Ancient Legacy and Invitation

We board the elevator with Almardelux-sama, Maria-sama, and Matis-dono, then descend toward the lowest level of the building—the opposite direction from before. Could there be something Almardelux-sama wants to give me down there?

"As you all know, there are two civilizations that humans call ancient civilizations. This here is a relic of the First Civilization, and several things remain that nobody can obtain nowadays, no matter what they do."

"The First Civilization?"

They moved on as though I should obviously have known about it, but of course, this was my first time hearing of it. For that matter, there are two ancient civilizations? I would very much like to hear the details.

"What? You don't know!? And you made it this far? Well, I'll be damned!"

"Could you investigate the rest yourself? Researching and unraveling mysteries is part of the fun of this world, you know?"

"...Understood."

I had been thinking of asking the Dragon God for more details, but Maria-sama beat me to it. I suppose I would learn the truth by playing at being an archaeologist. As luck would have it, I possessed the 【Archaeology】 Skill, so investigating it might be worthwhile.

"Well, it ain't a problem if you don't know. Anyway, the relic of the civilization I want to give you is down this way... Oh, we're here."

While I was pondering the unknown history of this world, we reached our destination: the lowest level. The elevator doors opened onto an unlit area, but I could see inside thanks to my 【Darkvision】 Skill.

This appeared to be a factory. Perhaps remnants from that era, heavy machinery of all sizes sat abandoned beneath a layer of dust. A large crane was also suspended from a beam-like apparatus near the ceiling, so I surmised that they had manufactured some kind of machinery here.

Curious, I checked the map. The name of this place was written as 'Dragon's Sacred Land: Ancient Dockyard.' Dockyard was not a word I was very familiar with, but if my knowledge was correct, it suggested that something wonderful might emerge from here.

"Matis."

"As you command."

Understanding Almardelux-sama's intent, Matis-dono pressed a switch on the wall, and all the factory lights came on at once. The far reaches of the factory, which had been invisible even with 【Darkvision】, suddenly came clearly into view.

And then we saw it: a battleship more than two hundred meters long, connected to countless machines.

"A floating battleship... More specifically, it's a weapon of the First Civilization that was abandoned just before completion."

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According to Almardelux-sama and Maria-sama, floating battleships had served as the main weapons of one faction of the First Civilization. They said that, in addition to large weapons like cannons and machine guns, these ships carried weapons piloted by individuals, such as the powered armor McFarlane had operated.

I know little about weapons, but would it be fair to call it an aircraft carrier with considerable firepower all by itself? It must have blasted away with its cannons while keeping powered armor aboard as both escorts and air support. Wow, it sounded like something from an entirely different game.

Incidentally, this battleship's power source had not yet been activated. Some parts were missing, and no weapons had been installed. That was apparently what "almost complete" meant. The inside of the ship was pitch-black, it could not move in its current state, and its offensive capabilities were practically nonexistent.

There were no weapons to speak of in the dockyard, either. If we wanted it armed, we were apparently expected to make them ourselves. So we could not steamroll everyone with a bundle of overtechnology. Even if that had been possible, I probably would not have done it, since it would have caused the other players an absurd amount of trouble.

"What do you think? The inside's pretty clean, too, right?"

Almardelux-sama gave me a tour of the inside of that ancient superweapon. I had initially tried to refuse, thinking it would cause no end of trouble if the other players found out, but he had pressed me by saying, 'If you won't take it, I won't be able to forgive myself!' Overwhelmed by his momentum, I gratefully accepted it.

The reason I was walking through the ship alone with him was so that I could be registered as its owner. Apparently, the ship's control system recorded the target's mana. Once that was done, he said, I would be able to manage everything concerning the battleship. That was why we were currently heading for its central section.

"Yes. However, I was surprised by the height and width of the public corridors. I had heard that Humans built it, so I assumed the corridors would be human-sized as well."

"It's a remnant of how the Humans of that era enslaved humanoid monsters and forced them to work. They made Androids do the odd jobs, too, but monsters were cheaper to use up and discard, so they were more convenient. Once one died, they could just turn it into materials."

The two of us were currently walking through a corridor leading to the central section. It appeared to have stringent security, with a thick door that could not be opened without using three card keys. This corridor was narrow and less than two meters high, making it feel extremely cramped. Compared to it, the ordinary corridors had been wide and tall enough for Eiji and Kal to walk through, which had puzzled me. The reason turned out to be utterly deplorable.

Apparently, the Old Humans had subjected monsters to treatment even harsher than the mining slavery that had existed in the distant past of the real world. No wonder McFarlane called them 'mere monsters' and said they were 'nothing more than resources.' I was truly glad this era was not the setting of the game.

"Still, that Iifa really did a number on me. The only goddess with the nerve to turn the culprit who stole my Dragon Orb straight into a disposable pawn is that wicked goddess. ...That bitch definitely knew what was going on and kept quiet, didn't she?"

"That... does sound entirely possible."

Along the way, Almardelux-sama asked about our adventures so far and how we had obtained the Dragon Orb. I told him the facts without exaggerating as much as possible, but his face still twisted in displeasure when he heard the circumstances under which the Dragon Orb had dropped.

Apparently, not only the 'Trial of Azure Moon' but every quest that awards an item with a quality of 'God' and a rarity of 'G (God-tier)' has a god involved to some degree. In other words, there had to be a god who had recruited that idiot noble as the boss of the 'Trial of Azure Moon.'

Every goddess knew that the Dragons were rampaging because the Dragon Orb had been stolen. Of all the goddesses who knew that and still hid the idiot noble with the Dragon Orb as a pawn, Iifa-sama was the only one Almardelux-sama could think of.

