Ch.197Chapter 197: The Kingdom of Duron (3)

# Chapter 197: The Kingdom of Duron (3)

Lamrpo’s secret reception room had instantly transformed into an emergency operations center.

The high-class food had long been pushed aside, and the table was now cluttered with detailed maps of the Duron Kingdom, complex magitech engineering blueprints, and encrypted reports that Lamrpo had hurriedly brought in.

The air in the room remained heavy for a while even after Lamrpo’s desperate explanation had ended.

“…So, to summarize.”

Valt spoke with his arms crossed, his cold eyes alternating between Lamrpo and the materials on the table.

His manner of speech remained informal.

“To complete the ‘Life Spring Water Storage Core,’ we need five different core components, and these parts are all scattered across five different factories or specific locations throughout the Duron Kingdom. Is that right, Lamrpo?”

Lamrpo nodded, almost whimpering.

“Y-yes! That’s correct, Your Highness!”

He spread out a map with marked locations and data crystals containing information about each component in front of Valt.

“The first one, the ‘Cryogenic Mana Stabilization Core,’ is stored here, at the 3rd Cryogenic Research Workshop on the outskirts of the capital, Siduron. It’s such a sensitive item that I must go there personally to perform the final stabilization process before it can be transported. However… there have been reports of suspicious movements around the workshop recently, possibly the Dark Circle, and the Royal Knights have strengthened security and are controlling access…”

“The second item, the ‘Primary Power Conversion Device,’ lies deep within an ancient mana power plant in the eastern mountain region of Duron, which is now closed. The internal structure is maze-like, and ancient defensive golems that are still operational make it extremely dangerous. Again, only authorized personnel can enter.”

Valt felt a throbbing in his head.

“And that would be you, Lamrpo.”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“Continue.”

Lamrpo continued his explanation.

“The third item, the ‘Mana Focusing Lens,’ must be collected directly from the mages at the Magic Tower Workshop located in the southern sea of Duron. They won’t meet with anyone, even me, outside of scheduled appointments…”

“The fourth item, the ‘Mana Conversion Gear,’ is held at Factory No. 4 in the western plains of the Duron Kingdom. This is relatively easier—if I go there personally, I can retrieve the item quickly.”

“Finally… the fifth item, the ‘Dimensional Phase Mana Stabilizer,’ is at the secret Factory No. 5 near the ‘Distorted Forest’ in the southwest of the kingdom, where dimensional rifts frequently occur. But the forest… it only opens at certain times, so we can’t go there whenever we want to retrieve the item.”

As Lamrpo’s explanation grew longer, the expressions of Valt’s group became increasingly grim.

This wasn’t simply about retrieving five items.

It was an extreme challenge—clearing five dungeons with different types of dangers within a time limit.

Riman finally spoke up.

“Are the Duron people perverts? Who stores things like this?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Lamrpo continued speaking.

“And… the biggest problem, Your Highness!”

Lamrpo cried out, almost wailing.

“These components are extremely sensitive to magical interference, so teleportation is absolutely! Never! Possible! If mishandled, they could explode and blow up the surrounding area. They must be transported by physical means, in specially designed containers with vibration protection and magical shielding, and handled with extreme caution.”

Valt finally placed his massive hand on his forehead.

“And the deadline is… six days from now, before sunset! We must arrive at the southern Gerungtu territory before the sun sets! To visit all five locations scattered across this vast Duron Kingdom, safely retrieve these dangerous components, and transport them to the south… It’s impossible! Even without interference from the Dark Circle, the schedule is impossible…”

Lamrpo finally dropped his head onto the table in despair.

Silence fell. Team members could only look at each other’s faces, no one daring to speak up.

“Puhahahahaha!”

It was Yuria who broke the silence. She was holding her stomach, laughing.

“Wow~ This sounds super fun! A race to the underworld in six days! Anyone want to bet? Will we succeed, or will that chubby old man get his head chopped off by Kwan!”

Lamrpo covered his thick chin with both hands and muttered.

“No… Lady Yuria… why are you betting on my neck…”

“It’ll be fun! If we succeed, Lamrpo lives! If we fail, he dies! Kyahahahaha.”

“No… I mean… why are you finding entertainment in my life…”

Lamrpo’s muttering didn’t reach Yuria.

Lati, being a mage with extensive knowledge, stared at the map with a serious expression.

“Hmm… even if we optimize the travel route, there’s physically too little time. Considering the time it takes to retrieve parts at each location, plus unexpected variables…”

She shook her head.

“Mr. Lamrpo… maybe you should just write your will?”

Professor Riman stroked his chin and muttered.

“Six days… it’s not completely impossible, is it?”

Everyone’s attention turned to Riman.

Valt quickly asked, “Do you have a solution, Professor?”

