190 189. Underground living policy decision.txt (1/2)

After taking stock of our current situation, we retreated from the labyrinth and discussed the future.

You know what, Lord? I'm sure that you, the one who stole the logic of the wind, can do something about that dragon, can't you?

It's not impossible. But if the children help out here, the rest of the world will have a hard time.　If the sixty-five layers were built the same way again, we wouldn't be able to proceed, would we?

'If you escort me to the ground, I'll do anything to thank you. So, would you do me a favor?

I bowed my head, not caring about shame or outward appearances. But Lord only smiled nastily.

''I'm sorry, Kanamin. If anything, the child is happier that Kanamin and the others stayed longer. I'm not going to help you. Besides, now and in the past, the child and the founder are equal negotiating partners.

Even in the earlier battle, Lord didn't touch him at all. She just kept her position to help at all times and watched. That's probably her current position (stance).

She may be friendly, but she's not cooperative.

Still, I'm going to bite back.

Then can you at least give me some advice ......?　I need advice from you, the 'thief of the wind'.

Can I at least give you some advice ......?

If not directly, but indirectly, Lord seems to be able to help. The boundaries (lines) she is drawing are slowly coming into view.

''That's right. If you can't level up in a straightforward way, there's only so much you can do. The first one is to train your skills and magic.

Lord said, and held up his index finger.

A whirlwind was blowing from his fingertips. I feel skilled in its magic construction and control.

I can tell that he is an Alti-level wizard - even more than Dia and Maria - and an Alti-level wizard.

'By the way, Ryner is in the process of choosing this method. He's studying wind magic after taking a lesson from a child who was even called the king of demons (straw)!

I turned to Ryner and he nodded back that it was true. He seemed to have sensed his limits earlier than I did, and he had moved early on to take action.

'And the second one?'

'You can save up your money and hire someone. There's no one else who can beat that dragon except the child (Wawa), but there's someone who can compete.

It was a method that hadn't occurred to me at all.

And rightly so. It's not easy for anyone to follow us. Reiner will get the idea and he'll get the drop on us.

”That's okay, Christ. This is a city that's a thousand years old. There are more skilled people here than the ground world we were on.

That was great information. Then it would mean that the rest would depend on money to cover the manpower.

Certainly if we have enough people, we might be able to get by: ......

''And third - this is your best bet for a child - but I think you should have equipment strong enough to take down that dragon.

This is the only way to get the Lord to recommend it.

But it was the most unlikely way for me.

'No, isn't that enough?　No sword is more powerful than Rowen.

'I'm not just talking about swords, okay?　After all, this is a world that's been around for a thousand years. The technique of 'divine iron forging' is still in place. This is also dependent on money, but if we can collect armor against the wind dragon, it will make things a lot easier.

'Oh, I see. ......'

Instead of trying to improve the quality of equipment, they want me to collect countermeasure (meta) items with the goal of a single wind dragon.

For example, if the Red Talisman I have now is a wind-repelling amulet instead of a flame, the fight against the wind dragon will be much easier. The Lord is telling me to collect such items.

''Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. You two just want to get to the ground, right?　Then we can just gather the magic tools to get through that dragon and head to the ground, right?　Let me introduce you to a good blacksmith, okay?

Certainly sounds like a good time to collect your magical equipment. Lord, if you don't mind, I'd like an introduction.

Well, let's meet the best blacksmith in town.

Smiling, Lord laughs and walks through the city.

Along the way, they exchange greetings with the townspeople as they continue down the green road. After a few minutes, they reach what looks like a summer home. It's a light green house with ivy and moss growing on the roof.

Four children were playing ball in the house's large garden. One of them noticed our arrival. It's the cat-eared girl we met in the morning.

'Ah, Master Lord!　And Master Knight Commander!

Hello again, Beth. Hey, is your grandfather around?

'Yes, I'm here!　He's cooing at the usual place!

Thank you. I'll be back in a minute.

Lord and the girl greeted me good-naturedly and then walked into the house without hesitation.

As I try to follow behind them, I see Beth, the cat-eared girl, waving at me. She's a little flushed and smiling.

I didn't talk to her in particular, but she seemed to have missed me before I knew it. No, are those eyes longing for me?

I don't know much about it yet, but the position of 'Knight Commander' seems to be special to that girl.

I smile and wave back, too, as I walk into the green house.

I walk through the front door, through the living room full of life, through a long hallway, and open a certain thick door. What stretches beyond is a space that is roughly unsuitable for an ordinary household.

