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Chapter 167 – Central Dungeon Strategy・Makyo and the Others Part 5
During the night, Sylvia and the others brought some Rock Crocodile ham out from the back of the warehouse and prepared it for me.
“F-for now, we’re taking the food to the research facility’s dungeon, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“What about water? I think using magic-made water will cause the disease to progress…”
“There seems to be a water source near the dungeon. We’ll get some from there. Are you two coming?”
I invited Sylvia and Hel.
“I’m sleepy, but I’ll go. I’m worried the refugees might take advantage of Makyo for their own convenience.”
“I-I want to try out my weapons in the botanical garden dungeon.”
Sylvia shows me a large hatchet she made from monster bones. The wooden handle fits comfortably in my hand.
A magic circle is drawn on the blade.
“We made it sturdy. The harder it is, the more magic it can absorb. It’s a type of enhancement magic, but we thought the effect would be stronger with bone as the material. The botanical garden dungeon is probably tougher than the demonic land, right?”
“I-it’s the dungeon Makyo escaped from, so we need to be prepared.”
“I didn’t escape… Well, never mind. Are the baskets and leather bags ready?”
Sylvia and Hel simultaneously showed me the empty leather bags strapped to their backs.
It seemed that everything was ready.
Chel stood near the bonfire with the dwarves and the elf guard, practicing her magic with her hands together. As usual, the dwarves had medicinal herbs stuck to their bodies, but their wounds seemed less severe. The elf guard was covered in mud, but he seemed happy to be out of the training ground.
Breakfast and lunch boxes were piled up near the bonfire.
Lipa and Ka-Ryu stirred something in a pot over the bonfire. It smelled incredibly sweet. Were they making dessert?
“We’re having the little cams absorb the poison from the sleeping flowers. The people at the research institute can’t hunt, so I thought they could scatter it near the dungeon.”
It seems that Lipa is planning to teach the people at the genetic research institute how to hunt.
“Are you leaving already? We’re almost done. Can you wait a little longer?”
“It’s okay. We’re not in a hurry.”
When I returned after washing my face in the swamp, Chel was teaching the dwarves how to run.
“You can run pretty fast if you use magic. Try using magic with your right foot, then your left foot. Remember to put magic on not only the ground, but also your knees and hip joints; otherwise, the impact will build up.”
I was surprised to see her teaching them properly when she suddenly turned to me.
“That technique was created by a crazy person, so you have to modify it to suit yourself, or you’ll get hurt.”
“That’s true. I’ve never heard of such magic in the elf kingdom either.”
“Running while switching magic means that the person who created this technique can release magic almost instantly, right?”
The elf guard and Saketsu listened intently to Chel. Meanwhile, Katan and Kahiman seemed to be concentrating on finding the flow of magic within their bodies.
“Things will be quite different once the dwarves can run through the demonic land,”
Chel said sarcastically to me.
“Yeah, I didn’t say you shouldn’t teach them strange things. But do you think we can grow wheat fields in the genetic research institute’s dungeon?”
“You can’t grow anything in a dungeon without seeds. Crops need soil and water.”
“That’s true.”
“I think we can control the temperature and light. Wouldn’t it be quicker to look for edible plants in the botanical garden?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
“We’re running out of wild herbs because Jennifer isn’t here.”
“Okay.”
We got ready and headed for the central dungeon.
Chel and Ka-Ryu were staying behind today. Ka-Ryu said she also wanted to learn how to run in the demonic land. Since her body is made of soil, she’s fragile. It would be great if she could draw magic from the ground.
“Well, we’re off!”
I left the cave with Sylvia, Hel, and Lipa. Although Sylvia and Hel are night owls, they rubbed stimulants under their noses to wake up. They wanted to see the central dungeon.
Since we were carrying weapons, we hurried past the Guardian Spiders. Lipa, who was carrying Hel on his back, fell behind, and an earth spell flew at us.
Seeing this as a good opportunity, I try to deflect the flying rock with my bone hatchet. When I hit the rock, it spins and flies far away. The blade is unscathed. It seems hard even without infusing it with magic.
After letting Lipa and the others escape, I hid in the bushes. I run at full speed when the Guardian Spider turns hostile toward me. I could have defeated the Guardian Spider at any time, but it was an ancient relic, so I left it alone. I would destroy it if it got in the way, though.
With the ruins of Midgard in my peripheral vision, I headed for the genetic research institute’s dungeon.
Having been there once before, I found it easily.
I ignored the monsters and plants that attacked me and entered the dungeon. The Big Moth and the Hell Beetle entered as well, but I cut them in half before they could reach the town square.
“Hello! I brought food!”
Steam rose from the distorted houses in the town. They must be roasting the meat I delivered yesterday.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Sati, the satyr, immediately contacted the dungeon’s demon king and director.
The Arachnes took away the dead insect monsters. They will be turned into food for the sub-dragons at the ranch.
After waiting a while, the demon king arrived, carrying a large treasure chest. The director looked at it dissatisfiedly, folding her arms.
