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TL: ALT
Chapter 229 – Day 5 of Trading Life
It is located northeast of the demonic land, near the mountain range bordering the Elven Kingdom.
Even after Yggdrasil’s demise, the Guardian Spiders still moved in the bowl-shaped iron mine.
“I woke one up the other day, didn’t I?”
As the final resting place of the giant magical beast, I opened a passageway from the earth’s veins to the mine shafts. Of course, I sealed it after the giant magical beast vanished, but the effects linger.
Clank, clank.
Rubbing iron together, the Guardian Spider noticed me.
Since I wasn’t carrying any weapons, it didn’t attack. It just followed me, watching.
My dungeon emerged from the leather armor and started trying to eat it.
Unprepared to be preyed upon, the Guardian Spider tried to fire its heat ray, but it failed.
Psssh.
“I broke it last time, so it won’t work. Dungeon, don’t just eat things recklessly.”
I searched for iron ore while being watched by the dungeon and the Guardian Spider.
Relying on the light of the magic stone lamp, I explored the tunnels and came upon a cluster of motionless remains of Guardian Spiders.
Stones were piled beside them.
“Are these working Guardian Spiders?”
Looking closely at one of the spiders, I saw that its arms were worn away and missing. It seemed to have used its arms to mine iron ore.
“If the arms are repaired and magic stones are placed inside, might it come back to life?”
When I infused the remains with magic power, I thought I saw its eyes glow faintly.
“Should I take it to the military base? Dungeon, gather the stacked iron ore for me.”
My obedient dungeon absorbed the iron ore into its body.
I hoisted the remains of the Guardian Spider and headed outside. I made multiple trips to carry out all the remains.
I took out the sound-light device and contacted Hel.
“I found a Guardian Spider that was used for labor in the iron mine. Can I bring it to see if it’s repairable?”
A few seconds later,
“Bring it over. The golems want to see it.”
Hel’s words appeared on the ground.
“All right, let’s take it.”
I lifted the swollen dungeon with levitation magic. I flew, carrying just one Work Guardian Spider. The other Guardian Spiders only looked up at us, unable to attack.
I flew to the desert and showed them to the golems. While I was at it, I had the dungeon spit out some iron ore.
“What? You’re already back?”
Hel emerged from the military base and saw me.
“Yeah. There’s a huge pile of it in the old mine shaft. Is this definitely iron ore?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
The golem, whose humanoid precision had greatly improved, answered. Interacting with Saketsu seemed to have helped it remember its own body.
“Is this the Guardian Spider used for work in the tunnels?”
“That’s right.”
Saketsu watched with interest, too.
“If you can fix it, do so. We’ll use it in the iron mine as is.”
“The arms just need to be reattached, so I think it can be fixed. But I can’t guarantee that it’ll move like before.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Understood!”
Saketsu and the golems carried the Guardian Spider back to the military base. He looked like he had slight dark circles under his eyes.
“Saketsu!”
“Yes?”
“Are you resting? Make sure to get some proper rest. Unlike the golems, you’re flesh and blood.”
When I said that, Saketsu smiled.
“Gussenbach-san told me the same thing. When I’m in the military base dungeon, I lose track of time. The demonic land just keeps churning out interesting materials one after another. It’s hard to actually rest.”
I’ve told Saketsu to at least get some sleep and eat. Being freed from the restrictions of the elf kingdom must have set his mind racing. Just watch him a little longer. He’ll hit a wall eventually.”
Hel followed him as a fellow researcher. Maybe that’s just how it is.
“Just make sure you don’t collapse.”
I carried the deflated dungeon and headed further south. I stopped by the ruins where the harpies were.
“How’s it going?”
“We’re getting better at dropping stones.”
The harpies seemed to be drawing circles in the sand all day, practicing.
Harpies swarmed around the ruins, dropping stones.
“Everyone’s bad at taking hits. We might need more healing potions.”
Kahiman showed me an empty healing potion bottle.
He told me about getting caught by house-sized antlions that suddenly appear from the desert.
“Everyone, use magic, too. Spinning lets you deflect attacks.”
