Chapter 227

A Game of Chicken (2)

Maybe I was just overreacting.

It was entirely possible that, by sheer coincidence, all three named users happened to need orichalcum.

The reason I said three was because I had excluded the dwarf. He had clearly explained what he intended to use it for.

[Wild Grylls: Can you put orichalcum into the brewing machine?]

[Passing Dwarf: Not exactly. I want to see if I can artificially adjust the fermentation time. Magical effects become stronger when combined with orichalcum, you know.]

[Wild Grylls: It doesn’t need any special smelting process like mithril, right?]

[Passing Dwarf: Yeah. It absorbs mana well, but it barely contains any mana of its own.]

[Wild Grylls: Sounds like it could be useful for quite a lot of things.]

[Passing Dwarf: Depends on the person. Didn’t that named user, Cheonggu Princess, stick some into a relay device?]

The dwarf was right. Everyone had their own use for it.

Cheonggu Princess had already applied it to relay magic, so there was nothing strange about her wanting a few more pieces.

’It really could just be a coincidence.’

I was still slightly suspicious, but I intended to trade with them as long as they offered a fair price.

If necessary, I could ask the admin to find out what kind of people they were.

Once I knew where they were located, I would probably be able to make a rough guess.

’I’ll be starting a proper expedition soon anyway, so I should ask if they can offer anything useful for that.’

I told the named users who had made requests that I would give them the orichalcum shortly.

Then I headed to the orichalcum cave with only Namu ppareumbo and Kkobong accompanying me.

Orichalcum was lying around everywhere, so mining some was no problem.

’This should be enough, right?’

I mined a whole pile in case other named users asked for some later.

If that happened, I planned to make a post asking what was so special about orichalcum.

[Wild Grylls: I brought the orichalcum. What will you give me for it?]

[Let’s Grow Trees: Just as I said earlier, I’ll give you a World Tree sapling, underwear woven from World Tree thread, and some tobacco!]

[Wild Grylls: I don’t need the World Tree sapling. Do you have anything that could help with exploration instead?]

[Let’s Grow Trees: Just a moment!]

First was Let’s Grow Trees—an elf, and one who was presumed to worship the Elf Queen at that.

Just yesterday, the gallery had erupted over the Elf Queen Elijah’s speech.

People were saying that Alvenheim would soon begin a war of conquest, or that the elves had finally revealed their true colors.

Given their conduct so far, everyone other than the elves was reacting negatively.

’They’re not really going to turn into Britain—or that mustached guy—are they?’

I was a little worried, but I intended to continue trading with them.

What if Alvenheim really did keep behaving like a complete scumbag? I would still trade with them.

Even if governments tried to stop it, the resources I possessed wouldn’t lose their value.

Even where I used to live, countries would claim they were cutting off trade because of a war while continuing to exchange everything through the back door.

Since ancient times, countries that possessed valuable resources had been able to throw their weight around. That was an immutable law.

Of course, it would be a different story if they upgraded from a nation of bastards into literal Nazis.

’Isn’t evolving all the way to that mustached guy’s level insanely difficult in the first place?’

While I was briefly lost in thought, Let’s Grow Trees returned.

[Let’s Grow Trees: (Photo of a ball of white thread) How about this?]

[Wild Grylls: Isn’t that just a ball of thread?]

[Let’s Grow Trees: To be precise, it’s World Tree thread. You said you were planning to explore faraway places, right? This will be a tremendous help. It won’t snap along the way, and even if it does, it regenerates and reconnects itself.]

[Wild Grylls: Oh?]

It was extremely useful for exploration.

It reminded me of the thread from Greek mythology—the thread Ariadne had used to navigate the labyrinth.

I would probably be traveling farther away more frequently from now on, and this would make it easier to find my way back.

Maps were almost useless in this forest, and it was difficult even to determine direction.

After all, this was a place where the sun rose from a different position every day.

[Wild Grylls: Sounds good. I’ll make the trade. How much do you need?]

[Let’s Grow Trees: A fist-sized chunk should be enough for now!]

[Wild Grylls: All right.]

That concluded my trade with Let’s Grow Trees.

I inspected the item I had received from them. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary ball of thread.

Its durability, however, was beyond imagination. An ordinary dagger couldn’t cut it.

Only the Heavenly Demon’s sword was capable of slicing through it, and even then, the thread quickly repaired itself.

’Is this seriously some kind of shape-memory alloy?’

In any case, I had received a good item. Cheonggu Princess was next.

[Wild Grylls: Do you have anything that might help with exploration? I think I’ll be traveling long distances from now on.]

