After dinner.
I gathered the representatives of each race and explained the map drawn by Prada.
I told them we would borrow laborers from Howling Village to conduct a test excavation.
The means of transportation would be the airship.
I’m planning to go along as well.
「Wait, wait, wait」
Loo stopped me.
Is she against me going?
…
Then why did she stop me?
「Here on the map. What does it say here?」
That’s Sword Magic Crystal.
「And this one?」
Silver Magic Crystal.
「And this one?」
Flame Magic Crystal. And that one is Beast Magic Crystal.
The one we’re aiming for is the Feather Magic Crystal over here though…
「The Feather Magic Crystal doesn’t matter. The size of the boxes on the map likely indicates how much can be mined, right?」
Y-yeah, it looks like it.
「You, just sit here for a moment」
Huh?
She made me sit on a chair a short distance away, then raised her hand.
「Anyone who understands the importance, gather here!」
Tier and Malbit came forward with serious expressions and started whispering with Loo.
Then, a new airship route was proposed.
It seems they want to test-mine not just the Feather Magic Crystal, but the others too.
If that’s the case, they could’ve just said so.
I’m not going to object.
…Huh?
The Sword Magic Crystal is used for magic that strengthens a large group all at once?
That’s why every military force seeks it?
There was even a war between two great nations over Sword Magic Crystal?
Oh, and both of those nations ended up destroyed.
Either way, it’s not something we can leave lying around.
Even if we don’t use it, we should at least recover it.
Makes sense.
And the Silver Magic Crystal? It’s so rare and valuable that even a piece the size of a pinky finger once made a commoner into a noble?
It’s suited for many types of magical materials, so it’s highly sought after, and there have been many major incidents over it in the past?
R-really?
As for the Flame Magic Crystal, it’s the highest-grade item that mages seek at the end of the day?
Uh… what does that mean?
Oh, it’s so expensive that they can’t afford it, but they dream of having it at least once before they die.
A staff made with Flame Magic Crystal is said to enhance all forms of magic.
I see.
And the Beast Magic Crystal is so precious to the Beastkin that they revere it, regardless of size?
What’s it used for?
It’s suited for summoning magic.
There’s a legend that the Beastkin once summoned the Beast God?
Is it really okay to summon a god?
Its authenticity is unknown?
That’s why it’s a legend, huh.
In any case, even if they say there’s no time to be mining Feather Magic Crystal…
The purpose of the test excavation is to search for Feather Magic Crystal, which is essential to generate floating gas.
We must not forget that.
Also, just because it’s marked on the map doesn’t mean it actually exists.
That’s why we’re doing a test excavation to find out.
Even if we don’t find anything, we shouldn’t be discouraged.
For now, it looks like the excavation trip has been approved.
-0-
Now then, about our means of transportation, the airship.
Back when it was a passenger vessel, its capacity, including crew and passengers, was set at eighty people.
It could technically carry more, but since there were only eighty beds installed, the capacity was determined based on that.
Since this airship will also serve as lodging during travel, only eighty people can join the test excavation.
We plan to borrow ten capable miners from Howling Village.
That leaves seventy spots.
……
Well, we’re not going to bring all seventy.
First, we need three people to operate the ship.
It won’t be flying non-stop, but considering night shifts, we’re adopting a three-shift rotation.
So we’ll need nine crew members.
The Mountain Elves volunteered for this.
They helped with the repairs and also took part in several test flights.
There shouldn’t be any issues.
Next, we need cooks.
They’ll handle meals during the journey.
Three oni maids will accompany us for that role.
I think we could bring more, but the oni maids already take care of many tasks in the village.
I’m grateful they’re willing to send even three.
Since we’re not running a passenger service, we won’t need attendants or medical staff.
Still, having extra hands is helpful, so five High Elves, led by Ria, will accompany us.
They’ll assist the oni maids during the journey.
Then there’s me, acting as captain, with Loo and Tier serving as vice-captains.
Well, I’m mostly a figurehead, more like a guest.
Loo and Tier will be in charge, assessing things based on how the excavation goes.
For my personal guard, Gulf, Daga, and Reginleif will accompany me, and ten angels will join to guard the airship.
Lastly.
To counter any demon beasts or monsters we might encounter, thirty kuros and around fifty spiderlings will come along.
