Chapter 257
Riding Kal, we returned to Conrad's estate, where the four of us gathered in one of the rooms and began discussing matters. I would have liked to include Akane, but she had said, "I want to play with Kal," and was presumably frolicking with him in the garden.
"Well, we have several things to discuss, but why don't we start with an exchange meeting for the rewards?"
Conrad took charge of the meeting. He was clearly excited at the prospect of examining all sorts of information and items that would probably make him money. He was a merchant through and through.
As Conrad suggested, we placed the items we had received as rewards on the table. They had one thing in common.
"Fragments of the Golem's core and Divine Iron ingots. It looks like everyone received the same number of each."
The guaranteed items from the special rewards were a large quantity of Golem core fragments and Divine Iron ingots. The fragments alone seemed enough to make several large Golem cores. The appraisal result for the other item, the Divine Iron ingot, was as follows.
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Divine Iron Ingot Quality: Divine Rarity: L (Legendary)
An ingot of divine-forged metal that can only be made by Pisha, the 'Goddess of Production and Technology.'
Only a goddess can manufacture the ingot itself, but a skilled craftsman can process it.
It is the easiest of the divine-forged metals to process and can be used as a material for all kinds of weapons, armor, and accessories.
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It would be fair to call it an all-purpose metal material. If I gave it to Iris, I might be able to make a major upgrade to my equipment. I could hardly wait to get home!
Putting that aside, the real issue was what we had received in addition to those two kinds of items. Each of us had one weapon or item that appeared to be drop-exclusive.
It was impossible to believe that everyone had simply gotten lucky. We should assume that the Divine Iron Armored Golem dropped something exclusive. Since it was impossible to harvest anything from its body, that seemed only fair to me.
However, there was a problem. When we checked the dropped items, every one of our items was different. Worse, there were items obtained by the others that I wanted.
"Then I'll start by showing mine."
Saying that, I took out a sword. The appraisal result was as follows.
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Divine Iron Longsword Quality: Excellent Rarity: G (Divine)
A Divine Iron sword made by Pisha, the 'Goddess of Production and Technology.'
A versatile weapon that can be wielded one-handed or two-handed, but it is ultimately one of many mass-produced blades.
It has no decorations whatsoever, but a skilled craftsman should be able to imbue it with effects.
Equipment Effect: 【Super Strength Enhancement】 Lv3
【Super Dexterity Enhancement】 Lv3
【Defense Penetration】 Lv1
【Unbreakable】
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My drop item was that longsword. Its design was simple, but I personally liked rugged weapons overflowing with this kind of functional beauty. Its equipment effects also seemed excellent... but it was described as one of many, meaning a mass-produced item.
That was probably why its quality was listed as 'Excellent.' In other words, players should be able to create items of the same quality. Perhaps surpassing its performance would mean drawing close to the realm of the 'Goddess of Production and Technology.'
"I'm next, huh? Here."
Jigoro next took out a greatsword similar to the longsword I had shown. It was undoubtedly the sword formed when the two longswords fused together. Its name was simply 'Divine Iron Greatsword,' and it seemed to have high attack power in exchange for being heavy and difficult to use.
Its quality and rarity were the same as those of the longsword above. And, as expected, it was also described as a mass-produced blade, one of many. It was truly worthy of a goddess.
"Then I shall go next."
Sebastian's drop item was a fist-sized, crystal-ball-like object. It was colorless and transparent, but an inorganic light resembling that of a fluorescent lamp leaked from its center.
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Divine Golem Core Quality: Divine Rarity: G (Divine)
The core, or heart, of a Golem. This particular kind is a special one used by goddesses.
It can only be manufactured by a goddess and contains incredibly powerful energy.
When used in a suitable Golem body, it can create a Golem capable of defending a city.
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I want it! I want it so badly! The 'Hidden City of the Mist-Weeping Princess,' which we were currently using as our base, was enormous, and there was talk of rebuilding it. A city-defense Golem would surely be useful then. I would have to negotiate with Sebastian—and with his master, Conrad.
"Am I last? Here you are."
Usuba said that as he showed us a suit of Divine Iron armor and a shield. The reason he had two items was not that he had been unbelievably lucky; one of them belonged to Akane.
She had dumped the negotiations on Usuba so she could play with Kal. Yeah, she was certainly carefree. Usuba-kun, aren't you getting pushed around? No, I wanted to believe it was simply because she trusted Usuba.
His armor was called 'Divine Iron Armor' and, like the longsword and greatsword, was mass-produced. It was best to think of it as a piece of armor with high performance. As for the other item, the shield, it was another prize like the core.
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Trinity Divine Iron Shield Quality: Divine Rarity: G (Divine)
A Divine Iron shield made by Pisha, the 'Goddess of Production and Technology.'
It is made from three fused shields and can create shields that float through the air by means of magic power.
It has almost no decoration, but a skilled craftsman should be able to imbue it with effects.
Equipment Effect: 【Super Defense Enhancement】 Lv5
【Super Mental Enhancement】 Lv5
【Attribute Resistance】 Lv3
【Twin Shield Summoning】
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It appeared to be the same kite shield the Divine Iron Armored Golem had used after it fused. If Sebastian used it, his already impressive defense would be supplemented by additional protection from attacks behind him.
I did not know the strength and size of the shields it could create, or what they would actually feel like to use. Still, any shield user would surely want equipment like this.
