Chapter 138
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Machina
"This is Machina?"
"Yes! I stumbled upon it while wandering around, and honestly, it's way more interesting than the Empire, which doesn't have much to see!"
Before I accepted the request, I thought it would just be some tedious chore, but I never expected to end up in Machina. I needed to meet a dwarf about a weapon anyway.
'What a score.'
"What do you think? Pretty impressive, right? My teleportation stone!"
Everyone seemed impressed by Amy's words. She puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and lifted her chin high. She was trying to look proud, but because she was so short, it just looked like she was looking up.
"It's impressive, but why have I never seen a teleportation stone before?"
"Well, of course! These teleportation stones are my own invention! I'm the only one in the world who can make them!"
Hoh... No wonder I couldn't find them anywhere else. To think a kid who looks this young could create something like that, it really drives home the prestige of an S-rank adventurer.
"Are you willing to sell a few?"
"I don't have enough to sell. The materials are hard to come by, and it's difficult to find someone to fill them with magic. Besides, finding the coordinates is a huge pain."
"How did you find the coordinates for the Empire and Machina, then?"
"Through trial and error! When I first made one, I just punched in random coordinates and ended up in the middle of the ocean!"
Too bad. I thought this would make traveling easier from now on, but I guess it won't be that simple.
"Shall we get going, then?"
"Stop!"
I stopped Amy just as she was about to move us somewhere else. She turned back, tilting her head.
"What's wrong?"
"Before we go anywhere, we need to know what we're supposed to do."
"Huh? Wasn't it written on my request form?"
"No."
"Oh, uh...? Did I forget?"
I thought she was just impatient, but now I see she's just scatterbrained.
"Hehe... Sorry, I must have forgotten!"
"So. What do you need help with?"
"The request is for you to help me gather ingredients for a transformation potion I'm making!"
"You're S-rank too. Can't you get them by yourself?"
"I didn't become S-rank because of my strength, but because of this brilliant mind!"
Amy tapped her head with her finger.
"Then how have you been gathering ingredients until now?"
"By myself! I've actually almost died a few times!"
Is she one of those people who has nothing to lose, just like me? How else could she say something like that with such a bright smile?
"But, wasn't the reward a transformation potion?"
"That's right!"
So, you want me to help you gather ingredients for a potion you're making. And you'll give me that potion as a reward, which also means I'm your test subject?
Despite her naive appearance, she's shrewd enough to get everything she needs. If only Yui were half as clever.
Well, I don't know what a transformation potion is, but what I really needed was a letter of recommendation anyway.
"Then let's add one more thing to the reward."
"Huh? But I don't have any money to give you."
That's... a shame. I was hoping to squeeze some money out of you, too.
"Not money. Just write me a letter of recommendation."
"A letter of recommendation?"
"Yeah. A letter recommending me for S-rank adventurer. I just need yours."
"How should I write it?"
"I dunno either."
The format Gideon used was different from the one Lucia used, so I guess there's no set format.
"Just write whatever."
"Can I draw a bunny on it?"
"Do what you want."
"Okay! If you help me make the transformation potion, I'll write you as many as you want!"
Once this is over, I'll have four recommendations. Then the Four Heavenly Kings will be born. In that case, Amy will be the weakest of our Four Heavenly Kings.
"Alright. So where do we go now?"
"Let's do some sightseeing first!"
"Not to gather ingredients?"
"We came all the way to this distant land. It'd be no fun to just work without seeing the sights, right?"
As expected from a young client, she knows what's up. When it comes to having fun, I never say no.
"I'll be your guide, so just trust me and follow along!"
With that, Amy confidently strode forward. Following behind her, the other three shared their thoughts.
"She's, um, very energetic."
"I agree. I expected someone more... rigid."
"Isn't she cute because she's so small?"
Yui, you should look in a mirror.
As they were following slowly from behind, Amy stopped in front of a building. Above it was a sign with a picture of a round glass sphere, an image he had never seen before.
"This is where the man who researches bombs lives!"
"Bombs? That picture?"
"Yep!"
Following Amy, who led the way as if she were familiar with the place, they entered the building. Inside, they saw glass spheres scattered and piled up everywhere, and a small counter designed to fit a dwarf's height.
"Mister! I'm here!"
Shortly after Amy called out, a door behind the counter opened, and a short, stocky dwarf with a hooked nose emerged.
Everyone knew that dwarves were short, but he seemed even smaller with Amy, who was only about 150 cm tall, looking down at him.
"Amy? Didn't you say you had business in the Empire today?"
