Ch.264The Heirs of Grandorn

The Spiritus Tasting Evaluation Quest, which was set up to find survivors of Grandorn.

Morgan Nottingham, who came as the third participant, was exactly the person we were looking for.

We gave Morgan, who had fallen asleep for 3 hours after drinking Spiritus, the compensation of 10 gold and a bottle of Spiritus, and confessed that we were trying to find survivors of Grandorn in order to discover the legendary underground city of Technopolis.

Two days have passed since then.

“Pour! Drink! Wahahahaha!”

“Golden-haired pitiful maiden~ Your gaze seeps into my hammer~ Beautiful black iron ingot~”

“Hey! We’re out of side dishes! My stomach is still completely empty, so bring as much as you want! Hahaha…”

We are surrounded by dwarf miners having a drinking party in a cave halfway up a rocky mountain, quite far south of West End Seventh.

Some dwarves are repeatedly singing loudly, completely ignoring both pitch and rhythm,

Other dwarves are dancing unpleasantly behind their singing comrades, shirtless and flexing their muscles.

There are even dwarves performing elaborate fire shows with alcohol that doesn’t look suitable for consumption.

“This is beyond what you’d call a mess…”

“What does it matter? It’s better than being turned away at the door.”

“That’s true.”

This cave where the boisterous drinking party is taking place is Grandorn Zwei, a hidden dwarf mine unknown to the public.

It’s a settlement built by a group of old Grandorn survivors who moved west, and it was named as such to signify the succession of Grandorn’s legitimacy.

The Grandorn legitimacy they inherit is precisely that of a ‘closed city.’

It seems that building a perfect self-sufficient environment—cutting off human and material exchanges with the outside world and handling everything underground from food production to air and water supply—was the long-cherished wish of the Grandorn dwarves.

Thanks to this, the dwarves of Grandorn Zwei, their descendants, have continued a diet dependent on earth worms, rock lizards, and mushrooms for many years while holed up under the rocky mountain…

“Bread! Meat! Spaghetti!!”

“Beer! Whiskey! Spiritus!!”

“Hurray~~~!”

It’s understandable that they’re going crazy over the food and alcohol we’ve provided in exchange for information about Grandorn and Technopolis.

“Well… as the cook, I’m just happy they’re enjoying the food, so I don’t mind.”

“Thank you for saying so. Everyone’s gone wild because this is the first feast they’ve ever tasted.”

“Don’t you want to eat more?”

“I’ve had enough to fill my stomach. Besides, I need to provide the information I promised.”

With those words, Morgan plopped down across from us and began his story.

“To talk about Technopolis and Grandorn, I first need to explain why we live such an extreme lifestyle.”

“I was just wondering about that. No matter how important tradition is, if you’re experiencing inconvenience even in basic diet, it would make sense to consider farming at the foot of the mountain or interacting with pioneers.”

“Yeah. I can’t even imagine eating wild worms.”

“We’d like to do that too… but it’s impossible due to structural issues.”

Morgan answered like that while pointing to a round hatch on the floor inside the cave.

Below the wide-open hatch was a vertical passage just big enough for a male dwarf to pass through. I can still vividly recall the sight of chubby dwarf men popping up from that narrow circular passage.

“That passage is the only entrance to the mine. As you can see, it’s difficult to pass through while carrying luggage, and it’s not suitable for cargo to go up and down.”

“It looks that way. A small-built human might somehow be able to pass through with a bag.”

“If you go down that passage and through a short corridor, there’s a room called the inspection room. It’s a small room with detection magic tools and an automatic iron door, designed so that the door won’t open if you try to take items out of the mine or bring items in from outside. Clothes and small amounts of daily necessities are exceptions, though.”

A device that automatically scans people’s possessions and controls entry and exit.

It was quite shocking to learn that such a system was in place in Grandorn Zwei, which was built long ago.

“So the reason you’re all out here having this feast is…”

“Because you can’t pass through the monitoring room with this food. Of course, the same applies to outsiders like you.”

“To think they control the entry and exit of people and logistics so thoroughly…”

“Huh? Then isn’t it dangerous for you to come out like this and receive food from us?”