"Well, well, they ended up with the other people, didn't they? The things we wanted, I mean."
We all nodded emphatically. I wanted Sebastian's core, Sebastian wanted Usuba's armor and shield, and Usuba was interested in the longsword and greatsword belonging to Jigoro and me.
So we decided on a round-robin exchange. In other words, my longsword and Jigoro's greatsword would go to Usuba, Usuba's armor and shield would go to Sebastian, and Sebastian's core would come to us.
"But doesn't this mean we're benefiting a little too much? That wouldn't be right."
After we finished exchanging the items, Conrad said that. According to him, only we were benefiting from this exchange meeting.
The two items belonging to Jigoro and me had become a single item, even if it was one tier higher. Usuba and Akane had the same number of items as before, but one of them was a tier lower in quality. He said that could hardly be called a fair trade.
"I'm satisfied with it, but... what about you, Jigoro?"
"I ain't interested in swords or armor. I got no trouble with weapons, and if the core's gonna help my brothers, that's good enough for me."
"Heh heh heh. They are powerful armor and a powerful shield, but no one in my 'Persona' uses heavy equipment."
The three of us all said that we were fine with the arrangement, but Conrad shook his head. It would not sit right with him, he said.
"If you were business rivals, that'd be one thing, but we're talking about people I've become friends with, aren't we? Even if you tell me you're satisfied, I still want to give you a little something extra. It's a merchant's nature."
"Even so... How about you give us a discount the next time we make a major transaction?"
I had nothing I wanted immediately, so I thought it would be better to receive a discount when the day came that we used his trading company. I did not know whether that day would be far in the future or only a few months or days away.
"Heh heh heh. Then I'll take the same arrangement as Izamu."
"That's really enough? The three of you are so selfless. Very well, let's do that! Now, about the next matter... We have to talk about that Dragon and 'Gluttony,' don't we?"
Conrad began the next subject while looking down at the garden through the window. Kal, Akane, and the maid Asuka were playing there as two people and one Dragon. I was glad that Kal was having fun, but I had wanted to keep him a secret, so I had mixed feelings.
However, choosing not to talk about it was not an option. Conrad had accepted Kal's sudden appearance without question and let him into the garden. Since we were indebted to him, I had to do the right thing.
"Kal is a Dragon born from an egg I received as a quest reward. It wasn't identified as a Dragon egg from the beginning, so I don't know how this happened either."
"A quest that gives you a special egg, huh? Thanks. That's information I can sell to the tamers."
Conrad seemed delighted to have heard some useful information. I had told him the truth because I had asked him to control the flow of information.
Many players had seen me together with Sebastian, and they would surely trace him back to Conrad. By selling them this information, I could shift their attention from 'finding me and Kal' to 'finding the quest.'
The reward had come from completing a quest given by Iifa-sama, a goddess, so triggering a quest that provided the same thing would be extremely difficult. Even if someone obtained an egg, it was not guaranteed to hatch into a Dragon. Still, it was not impossible, so there would certainly be people willing to try.
"You can tell them about the 'Dragon Sanctuary,' but only to players who can promise not to cause trouble there. Absolutely no one who might incur the Dragon God's wrath."
"Sure. I'll choose who I sell it to. Things might stop being a business matter altogether."
The more promising method would be to visit the 'Dragon Sanctuary' and tame a Dragon Puppy. Many of them seemed friendly, so I felt that we might be able to make one a companion if we obtained Almardelx-sama's permission.
However, even if they entered the 'Dragon Sanctuary,' I did not want to send players who might anger Almardelx-sama. After learning that their treasure had been stolen, they had mobilized every Dragon under their command and destroyed the Second Civilization. I could not send anyone who might enrage them and cause trouble for other players.
"What about 'Gluttony'?"
"There is a form of magic called 【Spirit Summoning】, similar to but distinct from 【Summoning】. It includes a spell that summons demons from Hell, and when I used it, something strikingly similar to 'Gluttony's' tongue came flying out. In other words..."
"The most likely place where 'Gluttony's' main body is sealed is Hell?"
"Probably. I haven't the faintest idea how to get to Hell, though."
To escape from a Harpy, I had taken a desperate gamble and used Hellbeast Summoning, which randomly called forth a demon from Hell through 【Spirit Summoning】. At the time, something resembling 'Gluttony's' tongue had emerged from a hole in the ground, and Ruby had taken a screenshot. When I showed the image to Usuba, he said there was almost no doubt.
It was practically certain that 'Gluttony' had been sealed in Hell, but we had no clue how to get there. Thus, Usuba would probably investigate the route to Hell alongside his PK activities.
"After sharing this much information, you're not going to say we shouldn't form an alliance, are you?"
"You're right."
I nodded at Conrad, who asked with a sly grin. We knew too much about one another. I had revealed Kal, Usuba had revealed 'Gluttony,' and Conrad had revealed Sebastian's ultimate technique—the trump cards each of us had kept hidden. At this point, forming an alliance and binding ourselves to keep one another's secrets was clearly the most rational choice.
"I was inclined to do it from the start, but it can't be helped. We'll just have to get the other members' approval after the fact."
"This is getting fun, isn't it?"
"Heh heh heh. From here on, I look forward to working with you as fellow alliance members."
A monster, a merchant, and a PK. A strange combination of clans had formed an alliance. I don't know whether today is truly worthy of commemoration, but it will surely be remembered in FSW as the day the first alliance of this kind was formed.