Chapter 194
The day after our unexpected encounter with Nenashi and the others, I logged in after work and heard lively voices coming from the lounge of the floating battleship. Curious, I headed over and found everyone gathered there except the four currently in the Aquaria Archipelago and the married duo, Kanna and Raga.
"What's going on, everyone? You all seem to be having fun."
"Oh, it's Izam! You're late!"
Ruby noticed my arrival and began bouncing up and down on Shio's lap. It was a very peaceful and heartwarming sight.
"Yeah, work ran a little late. So, did something happen?"
"Right! Look at this!"
"This is... a sword."
Prompted by Ruby, I looked at the table everyone had gathered around. Two swords lay on it. One was a single-edged straight sword, while the other was a double-edged dagger.
At the base of the ivory-colored blade was an image of a dragon, while the gold-rimmed guard was covered in intricate, arabesque-like engravings. Leather had been wrapped around the grip for a better hold, making it clear that this sword was meant for actual combat, not merely to hang on a wall as decoration.
The only strange thing was that the pommel had nothing but prongs for securing a gemstone, like those on a ring. Perhaps it was decorative, but even so, having only the prongs there looked awkward. They would not show off an unfinished product, so... Hmm, I wonder if it has some kind of gimmick.
"Was this made by Iris?"
"That's right. It's a piece I'm submitting to this weekend's event."
"Oh... May I use 【Appraisal】 on it?"
"Of course!"
Iris was the only one among us capable of making equipment this elaborate. That was precisely why the odd part caught my attention.
Still, a work being submitted to an event by such a skilled artisan... Confidence practically radiated from her voice, so it must have turned out exceptionally well. Then there had to be a reason for those prongs too. In that case, 【Appraisal】!
――――――――――
Colorless Dragonfang Sword Quality: Superior Rarity: T (Treasure-class)
A sword made from the fang of a dragon that has lost its attribute.
Even though it is light, it can easily slice through mediocre metal.
By setting a magic stone into the claw on the pommel, the stone's attribute can be added to the blade.
Equipment Effects: 【Slashing Enhancement】 Lv5
【Durability Increase】 Lv5
【Attribute Infusion】
――――――――――
That was the result of my 【Appraisal】. 【Slashing Enhancement】 increased the sword's power, while 【Durability Increase】 compensated for the fragility of its nonmetal material. With such simple added effects, it seemed to be an excellent sword even in its ordinary form.
However, the sword's greatest feature was apparently the claw on its pommel. By inserting a magic stone there, it could be used as a weapon with a variety of attributes.
"At first, I experimented with making a weapon that had three or more attributes. But it was technically impossible... So I thought I might as well make it possible to add attributes afterward, and that's what I did."
"The idea of using attribute-infused magic stones came from magic devices, ya know. Shiitake here can testify to that!"
"I see... Magic devices."
It was a mystery why Shiitake looked even prouder than Iris, but the idea of applying a magic device's system to a weapon was interesting. I had strongly associated magic devices with convenient gadgets, so I had not realized they could also be applied to powerful weapons. It was a simple idea, but breaking through preconceived notions was wonderful.
Even so, I doubted it would be easy for her to take the event's top prize. The sword's performance and appearance were both excellent, but a player specializing in blacksmithing would probably submit something just as good or better. Even so, there was no doubt it would win a prize.
"As expected of Iris. I don't know much about swords, but judging from the results of 【Appraisal】, I can say with certainty that this is a work worthy of being called a masterwork blade."
"Thank you very much!"
Iris happily wriggled her tentacles. She was basking in the sense of achievement that came from turning something she wanted to make into reality.
"By the way, changing the subject, when do you think Nenashi-san and the others will be able to join us?"
Eiji asked as though he had just remembered. I did not know how strong the other one was, but Nenashi was powerful enough to hold their own against multiple monsters of equal rank. With a little more leveling, they should be able to break through the current 'Black Death Ice Forest.'
The problem was whether they would be able to enter the 'Dragon's Sacred Land.' Instead of taking the trial, we had defeated the outsider controlling ancient weapons, but waiting for them was Langholt-sama, the Ancient Light Dragon Lord. Her role as guardian was to maintain the barrier and test whether visitors were qualified to enter.
Even if all of us joined forces right now, defeating her would be impossible. In fact, it would probably be impossible even if the top players gathered together. So I assumed that the trial they had to overcome would not be victory over Langholt-sama.
However, if that was the case, I had no idea what sort of trial the two of them would be subjected to. We could offer neither advice nor support, so they would have to do their best on their own.
"Who knows? They have their own circumstances, and it probably won't happen in a day or two. We still need plenty of time to finish the ship, so let's wait patiently."
"Oh, about the ship, at this pace it looks like it'll be finished by next week in real time. Right, Towa-san?"
"Yes, Iris-sama."
No. 18—now Towa—confirmed Iris's question with a small bow. Towa had apparently been repaired using the facilities at this shipyard, and the problems with Towa's vision and the like had been resolved. Towa now served as Iris's assistant and bodyguard, having been repaired by Iris.
Returning to the matter at hand, the ship would be finished next week? Once it was complete, there were countless places I wanted to visit. What an extravagant problem it was to have too many choices and be unable to decide.
