beatrix's words as if it were to be expected.
"Is it only things like this?"
"Yeah. Insects are all like this. More than that, what's the subjugation rank for a house centipede?"
When I looked at Eleanor-sama, she looked away. Her face is twitching. When I kept staring at her, she let out a sigh.
"Unfortunately, since a subjugation rank has not been set, it will be outside the ranks, in other words, no reward."
Um, Eleanor-sama? Isn't it a bit too cruel for this monster to be no reward?
The giant house centipede was controlled by Robinson-san, and after delivering the finishing blow with [Holy Lance] and offering a funeral, we had Alex go and throw it outside the forest. That's because we can't burn it inside the tunnel. Even a Ghoul probably wouldn't eat that.
The giant slugs aside, the giant house centipede seemed to be a shock even to Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama, and the operation plan was reworked. First, so as not to put the Goblin scout unit in danger, we decided to advance while detecting with [Sense Living] instead of using Fireflies. If the opponent is a snake or a frog, they'll see through us even if we hide our presence.
As soon as we find a monster, we control it with [Subordination] and immediately defeat it. Since Robinson-san cannot control C-ranks, if he can control it, the Goblins confirm its identity, and if he cannot, we advance while illuminating with maximum [Light] and take the initiative with long-range attacks centered on the scouts' silver arrows and magic. [Wind Cutter] is effective for insects, fire for magic beasts, and ice for snakes. Since I am the only priest, I cannot attack with strengthened Fireflies, but I can suppress the opponent's attacks.
"I'd prefer to refrain from insect types if possible."
It's likely as Beatrix says. There are few insect types for which a subjugation rank is set. Spiders, scorpions, [Land Worms], and centipedes are D, and there are no others. They are mostly discovered in caves or the Northeastern Forest rather than normal forests, and above all, they live in places that don't affect human life. Since the environment where insects grow large is special, including ants, there is no review of subjugation ranks. In other words, no matter how many giant house centipedes we defeat, it'll be unpaid work.
We defeat the giant house centipedes that come out every time we advance, one by one. By the time we defeated seven, we finally finished the descent and came out into a room. It has two doors. One of them is apparently a room with stairs going further down.
"This is the entrance so far. Beyond this door is the tunnel where we were actually mining. Both the height and width will be narrower. It's like the first layer. By the way, we're not digging anymore."
Alex explained about the other door. Until now, it was just stairs.
"Is the first layer also full of house centipedes?"
"No, it's a bit different."
The detection results of [Sense Living] show that there are monsters of various shapes and sizes here and there. By the way, there are no small ones. The difference is whether they are large or giant. Since I've seen them many times, I feel like I've come to recognize the house centipede-like ones. I found out they are both above and below. The first layer itself seems to be divided into many floors. If there were vertical holes, there would be a possibility of contact, but since the vertical holes themselves are not that large, giant monsters apparently cannot move up and down. Since Alex said we can ignore them, we decided to do so.
"This should have been a relatively early mining site. Since tunnels extend in various directions, be careful not to get lost during the exploration."
"Is there no sketch or anything?"
Beatrix asks at Alex's words. [Sense Living] only tells position and distance. It doesn't tell if there are tunnels or escape holes.
"This time is monster subjugation, right? We can't use the mining ones."
He's smirking. It's not much different from the reaction when we first met.
"Fine, then let's make a sketch."
"In that case, I will make it."
Lewis-san volunteered. Since he's an expert, it should be accurate.
"You mustn't. It won't be training. Bonnie, you make it."
"Okaay."
Eleanor-sama? When did it become training?
While Lewis-san was sending glances, Bonnie crouched on the ground and spread out a piece of parchment. She draws a circle in the middle of that square.
"This is where we are now. Jeanne. Tell me the positions of the monsters."
I see. She's smart. By grasping the positions of the monsters like this, she can add the passages later.
"You've thought of a good method."
"Ehehe, Priest Williams taught me."
Bonnie is being shy.
"How is it?"
"I was impressed. As expected of the Class of 175. I didn't think of it."
Lewis-san also took off his helmet.
Thanks to the monster placement map Bonnie made, the prediction of complex tunnels became easy. After that, it's just a matter of where to start the conquest.
Since they said there are bats that would be a way to earn, we predicted the positions of the bats that would likely be in a position relatively close to the surface. Since bats tend to gather in one place, we can tell immediately.
"Wait a bit. Even if there are bats, they're strengthened bats, right? Can we defeat them easily?"
"Before that, is there enough room for bats to fly inside a narrow tunnel?"
Beatrix and Eleanor-sama raised a wait.
Hmm. That might be so. Perhaps they not only can't fly satisfactorily but have even become unable to go outside.
Wait, eh? That means... what are the giant insects eating?
"Perhaps a fierce survival competition is occurring among the giant insects inside the tunnel. In other words, including cannibalism, the insects are fighting, and the winner is eating the loser..."
While saying that, Eleanor-sama looked at Alex, who was smirking.
"I knew it, you intended to let the monsters fight each other and decrease their numbers, didn't you?"
"You finally figured it out. Because we can't let such monsters out onto the ground. We made all the holes connected to the outside small. The monsters can't leave the tunnel; that's the measure."
Even if they lay eggs and the small ones that hatch go outside, they won't grow giant.
"What, then isn't it better to just leave them alone?"
"To be precise, it's 'it's not a problem even if we leave them alone.'"
As expected of a Dwarf. He had thought of everything.
In the end, we decided to ignore the insects that were away from our goal and from which no earnings could be expected, and proceed to the second layer.