Ch.261Next Stage

After resolving a series of events from the hardliner faction’s rebellion to the cursed tree incident, we spent a night in the Aqua King tribe’s village before returning to Westend Sevens.

While I would have liked to confirm the totem replacement and the disappearance of the curse’s effects, it seemed that all rituals related to totems must be conducted without outsiders present, according to the beastfolk society’s rules.

Even though we had saved them from crisis, we couldn’t disrespect their traditions, so we decided to withdraw without complaint.

We agreed to provide the materials for the new totem to be installed in the Aqua King tribe’s village.

The creation of a totem requires stone or mineral materials with good magical conductivity or compatibility with spells, and there wasn’t time to leisurely procure new materials with the existing totem out of commission.

For this purpose, Mina combined gold mined from the dark elves’ hideout with titanium to create a golden lion statue, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship of the dwarf race, and donated it to the Aqua King tribe.

This lion statue will forever display its unchanging brilliance as a token of friendship, hoping that the Aqua King tribe of Bekya will move toward harmony with all races, including the pioneers.

With this series of events surrounding the pioneers and the Aqua King tribe concluded, we returned to Westend Sevens for a period of rest and reorganization.

While visiting the Adventurer’s Guild to look for work, we received unexpected news.

“There’s a letter for us?”

“Yes. Specifically for party member Minaret Belghand, sent from Black Forge Mine.”

“From Mina’s father… I suppose he’s worried about his daughter?”

“Huh~? My dad isn’t the type to do that though?”

Mina received the letter from the staff member and opened the envelope on the spot to check its contents.

The beginning of the somewhat worn-looking letter contained typical greetings asking if she was healthy and mentioning that he had heard news about her through the newspaper, but as Mina read further, she suddenly folded the letter and tucked it away with the envelope into her bag.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shh… This isn’t something to be read in a crowded place. Let’s go back to our lodgings first.”

“We just left the lodgings, but… alright. If Mina says so, it must be important.”

Could something strange be happening again at Black Forge Mine?

Even if that were the case, it would take quite a few days to return to Zemest from here…

Such worries of mine completely vanished as soon as we returned to our lodgings and I read the contents of the letter Mina unfolded.

“T-This is…!”

“A legendary underground city passed down among the dwarf race…?”

“If the contents of this letter are true, we can’t just sit still. Though it probably has nothing to do with Arcane Ward.”

The contents of Offenbartel’s letter were as follows:

Hundreds of years ago, representatives of the dwarf race, who lived in mines across various regions, gathered to carry out a joint project.

Given the dwarven tendency to become isolated due to their scattered settlements, which could lead to uneven or stagnant technological development, the project aimed to promote technological advancement for the entire race by periodically sharing expertise.

For this significant project, stonemasons, mining technicians, and architects selected from dwarf mines across different regions gathered to build a massive labyrinthine city underground. In the deepest part of this city, they prepared an exhibition hall to store numerous inventions, rare alloys, blueprints, and more.

Afterward, dwarves who achieved new inventions or technological innovations would submit their work to this exhibition hall and receive the title of “Grand Meister,” operating as a system somewhat similar to the Nobel Prize in Science.

However, the project only garnered support from the dwarf race for about 50 years.

As black magic covered the world and monsters influenced by it gradually expanded their power, the dwarf race, lacking sufficient means to counter this threat, found no reason to risk their lives to submit inventions. After all, the glorious title of Grand Meister and the accompanying research funds could only be enjoyed if one remained alive.

Eventually, the underground city that concentrated the technologies of numerous dwarves, commonly known as “Technopolis,” was decided to be sealed until the day dwarves could freely travel above ground again. As hundreds of years passed, the existence of Technopolis gradually faded from the memories of the dwarf race.

“It says records about this Technopolis have been discovered and are enclosed with the letter…”

“Mom found it while sorting through my maternal grandfather’s belongings at her hometown house. Apparently, they were once a family famous for their clockmaking skills?”

“‘Apparently’? It’s your maternal family, isn’t it?”

“My grandfather passed away before I was born. Besides, Mom’s hometown is quite far into the mountains from Riverside, so I’ve never been there.”

“True, I’ve heard that dwarves are vulnerable to monster attacks, so they rarely travel unless absolutely necessary.”

“That’s why they created Technopolis to compensate for the technological gap, but even that ended up being sealed due to practical issues…”

“Well then, let’s see what’s written about this sealed underground city.”

As I spread out the paper enclosed with the letter on the table, the previously lively atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.

The old paper, showing clear signs of age, contained the following written in a crooked, rough handwriting:

=============================

Discovered a large lake that monsters avoid completely.

If I can uncover the secret of this lake, perhaps Technopolis could be revived?

↓

No devices or magic circles found around the lake.

Is it magic cast on the space itself?

↓

Determined that nothing can be done with current technology.

The only hope lies in the inventions preserved in the Technopolis exhibition hall.

↓

It was impossible after all.

Attacked by monsters just one day after departure and barely returned alive.

It seems both legs must be amputated.

↓

Though I couldn’t realize the dream of reviving Technopolis, it wasn’t a bad life overall.

I wonder if any of my descendants would fulfill this dream in my place.

↓

Records about Technopolis seem to be largely disappearing.

If I don’t leave some hints, it might be forgotten forever.

↓

A flat-nosed man with a balding forehead

A woman with lightning sprouting from her crown

A throat from which transparent beer gushes forth

The symbol of Grandorn towering in the very center

↓

I regret not being able to leave detailed and accurate records.

It can’t be helped because there are those who would destroy Technopolis or misuse its technology.

Long live the dwarf race. Long live technological innovation.

=============================

“This appears to be a record left by someone from much earlier than Mina’s maternal grandfather.”

“Indeed. The ‘lake that monsters avoid’ mentioned in the first line must certainly be Moonlight Lake, but there’s no mention of the Silver Wolf tribe.”

“At first, he focused on the magical effect of Moonlight Lake to revive Technopolis, but when he determined it couldn’t be directly utilized, he placed his hope in the lost technologies preserved in Technopolis…”

“But in the end, he had to give up due to his injuries, and wanted to entrust his dream to his descendants along with this record.”

The atmosphere grows slightly solemn due to the heavier-than-expected content.

While it’s unclear exactly when the Silver Wolf tribe settled near Moonlight Lake, it was certainly much earlier than when white magic bullet guns began circulating in dwarf society.

The conclusion that someone who held such a grand dream of reviving Technopolis in such a dangerous situation ultimately lost both legs and ended in frustration makes the reader feel conflicted.

However, despite this tragic ending, this person did not despair but entrusted his dream to future descendants.

That dream was passed down through generations and through marriage connections until it reached Mina.

“Now I feel determined to find it no matter what.”

“I agree. A secret underground city concentrating dwarven technology… not only is it an attractive adventure in itself, but it should also have great academic value.”

“For that, we’ll need to figure out the meaning of these riddle-like sentences written here.”

“Ah, we can think about how this person planned to revive Technopolis later.”

The four lines Phyllis points to are undoubtedly the crucial hints for finding Technopolis.

‘A flat-nosed man with a balding forehead’

‘A woman with lightning sprouting from her crown’

‘A throat from which transparent beer gushes forth’

‘The symbol of Grandorn towering in the very center’

…Figuring out what these mean is going to be quite a headache.