“That’s right. If your leader is that strict, it seems like they wouldn’t tolerate this kind of workaround.”

“That’s fine. Because it’s not a person.”

Everyone’s eyes, including mine, widened at the words “not a person.”

“What do you mean? Not a person?”

“Hmm, how should I explain this… A simulated intelligence entity that derives logical conclusions based on defined principles and thought processes, excluding emotions…”

“…Artificial intelligence?”

“Oh! That’s it. Artificial intelligence, that’s exactly the right word.”

Unlike the delighted Morgan, I couldn’t hide my uneasiness at the idea of an artificial intelligence ruling over the dwarves.

Seeing how excited they are about mere outside food, it’s clear they don’t view their current lifestyle entirely positively.

It’s not unreasonable to be reminded of a dystopia that prioritizes efficiency over human happiness.

“So you’re enduring this uncomfortable lifestyle because your lifeline is mortgaged to an artificial intelligence?”

“Not exactly. While it’s true that there are many inconveniences and complaints about our current lifestyle, if it became truly unbearable, we could choose to destroy the AI or leave this place.”

“Why don’t you do that?”

“For the great dream passed down through generations. For the completion of Technopolis.”

With clenched fists, Morgan looked at his dwarf compatriots chatting some distance away and began a long story.

The artificial intelligence currently ruling Grandorn Zwei was created in the old Grandorn mine, and its original purpose was to be the central system for managing and operating Technopolis.

It was meant to undergo test operations in the Grandorn mine until the construction of Technopolis was completed, after which it would be transferred and installed upon completion.

The problem was that when Grandorn was destroyed by monster anomalies and lava inflow, most of the data and personnel related to Technopolis were buried and lost in the lava.

This was the unfortunate result of keeping information about Technopolis limited to a small number of elites to prevent confidential leaks.

The dwarves who managed to escape with the AI by the skin of their teeth split into several groups and began to go their separate ways.

The group that became skeptical of the very idea of living in a closed city went east and built what is now the Eisenheim mine,

The group that agreed with the secluded lifestyle but refused to be managed by an AI moved north and built Nidavellir.

And those who inherited the existing methods and ideals have maintained, at least formally, the identity of a closed city under AI control here at Grandorn Zwei.

Dreaming of the moment when they could put the finishing touch—the AI—into Technopolis, not knowing where it was built or how complete it was.

“We’ve lived looking toward a dream that we thought could never be realized but couldn’t give up on. To think it might become reality in our generation… I’m more than moved; I’m dumbfounded.”

“Though we’ve only taken the first step so far.”

“The clue to Technopolis that we obtained contained four lines of text with meanings we couldn’t understand. We think they’re hints to the location of Technopolis… Could we possibly get your help?”

Jessica showed Morgan the paper in question.

A flat-nosed man with a balding forehead,

A woman with lightning sprouting from her crown,

A throat that continuously spews clear beer,

Grandorn’s symbol standing tall in the very center.

Morgan read each line aloud and then, after thinking for a moment, spoke.

“First of all, Grandorn’s symbol mentioned in the last line probably refers to the AI structure. There must be a facility in the center of Technopolis, or on the surface, where the structure is to be installed.”

“So just because it says ‘very center’ doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the central point on the ground…”

“Then what about the clues written before? Will speculated that the third clue refers to a spring of carbonated water. Do you have any idea where that might be?”

“Carbonated water…?”

“Ah, carbonated water is, you know, something that pops in your mouth—”

“…That’s it! Carbonated water! To think Technopolis would be near there!! Grendel! Hey Grendel! Come over here for a moment!”

Just as I was about to explain what carbonated water is, Morgan slapped his knee, jumped up from his seat, and ran over to a dwarf who had passed out some distance away, starting to shake him awake.

“Hey Grendel! This is no time to be sleeping! That carbonated water source your ancestor found, where’s the letter with its location? You didn’t throw it away, did you!?”

Morgan is vigorously slapping his comrade’s cheeks with sounds loud enough to be heard from here, trying to wake him up.

It seems another opportunity to take a step closer to the legendary Technopolis has arrived.