I sparred with the harpies, studying the flow of magic. I thought anyone could do it once they got the hang of it, but apparently, their different bone structures make it harder than expected.
“Spinning the rocks makes them hit harder, right? Same thing.”
I pierced a desert salamander with a spinning pebble.
Thud.
A hole went right through it, from the top of its head to the tip of its tail.
I skinned and butchered it. It became the harpies’ dinner.
“Do you have enough water?”
“No, it runs out fast. I have to fetch more at least every other day.”
“I mentioned the sound-light device, but why not try visiting the town of the undead to the west? Interacting with them might make things easier.”
I suggested that, but the reaction wasn’t great.
“I want to get more used to the desert monsters.”
“I’m really feeling how utterly helpless we were.”
“We’re living in a reality where wishing for things won’t change anything. This demonic land forces you to face yourself.”
Life in Cliff Garuda, where they used to envy or resent ordinary birdfolk, is no longer an option.
The harpies must build their lives from scratch.
“Well, take your time. Just know that beyond this desert, others live in the demonic land too. They’ll surely be of help.”
“Understood.”
I left the Harpies with Kahiman and headed back to the cave at the base.
“Oh? Already heading back?”
Katan asked as he wove Arachne’s silk into nets to make jerky.
“Yeah, I took the iron from the mine to the desert military base and transported the Guardian Spider, too. I also sparred with the harpies…”
“Wait, Makyo-san, you’re free!?”
“Ah, I guess so.”
“This is bad!”
Katan suddenly started panicking.
“What’s wrong?”
“They say that when Makyo-san is free, nothing good happens! Do something!”
It seems the old-timers taught Katan some strange things.
“Does anyone need help?”
I asked through the sound-light device, but there was no response.
“Katan, is there anything I can help with?”
“Ah, well, do you know how the trees move in the demonic land?”
Since there are things like treants around.”
“Right. So, you see. Tree relocations are happening around the swamp.”
“Huh?”
I didn’t understand what Katan was talking about, but I followed her to gather chestnuts anyway.
We were northeast of the swamp, near the haze turtles. The treants should have been lined up there, and the imps should have been screaming, but the tall trees were gone.
At the crocodile ranch, the rock crocodile yawned. It didn’t seem like a meteor had fallen or a fire had suddenly started.
“How long has it been like this?”
“A few days, maybe.”
“Since they’re moving, do you know where the trees that were here went?”
“Yeah. Mostly west or north.”
Lipa descended on his broomstick from the sky.
“Huh? Makyo-san, slacking off?”
“Nope. I just finished work and am killing time. Did you know, Lipa? The treants have moved.”
“Ah, maybe it’s because the earth’s veins shifted?”
Now that he mentioned it, the magical power underground did feel slightly weaker than in other lands.
“I see. So the treant is a monster, too?”
“It moves using magic.”
“Wait, could this mean we could actually farm here?”
“It’s autumn, but do you want to give it a shot? The botanical dungeon has quite a few seeds.”
“We’ll end up growing things like sleeping flowers anyway, so let’s mix different plant seeds and try mixed planting.”
My farmer’s blood starts stirring. If we plant alongside poisonous plants, maybe farming is possible.
The soil has been thoroughly turned over because the treant moved everything, roots and all. Razor grass and bendgrass are sprouting, but they haven’t fully grown yet.
I sow seeds from the Botanical Garden Dungeon: pumpkin, radish, and bean seeds.
Later, I planted sleeping flower seeds and desert succulents alongside them.
“This might work. For carnivorous plants like the sleeping flower, it’s perfect—they can hunt the monsters that come for the vegetables, and the vegetables are protected from the monsters by the sleeping flower.”
“I don’t know if it’ll go that smoothly, but it’s given me something to look forward to.”
The thought that the farm I’d originally envisioned might actually come to fruition lifted my spirits.
Meanwhile, the effects of the altered earth veins were gradually becoming apparent.
The moved treant had been attacked by a wild bear, which left claw marks. The attacking bear had gone into the river, where fish ate its leg flesh. This place was truly a demonic land.
Katan and I looked up at the dragon carrying the magic stones as we caught flying chestnuts with spines in our baskets.
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