With that, the roster is set!
Or so I thought… but the Universal Ship is insisting on coming with us.
Tou is trying to reason with it, asking what will happen to deliveries to Village Four.
But the Universal Ship is standing its ground.
Looks like it’s coming.
Well, it’s probably safer to have both the airship and the Universal Ship.
It’s only for a few days, and if we send supplies to Village Four ahead of time, it should be fine.
When I sided with the Universal Ship, Tou scolded me for being too soft on it.
-0-
Even if it’s only for a few days, the airship still needs proper preparations, and so do the miners we’re borrowing from Howling Village.
Especially the kitchen facilities onboard.
Originally, it must have had various magic tools installed, but Apri and his supporters sold them off as a means to survive.
So now we need to install new ones.
Since we’re replacing them anyway, we’ve selected easy-to-use, high-quality magic tools.
It’s a good thing we’ve already developed a variety of cooking-related magic tools because of the patisserie.
However, the oni maids mentioned they’ll need time to get used to the new equipment.
They can handle it, but since they’re responsible for feeding everyone, they want everything to be perfect.
I agree with that.
Because of all this, we can’t leave right away.
So, in the meantime, we let the villagers take sightseeing flights over the forest.
The children were overjoyed.
Well… for about the first hour.
Once they finished exploring the ship, they started getting bored.
They’re still too young to enjoy relaxing or taking it easy, and maybe the airship just doesn’t offer enough excitement.
They’re already used to flying thanks to Hakuren, Rasuti, and the Universal Ship.
Well, a few of them seemed to really enjoy sitting in the captain’s seat though.
Hakuren and Rasuti also rode the airship, but they didn’t seem too impressed with the slow speed.
「It’s nice that it keeps moving even while you sleep, though」
「It just feels like it’s always moving slowly…」
The ones who really took to the airship were the angels and the harpies.
「As a midair rest stop, it’s perfect」
「This mellow atmosphere… I like it」
「I want to live here」
They were having a blast.
The dwarves and lizardmen, on the other hand, cared more about the alcohol than the airship or the view.
That much was expected.
The High Elves…
「As a means of transportation, it’s acceptable」
「Rather than moving during the day, wouldn’t it be better to use it for nighttime retreats into the sky?」
「If we’re assigning it surveillance duties from above, we’ll need more windows with a clear view of the ground」
「The engine noise is a concern. Can’t it be quieter? At this volume, it’s useless for surprise attacks」
Ehto… who was that last one?
I don’t plan on using the airship for ambushes.
And besides, who would we be ambushing?
We don’t have any enemies.
And no, I’m not approving any camouflage paint on the gasbag or passenger sections.
-0-
The name of the airship.
Originally, it was known as the Margleu, but we decided to rename it.
Personally, I thought the original name was fine, but Bell raised a concern, since Apri and his group had probably acquired the ship through dubious means, no, let’s be honest, they definitely did. Keeping the original name might invite trouble.
Like if any surviving members of the Kissinley family came looking to reclaim it.
After all, Apri’s group survived, so it’s entirely possible others did too.
That’s why we agreed to rename the ship before putting it into regular use. Searᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
I’m not looking for trouble either, so I had no objections to the change.
So, what should the new name be?
Normally, we’d ask for name suggestions from the villagers and choose by lottery.
I figured that would be fine this time too, but there was pushback.
“It’s an important name,” they said. “We should discuss it seriously and decide with care.”
The Universal Ship insisted strongly on this.
…
I found the idea of holding a big discussion kind of tedious, so I just told the Universal Ship, “You can choose the name.”
Since then, it’s been poring over books in search of the perfect name.
It can’t turn pages by itself, of course, so Tou is doing that part, opening the books and flipping the pages.
Apparently, the Universal Ship wants to give its “little sister” a good name.
Good luck.
To both of you.
Also, sorry to rush you, but it’d be really nice to have the name decided before we head out for the test excavation.
I’m counting on you.
-0-
Tou: 「If you’re going as far as naming her, doesn’t that make her your daughter rather than your little sister?」
Universal Ship: 「……」
Tou: 「…Sorry. The Universal Ship has locked itself in the dock…」
Village Chief: 「Well, you did say something weird…」
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!