Ch.275Promising to meet again in a month

To put it simply, the biological converter experiment using Iris as a medium was a half-success.

The large amount of black mana injected by the biological converter was a quantity that Iris, a former Elder successor, could handle sufficiently. Naturally, it was also confirmed that the negative effects of black mana do not occur in the body of a Dark Elf.

However, unfortunately, we couldn’t reach the stage of purifying black mana accumulated in the bodies of other races.

While it was confirmed that black mana doesn’t accumulate in the bodies of people nearby when Iris activates the biological converter, it doesn’t absorb the black mana that has already accumulated in their bodies.

The reason, simply put, is compatibility issues.

Since the magical formula controlling mana circulation only contained data for Dwarves, Humans, Elves, and Beastfolk, normal operation was impossible with a “filter that doesn’t meet specifications” like a Dark Elf.

So how can we solve this compatibility problem?

There were two answers to that question.

One is to bring in a sufficient number of Dark Elves and obtain physical data through dissection and biological experiments.

The other is to reference existing established references about the physical characteristics of “Dark Elves” and “other races.”

“So, we urgently need to obtain a sample of the Dark Sword. Both to complete the biological converter and to turn Iris back into an Elf.”

“In the end, it all comes back to that.”

The Dark Sword—a terrifying weapon that transforms Elves into Dark Elves by injecting large amounts of black mana into their bodies.

Iris was transformed into her current form after being struck by that weapon, and I too was once driven to the brink of death after taking a Dark Sword blow meant for Phillis.

Fortunately, I was able to save my life thanks to the quick response of my party members and Phillis who brought the ingredients for the medicine… but what we need to focus on now is the fact that “an Elf transforms into a Dark Elf when stabbed by the Dark Sword.”

Originally, when humans or animals die from black mana accumulation, the probability of transforming into a monster is about 10%.

Moreover, they don’t necessarily transform into monsters based on their original race, so it’s entirely possible for a pioneer adventurer to turn into an insect, or for a wolf’s corpse to become a human-type skeleton.

In other words, monster mutation by black mana is like a random gacha with a 10% win rate and a terrifyingly high chance of getting something unexpected.

In contrast, the Dark Sword can be considered a guaranteed ticket that draws a Dark Elf with 100% probability.

This means that the Dark Sword’s magical formula can control both the probability and the target of monster mutation caused by black mana.

And both Mina and Jessica agreed that such a formula couldn’t be created without a perfect understanding of the physical structures of both Elves and Dark Elves.

“The problem is where we can get this Dark Sword. Iris said she can only infuse mana into a completed Dark Sword but can’t make one herself, and we killed every single Dark Elf we encountered back then.”

“As for other Dark Elves we’re acquainted with… there’s Calliope.”

“Calliope, huh…”

Phillis repeated the name with a bitter expression.

Understandably so. Calliope was the one who attacked the Willow Sanctuary five years ago, harming countless Elves and kidnapping Iris—essentially, a mortal enemy.

In fact, when we first saw her at Moon Lake’s auction house, Phillis almost shot her with a rifle without thinking twice.

But ultimately, based on the information we obtained from Calliope, we were able to raid the Dark Elves’ hideout, kill all her subordinates, and recover Iris.

After that, we were also able to restore Iris to normal from her incapacitated state by defeating the Demon Lord Royce Reich. So over the course of five years, one could say the positions of Phillis and Calliope have been reversed…

‘Even so, there must still be lingering resentment. I doubt she’s happy about having to rely on Calliope herself, though other Dark Elves might be a different story.’

“You killed my people, and I killed yours, so let’s call it even.”

It’s not something that can be dismissed so easily.

Ironically, Iris, the actual victim in this incident, seems busy stuffing her mouth with gorgonzola pizza and chicken karaage over there…

Given her thoughtful personality, even that might be an act to ease Phillis’s mental burden.

“Nom nom, munch munch, gulp gulp… *cough*!?”

