Ch.262Where is the Technopolis?

Technopolis, the fantastical underground city where the advanced technology of the Dwarven race lies dormant. Having obtained a clue to its secrets, we were deeply engrossed in solving the riddles written within.

A flat-nosed man with a balding forehead,

A woman with lightning sprouting from her crown,

A throat that continuously spews transparent beer,

And… the symbol of Grandorn standing tall in the exact center.

Deciphering the meaning of these sentences would be the first step in our journey to find Technopolis.

“Well… logically thinking, these sentences probably refer to landmarks that serve as markers.”

“I think so too. Using distinctive objects as geographical reference points is a common practice among Elves and Beastkin as well.”

“Yeah. It would be disastrous if monsters got hold of carelessly made maps.”

While pioneers typically carry maps when traveling outside the city, I’ve heard that native societies tend to strongly discourage the creation or possession of maps.

Unlike barrier towers, facilities such as sacred trees or totems don’t inherently repel monsters, making the risk of map leakage much greater.

It seems that when these records were written, there were forces suspected of wanting to destroy or misuse Technopolis, which explains why hints were left in such ambiguous sentences.

“The problem is where on earth we can find things that look like this.”

“True. Rocks and mountains can look completely different depending on the viewing angle, so we can’t just wander around aimlessly without knowing the approximate location.”

“Then how about we start by investigating this ‘throat that continuously spews transparent beer’? Based on the nuance, it seems to refer to a water source.”

“A water source where beer springs forth… how fantastic~”

Mina was spreading her wings of imagination with an expression of ecstasy, but if Phyllis’s guess was correct, that water source wouldn’t live up to Mina’s expectations.

Because the liquid flowing from there would be “transparent beer,” in other words—

“It must be carbonated water.”

“Carbonated water? What’s that?”

“It’s water with fizzy air dissolved in it. I thought some natives might know about it, even if pioneers don’t.”

“Both Elves and Beastkin fundamentally depend on agriculture. No matter how special or interesting water might be, they wouldn’t dare settle there without confidence that it’s suitable for farming.”

“Same goes for Dwarves. If there are strange substances dissolved in the water, like heavy metals, crops would wither and die.”

If a drinking water source were contaminated with heavy metals, I think it would be more serious than just ruining crops…

Anyway, I understand that carbonated water is virtually unknown to both pioneers and natives.

This suggests that sources of carbonated water must be rare, meaning if we can find one, the chances of it being the “right place” increase significantly.

“Alright. Let’s set the throat that continuously spews transparent beer—the carbonated water source—as our primary target and begin our investigation.”

“I’ll check if there are any records of similar places discovered during wide-area surveys.”

“It would be good to inquire through letters to the Elves of the Oak Sanctuary, the Dwarves of Nidavellir, and the Silver Wolf Tribe.”

“Yes. Let’s ask the Water King Tribe too.”

“It would be nice if we could seek advice from Lady Anastasia as well.”

“Ah yes, we should use every means available to us. But before that…”

I reached into my bag and pulled out the Glory Chalice that I’ve always relied on.

Thanks to the Box of Frozen Time, I can now carry large quantities of food ingredients. The Glory Chalice was intended to be used to secure various liquid seasonings in bulk, but—

*Fizzzzzz*

“Shouldn’t we all know what this carbonated water we’re looking for is like?”

Today, I decided to use it to let everyone experience carbonated water.

It was plain carbonated water without any additives, so it didn’t have a special taste, but it was amusing to see some people fascinated and others perplexed by the unique sensation of bubbles popping in their mouths.

