Star Wind, despite its five-times Mirroring enchantment, used a regular beast carriage, so their camping style was to gather around a fire and sleep on the ground.
With about 20 people, including those in Normal Class, they could technically sleep in the beast carriage if packed tightly. However, it wouldn’t be restful, not to mention the issue of men and women sharing the space.
So, in exchange for the information on the Grand Silk Crawler, I offered them the guest room of a Multi-functional Beast Carriage, which they were incredibly pleased about.
Cole and his party, being High Crafters, had lived aboard a Multi-functional Beast Carriage during their campaigns, so they were very familiar with it.
A High Crafter can imbue up to 30-times Mirroring, but this makes the production cost of a Multi-functional Beast Carriage at least 5 million El.
Star Wind, being a high-level raid in Torencia, could afford such an expense, but having prepared a ship to conquer the fourth layer, they were currently in a tight spot.
Therefore, they had planned to hold off on commissioning a Multi-functional Beast Carriage until they recouped the cost of the ship. However, due to the unexpected monsters inhabiting the fifth layer, they managed to clear their debts quickly and now have a surplus that might be usable for the production cost of a Multi-functional Beast Carriage.
It was at this opportune moment that they stayed at our Multi-functional Beast Carriage for a night, and apparently, the raid members agreed to the commission.
“Thanks for having us.”
“We appreciate it too. Please be careful.”
“Yeah, you too.”
After eating breakfast and exchanging pleasantries, we parted ways with Star Wind.
They mentioned that no one else besides us and Star Wind had descended to the fifth layer yet, so now was the time to make money. Coupled with the goal of getting a Multi-functional Beast Carriage, their morale was high.
Since Torencia has no High Crafters, they would have to go to Amister to commission it, which would mean staying there until it’s completed. It’s likely they also wanted to earn enough to cover travel and accommodation costs.
Amister would offer plenty of opportunities to earn, but it’s always better to have a surplus, and unexpected events can happen anywhere.
“Well then, how about we hunt Grand Silk Crawlers in the morning and move on in the afternoon?”
“Yeah. I want to hunt as many Grand Silk Crawlers as possible, but we can’t let that be our sole focus.”
Currently, the monsters encountered on the fifth layer were exclusively insectoid. We still needed to investigate what other types of monsters might appear and find the transfer gate to the sixth layer.
We finally discovered the transfer gate to the sixth layer just before sunset.
Well, I also have to admit that we got carried away hunting Grand Silk Crawlers and ended up overshooting our planned schedule by two hours.
The reason was that we stumbled upon a swarm of Royal Crawlers, which sent everyone’s excitement through the roof. They proceeded to hunt them without holding back.
Today, we managed to hunt 11 Silkest Crawlers, 43 Grand Silk Crawlers, and an astounding 31 Royal Crawlers.
You can’t blame us for getting excited, right?
In any case, we hastily descended to the sixth layer, which, to our surprise, turned out to be a desert.
I can’t help but wonder why a desert here, but with a high probability of Giant Sandwurm and Grand Deathwurm appearing, we actually welcomed it.
Although we’ll have to spend the night in a Safe Area, our exploration will have to wait until morning.
“A desert here of all places. But with the high possibility of Grand Deathwurm, this is a welcome development.”
“Indeed. Our stock of Grand Sandwurm was running low, so this will allow us to replenish it.”
As Prim and Marina said, we had run out of Giant Sandwurm and Grand Deathwurm hides. The remaining Grand Sandwurm hides were also in such small quantities that it was questionable if they would be enough to make a sofa. Thus, our desire to replenish them here was strong.
“Considering it’s a desert, there’s also a possibility of Desert Dragoon, Sand Dragoon, and perhaps even Yellow Dragoon appearing.”
“I don’t know about Yellow Dragoon, but Desert Dragoon and Sand Dragoon are certainly possible.”
While those would also be welcome, Yellow Dragoon is an A-R rank monster, so I doubt they’ll show up.
Other possible monsters include scorpions and cactuses. Spiders might also be present.
Oh, and Antlions are almost certainly here, but since only their magic stones are useful as material, and I have quite a few magic stones from Queens and Princesses, I don’t particularly care about them.
“I heard there’s a monster called a Hell Ant Bug that’s only found in labyrinths.”
“Hell Ant Bug?”
“Yes. According to the Monster Encyclopedia published by the Hunter’s Guild, it’s an S-N rank monster that manipulates quicksand into a vortex, dragging prey underground.”
Ah, so that’s the same as an antlion’s nest.
I hadn’t expected to find one in a desert, but considering they’re insects that inhabit sandy areas, it’s not entirely out of the question.
“We didn’t see any in the Instant Labyrinth, did they appear if we strayed a bit?”
“I believe so. The book says they drag entire beast carriages down, so as long as we stick to the path, we’re safe. Consequently, there aren’t many sightings or subjugation records.”
Ah, that’s true, we wouldn’t have encountered them.
We took a shortcut through the Solpreza Labyrinth’s desert by having Eos fly us, and in the Instant Labyrinth, our investigation along the path led us to a town, so we never had a chance to encounter creatures so eager to ambush.
This time, we also aim to procure monster materials, so we might deviate from the path at times.
Therefore, it’s best to be cautious.
“Speaking of which, Emperor Reinhardt is aware of us coming here, isn’t he?”
“Yes. His Majesty asked us to sell any high-ranked monster materials we obtain to the Royal Family and the Order’s Guild. I also heard they would be used to create crowns and royal regalia.”
With the establishment of the Federation Heavenly Empire, 13 new kings will be enthroned.
Torencia, Valentia, and Alegria are also joining the Federation Heavenly Empire, and their crowns and royal regalia will be renewed. Including imperial crowns, this means 17 nations’ worth need to be completed quickly and magnificently.