"I'm already back!"
"Haha. Did you use that teleportation stone thingamajig?"
"Of course! Oh, and even if you ask, the method is a trade secret!"
Then, the dwarf's eyes met mine. He asked curiously.
"And who are these people with you?"
"Oh, I forgot! These are the adventurers who are going to help me!"
"Still trying to make that potion?"
"Yep! It's theoretically perfect!"
"To be able to transform into any imagined form, ignoring the human skeleton... Honestly, if anyone but you had said it, I wouldn't have believed it."
So that's what the transformation potion does? If she can really make it, it seems like it would be useful in many ways. But since it never appeared in the original story, did she fail? Or was it supposed to show up later?
"More importantly, I want to show them the bombs you make. Is that okay?"
"Sure. Just grab any of the bombs lying around."
"Okay~"
Amy picked up a glass sphere that was near the counter.
"Hey, everyone. Could you come over here?"
The place Amy led us to was through a small door visible behind the counter. It was dwarf-sized, so we couldn't pass through, and instead went through a larger door to the side.
It opened up to an area enclosed by iron walls. In front was a sand pit, and on the ground, rocks were set up like targets.
"Watch carefully, okay? Dwarves all have low magic, so they can't use spells very well. That's why they developed their skills in other areas, like this."
Whoosh. The bomb she threw flew slowly through the air. And when it hit the rock and the sphere shattered.
-Boom─!
An explosion far more powerful than one would expect from such a small glass sphere erupted. However, it wasn't a typical explosion, but one that flashed as if a massive bolt of lightning had struck.
The rock hit by the bomb shattered, sending fragments flying in all directions. In the aftermath of the explosion, a residual electric current still flowed through the area.
"Did you see that? The iron filings gathered in the center of the glass sphere condense the magic so it doesn't disperse..."
Amy rambled on, excited. But I had no idea what she was saying. I was more interested in how to use it than the principle behind it.
"How do you use it?"
"Oh, this? You just gather magic inside this sphere and then trigger the elemental magic you want to use at the end. This one was a bomb filled with lightning magic."
"Can it do blood magic?"
"Umm... probably not. These were made for use against people, not monsters."
In other words, it can't contain blood magic, which humans can't use. It's a shame that vampires are considered monsters, but still, having these will make hunting much easier from now on.
***
After buying a large quantity of empty magic bombs and storing them in my inventory, we left the building.
"Oh, right. Amy. Do you know any blacksmiths?"
"Huh? This whole place is full of blacksmiths."
"Not just any blacksmith. The best one here."
"Umm... I don't really have weapons made, so I don't know much about that, but I'm personally acquainted with one blacksmith, so I'll take you to him first."
The place Amy led us to was a small, crudely built iron building with no sign.
"Is this really a smithy? There's no sign."
"Ah. That's because the smith doesn't sell his weapons. He only makes them for people he takes a liking to."
So it's like a hidden gem of a restaurant. Her description practically reeks of a master craftsman.
Amy, leading the way, opened the door.
-Whoosh!
An immense wave of heat washed over us. At the same time, we could hear the clang, clang of a hammer from within.
"Ugh... It's hot..."
If even Liche, who handles fire, said it was hot, then how would the others feel?
"I think I'm meeeelting..."
Yui had already been melting for a while. For reference, Luna had backed far away the moment she felt the heat.
Looking closely inside, someone was striking a hammer against an anvil. There were no torches or other lights inside the building; the only illumination came from the glow of the forge.
"Mister!!"
Amy called out, but the dwarf didn't react.
"Misterrr──!!!"
The second time. This time, it seemed to finally reach him, as the dwarf took off his swimming goggle-like eyewear and turned around.
"What is it?"
"Hello, mister! I brought someone who needs a blacksmith!"
The dwarf then gave my body a quick scan from top to bottom.
"Materials."
"He says to show him the materials for the weapon!"
Amy translated. It was a bit strange, but as long as we could communicate, it didn't matter. I took the materials from the Volcanic Horned Dragon and the branch of the World Tree out of my inventory.
"......!"
Upon seeing the materials, the dwarf's eyes widened slightly. Materials of this quality must be a rare sight, even for a dwarf. Just as I was about to say something.
"Get out."
"He says to leave the materials and get out!"
We were kicked out. Then, a small note slipped out from under the door.
[Three days.]
"What was that?"
"I wonder? Still, the other dwarves acknowledge his skill, so I'm sure he'll do a good job, right?"
"I think I'm the most normal one here. Don't you agree?"
""......""