The day after our unexpected encounter with Nenashi, I logged in after work and heard lively voices coming from the lounge of the floating battleship. Curious, I made my way there and found that everyone except for the four currently in Aquaria Islands and the couple of Hanna and Roja were gathered here.
“What’s going on, everyone? You all seem to be having a good time.”
“Ah, Isam! You’re late!”
Ruby who noticed me started bouncing joyfully on Shio’s lap. It was a peaceful and heartwarming scene.
“Ah, work took a bit longer than expected. So, did something happen?”
“That’s right! Check this out!”
“Is this… a sword?”
At Ruby’s urging, I looked at the table around which everyone was gathered. There lay two swords. One was a single-edged straight sword and the other was a double-edged dagger.
The base of the ivory-colored blade featured dragon engravings, and the guard was decorated with intricate carvings resembling arabesque patterns, edged in gold. The handle was wrapped in leather for grip and it was clear that this weapon was meant to be used in actual combat rather than as a decoration to hang on the wall.
However, it was odd that a claw that was typically used to secure gems in rings was attached to the pommel. It might have been intended as decoration, but if so, the claw alone made it look rather awkward. It wouldn’t be shown if it were unfinished… Hmm, could there be some sort of gimmick involved?
“Is this… created by Iris?”
“Exactly. It’s a piece for submission at this weekend’s event.”
“Hoo… Would it be alright if I used [Appraisal]?”
“Of course!”
Iris was the only one among us capable of crafting such elaborate weapon. That’s precisely why the peculiar aspect caught my attention.
After all, this was a piece by a skilled craftsman and it was intended for submission to an event. Her voice was overflowing with confidence which likely meant that the work turned out to be successful. There must surely be a value to the claw. So, let’s proceed with the [Appraisal]!
――――――――――
Colorless Dragon Fang Sword – Quality: Superior, Rarity: T (Treasure)
A sword forged from the tooth of a dragon that has lost its element.
It’s lightweight yet capable of easily slicing through ordinary metals.
When a magic stone is set into the claw on the pommel, it can imbue the blade with the stone’s element.
Equipment Effects: [Slash Attack Enhancement] Lv5 [Durability Increase] Lv5 [Element Assignment]
――――――――――
This was the result of my [Appraisal]. The [Slash Attack Enhancement] increased the sword’s power, while [Durability Increase] compensated for the fragility typically associated with non-metallic materials. The simple addition of these effects seemed to make it an exceptional sword even by standard measures.
However, the most unique feature of the sword appeared to be the claw on the pommel. By embedding a magic stone in this part, the sword could be used as a weapon with various elements.
“At first, I was experimenting with creating a weapon that could hold more than three types of elements. But it was technically impossible… so I thought, why not make a weapon where the elements could be added later?”
“The idea of using magic stones with elements came from magic tools. This shiitake here can testify to that!”
“Ah, magical tools, I see…”
I couldn’t quite grasp why Shiitake appeared more proud than Iris, but the idea of incorporating a magical tool system into a weapon was interesting. I had always thought of magical tools as convenient gadgets, unaware that they could be adapted into powerful weapons. As simple as it was, breaking free from conventional thinking to come up with this idea was really brilliant.
Still, I think it will be difficult to win the grand prize at the event. Its performance and appearance are great, but players who specialize in blacksmithing would likely submit works of equal or greater quality. Nevertheless, it would surely secure a place in the competition.
“As expected of Iris. I may not know much about swords, but the results of the [Appraisal] make it clear that this is a work worthy of being called a masterpiece.”
“Thank you very much!”
Iris seemed to be happy with my praise as her tentacles wriggled happily. She was enveloped in the sense of accomplishment that came from bringing her envisioned creation to life.
“By the way, changing the subject, when do you think Nenashi-san and his friend will be able to join us?”
Eiji mentioned this as if it had just occurred to him. Although the capabilities of his friend were unknown, Nenashi was strong enough to hold his own against multiple monsters of the same caliber. With a slight increase in level, they would be capable of breaking through the current “Black Death Ice Forest”.
However, the real challenge lay in whether they could enter the “Dragon’s Sanctuary”. we defeated a foreign enemy wielding an ancient weapon as an alternative to the trial, but awaiting them was the guardian, the Ancient Light Dragon Lord Langhort. Maintaining the barrier and testing visitors to see if they were worthy of entry was her role as the guardian.
Even if all of us combined our strengths, defeating her would be out of the question. It would likely be impossible even for a gathering of top players. Therefore, we presumed that the trial they needed to overcome was not about defeating Langhort.
Yet, this left us entirely unsure of what the two of them would be tasked with. Unable to offer advice or support, we had no choice but to hope they would manage on their own.
“Who knows? They have their own circumstances, and it won’t be a matter of a day or two. We still need more time to complete the ship ourselves, so we might as well wait patiently.”
“Ah, about the ship, it looks like it will be finished by next week in real-time at the current pace, right, Towa-san?”
“Yes, Lady Iris.”
Iris asked for confirmation, to which Towa who was formerly known as No. Eighteen nodded affirmatively while bowing slightly. It seemed that Towa had been repaired using the equipment available at this drydock which helped resolve issues like her field of vision. Now, she served as Iris’s assistant and guard and helped with the repairs.
Leaving that aside, the completion of the ship was expected next week. There were countless places I’d like to visit once it was finished. The luxury of having too many options to choose from was indeed a delightful dilemma.
