Chapter 57
We passed through the teleportation gates and arrived at the cave where Ann is.
The cave itself wasn’t very spacious, and we could already see the outside scenery from the gate.
By the way, it seems that this teleportation gate no longer reacts to anyone’s magical power other than Elibel. Its visual camouflage is also perfect.
So, it has remained in the same state for over 200 years.
By the way, she has made a slight modification to the settings, and now, besides her, my subordinates and I can also activate the teleportation gate by channeling our magical power.
「This is the Yuguru Great Forest located to the west of the Faud Continent. It used to be the largest forest on this continent 200 years ago. The area was about five times that of the Eld Desert, if I remember correctly.」
Following Elibel, I also exited the cave.
A breathtaking view once again.
The nature of this world is truly amazing.
It’s like the Amazon.
No, it’s much larger than trees on Earth.
The thickness of each tree here is several times that of Earth’s trees.
Moreover, there are clearly different kinds of grass and flowers flourishing compared to Earth.
「How nostalgic. I used to come to this forest often to gather potion ingredients… through Berg, of course.」
So, you abused him a lot.
Berg is truly a hard worker.
Ann’s presence… is over there.
I send a thought transmission.
After a while, Ann and her antlings arrived at a speed akin to the wind.
『Oh, Lord Earth! If you had informed us that you were coming, we would have prepared a proper welcome!』
While catching her breath, Ann spoke in a flustered manner.
No, you don’t have to worry so much.
『It’s really fine. So, how is this place?』
After seeing it first hand, I wonder what she think about this forest?
I wanted to hear her honest opinion.
『I think it’s a pretty good place. The strength of the monsters isn’t that high, and so far, we haven’t come across any human settlements. Also, there’s an abundance of food, medicinal herbs, and tree nuts that can be used as raw materials.』
The antlings handed over some fruits and medicinal herbs they had gathered.
Oh, that’s good to hear.
「Oh, these red fruits here are Rapple fruits with a detoxifying effect. They’re delicious.」
Elibel pointed to one of the fruits brought by the antlings.
It looks like an apple. Can I eat it?
Let me see… chew munch gulp.
Oh, it has a crunchy texture and tastes delicious.
But does it contain magic power? For me, it’s more like a luxury item.
Now, let’s activate magic sense.
Hmm… it’s too vast.
However, I don’t sense magic power from any King-class or stronger entities within the effective range.
I can occasionally sense strong magic power, but at most, it’s at the level of advanced-class or General-class.
They pose no threat to Ann and the others.
「200 years ago, the strongest monsters in this forest were probably only at the General-class level.」
I see.
『Ann, it’s fine for you to investigate ahead, but let the antlings handle the exploration of the forest. It would be troublesome if something happens to you.』
Our forces won’t increase from now on.
Well, I do have some thoughts that I don’t want Ann to die, too.
This might be a side effect of the drug…
『Lord Earth… to think that you would concern yourself with me to such an extent! Please forgive my lack of consideration.』
Ah, you don’t have to say things like that.
Being treated with such respect is tiring.
After taking a brief look around, I received a memory transmission from Ann, showing me the current map. Then, we left the forest.
Ann and the teams began their exploration once again.
Now, shall we go and see the next potential location?
Afterwards, we visited various places.
In total, there were twelve of them.
There were marshlands, the bottom of a valley, and even the top of a ridiculously huge mountain.
After visiting all of them, I asked Elibel a question I had been wondering about.
『Hey, Elibel? How did you manage to visit so many places? 』
There were a number of places that used the teleportation gates to move, not just within the Faud Continent, but also to locations in other continents.
In fact, Elibel’s dungeon was constructed across four continents.
Considering the cultural level of this era, it should take a considerable amount of time just to travel such distances.
However, Elibel had an expression on her face as if saying, 「What is this person talking about?」
「What are you talking about? Of course, I walked. Oh, I used Fly as well. But you can only set up a teleportation gates in a place you’ve been to before.」
『On foot!? Are you kidding me!? I mean, you could have flown…』
Fly, if I remember correctly, is a basic wind attribute magic.
