Chapter 149
“Ah! Seimu, this is bad! We need to book our inn!” (Melt)
“Ah…! That really should’ve been the priority! We need to hurry.” (Shizuma)
After leaving the armory shop, we had completely forgotten about today’s lodging.
…The famous blacksmithing tournament is being held, and tourists aiming for it are increasing… I have a bad feeling about this.
I headed toward the inn Melt stayed at last time, the Tonchin Inn.
…No, I’m not reacting to that! Another weird name! So it wasn’t just the Kinkon Inn…!
—————–
“I’m terribly sorry… even though we are fully booked… We’re not great, honestly our service quality is bad, the food isn’t that good, and we’re not even cheap…”
“Seimu, Seimu, that’s a lie. This inn is suuuper popular. The food is delicious and the portions are big, and aside from bringing meals at weird times, it’s a really lovely inn.” (Melt)
“Well, well, you’re the only one who says that. If I recall…you were Meteo-chan, right?” “It’s Melt~” (Melt)
Yeah, very tonchin.
Despite being a fairly large inn, they were completely booked.
Guess we really should look for another place…
“Understood. Then we’ll try elsewhere. Sorry to trouble you.”
“Sorry, dear. See you again, Meteo-chan.”
“I said it’s Melt~” (Melt)
Meteo-chan… Are you saying she falls from the sky?
—————–
“I’m sorry, all our rooms are full right now.”
“So uh, we’re full, but…wanna stay in my private room?”
“Sorry, this inn is reservation-only.”
“There’s no way a room is open at this time of year!! Get real!”
“Hm? You need a ‘rest’? If you want the whole night, it’s one silver coin. Walls are thin so keep it down, alright?”
“Sorry, wrong place.”
—————–
A lot of inns in this town have some strong quirks, don’t they!?
We already went around several, and all of them were completely full.
Apparently wandering craftsmen and craftsmen from other towns all gather here during this season, so inns are normally hard to book.
Because of that, tourists generally camp at the campsite behind the town.
Or they just avoid visiting until the end of the month when the judging period begins.
“What do we do? That last inn had a room, but…that one’s no good?” (Melt)
“No good. That place only looks like an inn. It’s not.” (Shizuma)
A so-called love hotel. A love hotel.
…Melt and I probably don’t have that kind of relationship. At least not yet.
And also…if we ever really became something like a married couple rather than family… I’d want to be in my real form.
“It’s a fake inn, then. I bet they steal your belongings while you sleep and sell you as a slave. I know it… I read in a book once that scary inns like that exist.” (Melt)
“It’s not that kind of place, but it’s definitely not a normal inn, so let’s ignore it.” (Shizuma)
What the heck, that’s scary! That sounds like an urban legend from Earth…
“Hmmm, what should we do? Tent? I’m okay with a tent, you know? It’s a bit cold, but if we snuggle together we’ll be warm. My tail is really warm.” (Melt)
“That is tempting, but… no, Melt, we have one more option.” (Shizuma)
Right… I remembered!
I have that.
“What is it? What do we have?” (Melt)
“For now…let’s find somewhere with fewer people since the campsite seems crowded.” (Shizuma)
—————–
There aren’t many trees around Izbel, maybe because of the surrounding mines.
And the land is still withered since it’s winter and, except for the area around Lindblum, the environment is weak overall.
Because of that, only barren plains and small patches of thin forest are scattered around.
We found one of the larger patches and headed inside.
“Are we camping here? It’s a bit far from the town, but is this okay?” (Melt)
“Melt, you know…that thing, the burororon one. I’m gonna bring it out.” (Shizuma)
“Oh! I get it! You want me to dig a big hole with magic!” (Melt)
“That’s the idea. Then I’ll summon the bus into it, and we’ll hide the hole with trees and branches.” (Shizuma)
“Got it! We’ll fluff it back up like a hidden pit trap!” (Melt)
Yeah, yeah, like that… Wait, has Melt made pit traps before?
Her magic could definitely make one fast. With roots to cover it and everything.
“Uuum… the width should be about this much? And the length… maybe this? I’ll make it one size larger so we have room. Depth… Maybe about three Melts?” (Melt)
“Yeah, maybe three Melts stacked vertically?” (Shizuma)
Imagining that was cute. Melt stacked like pon-pon-pon upward.
Would she fall from the sky like Tetris? No…that truly would be Meteo-chan.
While I was thinking stupid things, the giant hole grew bigger and bigger.
“Whew… big holes make me a little tired! Done… The hole for the burororon.” (Melt)
“It’s a bus. It’s called a bus. Okay, then right there…” (Shizuma)
I opened the housing menu, summoned the microbus, and it silently settled neatly at the bottom.
Perfect size.
Then Melt made a safe slope leading down, and tree roots were manipulated to cover the hole and hide the slope too.