There was no general-purpose table, but two oddly shaped workbenches lined up just for performing specific tasks. An oversized kettle and furnace were set up at the back, with specialized tools hanging from the surrounding walls.

I knew immediately that this was a 'workshop'. Although the scale is different, it has the same structure as the 'workshop' in 'Epic Seeker'.

However, compared to Alibers' room, it was very clean. There was no fire in the furnace, so it was not suffocating.

An old man was sitting at a workbench in the center of the room. His face was wrinkled, but his eyes were sharp and full of supremacy. I could tell at a glance that he was a difficult man. And this old man must be Beth's grandfather outside. He has what looks like the animal ears of the cat family, though they are a little different from the cat ears I'm familiar with.

He was using what looked like reading glasses to look at the seven-colored jewels.

Then Lord spoke to him unenthusiastically.

'Jeez, Reynand's Jeez!　I've got a visitor!

When he called out to me, Mr. Reynand shifted his eyes fixed on the jewelry and looked at me.

His eyes meet mine, eye to eye.

Then, on the spur of the moment, I 'gaze' at him. Because I felt the strength (pressure) to make him do so.

[Status]

Name: Reynand Vols HP 589/589 MP 123/123 Class: Blacksmith

Level 31.

Strength 13.78 Strength 12.23 Skill 10.23 Speed 5.12 Wisdom 5.11 Magic 5.66 Element 1.44

[Skills]

Inherent skill: axe technique 1.22 fire magic 1.34 earth magic 1.21

Acquired skills: blacksmithing 3.12 divine iron smithing 1.26 fine art 1.55 wrought iron 1.98

On top of his unprecedentedly high level, he has a lot of skills. I can see a few numbers here and there that are better than me and Ryner. Without a doubt, if it's on the ground, it's a hero class.

''--?

But even more than I was surprised to see that 'display', Reynand-san in front of me was surprised. His slackened eyelids widened to the limit and he rolled his eyes.

I tried to hide my agitation immediately, but I didn't miss the dismay of the old man in front of me.

Regardless of our shock, Lord begins to speak.

It's a very good idea to have a good time. This is Kanami and Ryner.

...... Hmm. I never thought you'd bring him to me.

Even Warawa is surprised. But the two of them really need your help. Can you at least listen to me?

You can go to ....... Talk to me there.

I pay close attention and begin to introduce myself.

I can tell at a glance that Mr. Reynand is a bigot. I must try not to displease him.

''Nice to meet you, I'm Aikawa Uzumi. I have come to ask you to build something for me this time, Raynand-san. We are aiming for the earth, but a powerful wind dragon is standing in our way. Would you mind if I asked you for a magic tool to defeat the wind dragon?

'Hmm. You're being polite this time, kid: ......

This time?　It's--

Mr. Reynand sniffed meaningfully.

He was about to ask what it meant, but it was intentionally interrupted.

''--Ah, it was a wind dragon, wasn't it? Then it's probably the one from 'Elfenries' anyway. I can't say for sure, but there are certainly magical tools that are effective against that guy.

I've found that he doesn't want to talk about it.

I'm in the position of asking for a favor now, so I don't want to repeat the question of that.

Thank you .......

I just thanked him and bowed my head.

It's just too expensive, okay?

I'll be fine. I've got the money.

As usual, he pretends to take the money out of his 'belongings', pretending to take it out of the bag at his waist.

He carefully arranges the gold coins on the table in the room, but Mr. Reynand's eyebrows are raised when he sees it.

'Mu....... Hey, kid, you've got to be kidding me - no?

What do you mean by that?

Mr. Reynand shook his head as he picked up the gold coins on the table.

”I'm sorry, but this gold won't do. ”I'm sorry, but you can't use this gold, it's not used here. That's all I'm saying.

I raise an eyebrow at that simple explanation too.

'What?　Could it be that the currency is different: ......?

I immediately turned my attention to the next Lord.

And there she is, with a big smile on her face.

From her face, I'm convinced that I can't use the money I have, so I next turn to my trusted companion, Ryner, for help.

He, like me, is dripping with cold sweat as he advises me.

”...... Christ, let's start by selling the magic stones you have. Sell what you have in your abilities and you should be able to get away with it.

'Oh, yeah. Yeah.

When Mr. Reynand hears this, he urges me to put it out here.

'Put it out. I can see you if you want to cash in. I do appraisals, too.

He immediately takes out the magic stone he got from his search to the forty layers from his 'belongings'.