While Lapis Laz will be used for the crowns, the royal regalia, though varying in design by country, will be uniform in being classified as Arms and Armor, with most of their shapes already decided. They’ve expressed a desire to use high-ranked monster materials for these.
As for the cloaks, I believe we can have them made by dedicating Royal Crawlers.
“In that case, shouldn’t we report our progress once? You brought a Communication Tool, didn’t you?”
“No, I left that in the Communication Room prepared on the third floor of the Main Hall.”
“Oh, really?”
Mako suggested reporting our achievements, but unfortunately, I had left the Communication Tool with Alka.
I had created three Communication Tools: one was given to Emperor Reinhardt, and another to Hilde.
Emperor Reinhardt, who generally doesn’t leave Amagi Castle, had his installed in his private room. Hilde, however, serves as the magistrate for Solemne’s territory. Since she couldn’t install it in the Emperor’s Castle or similar locations, she keeps it in her storage and takes it out when needed.
Since communication isn’t possible even when stored in spatial storage, contacting Hilde from Emperor Reinhardt’s end sometimes works, but if not, messengers are dispatched as before.
Well, from Float to Deseo, the Ancient Order is responsible for these messengers.
The reason I left the Communication Tool with Alka was that whether contacting them from Emperor Reinhardt or Hilde, communication wouldn’t connect if it were in spatial storage, rendering the tool useless.
Furthermore, since Alka can only be accessed using a Transfer Stone Tablet or Gate Crystal, the only means of contact is through Feel’s Union House, and even there, someone isn’t always present.
Therefore, to ensure reliable communication, I renovated one room on the third floor of the Hinomoto Mansion’s Main Hall into a Communication Room and installed it there.
I’ve taught the homunculi, as well as the four newly contracted butlers, Lumina and her companions, how to use it. They have free access to the Communication Room, so they should inform me if any messages come in upon our return.
“No, since there’s no function for missed calls or message history, if no one is in the Communication Room, we won’t know, will we?”
“Ah…”
Damn it, Mako’s right!
The device is designed with the assumption that both parties are present before the Communication Tool, so if no one is there, we won’t even know a communication occurred. And without any kind of answering machine function, there’s a high chance we might not connect even in an emergency!
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“More than that, the fact that we can even communicate over long distances is amazing already.”
Seeing my crestfallen expression, Mana and Marina chimed in with seemingly obvious remarks.
However, now that I’ve realized it, I have no choice but to deem this prototype Communication Tool a failure.
“My consciousness was occupied by the Water Screen, so I didn’t consider features like an answering machine or notifications for incoming calls. I’ll have to see if it can be added later, or we’ll have to start over from scratch.”
“Is that the only option…?”
I wouldn’t call it a flawless masterpiece, but I was quite proud of it.
“It’s a prototype, so it’s not a complete failure. The Multi-functional Beast Carriage was similar, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. Besides, none of us even noticed. His Majesty probably isn’t concerned either.”
Ed and Fiana’s words of comfort truly touched me.
“That’s right, Yamato. You created a magic tool that can be used even within a labyrinth, let alone over long distances. I bet it was similar in your world too, wasn’t it?”
Apricot’s words made me realize something.
Indeed, I recall hearing that old telephones didn’t even have an answering machine function and required human intermediaries.
Considering that, this is surely within an acceptable range?
No, even if that weren’t the case, as Ed mentioned, the Communication Tool is a prototype, so we can improve it or add functions later.
“That’s true. I apologize, perhaps I was a bit hasty.”
“It’s okay to be hasty sometimes. Rushing won’t achieve anything. Just take things one step at a time, steadily.”
Apricot’s words resonate deeply within me. Although Apricot has become my adoptive mother through her marriage to Prim, she has begun to feel like a real mother to me, as I will never see my own parents again.
“I see.”
“Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
Prim and Mako seem to have come to some conclusion, but what was it?
“It’s nothing. Well then, shall we report to His Majesty once we return to Alka?”
“Yes. We might need to wait a day as I want to check on Hilde’s condition, but I heard Emperor Reinhardt’s Coronation Ceremony is on April 15th. If the Crafter’s Guild puts all its might into it, they should be able to complete the royal crowns and regalia and the cloaks.”
“They’ll finish them, or their reputation will be ruined. They’ll likely involve not only the headquarters but also the branch offices in each country and force its completion.”
That’s how it will be.
However, due to the issue of magic enchantment, it’s unlikely anyone other than Feel from Float can assist.
Ah, speaking of the Celestial Globe, its manufacturing method is registered with the Crafter’s Guild. However, due to the complexities of its mechanisms and the magic enchantments to be applied, a direct commission to a High Crafter or above is required for actual production.
Also, due to the problem with Tenma Stones, rookie crafters cannot make it, and even rookie hunters cannot afford it. Thus, it has been positioned as an upgraded version of a staff, as told to me by Alfred, Ed’s father, who serves as the Grand Crafter’s Master.
What’s more, the creators ended up being a joint effort between me and Flam, as Ed and his companions made a hasty retreat.
Furthermore, it was decided that the Celestial Globe would be held by the Celestial Emperor, the Queen of the Fairies, and one of the Kouhachi’s as their royal regalia. As a result, Flam was promoted to G-S rank and exempted from the formal promotion test to G-rank.
Flam tried to escape by claiming he was in charge of magic enchantment, but he and I were forced into it, as it had already been decided.
Still, he looked pleased at being exempted from the promotion test.
Rudia, who is also registered as a crafter, looked envious, so I need to think of some way to compensate her. MARS is difficult, so perhaps I’ll try making something else with Rudia.