"The flying ship... Where would everyone like to go?"
Moss-san casually asked everyone. They began calling out their respective wishes one after another.
"Me first! I want to visit the Flarma Volcanic Island everyone's talking about! Iris wants to go too, right?"
"That's right. There should be lots of items I've never seen before!"
"I've heard it's the foremost place for metal weapons, so I'd like to go too."
Ruby, Iris, and Eiji all seemed to want to visit the Flarma Volcanic Island. It was currently the hottest place on the forums. According to what I had heard, it was home to many Dwarves and was reputed to be the world's finest region for metalworking.
Magic-device steam engines were used here and there, apparently supplying nearly all the city's power. It was what one might call a steampunk world. Even the images posted on the forums had been exciting, with white smoke billowing up throughout the city and gears turning inside rugged metal frames.
"I wanna go to the land of the Titans Ruby told me about! Everything there is gigantic, so it has to be a blast!"
"Me too! I wanna go there!"
Shio and Wool seemed eager to see the land of the Titans that Jigoro and I had encountered. Shio had said before that the Titans interested Shio because they both belonged to Races that lived in the sky. Wool probably wanted to see for themselves an actual being that stood at the pinnacle of Sheep-type monsters.
"I'm fine with anywhere I haven't been yet. I don't have any particular preference."
"I guess the same goes for me."
"Anywhere's fine if I can get some new materials, ya know."
Toji, Shifune, and Shiitake seemed fine with going anywhere. Two had no particular preference, while the third was fine with any destination as long as it had unfamiliar items.
Honestly, I was in the same camp. There was nowhere in particular that I wanted to visit right away. Every place everyone had suggested was appealing, but if you asked whether I was eager to go there immediately, the answer would be no.
"I don't mind anywhere either... What about you, Moss-san?"
I turned the question toward Moss-san, who had started the conversation. Moss-san gave a sly grin, operated the inventory, and took out a single old sheet of paper. Several shapes that appeared to be continents were drawn on it, though the map was incomplete.
"This is... a map?"
"Yes, that's right. It's faded in places, but this is a world map from long ago."
Everyone except Moss-san, myself included, drew a sharp breath. When we reached Vetus Floating Island, the World Map feature had been unlocked for players. Since then, whenever we purchased maps from NPCs or obtained geographical information from books, it was added to our own data.
However, that only happened when the information was accurate; vague treasure maps did not trigger it. That was only natural, since it would be rather dull if looking at the map alone solved treasure hunts.
Therefore, the fact that our data had updated proved that this map was genuine. Moss-san, where did you get something like this?
"Where did you steal it from?"
"Calling it stolen is a nasty way to put it. I picked it up inside the 'Ancient Moving Tower.'"
"Huh!? I searched all over too, but I didn't find it!"
At the 'Ancient Moving Tower,' we had recovered anything that seemed useful to us. If we had found a map, we absolutely would have brought it back. Besides, how had Moss-san managed to find something that even Ruby, the most observant among us, had missed?
"I think it's understandable that you didn't find it. I discovered it completely by accident."
"Where was it?"
"Inside a desk whose drawer only opened halfway. Apparently, the map had gotten stuck in it."
"I-it was in a place like that...?"
When Ruby heard that it had been in a place that was somehow both obvious and easy to miss, she went all limp. She seemed to have been shocked that she had overlooked it despite being a scout-class player.
Shio patted her comfortingly, but the dejected Ruby did not seem able to recover right away. All she could do was tremble on Shio's lap.
"Anyway, look at the map. The continent drawn in the center is the Luxresia Continent. The one to the north-northwest is Vetus Floating Island, where we are, while the one to the east is the Aquaria Archipelago, where Jigoro-san and the others are now. The one to the northeast is the Flarma Volcanic Island we were just discussing, and the one to the south is the Terastoll Continent, whose name has at least been identified on the forums."
I knew about the Terastoll Continent too, since information obtained from the town library had spread. Apparently, it was a continent with large populations of Elves and Beastmen. Those Races seemed to love nature as it was, so apparently there were no civilized cities there.
Most Elves and Beastmen living in Human cities were apparently descendants of those who had left the boring Terastoll Continent in search of stimulation. They were like young people fleeing the countryside.
It must be a paradise for players who liked Elves and Beastmen. It was still fresh in my memory how forums for fans of each Race had sprung up one after another as soon as this information spread. I remember thinking that people really did go wild once they thought they might be able to reach the things they liked.
"So that's the exact positional relationship... Oh?"
Moss-san pointed out each continent with his wing claws. But then we noticed something. Although it was farther away than the others, there was a continent southwest of the Luxresia Continent.
"You noticed, then. Apparently, there's a land here that hasn't even appeared on the forums yet."
"A continent no information has circulated about, huh~! Its name is... the Timbrica Continent, I see."
Even my World Map had only the name of that mysterious continent inscribed on it. I did not check the forums in every last corner, but I could not remember ever seeing that name before.
"Ancient or not, a continent unknown even to modern NPCs—the inhabitants of this world. Wouldn't you like to go there?"
Moss-san's proposal, made by someone seeking to become a demon, was brimming with exactly the allure of a demonic temptation.