“A flying ship… Where would everyone like to go?”
Moth-san asked everyone casually. Then, each of them began to express their wishes.
“Me, me! I want to visit the currently famous Flama Volcanic Island! You too, right Iris?”
“That’s right. It seems like a place where we could find many unknown items!”
“I’ve heard that it’s the heartland of metal weapons….I’d like to visit as well.”
Ruby, Iris, and Eiji seemed keen on visiting the Flama Volcanic Island. It was also the most talked about place on the bulletin board right now. According to the information available, it was inhabited by many mountain dwarves renowned for their world-class metalworking skills.
Magic-powered steam engines were used throughout the city, seemingly providing nearly all of its power. It was, in essence, a world of steampunk. The billowing white smoke rising throughout the city and the gears moving inside rugged metal frames were enough to excite anyone, even just from the images posted on the bulletin board.
“For me, I want to go to the land of the Sky Giants (Titus) that I heard about from Ruby~~ssu! Everything being super-sized sounds like it would be fun~~ssu!”
“I want to~ go there~too~!”
Shio and Wool expressed their desire to see the land of the Titus people which I and Jigoro had encountered. Shio had previously said that she was interested in them because they had something in common: they were both races that lived in the sky. Wool likely wanted to see the giant sheep that they rode.
“As for me… I’m good with anywhere I haven’t been to yet. I don’t have any particular preferences.”
“Same here, I guess?”
“As long as I can get my hands on new materials, I’m down for anywhere~~.”
Usaji, Shishu, and Shiitake seemed indifferent to the destination. Two had no specific preferences, and one was interested as long as there were unknown items to be found.
Honestly, I was in the same boat. I didn’t have a place I immediately wanted to visit. While all the places mentioned by everyone sounded good, I wasn’t in a hurry to visit any of them.
“I’m open to anywhere as well… but what about you, Moth-san? Where do you want to go.’
I turned my attention to Moth-san, who was the one who started this conversation. Then he grinned and manipulated his inventory to pull out an old piece of paper. Although it was incomplete, there was a drawing of what appeared to be several continents.
“This is… a map?”
“Yes, precisely. It’s quite worn, but this is a map of the world from a long time ago.”
Everyone except Moth-san gasped in astonishment. When we arrived at the Vetus Floating Island, the world map feature had been unlocked for players. From then on, if you purchase maps owned by NPCs or obtain geographic information from books, it will be added to your data.
However, this only applied to accurate information. Vague treasure maps did not trigger any updates. This was a logical design to prevent treasure hunts from being too easy.
Thus, the fact that our data was now updated indicated that this map was authentic. Moth-san, where did you find such a thing?
“Where did you steal it from?”
“Steal is such an awful word. I found this in an ‘Ancient Travel Tower’.”
“Eeeh?! I searched a lot too, but I never found anything like that!”
In the “Ancient Travel Tower” we had been gathering items that seemed useful to us. Had we found a map, we surely would have taken it with us. And how could he have discovered something that not even Ruby, the most discerning among us, could find?
“I think it’s only natural that you couldn’t find it. The discovery was entirely accidental on my part.”
“Where did you find it?”
“It was inside a desk drawer that wouldn’t open fully. It seems the map was jammed inside.”
“To think it was in such a place…”
Upon hearing it was in such a peculiar and somewhat obscure location, Ruby seemed to deflate. The oversight, especially for someone in the scout role, was evidently a blow to her pride.
Shio attempted to console her by stroking her back gently, but the disheartened Ruby didn’t seem to recover easily. She was just trembling on Shio’s lap.
“Regardless, please take a look at the map. The continent depicted at the center is Luxresia. To the north-northwest is the Vetus Floating Island where we are now; to the east are the Aquaria Islands where Jigoro and the others currently are; to the northeast is the recently mentioned Flama Volcanic Island; and to the south is the Terrastor continent which is known only by name on the bulletin board.”
I was already familiar with the Terrastor continent because of the information I got from the city library that was being spread around. It appears to be a continent mainly inhabited by Elves and Beastmen. These races seem to cherish the unspoiled natural world, with no inclination towards establishing civilized cities.
The Elves and Beastmen found in human cities are mostly descendants of those who, driven by a desire for excitement, ventured out from the monotonous Terrastor continent, much like young people leaving their rural homes in search of adventure.
For players fond of Elves and Beastmen, the continent must seem like a paradise. I vividly recall the flurry of activity on online forums dedicated to these races, which sprang up shortly after the information became widespread. People go berserk when they think they might be able to get their hands on something they like.
“The precise relationships between the continents are like this… Oh?”
Moth-san was pointing out the various continents and explaining their locations with his claw. However, I then noticed something. Though it was farther away, there was another continent to the southwest of the Luxresia continent.
“It seems you’ve noticed. There appears to be a land here that hasn’t even been mentioned on the bulletin board yet.”
“A continent that there’s no information about~~… Its name is the ‘Timbrica Continent’ huh~~?”
The name of this mysterious continent was the only detail etched onto the world map. While I don’t scour every corner of the bulletin board, I can’t recall ever coming across this name.
“Setting aside ancient times, even the modern NPCs… the inhabitants of this world are unaware of this continent. Don’t you want to go there?”
Moth-san’s proposal, brimming with the allure of a devil’s temptation, felt as if it was a temptation straight from the devil himself.
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