…Or maybe not.

~ ~ ~ Westend Sevens ~ ~ ~

Having completed our business in Technopolis, we returned to Westend Sevens with the expedition members who were heading back to Grandorn Zwei.

I would have preferred to go straight to Grandorn Zwei to drop off the Dwarves before returning, but the day we left Technopolis was the third day since we had left Westend Sevens for the second exploration.

We couldn’t ignore the time limit on activities due to black mana.

Morgan, the leader of the expedition, decided to obtain a Frontier License on this occasion.

Regardless of Technopolis’s operational policy, someone needed to have a license to issue us a designated request a month later.

The license issuance for Morgan, a Dwarf, proceeded smoothly, and the 200 gold settlement support fund transformed into a box of premium whiskey loaded onto the camping carriage.

A typical Dwarven decision—coming to the Adventurers’ Guild without a license just to get free drinks.

After purifying the black mana in Westend Sevens, we escorted the Dwarf expedition team and the whiskey box to Grandorn Zwei, then parted ways with a promise to meet again in a month.

We can’t tell anyone about Technopolis for the time being, and all the materials we brought from the exhibition area are difficult to monetize.

It might seem like we had little practical gain considering all the trouble we went through, even taking responsibility for the expedition’s meals and lodging…

“Wow~! Our carriage looks so tiny from up here.”

“You’ll get motion sickness if you use it for too long?”

“It’s my turn after Iris is done.”

Personally, I think receiving the bird-shaped automaton from Grendel was enough to make this expedition worthwhile.

In the not-too-distant future, we’ll be traveling to uncharted lands that aren’t even on maps.

It’s not hard to predict how advantageous it will be to have a tool that can survey the surrounding terrain from high above.

Of course, to utilize its groundbreaking functions 100%,

‘Bang-!’

“Screech~!!”

We occasionally need to fend off birds of prey or flying monsters that pick fights with us.

“Nice shot, Phillis. What was that just now?”

“A flying monster. It fell in the open field, so it shouldn’t be hard to find the corpse.”

“OK, let’s turn that way and recover the magic stone.”

“Launching the automaton and occasionally hunting monsters and birds that approach… it feels like we’re fishing in the sky.”

“Hahaha, except we get less than one bite every three hours.”

For reference, this automaton will soon undergo a complete overhaul by Mina and will be called by a proper name rather than “bird-shaped automaton.”

Having Phillis provide covering fire as we’re doing now has its limitations, and there’s room for improvement in flight time, controllable range, and image quality.

Considering Mina’s skills, interests, and the technologies she recently encountered in Technopolis, I’m a bit worried that something rather extraordinary might be created.

“By the way, something just occurred to me.”

“Hmm?”

“I understand not disclosing information about Technopolis to the Pioneer Agency, but shouldn’t we at least contact Mina’s father who provided us with the information?”

“Hmm~ I think it wouldn’t be too late to do so after Technopolis’s future policy is decided. I’d rather not complicate things by leaking information prematurely.”

“But we discovered Technopolis because of that letter. And since Mina’s mother is a descendant of Grandorn natives like the expedition team, it bothers me to decide on Technopolis’s future policy without including them.”

“When you put it that way…”

I realized I hadn’t given any thought to what Phillis just mentioned.

Of course, I don’t think Offenbartel provided us with information to exercise some right over Technopolis, but it’s clear that his letter was the starting point for discovering Technopolis.

If that’s the case, we should inform him of the results as soon as possible and, if he wishes, allow him to have a say in Technopolis’s future operational policy.

I would have made a big mistake if Phillis hadn’t pointed this out.

“OK, then let’s send letters to Blackforge, Willow Sanctuary, and Setine’s parents while we’re on our way to meet Calliope. They must all be wondering how their daughter who left home is doing.”

“Good idea.”

And so, having completed another adventure, we headed to the 6th Western City, Moon Lake, to meet Calliope.