Ch.122Northern Fortress

Northern Fortress, which I had expected to be in chaos due to the monster attack and fire, was surprisingly calm and composed, contrary to my expectations.

The people who had come out to intercept the Fire Drake skillfully extinguished the fires caused by the incendiary shells by sprinkling fire-suppressing sand that was placed throughout the area. Since almost all buildings were made of stone and there were no flammable materials stored outside, property damage was close to zero.

It seems that this level of monster attack is just an everyday occurrence for the residents of Northern Fortress.

“Oh! It’s you folks! Welcome!”

After unpacking at the travelers’ lodging and heading to a building with a blacksmith’s sign, the dwarf man from earlier greeted us warmly.

Inside the shop, various goods were displayed, from metal products like kitchen knives and frying pans to leather vests, bags, and even saddles.

“I’ve just finished appraising the Fire Drake materials. How does 120 gold per drake sound for the purchase price?”

“Sounds good.”

Three drakes for a total of 360 gold.

It seemed somewhat low for handing over three whole dragons, but Jessica accepted the shopkeeper’s offer without hesitation, and the shopkeeper seemed rather surprised by her straightforward response.

“It’s odd to say this after making the purchase, but are you really fine with that price? I expected you to haggle for at least twice as much.”

“Our party doesn’t have anyone who can process monster materials, so we’re satisfied just getting some extra income. A dwarf craftsman would pay at least a fair minimum price for quality materials, right?”

“Of course. Making items with fraudulently purchased materials brings bad luck.”

“Yes, yes. That’s common sense among dwarves.”

Mina chimed in agreement with the shopkeeper and subtly stepped forward.

Jessica’s role was to settle the debt related to selling the Fire Drake materials; now it was Mina’s turn to show her skills.

“Say, mister, you’re from Korkas Mine, right?”

“That’s right. These days I make more money working with leather and bones than from my main profession as a blacksmith.”

“Hehehe~ Since we’re giving you the Fire Drake materials at a good price, there’s something I’d like to ask~”

“I thought there might be a catch when you agreed so readily. Well, what do you want?”

“I’d like to mine some titanium. Do you happen to know where deposits might be found?”

“Titanium? Why that troublesome material?”

“I’m a magical tool craftsman, and I need it for something I’m researching. I’d like to mine enough for about 10 ingots.”

“Hmm, titanium deposits…”

The shopkeeper stroked his bushy beard thoughtfully, then shook his head with a serious expression.

“Nothing comes to mind right away. There used to be quite a lot buried deep in the old abandoned mine, but it would be impossible for outsiders to enter.”

“Old abandoned mine?”

“Korkas Mine had an accident three years ago that caused most of the tunnels in use at the time to be closed off. The surviving dwarves extract minimal minerals from the tunnels that remain open, and we call the closed-off area the ‘old abandoned mine.'”

“Ugh… what kind of accident would make dwarves abandon a mine? Did someone forget to perform hardening after drinking and cause a collapse?”

“As if dwarves would make such a mistake. While digging along a vein, we accidentally connected to an ancient ruin teeming with monsters.”

That seems like just as terrible a mistake as a collapse, but let’s move on. A word has emerged that greatly piques our interest.

“There’s a ruin inside the mine?”

“That’s what we call it for convenience, but we don’t know its actual purpose or when it was built. We had to evacuate while fighting off the swarming monsters, with no time for detailed investigation.”

“Hmm… an unexplored ancient ruin is something I’d really like to visit.”

Jessica spoke in a calm voice, but she couldn’t hide the anticipation gleaming in her eyes.

It’s understandable, considering that every ancient ruin we’ve visited—from the Ancestor to the magic generator to clues about ancient religions—has yielded significant rewards without exception.

“But why didn’t you ask for help after losing such an important mine to monsters?”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. If you had posted a request at the Adventurers’ Guild in Atelier, they could have gathered adventurers to attempt to reclaim the mine.”

“There were circumstances that prevented us from seeking help from settlers. In particular, there are many documents inside the old mine that we don’t want exposed to outsiders.”

I think it’s unlikely that those documents would still be properly preserved after being abandoned for three years… but considering dwarven technology, perhaps that’s not so improbable.

Whatever the case, we have no interest in the dwarves’ secret documents. We’d be satisfied just to defeat the monsters, reclaim the mine, and get our hands on the titanium.

“If we help eliminate the monsters occupying the abandoned mine and promise to keep your secrets, could you guide us to this abandoned mine?”

