Ch.265Technopolis Exploration Expedition

# Three Hints to the Location of Technopolis

The three hints indicating the location of Technopolis. Among them, the location of the carbonated spring water—the only clue that had been deciphered—had been passed down as a family heirloom in a technician’s household in Grandorn Zwei.

The location was approximately 140 kilometers north-northeast of Westend Seventh.

There was a table mountain formation, as if a portion of the land had suddenly jutted upward, and hidden inside a small cave in that formation was the carbonated spring water.

The reason the dwarves of Grandorn Zwei, who strictly controlled their interactions with the outside world, were able to discover a cave so far away was, ironically, thanks to the artificial intelligence’s control.

No matter how committed they were to inheriting their ancestors’ dreams, there were inevitably members who grew weary of the closed-off life in Grandorn Zwei. These individuals would declare their departure from the community to the AI, then set off on journeys with small black mana stones on their backs.

They ventured into the perilous outside world where monsters roamed—a journey from which they could never return.

Grendel’s ancestor, who had departed on such a journey, miraculously traversed the long distance and settled in the cave on the fault cliff.

He lived a leisurely life drinking the carbonated water that flowed there instead of alcohol until his death. An automaton in the shape of a bird that he had created during his lifetime returned to Grandorn Zwei carrying his will.

“What came enclosed with that will was…”

“This ‘Map of the Awesome Spring Water.'”

“Awesome…”

Let’s set aside the naming sense for now.

What’s important is that this map contains remarkably accurate topographical information, and it reveals that the carbonated spring water we’ve been looking for is hidden inside a cave.

“So the reason no one discovered such a unique spring was because it was hidden inside a cave.”

“The accuracy is so high that it’s hard to believe it was made by an individual. As expected of a dwarf, I have nothing else to say.”

“No, no, while they might excel at underground or indoor measurements, outdoor surveying isn’t their specialty. This person was just extraordinary.”

If the carbonated spring water shown on this map is truly a hint leading to Technopolis, it means that Grendel’s ancestor had reached the doorstep of Technopolis.

If he hadn’t been satisfied with just discovering the unusual spring and had thoroughly investigated the surroundings, the glory of discovering Technopolis might have been his.

“Anyway, this decides our next destination. Let’s stop by Westend Seventh to purify the black mana and then go.”

“140 kilometers… it’ll be quite a forced march if we want to secure time to survey the surrounding terrain.”

“We might need to make several trips back and forth between the western city and the site.”

“…About that, could you give us just one day before we depart?”

Morgan’s serious voice called out to us as we were about to depart immediately for the Technopolis investigation.

“You want us to wait one day? Is there more information left?”

“No, this is all the information I can provide now.”

“Then why?”

“To assemble an expedition team to participate in the exploration of Technopolis.”

The completion of Technopolis was a dream passed down since the old Grandorn Mine era.

The gist of the request was to allow the dwarves of Grandorn Zwei to accompany us on this glorious journey of discovery.

“Of course, I know that we would only be a hindrance if we followed along, unable to properly fight monsters. Food and travel expenses would also be a burden, so I’m prepared to pay for these costs with gems.”

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t take items out of the mine?”

“Not under the AI’s management. But that management will end tomorrow. If you allow us to accompany you, we plan to detach and bring the AI structure.”

“You’re going to take that? What about the people who remain in the mine?”

“The absence of AI won’t affect survival. It was something that would eventually need to be moved to Technopolis anyway.”

“Ah… I guess that’s true.”

The artificial intelligence managing Grandorn Zwei is only used for the efficient operation of the closed city; it’s not as if the dwarves couldn’t survive without it.

Rather, by breaking free from the AI’s control, they could start interacting with pioneers or farming to enjoy a more abundant life.

For them, this is an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: finding and completing Technopolis while also liberating themselves from the AI’s management.

“OK. Since it’s come to this, let’s go together. However, there’s a limit to how many people we can fit in the carriage, so the number of expedition members…”

“If we use the Stone House, we should be able to accommodate about 10 people, right?”

“Ah, that’s right. Please limit it to a maximum of 10 people.”

“Understood. We’ll complete preparations by tomorrow morning.”

With those final words, Morgan roused the dwarves sprawled around and led them back into the passage in an orderly fashion.

A journey with 10 dwarves… I should stock up on plenty of whiskey when we stop at Westend Seventh.