As a bonus, approximately one person let out a loud burp and turned bright red with embarrassment, but for the sake of their honor, I won’t reveal who it was.

~~~ In Will’s Dream, the Great Sage’s Villa Living Room ~~~

While Jessica, Seti, Mina, and Phyllis were bustling about gathering information in their own ways, I entered the dream world to meet Anastasia.

The Dwarven technicians began constructing Technopolis hundreds of years ago.

In other words, it happened long before pioneers crossed over to Grantis, so I thought Anastasia might provide at least some small clues.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Really?”

But my expectations were completely dashed.

Even the great Lady Anastasia knew absolutely nothing about Technopolis.

“I don’t know everything about ancient Grantis. Above all, I fled to an isolated space right after the ‘Tower of Miracles’ collapsed to escape the black mana, so if Technopolis was built after that, how could I possibly know about it?”

“Ah… that’s certainly possible.”

“It’s almost certainly the case. The collapse of the Tower of Miracles was an event that brought shock and despair to all who survived at that time, so even the Dwarves wouldn’t have been in a position to discuss technological exchanges.”

When black mana was encroaching upon Grantis, the Great Sage Deidric Asmad, after numerous failures, finally succeeded in temporarily halting the spread of black mana using a facility called the ‘Tower of Miracles.’

However, when the tower was destroyed by some unknown force, the surviving races had no choice but to abandon efforts to contain the black mana and seek their own paths to survival.

The first priority for survival was to find locations suitable for large populations and install means to protect themselves from black mana.

In such an urgent situation, dividing their workforce to build an underground city for technological exchange would certainly be unnatural.

“I guess there’s no helping it. I’ll have to wait for information to come in from other sources… Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of springs where carbonated water flows?”

“Carbonated water? What is that?”

Huh, so even Anastasia hasn’t tried it?

Thinking this was unexpected, I briefly explained carbonated water, and Anastasia tilted her head with a curious expression.

“Water that fizzes in your mouth? You drink such suspicious things? What a difficult taste to understand.”

“Is it? It was actually quite a popular beverage in my homeland. Though we did add fruit flavors or sweetness.”

“Mixing sugar and fruit juice just to make impure water somehow drinkable… your homeland must have been quite a barren environment.”

Oh, so that’s what you think?

It seems this hikikomori queen needs to be introduced to some modern wonders.

I’ll treat her not just to carbonated water, but to the best-selling divine beverage on Earth.

“Anastasia, is there a way to summon artifacts I have in reality into the dream?”

“That’s as easy as eating cold porridge. Take my hand and imagine that object appearing on the table.”

“Great. Then…”

Following Anastasia’s instructions, I summoned the Glory Chalice.

Although it’s an item that can only be used once a day, it should be fine in a dream!

Believing this, I channeled mana into the chalice, and a dark brown liquid that might be Co*a or Pe*si slowly began to fill it.

*Fizzzzzz*

“Here, take a big gulp.”

“Are you serious? You want me to drink that bubbling mud-like liquid?”

“If you can still call it ‘just impure water’ after drinking this, I’ll spend the rest of tonight atoning for the sin of ruining Your Majesty’s palate.”

“I’ve heard you clearly. Don’t think about backing out later.”

With those words, Anastasia snatched the Glory Chalice filled with cola and, after taking a deep breath, began to sip it little by little.

About ten seconds later, Anastasia’s tightly closed eyes flew open, and she looked at me with an expression full of surprise and joy.

“W-what is this! How can such a beverage exist in this world!?”

“Does it please you, Your Majesty?”

“Need you ask! The tingling sensation like fine champagne and the subtle sweetness that spreads throughout! Yet there’s no hint of intoxication—truly a heavenly drink worthy of its name!”

Showering praise on the taste of cola she was experiencing for the first time, Anastasia held the cup with both hands and began to boldly gulp down the remaining cola.

“I understand it’s delicious, but if you drink it all at once like that—”

“Gulp, gulp… Ahhh~ Hm? What did you just sa—HIC!?”

“Ah.”

Startled by the sudden hiccup, Anastasia’s face turned bright red as she tried to make excuses for her unseemly behavior, but unfortunately, that choice led to the worst possible outcome.

“J-just now, that was—BUUUUUUURRRRRP~~~~~~”

…After that, it took about three hours to calm down the panicked Anastasia.