The duration of levitation and the speed of movement shouldn’t be that significant.
「I’m not kidding. Did you forget? When I was alive, I was the strongest magician who mastered all magic up to the Soul King-class. I could go wherever I pleased, no matter the location.」
Now that you mention it, that’s true.
From her usual demeanor, you wouldn’t imagine it, but she was quite the monster herself.
If I remember correctly, she was almost on par with the legendary Hero and the Demon King.
「Well, compared to my prime, I’ve weakened considerably now, about as weak as an Arc Skeleton.」
『How much weaker?』
「Probably less than one percent. I’m talking about magical power and output, of course. My computational abilities and knowledge haven’t changed from before.」
She lightly taps her skull with her bone finger.
Impressive…
The Arc Skeleton is a General-class monster, I’m pretty sure.
And yet, it’s still not enough.
「Well, for the time being, I’ll have to make do with this state. Since I evolved so rapidly, my soul, body, and magical power haven’t fully merged yet.」
I resurrected her with a rather casual attitude, but she truly was an incredible being.
That’s what I thought once again.
And so, having finished inspecting all the potential locations, we returned to the dungeon.
We arrived at the deepest floor.
I leaned against the wall and lay down, letting out a sigh.
『Phew… Exploring unfamiliar territories is tiring.』
It’s difficult for a shut-in like me to venture outside.
Even if the drug’s side effects have made me somewhat functional, my fundamental nature hasn’t changed that much.
After going through all of them, it was already dusk.
Through the hole in the ceiling, countless stars were visible.
What a breathtaking view.
I moved around and my stomach growled, so I dug into the ground and ate some magic stones.
A slightly late dinner.
Crunch, crunch, crunch… This tastes good.
Yeah, they’re yummy.
「So, have you decided which one to choose?」
Elibel asks.
I throw some of the magic stones I dug up to her while munching on them.
As I continue eating the magic stones, I answer Elibel’s question.
『Well, you see… I was thinking, since we’ve come this far… why not use all of them?』
「Huh? All of them?」
It was unexpected even for Elibel.
She let out a surprised voice.
『That’s right. If this is going to be our base, or rather the entrance, why not create a dungeon that can access all the locations?』
After exploring various places, that’s what I had in mind.
If possible, I want to use them all and turn it into a dungeon.
I proposed the idea I had been thinking about to Elibel.
Although it didn’t come to mind during our previous discussion, it struck me when I actually saw the locations.
Elibel listened silently to my proposal.
And after hearing me out, she spoke a single word.
「…I like it.」
She laughed with excitement, finding it incredibly interesting.
That’s a relief.
It seems like Elibel is on board with the idea.
Now, we need to hear the opinions of the others.
『For now, I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions. Let’s have another discussion.』
「Agreed.」
I initiated a thought transmission once again and called everyone.
Those who were outside the dungeon, I sent a message to the golems near the teleportation gate to inform them and bring them over.
Hmm… One challenge is that thought transmission doesn’t work when we’re outside the dungeon.
We have a limited number of communication magic stones as well.
I’ll discuss this with Elibel later.
After a while, everyone gathered in the deepest floor.
『Lord Earth, is something the matter?』
Ann spoke on behalf of everyone.
『I have an idea for the new dungeon, and I wanted to share it with you guys.』
And then I began explaining them to everyone.
Ah, speaking in front of others is tiring.
『I’d like to make it a dungeon that has the feeling of… something like this. Well, what do you think?』
I sought confirmation from everyone.
『I think it’s wonderful. I’m perfectly fine with it』
Ann immediately agrees.
You really don’t hesitate, huh?
「I also agree with Ann.」
「……….me too.」
「I’m fine with it too.」
Next, Una and the other golem homunculus chime in.
「Puru!」
Judging by your tone. I’ll take it as a yes?
