Magic Warrior Chapter 80

Town of Mineina

As we walked along the main road towards the mountains, we came across a stone wall. That must be the town of Mineina.

It didn't take as long as I'd heard, so perhaps our speed of travel is faster than usual.

If we leave early in the morning, we should reach Gardia by night, so we could choose to do that on the way back.

I'm a little worried about Clare, but we'll be camping in the forest on the way back, so which would be better?

It's not a magnificent stone wall like Gardia's, but it's about as high as we are.

It doesn't seem completely enclosed, but it seems to be filled in with wooden planks and fences.

At the entrance to the town there is a building that looks like a shack, and the town soldiers only check who is coming and going. It seems that if you have a carriage or a large load, they will check inside, but we were only asked to show our guild card and were allowed in.

The east side of Mineina is a coast, and there are no neighboring countries, so I think that many people who have business in the town come from Gardia or the royal capital. The security is quite lax.

The town of Mineina developed from a village built beneath a mine.

It appears that most of the people here are involved in mining or blacksmithing, and smoke can be seen rising from the chimneys of the buildings close to the mountains in various places.

"The Adventurers' Guild is on the west street, Sis."

He checked with the soldier for me, as I had forgotten to ask. Clare seems to be gradually getting used to life in the town.

East Street runs straight from the southern entrance to the mines in the north. There is also a road to the mines from the western entrance, and that is West Street.

The road that leads from the south to the west entrance is also a main road and is called South Street for convenience.

These three main roads form a triangle. The town itself is about half the size of Gardia.

For now, I decided to go to the Adventurer's Guild to ask about the mine.

There are also many shops on the street that sell metalworking tools and other items related to blacksmithing. There were also a few ore dealers, but I wonder if these shops are for people who come from other towns to buy ore.

Mineina's guild is a two-story building, smaller than Gardia's guild.

The first floor has a counter for accepting requests and buying materials, and the second floor has a general store and a row of couches for resting. It doesn't seem to be the case that there are adventurers there at any time of day, like in Gardia's guild.

"Mining Solge Crystal? Anyone can do it."

I asked the receptionist about Solge Crystal and mining.

Mining within the mine is divided into controlled and free areas for each tunnel.

The controlled area is managed by the town, and only those with permission are allowed to mine there. It is said to be an important area related to the town's industry. Access to the tunnels is also monitored.

As the name suggests, the free area is an area where anyone can mine freely. In most cases, these are tunnels that have been downgraded from the controlled area due to resource depletion, etc., and there are rarely any valuable minerals there.

Solge Crystal is not a rare mineral, so it appears that you can find it easily by digging a little in the free area. It is a bluish crystal, so it is said that you will know when you find it.

"Mining is prohibited in the main tunnel that runs from the entrance of the mine, as it is dangerous if it collapses. Be sure to enter a side tunnel and go a short distance before doing so. Please be sure to check the signs in conspicuous locations where danger is predicted. Also, tools and maps are available for rent at the general store on the second floor. I think you should be able to come back with just one bell's worth of Solge Crystal."

It's not even 1pm yet, so I think I can still make it there today if I have a late lunch and then leave.

I ask about the location of the recommended Inn, and then I leave the reception desk after thanking them.

"I'll go and see if there are any requests I can take on while I'm here."

"Me too!"

While Rilfana and Clare were looking at the bulletin board with requests, I decided to go and borrow some mining equipment.

When I went to the general store on the second floor, I found a dwarf shop assistant with a magnificent beard.

"Hey there, kid. I've never seen you around here before. Are you new?"

"Yes, I've only been active in Gardia for about a week."

"You're from Gardia? What brings you to Mineina?"

"I've been asked to mine Solge Crystal, so I need to borrow some equipment."

"Oh? Didn't the mining request come from D Rank? Are you sure?"

When I showed him my guild card, the shopkeeper seemed satisfied.

"You must have risen to D Rank quickly. Just a moment."

The clerk came from behind the counter, carrying a barrel the same size as himself. It seemed to contain several types of pickaxes.

"If it's crystal, you should be fine if you dig with a pickaxe from around here. It's a matter of luck whether you'll find any, but around here they say that 'it's harder to dig up a stone than a crystal', so you should find one soon. Oh, and you'll also need a lantern."

"Well, I can use the magic of the Lighting Torch..."

"Oh, sometimes places that have been turned into dungeons become areas where magic is forbidden. You should take a lantern with you."

An area where magic cannot be used is a place where, as the name suggests, magic cannot be used. It seems that if it's a powerful magic, it can be used by force, but the power will be reduced.

Perhaps it's a place where it's difficult to concentrate one's magical energy, or where the magical energy itself dissipates. There were a few areas in SeveChro where magic couldn't be used, even if only for dramatic effect.

"Basically, I recommend using a magical lantern. It won't go out if you drop it lightly, and the smoke won't get trapped in small places."

There are two types of lanterns: those that use oil and those that use batteries in a magical device.

Oil lanterns are said to burn for six hours, which is about two bells, but it is possible to adjust them so that they burn for three hours, which is one bell.

This is the basic way to keep track of the time of the watch in a camp.

...I see.

I decided to rent a pickaxe and buy both an oil lantern and a magic lantern.

Five small silver coins, including oil and batteries. We also bought some extra rations for the three of us for the day.

"This is the map. Even though it's on the edge of the mountain range, the Nebi Montagna mountain range seems to be turning into a dungeon all the time, probably because of the large amount of magic it contains. Most of the time, we can't maintain it and have to return, so be careful."

It appears that the map is not available for rent, but must be purchased.

The roads in the Free Zone are almost completely mapped out. Since adventurers and dreamers are digging their way through, it appears that there may be some roads that are not written down.

You can also rent a wheelbarrow, but I decided to just throw it into my Magic Bag.

When I returned to the first floor, Clare was looking at the notice board, and Rilfana was talking to someone at the reception desk.

"I've borrowed a pickaxe."

"Oh, Sis. Rilfana-chan is checking it out because it looks like we can do this quest together."

They were lined up in order: 'Cave Bat Hunt', 'Pet Cannon Hunt', 'Big Cannon Hunt', 'Dark Grass Harvest', and 'Solge Moss Harvest'.

A cave bat is a bat that is slightly larger than a cave bat.

The cannon is a domed machine with a cannon about a meter high on its back, and it has four legs.

It was said to be an invasion weapon of an ancient civilization, but in reality it was a mysterious existence.

In SeveChro, there were many different types of mini, petite, big, double, and shield, etc., even though their strength was not very different. I guess there was a staff member who liked mecha.

Oh, and there was also a boss called the Ultra Canon...

It seems that Yami-kusa and Sorce-moss are types of grass and moss that grow in caves. They are used as medicine and seasoning, so I and Rilfana should be able to tell them apart.

All requests are permanent requests.

"I'm back. Monsters and plants can all be found in the shallow layers of the Free Zone."

"If I have time, I'll try looking for them."

"Yeah!"

It appears that Mineina's requests are mostly related to mining, and that the adventurers based in Mineina specialize in mining exploration. There are many adventurers who can't stand living in a cave and end up going to the royal capital, so there are few adventurers who stay there permanently.

And it appears that they don't collect many materials because of this, and Rilfana told me that it would be a big help if I could collect a lot of them.

In a sense, it could be said that dungeons have become one of the industries.

The inn is always empty, and it appears that it is rarely full, so I decided to go to the mine first.