~ ~ ~ Northeast of Westend Seventh, Hilly Region ~ ~ ~

‘Tatatang!’

“Kekang!”

After departing from Grandorn Zwei with 10 dwarves, we rested for a day at Westend Seventh, then traveled a long way to find the fault cliff marked on the map.

Thanks to the map’s remarkable precision, finding the cave that was our destination wasn’t difficult, but a group of “kobolds”—humanoid monsters with dog heads—had made their nest there.

Of course, kobolds, whose danger level is similar to goblins at best, were no match for us now, and the last one just collapsed with a desperate death cry.

“OK, with this, all the monsters occupying the cave have been cleared out.”

“There’s a small spring over there. It’s probably the carbonated water Will mentioned.”

“A space good for hiding from natural predators, plus water that’s a bit unusual but drinkable… no wonder the kobolds made their nest here.”

“That means it’s also perfect for securing the safety of the dwarf expedition. Setty, bring in the people waiting outside. Let’s make this our base camp and start the investigation.”

“Got it.”

During the journey from Grandorn Zwei to here, most of the dwarf expedition had to stay in the Stone House.

No matter how spacious the camping carriage interior was, there wasn’t enough room for ten dwarves, and arranging a separate carriage would mean it couldn’t keep up with Ancestor’s mobility.

However, Morgan, the expedition leader, and Grendel, the descendant of the map maker, took turns sitting next to the driver’s seat instead of entering the Stone House, wanting to observe the route to the site with their own eyes.

Having a stocky middle-aged man beside me instead of five uniquely beautiful women was disappointing… but I kept that thought to myself.

“Let’s see, the carbonated spring water… it looks clean on the surface. At least the kobolds didn’t use it as a bath or toilet.”

“To think such water naturally springs up in a place like this… if we mix in fruit juice or sugar, even minors could enjoy it instead of alcohol, right?”

“I suppose so. Let’s ask Mina to test the water quality when she comes in.”

Inside the cave, besides the crude stone tools used by the kobolds, there were several other notable items.

The remains of a broken lantern, a metal fence to prevent things from falling into the carbonated spring, nails hammered into the cave wall to hang something, and a low table carved from stone.

These must be parts of the household items that Grendel’s ancestor had set up while spending his remaining years here.

“Yahoo~ I brought everyone in~”

“I left the carriage and Ancestor on standby just inside the entrance. The path narrows too much to pass through.”

Just as I was about to start collecting the kobolds’ magic stones after examining the cave interior, Mina and Phyllis entered with the 10 members of the dwarf expedition who had been waiting outside.

Iris seems to be staying with the carriage in case of emergency.

“Ooh, is this where Grendel’s ancestor discovered…”

“No doubt about it. This lantern is the same model we use in our mine.”

“Is that the carbonated spring water or whatever? There’s an alloy fence around it.”

The dwarves exclaimed in admiration as soon as they arrived in the cave, shining lanterns in all directions.

After gathering the bustling group in one place and informing them of our intention to use this cave as a base for exploring Technopolis, the dwarves began to furnish the interior using materials they had brought from the mine.

They hung magic lanterns at regular intervals along the walls from the cave entrance to its deepest part, leveled the floor in the wide space at the deepest part, divided the area, and installed workbenches and blankets.

Finally, they blocked the cave entrance with sturdy bars, completing a comfortable and safe research base.

The time it took was just 3 hours and 30 minutes.

This was the result of ten dwarves fully demonstrating their teamwork and technical skills.

“Everyone did well working late into the night. You must be tired from the forced march all day, so let’s get a good rest tonight.”

“What do we have to be tired about? We were just lounging comfortably inside that magical mansion.”

“More than that, to cover a distance of 140 kilometers in just one day—I’m too excited to sleep!”

Although we’ve only spent about three days with the dwarf expedition so far, we’ve quickly opened up and become friends, perhaps because we’re pursuing the same dream over a long distance.

Our task here is to find the remaining two clues: “the flat-nosed man with a balding forehead” and “the woman with lightning sprouting from her crown.”

If the investigation isn’t completed by the time the activity limit for me, Jessica, and Phyllis approaches, the dwarf expedition plans to lock the cave entrance and wait safely while our party returns to Westend Seventh.

Today is July 16th, Year 101 of the Pioneer Era.

The eve of the first Technopolis exploration is fading away in a lively atmosphere.