Although I had received 【Iifa's Blessing】, I could not refute Almardelux-sama's argument, so I merely smiled wryly. We had not exchanged many words, but I had long suspected that she had a somewhat hedonistic personality. It would not be surprising if she had caused all this simply because 'it looked fun.'

I could not help wondering whether that was really all right for a management AI. But the gods of Greek mythology and Japanese mythology were plenty eccentric, too. As long as they did not neglect managing the system, perhaps players had no reason to complain.

"I'll let it slide since she's a goddess Maria regards as an older sister, but the next time I see her, I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind."

Iifa-sama and Maria-sama were close, apparently having a relationship like sisters. That was probably why Almardelux-sama was reluctant to treat the goddess who was like his wife's older sister harshly. His speech was rough, but he did not seem crude. If anything, he was simply a devoted husband.

"As someone who received her blessing, I feel apologetic."

"You have nothing to apologize for. ...All right, here we are."

At the very end of the narrow corridor stood a door that could be unlocked with the same card keys as before. However, it was already open.

"This is..."

"The heart of the ship I mentioned earlier—the core of a floating battleship powered by a gigantic magic stone."

In the central room sat a device with a colorless, transparent magic stone built into it, one that appeared to be five meters in diameter. An uncountable number of cables extended from it toward the ceiling and floor. Mana must flow throughout the entire ship along those cables. This was literally the heart of the ship.

Although cables spread throughout the room, a path had been kept clear from the entrance to the device. Almardelux-sama proceeded along it without hesitation, so I followed him. We soon arrived beneath the device.

"It's simple. Just place your hand here, then send in your mana. Give it a try."

As instructed, I placed my bony hand on the part that resembled a touch panel and poured in my mana. The moment I did, the device began moving on its own! The magic stone's glow intensified, and I heard something moving with a deep, rumbling sound. W-Was this really okay? It hadn't broken, had it!?

'The owner's unique mana has been registered. Good morning, Master.'

As I wondered whether I should stop sending mana, a mechanical voice came over the ship's announcement system. S-So that was all I had to do, right?

"That's it. This battleship belongs to you now."

Apparently, it really was over. I was relieved that everything had gone smoothly, but there was something I needed to ask first.

"That's all well and good, but... what was that voice just now?"

"Obviously, it was the voice of the ship... Ah, right. You hardly know anything about the First Civilization, do you...?"

Almardelux-sama put on a troubled expression, placed a hand against his forehead, and began thinking. As Maria-sama had said, it was probably not information he could casually explain from their standpoint.

"To put it simply, some of the weapons from that era had souls dwelling in them."

"Souls?"

A soul meant AI, of course. The ancient civilization behind those weapons must have been remarkably advanced. Its technology was on a level not far removed from that of the modern day.

But it felt a little complicated for an NPC like Almardelux-sama to be talking about AI. Had they perhaps even had video game consoles back then? If there had been games within the game, that would be fascinating. It might be worth looking into.

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After Almardelux-sama gave me a card key, I became the ship's owner in name and in fact. After that, I left the ship with him and returned to the others. They had apparently been getting quite excited over various things themselves.

"Did Jigoro... get a little shorter?"

"Oh? He became a Doji? Now that's a man with some real backbone."

Apparently, Jigoro had finally reached level 60 during the McFarlane battle and evolved. At a glance, the only changes seemed to be that his hair and the tattoos covering his body were sparkling. But on closer inspection, he seemed to have become just a little more streamlined. It was like he had changed from a bodybuilder into a boxer... No, is that comparison too hard to understand?

Seeing Jigoro, Almardelux-sama seemed to be enjoying himself. A Doji is a Japanese ogre who appears in works such as the Otogi-zoshi. He had gone from Akki to Jaakuki, and now to Doji. My partner, who called me brother, was steadily advancing down the path of villainy. Excellent! Keep it up!

"Brother! You're back!"

"Yeah. You evolved, didn't you?"

"That's right! They call me Konjiki Doji. I also gained the 'Unique Monster' Title, just like you!"

Oh! You too! It's a Title worth having. Of course, as the number of players increased, others would eventually become the same Race, and it came with a time limit. Even so, it was still something to celebrate!

"But Mott-san and the others have something even more interesting going on than me simply evolving."

"Oh? What happened? May I ask?"

I prompted Mott-san. What could possibly have happened that was more interesting than Jigoro's evolution?

"Yes. Before we knew it, a strange item had appeared in our inventories."

"A strange item? And 'our'?"

"Yes. The three of us—me, Shifune-san, and Wool-kun. Here's the actual item."

Saying that, Mott-san held out a letter. It had apparently been placed inside a completely black envelope, complete with a wax seal. The top of the envelope had been cut open, no doubt with one of Mott-san's wing claws.

When I looked at the letter, I saw vivid red writing on parchment as black as the envelope. It was a grotesque letter with terrible taste. The fact that it had only been sent to Mott-san and the others was also curious. I decided to read it first.

"Let's see... 'We, the children of darkness, bless you. Burn this letter, and the way shall open'... What is this?"

This was what the letter said. Were we supposed to burn it? I could not make heads or tails of anything else.

"When I used 【Appraisal】 on it, it was identified as 'Invitation to the Demon World.'"

"The Demon World...?"

"Oh-ho! I've seen something rare! Rejoice, you lot. Seems you've caught the eye of a big shot in the Demon World!"

With a knowing look, Almardelux-sama said this and laughed.