[Cheonggu Princess: Of coursh I do! Would a water bottle with a purification function be enough?]

[Wild Grylls: That’s exactly what I need.]

A water bottle with a purification function. That was an unexpected windfall.

There was currently a river nearby, so obtaining water was easy, but there was no telling what things would be like once I set out on an expedition.

After trading with Cheonggu Princess, I spoke with I’ll Become a Duke.

I asked him the same thing—whether he had anything useful for exploration.

[I’ll Become a Duke: Would a waterproof cover be acceptable? It would prove useful whenever it rains.]

[Wild Grylls: Can’t I buy one of those from the auction house? Don’t you have anything else?]

[I’ll Become a Duke: Then how about a security bead? It immediately makes a noise whenever someone approaches, so you can easily notice them.]

[Wild Grylls: How do you use it?]

I’ll Become a Duke explained how to use the security bead.

Once activated and buried in the ground, its effect would immediately take hold.

I would have to test it myself, but he said it would instantly sound an alarm whenever someone approached, so its effectiveness seemed promising.

’I should’ve asked for something like this ages ago.’

I hadn’t known such an item even existed. It would be useful not only during exploration but around the shelter as well.

Apparently, however, it couldn’t detect small animals. It sensed vibrations rather than signs of life.

Small animals generally didn’t approach the shelter anyway, so that should be fine.

After trading for all those useful items, only the dwarf remained.

There was actually something else I wanted to ask him for.

[Wild Grylls: Do you happen to have a dagger mold? I need to make a dagger for the old man.]

[Passing Dwarf: I do. Want me to send it over?]

[Wild Grylls: Yeah. I’ll send you the orichalcum.]

[Passing Dwarf: Sure. But try sharpening the blade yourself. Practice on the dagger and get a feel for it.]

[Wild Grylls: You’re sure you’re not just being lazy?]

[Passing Dwarf: I’m only saying that because the thought of upgrading my brewing machine has my balls trembling with excitement.]

[Wild Grylls: Lmaooooo.]

The trade with the dwarf was completed without any fuss. He was so easy to deal with.

After examining the mold I had received from him, I immediately lit the furnace.

I had some mithricon ingots that I had prepared earlier, so I could use those to make it.

Fwoooosh!

[What are you planning to make?]

"A dagger. Mr. Ludwig is going to use it."

When I lit the makeshift furnace, Cain and Ludwig showed interest.

They had often seen me cook with the oven, but this was probably their first time seeing a furnace.

I placed some coal inside to increase the heat, then put in a large crucible.

All I had to do was place the ingot inside the crucible and raise the temperature.

Now, the only thing left was to work the bellows until the ingot melted.

"Sir, you should work the bellows too."

"It should be easier with your mithril foot."

At my request, Ludwig stared silently at me.

He looked at me as if I were less than human, wondering how I could make a disabled man do something like that.

"You still have one good foot. You only need one foot to operate this."

[That is the remark of a piece of human refuse who has descended beyond mere trash.]

"Then would you like to hop up and down on it, Cain? Everyone is treated equally here."

[Ares, please grant salvation to this hopeless human.]

"She probably won’t care no matter how much you pray."

If she cared, she wouldn’t have brought me here in the first place.

No, wait. Maybe she had dumped me here precisely because she did care. If so, I should curse her even more.

Pour—

After some time passed, I poured the completely molten metal into the mold.

If I waited a little longer, the dagger would take shape. In the meantime, I prepared the oil for quenching.

Just as the dwarf had said, it must have been fairly high-quality oil. I had left it sitting around for several days, yet it was still perfectly fine.

Hissssss!

At last, the quenching was complete, and the mithricon dagger was finished.

Ludwig watched the entire process with fascination.

It might have looked like I was doing something impressive, but there was really nothing to it.

’I should start making tools myself soon.’

A pickaxe, for example. I would need one to mine the mithril in the back of the cave more easily.

I hadn’t felt the need for one yet, but it was about time I started preparing.

I checked the mithricon dagger for problems, then began sharpening its blade.

"Sir, you know how to sharpen this, right?"

"I do."

Ludwig helped sharpen the blade.

As someone who wielded a sword—especially as a soldier—he was far better at it than I was.

Thanks to him, the dagger gained an edge comparable to that of any renowned blade.

’I’ll be leaving to explore tomorrow, so I should start preparing.’

I checked various things. Food was one of the most important.

I set aside the water bottle Cheonggu Princess had given me and checked my supply of wallgokdan first.

I still had plenty left, but not enough.

’Once I leave to explore, these will run out quickly too.’

