Chapter 248: Pioneering Project 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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"You want to trade? If you pay the right price, you're always welcome, squishies!"
"Goddess of Life? ...Well, that's hard to believe, but given the situation, I guess I have no choice but to believe it."
"This is a catalyst I made... Hey, squishy! Don't touch the merchandise carelessly!"
The once-quiet underground city became noisy and bustling.
This was because various humans who had come up through the 40th-floor gate started to enter the underground city of the stone dwarves through the 41st-floor cave.
Unlike the 35th floor where undead naturally spawned, the path from the gate entering the 40th floor to the passage heading to the 41st floor had been cleared.
Mages hired as mercenaries repeatedly widened the narrow dirt paths to the level of main roads, taking control of parts of the 40th floor.
Even if the undead coming through the poison swamp were fearsome, they were just slow-moving undead struggling through the mud.
With the holy water-consecrated silver arrowheads and the mages' barrage of magic, it wasn't possible to take over the entire 40th floor, but they could certainly make a proper path.
Thus, mages and merchants rushed into the city in a frenzy.
Mages with fire in their eyes hurried into the city, having even installed a cargo elevator-like magical tool near the city's stairs.
"Are you planning to keep lengthening the passage, Old Bobo?"
"It seems we must. This tower seems to have shuffled our cities around, so if we progress a bit from Lily's city, we'll come across Granny Pipi's city as you folks mentioned. And, we'll have to find the bastard who turned the city into ruins when we have squishies to help us in battle."
Merchants who brought adventurers, mages rushing to talk, and temple knights asking if they know the Goddess of Life and requesting to build a temple out of stone.
Old Bobo shook his head at the sight of all these visitors, each one a combatant.
They planned to help kill any underground monsters, just like when they were in charge of rear support in battles against the Demon King's army.
After staying in the city and observing the stone dwarves, it was clear they knew nothing about swordsmanship or archery, let alone how to imbue mana into their stone bodies.
They could handle alchemy and mana-infused items, but as a race incapable of reaching higher realms, they were unfit for combat.
In a modern world with firearms, maybe, but in a world where monsters exist, boasting superhuman strength with mana within their bodies, non-combatants could never match up to combatants.
To be frank, if Grace or Katie decided to, they could annihilate hundreds of stone dwarves in Old Bobo's city and still have power to spare.
"Even if the world has changed, in the end, you squishies like the metal we produce, so we'll trade with that. Whoever it was that dared trample over a city of artisans will have to pay the price."
"Will you use the Vacuum Stone to open the passage immediately?"
"Come back in five days. After we trade with the new squishies and get ourselves ready. And take this Lava Stone with you now."
Old Bobo, having made a big decision, looked at the incoming people, then suddenly turned and walked away.
Following him led to a building that looked like a warehouse, where he pulled out a dark red rock and then slipped into his own building, closing the door behind him.
We waved off the mages who had gathered around, trying to make connections with Antenor or Charlotte, sent back the temple knights who had joined the gym with Manaashi and told me to join their sports day, and cleared the side quests that started with the city's resurgence...
Bringing prototype products made by blacksmiths from the outside world, mana stones like goblin mana stones to lower-floor mana stones of various types, bringing materials (mainly wood) for the expansion of inns for squishies, and other trivial quests for stone dwarves who would rather die than go outside.
It was content too modest for a world-saving hero to clear, but the rewards were generous, so we were happy to spend the five days as such.
"You've come just in time, squishies. Should I call you hero squishies?"
"No, that's alright."
So, after five days, we gathered again.
After moving the Vacuum Stone to the ruins that used to be Lily's city, Old Bobo, who had installed something resembling a cannon, welcomed the hero squishy Han Se-ah.
He thought that something capable of destroying the city might appear again, which is why they planned to use the Vacuum Stone to open a passage towards Granny Pipi's city from the ruins.
That's why we weren't the only adventurers hired this time.
"Is this the Vacuum Stone?"
"Charlotte?"
"It's been a while, Hanna."
Charlotte Cavendish and her maid Mari, intrigued by the bright red giant crystal that was the Vacuum Stone, gracefully bowed their heads.
And behind her, a crowd in robes.
Thanks to her involvement with Han Se-ah, Charlotte had grown her influence in the Magic Tower, with dozens of mages of about intermediate level gathering under Charlotte's command.
Well, since carapace bugs are incredibly slow, warriors weren't too necessary.
After all, in a fight, the best strategy is to hit from afar without letting the enemy get close.
And with so many intermediate mages, even large carapace bugs wouldn't be able to approach.
It takes about a dozen knights to take down an ogre, but for slow bugs, fifty mages and six cannons should be overkill.
"There are a lot of mages?"
"These are the mages I hired for research services. Thanks to my deal with Hanna, I've received quite a lot from the Magic Tower."
Since Han Se-ah felt horror even from Antenor's chatter, most of her dealings with the Magic Tower were conducted through Charlotte.
More precisely, thanks to the maid Mari handling the trivial matters, Charlotte now commanded dozens of intermediate mages.
Clinging to Han Se-ah as if she were a rope, which turned out to be a golden vine named 'hero' for mage Charlotte, solidified her foundation completely.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that honey dripped from her eyes, as Charlotte truly trusted and followed Han Se-ah.
It was less about loyalty and more like the gaze of a merchant looking at a prized VVIP customer.
"Hanna, more than that, I have a proposal I'd like to..."
"Hey, squishies! If you're done talking, we'll start soon, so please!"
"Ah, yes! I, I'll go check that cannon!"
The instinctive sidestepping of Han Se-ah, who felt a different kind of madness from Charlotte's approaching gaze than from Antenor's, was aided by Old Bobo's shout.