“You’ve really saved us. This is your reward.”
The Demon King opened the treasure chest, which was filled with gold coins.
“I hope we can continue to have a good relationship in the future…”
“Hmmm…”
In the demonic land, gold coins are almost useless.
“This one has the same dent.”
Hel took out a gold coin from the treasure chest and showed it to me. Sure enough, there was a dent in the same spot. It was probably a counterfeit coin.
“I know you can counterfeit gold coins in the dungeon. However, I don’t need this one right now.”
“Come on! There’s no point in doing something illegal! Didn’t you listen to me?”
The director scolded the Demon King for a while.
The huge demon king sat cross-legged in the middle of the hall, looking completely dejected.
In ancient Yggdrasil, counterfeiting currency in the dungeon was a serious crime, punishable by beheading if discovered. However, we now knew it was possible as long as the materials were available.
“There are records of dungeon merchants taking coins like these outside. I don’t like revealing past crimes, but…”
The director explained, making the Demon King bow his head.
“I’ll take one or two. They might help us track down the dungeon seller. Anyway, I brought some Rock Crocodile ham.”
“That’s a big help.”
The townspeople, including Sati, took the large ham with them. Food was always welcome.
“So, what are your demands?”
The director didn’t seem to think that the treasure chest full of counterfeit coins would suffice.
“You’re the dungeon master, right?”
“That’s my role, yes.”
“Then I want you to create a wheat field. A vegetable field would be fine, too, but it’s hard to grow crops in this demonic land.”
“Wheat? Are there no more floating islands?”
She seems to know that there used to be wheat fields on the floating islands.
“Yes, but now there are only small islands in the sky.”
“I see… So, you want a real field with solid ground?”
“Yes, that’s right. We can draw water from nearby, so please build a reservoir. If you can provide that and fertilizer, can you build an experimental field?”
“Do you want the inhabitants of this dungeon to become farmers?”
“That’s right.”
This dungeon is already part of the demonic land. It’s within my territory.
“We have to survive, don’t we? I understand.”
The director nodded vigorously and said, “I’ll do it.”
“What about the monsters outside?”
Sati asked, having been listening.
“I’ll teach you how to hunt them and deal with them. With keen observation and quick feet, you’ll be less likely to die,” Lipa said with a smile as he held up a bag full of poisonous berries.
“Can you build a reservoir right away?”
Hel asked as she approached the director.
“Yes, with enough magic, I can make as many as necessary, but…”
“Would you mind showing me?”
Hel seemed interested in how the dungeon operated.
“Of course.”
Led by the director, Hel headed into the depths of the dungeon. With a crossbow on her back, she wouldn’t be easily attacked.
“We’re looking for a water source.”
Hel raised her hand in response to my voice.
“Come on. Let’s go while it’s still light out. Does anyone want to learn how to hunt in the demonic land?”
Lipa was recruiting dungeon dwellers to teach them how to hunt there. I didn’t have to give any instructions; everyone naturally knew their role.
“Sati, where do you usually get water? You don’t just drink water made with magic, do you?”
“When it rains, a small river forms in the valley. I get water from there, but I have to be careful of the slimes. But during the dry season, I have to go to a river far away…”
Sati was on his way to get water from the river when he found us.
“Isn’t there any water seeping out?”
“There is, but not much.”
“Even if it’s not much, can you show us where it is?”
“Sure.”
Sati replied as if he were joking and led us outside the dungeon.
At the bottom of the valley, water seeped out from between the rocks.
“This is it.”
I placed my palm against the rock and released my magic. When I felt the magic bounce back, I peered into the ground.
A large river was flowing underground, but the rock in front of us was blocking it. If we pulled out the rock, the river’s flow would change.
“But won’t monsters come if there’s a water source?”
“You’re right. Maybe we should wait for Lipa to teach them before pulling it out.”
When I delivered Sati to the research facility’s dungeon, Lipa happened to be leaving with the dungeon’s inhabitants.
“All right, everyone, let’s go calmly! Don’t fall behind, and keep your eyes open.”
Lipa seemed to be the guide for the demonic land.
“Am I useless…?”
I encouraged the depressed Demon King and headed toward the director and Hel.
“They want to make fertilizer from Cockatrice droppings and transport it as leaf mold.”
In a room with a large sphere floating in it, Hel simply explained.
“I see. We can always draw water from the river to the valley.”
“I heard that Makyo can restore the road, but if we can create a river, wouldn’t it be better to transport things by boat?”
“If it were a boat. Should we make a raft?”
Considering the width of the valley, small boats should be fine.
“There’s also the problem of slime.”
“Slime is no problem. Lipa is currently teaching the dungeon dwellers how to deal with monsters.”
After that, the director and Hel discussed the matter and decided to build a reservoir and a field in the dungeon. Since it seemed that many magic circles were used in the dungeon, Hel blew away her sleepiness and took notes.
“Well, we’re going to the botanical garden dungeon.”
“Okay. Come pick us up in the evening.”
Hel didn’t even look at us as she wrote on the parchment with her handmade pen.
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