I glance at Tres.
「Pururu said she agrees.」
That’s a relief.
「I’m also in favor. However, it’s surprising to hear such an idea from you.」
It seems Berg is also in favor.
With everyone’s agreement, I’m relieved. It’s a good thing.
By the way, Berg, I do think and consider things seriously, you know?
It’s my life on the line after all.
「Then the main issue is manpower. It seems like the dungeon will become quite large, and we don’t have enough people as it is.」
Elibel says.
That’s true.
During the recent battle, the antlings and golems under Ann’s command suffered significant losses.
While most of the animal-type golem homunculi are still intact, their numbers are insufficient.
I could create more, but there are limits to what I can do.
The antlings are capable of excavation, but they struggle with intricate tasks.
It seems that the traps on the surface and middle layers were also assisted in the details by humanoid golems like Senju, and golem homunculi that are close to humanoid such as monkeys and gorillas.
As for the Wraiths, while their numbers are abundant, they are basically incapable of physical work.
Their main abilities lie in scaring people and, at most, conducting psychic attacks.
It would be different if they were of higher ranks.
I wonder if there are any good ideas…
「Father, I have a suggestion in that case.」
Una raises her hand.
『What is it?』
「Elibel created skeletons using the corpses of adventurers and knights. So, if we want to quickly increase our numbers, why don’t we launch an attack on the town of Agur? With our current forces, we should be more than capable of destroying a single town.」
Attacking the town, huh?
Certainly, it would be a quick way to acquire corpses.
But…
『Rejected.』
「Why?」
『They are likely on edge after the recent war. There’s no need for us to provoke them in their current state.』
I glance at Elibel, and she seems to agree with my opinion.
「Indeed. To add to that, if we were to launch an attack, we would have to kill all the town residents without fail. If we miss anyone, it could lead to the leakage of our information. That would put us at a disadvantage. Attacking from the dungeon is meaningless unless we are thoroughly prepared.」
Moreover, dungeons rarely initiate attacks themselves, Elibel adds.
「……..Okay, then.」
Una seems a bit down after being countered by me and Elibel.
『Sorry, I guess I was a bit harsh there.』
「No, it was my own shallowness. I apologize.」
Una bows her head sincerely.
『May I make a suggestion as well?』
Ann raises her hand.
『What is it?』
『If we lack numbers, why don’t we invite monsters from outside? I believe there are many monsters who would like to seek the protection of Lord Earth, who possesses tremendous power. Especially in the large forest I surveyed, there were a considerable number of monsters. There may be monsters who want to join our ranks.』
I see, so pulling in monsters from outside is an option…
If I recall correctly, Annn was originally a “symbiotic” monster herself.
But, to be honest, I’m not usually that strong, you know?
It was the drug at that time.
『But are there actually monsters that would become our allies?』
『If they are the lowest-class species, they would be delighted to come here. Just like me, they find it difficult to survive on their own. However, they possess excellent reproductive capabilities, so their numbers are abundant』
『Humu….』
It doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
I look at Elibel.
「I think it could work. In the dungeon where I was, more than half of the monsters were brought in from the outside. Even monsters that can’t establish symbiotic relationships outside can often do so inside the dungeon.」
Elibel adds, expressing her agreement.
The lowest-class species would include creatures like Lesser Goblins, Small Treants, and Slimes.
While they may not be reliable as combat forces, they might be useful in other areas, such as setting traps and maintaining the dungeon’s structure.
『Understood. Ann, can I leave that task to you?』
『Of course. I swear to bring back monsters that will undoubtedly become our combat forces』
I give instructions to the others, assigning them their respective tasks.
『Alright, everyone, we’ll start taking action from tomorrow!』
Cheers erupt from the group.
The full-scale construction of the dungeon has begun.
By the way, when he ate the Rapple Fruit, he gained a strong resistance to poison due to the effect of “Gluttony.” But Earth doesn’t seem to know it.
…As always, he’s really oblivious.