Riman cleared his throat once, then pointed to specific locations on the map.

“Realistically, does it seem possible to travel to these five distant factories without teleportation and send everything to the south within six days?”

“It’s impossible.”

Riman grinned and said, “Right, it’s impossible by land.”

Lati was the one who responded.

“Ah! That’s right! The sky route!”

Riman smiled at Lati and nodded toward the map of the Duron Kingdom spread out on the table.

“Land travel is out of the question. No magitech train or anything else will work for this distance. If teleportation is impossible, the only option is the sky route. And we need something fast, sturdy, and capable of withstanding most attacks.”

Valt caught his intention and asked, “An airship…!”

Riman nodded.

“That’s right. As expected of my student. You already knew? And it needs to be a very special one. From Lamrpo’s description, these five components seem quite bulky and sensitive to shock. We need something capable of crossing the continent while carrying them.”

Valt looked at Lamrpo.

“Lamrpo, does your merchant guild or the Duron Kingdom have such an airship that we could use? The fastest and safest one.”

Lamrpo hesitated for a moment, then, his already pale face turning even whiter, he spoke with difficulty.

“Your Highness… such an airship does exist in Duron. In terms of speed, range, defense, and even stealth capabilities… I can proudly say it’s the best among existing airships. It’s a high-speed infiltration military airship called ‘Tempest,’ operated exclusively by the royal ‘Magitech Knights.'”

“Tempest?”

“Yes. The problem is…”

Lamrpo swallowed hard.

“That airship… like the ‘Life Spring Water Storage Core’ that Your Highness needs to secure, is classified as one of our Duron Kingdom’s core strategic assets, a first-class strategic resource.”

Valt frowned.

“What’s with all these strategic assets…!”

“Yes. It’s used only for highly restricted missions such as royal family evacuation, enemy infiltration, or national treasure transport in emergencies. No one, not even a merchant guild master like myself, is ever granted permission to use it outside of military operations. Without a special permit bearing the royal seal of the highest grade, you couldn’t even approach the hangar door.”

Lamrpo’s voice was filled with deep despair. Just when they thought they had found a solution, they hit another massive wall.

“Well, that’s to be expected. The means to utilize the skies are more limited than one might think. Even the Empire couldn’t import more than a few airships from Duron.”

Professor Riman glanced at Valt, then stood up resolutely.

“But we don’t have time. We should at least ask, shouldn’t we? Your father’s wrath will be directed at Duron, after all.”

He nodded at Valt.

He seemed to be pointing at Princess Siloin’s brooch that Valt kept inside his clothes.

“Valt, Princess Siloin’s brooch should at least give us grounds to meet with the royal family.”

Valt nodded at Professor Riman’s words.

They had to at least try.

Valt made his decision.

“Lamrpo, you stay here, report the entire situation to the princess, and request her help. She said she’d come tomorrow, so we’ll assess the situation first.”

Then Riman addressed everyone.

“Valt and I will go. The rest of you guard this place. Without Lamrpo, this whole plan falls apart.”

Lamrpo’s cheeks trembled as he spoke.

“P-Professor, but it won’t be easy. Duron has never lent an airship to merchants before…”

Riman tried to reassure Lamrpo.

“The Duron royal family aren’t blockheads, so it should be fine. They might face war with Kwan—can they really refuse us?”

While the others were momentarily speechless at Professor Riman’s brazen attitude, they decided to place their hopes in his confident demeanor.

Valt considered Riman’s plan.

Requesting a strategic asset without royal permission.

It was no ordinary matter. But they had no time.

Perhaps with the royal token from Princess Siloin and Professor Riman’s reputation, it might not be impossible.

Valt looked at his remaining companions.

“The rest of you wait here, prepare for any contingencies, and prioritize Lamrpo’s safety. Be especially vigilant as the Dark Circle might notice this situation and make a move.”

Solpin was the first to respond.

“Don’t worry. Just get that flying machine or airship or whatever. It would be a shame if Lamrpo died.”

Lamrpo trembled at Solpin’s words.

“Eeeek, please don’t kill me.”

Then Valt turned to Professor Riman.

“Let’s go, Professor. We’ll get the permission as quickly as possible.”

“Kuk kuk, yes, let’s go, my student.”

Without further delay, Valt and Professor Riman left the reception room.

Their destination was the heart of the Duron Kingdom—either the royal palace or the Magitech Knights’ headquarters.

While Lamrpo was contacting Princess Siloin to protect his family and merchant guild, they needed to secure the “strategic asset” airship from the deepest part of the Duron Kingdom.

In the end, the first thing Valt had to do after coming all the way to the Duron Kingdom was to run an errand for his father.

Realizing this, Valt felt a surge of frustration.

‘Damn it all…’