But even after seeing that, Reynand-san's expression doesn't change. It remains grim all the time.

''It's ...... no good. All magic stones are rubbish. They can't replace gold, can they?

In the face of a treasure that would be enough to live and play with on earth, Mr. Raynand said coldly. I wondered if Lord and Mr. Raynand were trying to deceive me together. But the seriousness of the stern old man's eyes in front of me disabused me of that suspicion.

As I recall, I've heard on earth that the quality of magic stones was better a thousand years ago. I've seen many times that the armor of the past boasted a higher performance.

Deciding that that heartless word wasn't a lie, I ran to the last resort.

Clutching the hilt of the 'Alais Family's Treasure Sword Lowen' that Ryner returned to me, I pass my magic power through the cheapest of the unfolded gems.

''Nah, then I'll refine the expensive-looking ore!　--Crystal Magic 'Quartz'!

The magic stone, which was called rubbish, was converted into a shining gemstone.

Since the original was not sand, but a magic stone, its conversion was fast.

''Hmm ....... It's also full of rubbish gems. It's hard to find gold and diamonds at this point in time. ......

Even though I showed him all the goods I could have, I still couldn't loosen Mr. Reynand's eyebrows. Rather, he reacted to me as if he was fondling a child who had picked up those stones and brought them to me.

I couldn't hide my astonishment at how the value of things can change in such a way when the time - or rather the culture - is different. Seeing me like that, Reynand-san pityingly explained.

He said, ”At least prepare a medium-sized magic stone, there is no demand for it in this country nowadays.

'Then this ray crystal is ......?'

I'll try to pick up a magic stone that I'm reasonably confident in.

''We're treating them as low-level magic stones here.

But he is easily cut off.

I was buoyantly claiming to be a very rich man on earth, but it seems that I have turned around and fallen into a poor man.

I was so shocked that I was about to fall off my feet, but Reynand-san asked me what to do with the magic stone.

I'm sorry, but if you don't have the money, I'm not going to make things for you ....... And what do you want to do with this magical stone?　Even if you have it, I'm sure they'll only redeem it at the 'forge (here)' in this town.

'Um, ......, please redeem .......'

I left the magic stones per ray crystal that I might use on the ground and released all the other magic stones I had accumulated. It seems that the forge (here) is the only place in town where I can redeem them in the city, so I released all the things that I could exchange for gold among my 'possessions' while I was at it.

That redemption itself was over quickly, but it didn't last long after that.

If you don't want to order, you can leave. I'm not busy either.

'Oh, yes ......'

I couldn't order the equipment that was originally intended. I had to nod.

Thus, we are kicked out of the forge by Reynand-san. Stunned, I am sent off by Beth and the others in the garden, and I am left at a loss in the city.

All the while, Lord was left with a loose cheek. As we walked down the road, he muttered happily.

''I see. Kanami and the others, they don't even have any money... Heh, well, well, well... ......'

As if to say that we were unexpectedly lucky, he would check our financial difficulties over and over again.

It helped that while magic stone ores were cheap, everyday items like yarn and cones were expensive. Different cultures and situations seem to have completely different demands and values.

On the way, I casually asked about the situation, and it seems that the reason is that the only person who can craft the magic stone ore is Reynand-san.

There was neither a place nor a person who could work on it, nor the custom of dressing up accessories. They didn't have the ability to draw magic lines, nor did they have an aesthetic sense for jewelry.

Finally, I heard that in the world a thousand years ago, people learned magic on their own without using magic stones. I couldn't help but understand the low price of magic stones in this era.

And I also understand how bad the situation is.

''Doh, a few copper and silver coins are ....... Could it be that this ......

He rattled off enough money to fit in the palm of his hand. It's different from the money used in the Maze Confederacy. The pattern is different, and the method of casting is also different.

And strangely enough, the amount of money they possessed was about the same as the first day of the labyrinth exploration.

If you stay at an inn for a while and eat and drink, you'll be cleaned out.

If it was on the ground, you wouldn't have to worry about your life if you went into the labyrinth for a while. But this time, I can't even go into the labyrinth for a while.

''Haha. Not to mention exploring the labyrinth, our lives are in danger!

While staring at the boss monster (Lord) who gleefully talks about the hard facts, he consults with his friends.

'Ryner. What have you done with your living expenses to date?

'I sold the ornaments I was wearing. But that's almost too much.

Yes, .......

''But I didn't know magic stones were so cheap ....... Lord, you dare not tell me?