“Done. Secret base.” (Shizuma)
“Ooh! But it’s going to be pitch-black inside.” (Melt)
“Nah, it’ll be fine.” (Shizuma)
I pushed aside the roots, went down the slope, and reached the bottom of the hole.
Then installed lighting equipment into the wall via the housing menu.
…As expected, it still works the same as in the game. It shines even though it isn’t connected to anything.
The dark hole gradually filled with light.
“Waaah… Amazing… It’s like magic! You even had magic tools like these?” (Melt)
“Yeah. I only recently became able to use stuff like this. I have all sorts of furniture too, so let’s stay here tonight.” (Shizuma)
“Yaaay! This is exciting…! To think there’d be such a comfy space underground! I’ll dig out a toilet and bath later, okay?” (Melt)
“Ah, please.” (Shizuma)
There actually are bathtub and toilet parts, but I’m not sure how to use them yet, so maybe next time.
Thus, our lodging problem was solved. We left the secret base as it was and went back to town.
—————–
“Alright, what next? It’s still early for dinner… Want to look around some more?” (Shizuma)
“Hmmm… Ah, right! This town is lively now because of the mines, but apparently they used to yield way more. Because of that, they import metals and ores from outside, but the ores from the golden era are displayed in a museum. They also show old weapons and pretty stones. Want to go see?” (Melt)
Ooh… A mineral museum? That I’d like to see.
I actually like natural stones. More than jewels, the unprocessed kind feels romantic.
…Nostalgic. I once got a small mineral sample as a souvenir and put it on my desk.
“That sounds fun. Let’s go. I like stones.” (Shizuma)
“Really! My forest didn’t have special stones or anything, so this is all new to me. I mean, inside stones there are pretty things or metal materials…that’s wild! I want to dig some myself someday!” (Melt)
“Maybe this town has mining quests for that.” (Shizuma)
“Oh! Then I’ll check tomorrow!” (Melt)
—————–
The mineral museum, as expected, was not a popular tourist spot.
Same as on Earth…these places are more like hidden gems for people with specific interests.
Melt was staring intensely at the mineral specimen area, mumbling to herself.
“…This one’s not real… Can’t buy it… Ah, fake… Only this one…” (Melt)
“Melt?” (Shizuma)
“! Huh? What? What is it?” (Melt)
“You were really focused. Is there a stone you’re interested in?” (Shizuma)
Looks like it was an area displaying samples of rare ores.
These weren’t mined here…they were replicas, just for reference.
“Yeah, I thought I wanted one. But they’re fake.” (Melt)
“Seems so. And museums don’t sell their exhibits. Well…unless you offered an absurd amount.” (Shizuma)
I can offer absurd amounts…
“Hmm… I want it… this Dragon Heart-Silver…” (Melt)
The replica she was staring at was a beautiful blue-silver chunk, with art-like patterns.
Yeah…it’s gorgeous.
“Melt, what kind of material is that?” (Shizuma)
“This one, it’s an ore but technically a biological material. A special dragon with strong mana eats ore, and inside its body, the ore components, its mana, and part of its blood crystallize and grow in its heart. It’s amazing weapon material, and in alchemy it’s suuuper super valuable.” (Melt)
What!? It’s made inside a creature!? Like a dragon version of a pearl?
Hmm… Could this be similar to the Quartz Dragon’s Heart-Silver from the tournament prize?
“I think I saw something… Ah, here. Melt, look. Isn’t this the same material as what you’re talking about?” (Shizuma)
I pointed at a flyer posted on the museum wall.
The description sounded too similar.
“Ah! That’s it! So it is the Water Crystal Dragon’s Dragon Heart-Silver… I want it… Can’t we buy it from whoever wins…?” (Melt)
“Melt? That’s unusual. You wanting something this badly.” (Shizuma)
“Yeah… Seimu…can I be selfish just this once? Could you ask the winner if they’d sell it…?” (Melt)
She asked in such a faint voice.
And obviously…she’s asking me to buy it.
There’s no way Melt could buy a prize-tier material…
“You really need it?” (Shizuma)
“Yes. I need it. I can’t tell you the reason yet, but…there’s a medicine I want to make.” (Melt)
Medicine… I don’t know what for, but if it’s medicine, then it must be for some health reason or preparation for something.
If family needs medicine…it’s natural to help.
“Melt. There’s a better way… I’ll enter the tournament.” (Shizuma)
“Eh!?”
“I’ll forge the weapon I plan to give you. If I win with that weapon, we get both the sword and the material. Right?” (Shizuma)
Yeah, that’s the best. Then I can give her a proper weapon.
And get the material too. The only problem is whether I can win.
“Can you win…?” (Melt)
“…There’s a blacksmith inside me. I’ll use that form…and give it everything.” (Shizuma)
Alright. Let’s do it.
In the game, I crafted every piece of equipment myself and maxed all skills and recipes… If I go all-out in this world, I’ll show them exactly what I can do…!
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