Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Ch. 67 .｡.:✧ The Late-Blooming Mana Stone (1) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘I need to move my area of activity soon.’
The destination was decided.
Now that he knew Jill had chased him right up to his heels, operating in the south had become quite burdensome.
Although there was still much left to do in the south.
There was plenty to do in the north as well.
He hadn’t even visited the north once until now, so things like the Black Star Dungeon must have piled up.
‘Let’s go to the Clockwork City.’
The next destination was the Clockwork City.
It was the largest industrial city in the northern continent and the spiritual capital of the dwarf race.
It was also where clockwork machinery was most advanced.
‘Yerina is a bit concerning, but…’
The northern continent was under the Frost Duchess’s sphere of influence.
Going north meant the probability of encountering Yerina would increase sharply.
But there were two people in the south – Jill and Yulia – while only Yerina was in the north, so the chances of being caught were halved.
It might have seemed like miraculous calculations, but let’s just say it was so for now.
His reason for heading to the Clockwork City was, first, to create a magic tool.
Magic tools referred to all devices operated by magical power.
Processed mana stones were also magic tools.
Mechanical devices that used magic power as fuel were also called magic tools.
Among them, clockwork machines developed around springs and gears were unique magic tools that had only developed in the Clockwork City.
Unlike magic, which was limited by innate mana capacity and talent,
Clockwork machines allowed anyone to use that magic.
As long as they had enough money, that is.
What he wanted to make was one of those clockwork machines.
In other words, he intended to dabble in the realm of magical engineering.
The foremost expert in that field was undoubtedly Yulia Petenburg.
The Witch of Petenburg, who had mastered all of magical engineering through self-study over 300 years.
Her genius was beyond words, having built a city rivaling modernity in this fantasy world all on her own.
So did he need to grab onto Yulia’s skirts and beg?
There was no need for that.
While niche fields like mana stone crafting that relied heavily on artisan talent were quite narrow,
Magical engineering was a broad field with engineering schools and separate academic societies.
Even without Yulia, there were many experts of comparable level.
In terms of work speed and efficiency, others might even have greater advantages.
In that sense, the Clockwork City was the optimal place to produce the best results.
While he was there, he could also clear nearby dungeons, obtain mana stones, create magic tools, and if he could gain a collaborator or two, that would be even better.
“Are you leaving now?” Cornelia asked.
“It’s about time to get going.”
“…”
Cornelia looked regretful, her lips moving slightly.
She didn’t seem to want to let go of the small white hand she had placed on his.
He covered Cornelia’s hand with his other hand, causing her to tremble slightly.
Then, gently, she withdrew her hand and met his eyes again.
“Take care of yourself. Don’t overdo it.”
“I will.”
“Come back anytime when you run out of checks.”
“Can I come even before they run out?”
“Of course…”
“I’ll drop by to see your face. To report I’m still alive.”
“Don’t make it sound like you’re about to die…”
“I won’t die. I’m just joking.”
Cornelia pounded on his chest as if reproaching him.
It wasn’t just about the money – even if Cornelia fell into ruin, he would take care of her.
He had an obligation to be responsible for Cornelia.
While he had saved Cornelia’s life, he had also confined her again to the constraints of the Briam family that had kept her living in pain.
That responsibility would never disappear.
“You should go now. You’ll miss your train.”
“Thanks. I had a good rest.”
“I should be thanking you. For the mana stone, for stopping by, and for… everything. I’m grateful for it all… I’ll be waiting.”
Cornelia waved her hand, hiding a pained expression as if suppressing her regret.
He waved back and then left the Cologne City Hall with Undecided.
There was no time to stand still.
They boarded a train and traveled through the night, drawing closer to Basel.
When he opened his eyes, it was already morning after sunrise.
In the seat next to him, Undecided was, as usual,
“…Nom nom nom.”
“Sigh.”
Biting his arm.
It seemed like she used to be a bit more discreet before.
Now she bit without caring whether he was awake or not.
She must have thought his body belonged to her now.
“Ouch. That hurts.”
“…This way, marks. Remain.”
“What’s the point of leaving marks?”
“…Don’t know. Just. Want to, leave them.”
“Alright. Do as you please.”
He decided to let her do it since the marks would disappear quickly if left alone anyway.
In fact, new marks would appear before the old ones could vanish, so they never really disappeared…
Still, he couldn’t just scold her all the time.
Undecided was the technician of their party after all.
From now on, Undecided would be a versatile tool capable of using electric and fire magic up to the 3rd tier.
Just like how a day laborer might be disregarded at a construction site, only to later be revealed as indispensable to keeping the site running.
He didn’t want to become the protagonist who regretted it after Undecided declared “Try doing well without me” and left.
“Hey. You haven’t bitten the other side yet.”
“…Will bite. No need to rush.”
“Alright. Hurry up. We need to get off soon.”
“…Okay.”
So he intended to let her bite to her heart’s content.
This was employee welfare, wasn’t it?
