As we planned, we go shopping the day after returning from the dungeon, and prepare some things so they’re ready to be cooked, roast meat, and leave some food only boiled.
We also finish some things, but those are to give to Argo’s party.
The day after that, we eat and then head back to the dungeon.
We follow Map to the same spot as before, and beat an iron golem that appears near us.
We’re after magic stones, so the quality of the iron isn’t very good, but iron can be sold nonetheless.
Three hours later, we reach our destination.
“Oh, you’re back. So soon?”
“We’ve done what we wanted and restocked. Did anyone new come here?”
I can hear mining sounds coming from a passage nearby.
“No, the guys that were here came back.”
Argo says it happened last night.
And perhaps because they were here, no one else came here to mine while we were gone.
“Some people came here to check it out, but left after seeing us. Maybe they thought we were saving the whole area.”
“No, it’s because you’re intimidating.”
Says Rick.
“…How about we have lunch?”
“Is it time already?”
“Hn, I’m hungry.”
It’s easy to lose track of time in a dungeon.
“Hikari, can you hang on a bit more? You can have something that’s already cooked if not.”
“I’ll hold on. And roast meat.”
And so, we get ready to cook.
“You really are skillful at that.”
“We’ve been cooking while traveling all this time.”
And it’s even easier to make a cooking area outside of a dungeon.
It would be about the same if it was a field type dungeon instead of a labyrinth type. I think I just use a little more magic energy.
When we start cooking, the mining sounds stop.
I peek over at the tunnel, and see faces looking this way.
Ah, our eyes met. I raise my hand, and they respond in kind.
And that signals them to start filing out of the tunnel.
“Hikari, don’t snatch too much food.”
“Big sister Mia. I checked the meat. This one’s roasted.”
I hear as I make the soup. I guess she really couldn’t help herself.
Mia isn’t mad either, so it’s okay.
Once it’s done, we distribute bread, and start eating.
The guys know we want ore, and use it as payment.
“You going to the second floor faster means we won’t get to eat this anymore, but oh well. Can you tell us how to cook simple stuff?”
Someone asks.
You can’t go wrong with meat unless you mess up how much you roast it, and then there’s soup, I guess.
Soup keeps for a good time, and you can even soften hardtack by soaking it in it. There’s also the way simply changing flavorings can make it taste different.
Mia doesn’t have a problem with it either, so she teaches them over three days.
Three days, because we have enough ore after this exchange.
“Are you going back, Argo?”
“…I guess we’ll rest tonight and then go back.”
“He’s just after food.”
Says Guilford.
Taking turns keeping watch with a group of five probably made them tired.
But they say they won’t leave Avid right after getting their weapons. They want to hunt monsters to check them, and if there isn’t a problem, they’re going to Nahal.
“I can use Transfer to take you there.”
“Won’t that be a bother?”
“No, we were thinking about shopping in Eril anyway.”
We were talking about going there next time we left the dungeon. We could go to another town, but that’s close to Nahal.
What about Prekes? Elsa and Alto are there, but since they’re attending the Fortuna Magic Academy, I don’t know if we can see them.
Once we’re done eating, we go back to mining.
Sera is mining with me, while the others teach them how to make soup.
Hikari and Rurika are there, so there won’t be a problem even if a golem suddenly appears while they cook.
Upon entering the tunnel again, I see Argo and the others really didn’t mine anything. It’s exactly how I left it.
I cast Strengthening on the new hammer I brought, and start hammering away. Appraisal says there’s no ore here, so I’m just moving forward.
It would be easier if I could use something like Earth Magic, but I can’t.
I take breaks between hammering, and then I feel a magic energy reaction pretty close. I should reach it before tomorrow’s lunch.
The new hammer has a bigger head, so the area it breaks with each hit is larger.
I can do this now that I know the Strengthening skill works.
I keep mining until Hikari and the others tell me lunch is ready, and when we’re done eating, Argo’s party leaves.
We give them five days worth of food too.
Then I mine a little more, and go rest first, leaving Rurika and the others to keep watch.
Thanks for the treat.
Sora saying he can’t use earth magic, what did he use to build that earth wall around that house that time in that village in the earlier chapters, if it wasn’t earth magic it seemed at the time it done the same thing.
Anyway thanks for the update, & as always well worth the read. 😎👍