I immediately contacted the Heavenly Demon. She was my only source of wallgokdan.

Fortunately, she replied shortly after I sent the message.

[Heavenly Demon: I can send you wallgokdan this evening. According to my aide, our finances have become plentiful thanks to the gift you gave me.]

[Wild Grylls: A gift? Did I give you one?]

[Heavenly Demon: Did you not give me a snow ginseng last time?]

[Wild Grylls: Oh. That?]

I had exchanged so many things with the Heavenly Demon that I had completely forgotten about it.

Still, it was a relief to hear that I could receive the wallgokdan this evening.

If that had been difficult, I would have had to postpone the expedition for several more days.

I probably would have ended up making jerky since it was easy to preserve.

[Heavenly Demon: Ah, that reminds me. I have received some news that may interest you.]

[Wild Grylls: What kind of news? Since you’re in the Central Plains, is it about the Blood Cult?]

[Heavenly Demon: You are quick on the uptake. I have received intelligence that the Blood Cult is beginning to enter the Forest of Four Seasons.]

The issue had lost some of its importance because of Alvenheim—or, more specifically, because of Elijah—but the Blood Cult was still something I needed to monitor regularly.

If I was unlucky, they might head straight toward my location.

’I really hope those bastards don’t come here.’

They were such a dangerous bunch that I wanted nothing to do with them.

They were completely deranged, so there was no telling what they might be plotting.

Moreover, Ludwig’s experience had shown that information about the Forest of Four Seasons had spread widely enough for even ordinary people to obtain it.

The Blood Cult would have used that information to prepare thoroughly, increasing their chances of survival.

[Wild Grylls: That isn’t exactly welcome news. They don’t seem like the kind of people who can be reasoned with.]

[Heavenly Demon: If they trouble you that much, I can take care of them.]

[Wild Grylls: Really?]

[Heavenly Demon: If it is your request.]

Resolving the Blood Cult problem in one fell swoop was an attractive proposal, but something about it puzzled me.

I had let it slide last time, but whenever she said something like this, I found myself wondering whether she really was the Heavenly Demon.

Well, the ambiguity didn’t matter. If she truly was the Heavenly Demon, that wouldn’t be a bad thing either. I gladly accepted her offer.

After all, every one of the Blood Cult’s actions resembled that of a terrorist organization.

[Wild Grylls: Then I’ll leave it to you. I’m sorry for troubling you with this.]

[Heavenly Demon: There is no need to apologize. If anything, I am the one who should be outraged.]

[Wild Grylls: Why?]

[Heavenly Demon: Those Blood Cult wretches said they would kill you and install the gorilla as their successor. What truly irreverent creatures they are.]

[Wild Grylls: So they really are completely insane.]

I already knew they were out of their minds, but I couldn’t believe they were actually trying to carry out something I had desperately hoped was only a joke.

I was too dumbfounded to speak, but now I had a definite reason to deal with them.

Even if there was only a one-percent chance that they would reach my location, it would be better to crush them before they could take root.

[Wild Grylls: Thank you. Is there anything you’d like in return?]

[Heavenly Demon: I will gratefully accept anything you choose to give me.]

[Wild Grylls: Then I’ll give you some orichalcum. Is it called True Gold in the Central Plains?]

[Heavenly Demon: My aide will be pleased. I shall accept it with gratitude.]

Speaking with the Heavenly Demon put my mind at ease.

She was a named user who had shown me goodwill from the very beginning.

Since she continued to help me even now, I also wanted to continue repaying her kindness.

’Let’s not ask how she plans to deal with them.’

She would handle it herself. I decided not to concern myself with it.

Preparing for the expedition took priority right now. I was just about to close the gallery when—

Ding!

Another message sounded.

Who could it be this time?

Curious, I checked the named user who had sent it.

[King Leor: Greetings. This is King Leor. Are you there?]

It was King Leor, the named user who was constantly bickering with Cheonggu Princess.

It had been quite a while since we had exchanged messages, so I wondered why he had suddenly contacted me.

[Wild Grylls: Hello. What can I do for you?]

[King Leor: Well... I apologize for the imposition, but could you spare me a little orichalcum?]

[Wild Grylls: Orichalcum?]

[King Leor: Yes. I had to donate my orichalcum elsewhere because of my work. Now I don’t have any left to use for relay magic...]

[Wild Grylls: ...?]

Just what kind of work did this guy do that required him to donate orichalcum?

More importantly, there was something else I wanted to know.

’Has the market price of orichalcum seriously skyrocketed?’

I should make a post on the gallery.