He’d like to see a slave owner with as strong a welfare spirit as him.
‘Come to think of it, Undecided was classified as a monster too.’
He kept forgetting, but Undecided was a blood ghoul.
In other words, a monster.
Except for the fact that no heartbeat could be heard when putting an ear to her chest, her body felt cool to the touch, and her eyes glowed red when awakened, she was no different from a human.
‘I wonder what would happen if I used Weak Point on her?’
So he suddenly became curious.
What would it look like if he used Weak Point, the trait that showed monsters’ weaknesses, on Undecided?
There weren’t many rounds where he had obtained Weak Point to begin with, and since blood ghouls weren’t common monsters, he had never used Weak Point on one before.
“Can you look up at me for a moment?”
“…Okay.”
So he was quite excited now.
He grabbed Undecided’s arms, who was looking up at him in confusion, and lifted them up.
Then he activated the Weak Point trait.
“Oh.”
“…Oh?”
Only one weak point was indicated.
It was the neck.
Unlike humans, her heart was stopped, so it wasn’t a weakness.
Did it mean she would die if her neck was cut off?
His knowledge had increased.
“…Hue.”
Gently, he wrapped both hands around Undecided’s neck.
But Undecided offered no resistance, simply resting her weight comfortably in his hands.
Was this really a weak point?
Why was this creature so fearless?
What if he twisted her neck like this?
“…It’s warm.”
“I’ll let go now.”
“…Mmm. Meaning, it feels good. Warm, so. Like it.”
When he tried to remove his hands, Undecided shook her head and pulled them back to her neck.
Did it mean she trusted him that much?
It seemed worth the effort of desperately saving her in Kali’s unique dungeon.
He had already invested so much, he couldn’t let her die so pointlessly.
“Ugh. We’re here. My back…”
“…If back, hurts. Carry me.”
“What kind of train of thought is that?”
They had finally arrived in Basel.
He had clearly finished his business in Elvenguard and come to Basel and Cologne to rest, but somehow it felt like the travel time was longer than the resting time.
He felt a tiny bit of empathy for men living double lives who must go through this hardship every day.
Of course, he wasn’t saying he was trash living a double life.
Splash, splash.
A pleasant sound echoed through the streets of Basel where shallow water flowed as he carried Undecided on his back.
It was nice and quiet with not a soul around, probably because it was early morning.
Indeed, an introvert like him felt most at ease when there were few people.
Carrying Undecided, who had her eyes tightly shut in fear of the flowing water, on his back, he hummed a tune as he walked, soon arriving at Tay’s workshop.
“This would be a good place for a safe house.”
He needed a safe house where he wouldn’t be discovered by the main heroine trio in order to keep in touch with Alicia and Mia.
He needed an address to receive letters.
So he had been wondering how to find a house with lax paperwork requirements but tight security.
But there was no need to worry.
Tay’s workshop was a place he visited whenever he obtained a high-grade mana stone.
It was practically his main base.
And since Tay was trustworthy, the security was perfect.
Good.
He would have to let Alicia and Mia know to contact him at this address from now on.
“The deadline shouldn’t be up yet, right?”
Tay had definitely told him to come in the afternoon today.
It was still early morning, so the work probably wasn’t finished yet.
The VIP waiting room looked quite luxurious too.
It seemed better to rest in the workshop’s waiting room rather than spending money on a hotel room.
Even though he had some leeway now, the memory of those tight times was so intense that he still couldn’t shake off this penny-pinching mentality.
“Please make yourself comfortable. Let us know if you need anything.”
“Is room service available here?”
“Of course.”
“Then please get me some breakfast. Something warm and spicy but not too filling.”
“Y-yes, certainly…”
Wow.
The staff training here was excellent.
They even provided breakfast?
This place could put 5-star hotels to shame.
So he ate breakfast.
Had some after-meal dessert and tea.
Received and read the newspaper for a while.
Gave Undecided some blood, let her bite and suck on him as time passed until it was nearly noon.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“…Startled.”
A piercing scream echoed through the walls.
That sounded like Tay’s voice?
Had something happened?
He stood up worriedly.
The sound of the elevator moving could be heard.
When the elevator doors opened, Tay appeared holding a box in her arms.
“What should I do… Investor. Investor, I, I…”
“Don’t cry and tell me slowly.”
“I, this mana stone… I think I failed…”
“…”
With an expression as if the world was crumbling, Tay whimpered.
He knew he should comfort her at times like this.
He shouldn’t be thinking this.
But he couldn’t help it…
‘I want to take a picture and show it to her later.’
Tay’s crying face right now was too cute.
He desperately wanted to capture this moment and preserve it as a photo.
“Are you even listening?!”
“Ah, yes. I’m listening. It turned out well, right?”
“You weren’t listening at all! I said I ruined it!”
This was why he needed a magic tool.
To preserve precious moments like this forever.
Ah! He should have gone to the Clockwork City right after regressing!
He regretted it immensely.
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