“If you could truly do that, it would be most welcome, but I’m not sure if the current director would trust your promise of confidentiality.”

“What if we had a trustworthy track record? For example, knowing about the existence of Negatite but keeping it secret.”

“Nega…! H-how does a human like you know that name!?”

“Mina here is the daughter of the Black Forge Mine director. We solved a certain incident related to Negatite with her. Of course, we’ve never once mentioned that name where anyone outside our party members and dwarves could hear it.”

In reality, we’ve never even mentioned it to Phyllis, who is a party member, but let’s gloss over that detail.

The shopkeeper seemed slightly shocked by my words and couldn’t respond, instead looking at Mina’s face.

“It’s true. My name is Minarette Belghand, and here’s my license card. Even dwarves who are insensitive to news from other communities must have heard the name Oppenbartel Belghand?”

“Of course! The mighty Oppenbartel! The one who supposedly juggled 100-gallon beer barrels!”

“Ah~ That seems a bit exaggerated, but I heard he was called by such a nickname.”

The truth was that it was a nationwide scam using an artifact with a lightening enchantment, but never mind that.

Additionally, that “artifact” was mercilessly disassembled by his only daughter and used as parts for a cat-folk warrior’s spear.

“I see. So the mighty Oppenbartel is the current director of Black Forge… hmm, that seems plausible.”

“These companions of mine are adventurers whom my father trusted to keep dwarven secrets. If you explain this well to your director, you might be able to reclaim your precious mine this time, right? In fact, you couldn’t find anyone more suitable to help than us~”

Mina poked the shopkeeper’s side with her elbow while giving a meaningful smile.

That smirking little brat’s face is rather irritating, but what she’s saying is absolutely correct.

Setting aside mere verbal promises of confidentiality, it would be hard to find other adventurers who have earned enough trust from a mine director—essentially a dwarf community representative—to be entrusted with secrets.

They must have seen our skill when we easily dispatched the Fire Drakes, and having a dwarf technician in our party would be another plus for investigating the abandoned mine.

“…Very well. I’ll contact the mine.”

“If you just tell us the location, we could go directly and talk to them ourselves?”

“The exact location of Korkas Mine is not to be disclosed to outsiders as a matter of principle. This is one rule I cannot break, even for you folks. It will take a day or two for a response to come, so please stay here and wait for contact.”

“If that’s the rule, we have no choice. Please put in a good word for us.”

“I’ll do my best.”

After shaking hands with the shopkeeper, we left the blacksmith shop and returned directly to our lodging.

It was an inconvenient setup—a large 8-person room with fees charged per person and shared shower facilities on the first floor—but compared to the Ambers Ranch community center, it could still be considered proper accommodation.

“So we’re stuck waiting until we hear from Korkas Mine…”

“It’s fine. Just being able to get an introduction to the dwarves at the mine is already a big achievement.”

“I agree. The dwarves of the Korkas Mountains seem quite insular, so if we had gone there on our own, we would have been turned away at the door.”

“Hmm~ They’re strange people, even though they’re my kin. Without external exchange, technological development is impossible, yet they cut off interaction with other races and even hide their mine’s location. It’s bizarre.”

“Isn’t that normal?”

“Of course not. What’s the point of making amazing things with metals and gems if you don’t sell them to others? They’re not worms that eat stones for a living.”

As Mina says, no matter how excellent dwarven craftsmanship might be, without trading partners, it’s just bad inventory.

For a group of technicians like them, cutting off external exchange would bring far more disadvantages than advantages. What crucial secret could be so important that it requires such isolation?

Perhaps on this journey to the Korkas Mountains, we’ll encounter something beyond our imagination.

“Anyway, let’s make our own preparations while waiting for the mine’s response. In the worst case, we might need to sneak into the abandoned mine or thoroughly search the accessible areas to find titanium deposits.”

“Neither option sounds particularly good.”

“True enough. Anyway, it’s about time for dinner. What should we do?”

“I don’t recommend eating at the local restaurant. They import ingredients from Atelier and add a huge markup, so it’s expensive.”

“So it’s bread and smoked meat then… truly, bless our master craftsman mother-in-law.”

With almost no facilities for travelers, lodging that resembles a miniature military barracks, and restaurants that overcharge visitors, it’s hard to form a good impression of Northern Fortress.

Let’s just hope for a positive response from the dwarves of Korkas Mine.