The Loner Who Conquers the Other World
chapter-167-30041322

Day 52 – Morning, White Weirdo Inn.

Armored Pres-san left with the girls for shopping. She was all dressed up and I also gave her pocket money, so she should be able to enjoy the day off to the fullest.

Slime-san is apparently going to have a picnic with Poster Girl and Stalker Girl. I gave them tons of food and plenty of sweets so they will have fun.

The geeks are going to be smithing at the blacksmith’s place. We shouldn’t expect anything though. I gave them loads of iron, having probably the best understanding of metallurgy in this world, and an actual blacksmith by their side, they should somehow manage. However, they are so clumsy? Despite being able to make plastic models on the professional level, they suck at crafts? They can draw good enough to call themselves mangakas if they wanted, and yet they can’t do fine arts? Somehow, they can make even a steam engine, but can’t make even a single nail, so they just might screw up somewhere? Seriously.

The idiots ran off wearing those jerseys. Since they are idiots I can’t comprehend what they are doing. I feel like any attempt to understand that might make me an idiot as well? However, they surely are doing something incredibly stupid right about now. In that, I have absolute confidence. That is the truth. I mean, on the previous day off they were doing pro wrestling with goblins, you know? As I thought, they are on the same level as goblins after all. So they must be getting along. Them being together doesn’t feel out of place at all? Even if the goblins were to be wearing those jerseys no one would’ve noticed, they are basically the same thing.

「So start here and dig all the way to the village, I guess? Or maybe first go to the village and start digging from there? I can’t recommend taking a residence here though?」

「E~h, basically, we will leave it up to you, Haruka-san, but are you sure about the place? Also, why would anyone live in a tunnel? Are you sure you know what a mine is?」

I asked Merimeri, as we stood in front of the nearest cliffs to the town. Connecting the tunnel from here is the closest to the town, and if I lead it all the way to the mining village, it will also be convenient for the circulation of goods. I sense plenty of metal that way, so this seems to be the best starting position? I guess? However, since I’m choosing the places with the most iron content, it might reek of rust too much to live there? The walls will end up reddish brown too?

「Or rather, isn’t the lord a noble? Is it fine for his daughter to venture into the Evil Forest and even stroll all the way to the mountains? I mean, aren’t you more or less the young lady of the house? Won’t you get scolded for going merimeri into the mountains?」

「The Evil Forest disappeared before I could take a step inside, didn’t it? Where did those scythes fly from? In the first place, why are scythes flying around? Everything was instantly cut down, along with the monsters? Also, why am I supposed to merimeri into the mountains? Are you going to merimeri through the rocks? Was I some sort of mining instrument? Or rather, my name is Meriel, okay? Why do you have to merimeri all the time? I’m going to cry? Quite seriously?」

Since I had the scythes deforest the place as we walked there is now a road to the town, so starting digging from here would be faster after all. I was asked to take care only of the first stage of the plan, but connecting it from here and taking care of the fifth stage as well would be faster. Rather than going to a remote village, starting digging from there, and stopping midway, this is a lot more efficient. Just why did they split it into five steps? Even though I can dig everything in one go?

My MP has recovered, but the mana accumulator in my item bag most likely isn’t fully charged. So I will slowly dig through. Making a tunnel all at once is much faster, but mana consumption greatly grows with the length of the tunnel. Compared to that, the mana required to dig through the rocks right in front of me can be covered with natural regeneration, so it’s a more economical use of energy. Let’s prioritize charging the accumulator, just in case something happens. And it’s not like I have anything better to do? Okay, pour mana in sort of a tunnel shape, Hold it, and activate Earth Magic, for the most part, it’s fine with the arc-shaped tunnels supported by the tension, but since it is a mine, I have to make it alright to dig into the walls, or the place will collapse, so I also reinforce the tunnel with stone pillars and beams. Sort of like this?

「EEEEEEh! Why is there a tunnel? Why is there suddenly a tunnel in the rock? What happened? Eh? But it was a solid rocky mountain? What is this?」

「Well? I dug it? Sort of? I mean, what do you mean by what is this? The request was to dig a tunnel, wasn’t it? Aah, I get it, the simple tunnel is too boring, right? Should I add a slide? Yeah, sounds fun? A mining slide? People might pay for this?」

I didn’t think of this! But the problem is that if I add a difference in height, going up will become that much more difficult. Carrying minerals out will become an issue. I see! Why not go for a water pressure system then?

「Heeeeeeeeeey. Please, listen to me. I don’t know what you are thinking about, but pleeeease make it a simple tunnel. Having a slide near during the work, miners might accidentally fall and take serious injuries, pleease don’t play around. You will make even miners cry, you know?」

Hm? Looks like the young lady was saying something. Apparently, they aren’t allowed to slide? I guess I will have to give up on the water slide. It probably would’ve made mining extremely difficult. And if during the mining there was water flowing and people slipped because of it, then even miners would’ve come to scold me.

But things are going better than I expected. I mean, nothing fun is happening after all? Merimeri-san seems to be in a good mood though, looks like she likes mini-skirt and kneesocks. But is it alright for a young noble lady to be digging tunnels wearing a mini-skirt and kneesocks? I’m yet to see anyone wearing a mini-skirt in this world? Even though there are so many beautiful ladies, it’s no fun at all? However, I also feel like I will get scolded if I mass-produce them? For some reason, no matter what I do, I ultimately end up getting scolded? Do I have to remind of my innocence 75 times per day or something? Okay, when we get back I’m making placards too.

Even so, I’m bored. I mean, there is nothing fun about normal tunnels? It’s like forcing a carpenter to make nothing but corridors? No, a carpenter will probably be having fun making a never-ending corridor! I wish we could trade places, like, making a corridor leading all the way to the town? Mm?

「Ah, there is iron ore that way. Make sure to write it down, okay? And over there I think is probably copper? Although I’ve never seen lumps of copper, so please write that it’s kinda copper-like? I don’t want to be scolded if it turns out to be silver or something, I think it’s optimal to add『-like, sort of』? I guess? Write that too, okay?」

「It’s a great help that you’d tell locations of ore veins, but everything aside from iron is 『It’s sort of silver-like something, but don’t blame me if it’s not silver? For real. Seriously?』or『Like copper, or more like a copper-like something giving a false copper-like impression but actually sort of a copper? That sort of FEEL?』, all of the explanations are too long to write them down. No one is going to be angry even if you get it wrong, so please don’t make me write down excuses. I’m spending more time writing excuses than drawing an actual map of the tunnels. The map is beginning to look sort of ugly!」

I got scolded. Hmm? Then, turning to the right here, I can make straight for the mining village. I keep digging while looking around with Rajingan, checking with Map skill, and searching for ore veins with Space Perception, sort of? In fact, what I’m doing happens to be no different from the usual remodeling. So when I discover ore veins I have to place arches and make walls thinner, otherwise, it might become a problem when they begin mining. Additionally, with this trajectory, the tunnel is going to pass right through some of the ore veins, so it should be very easy to mine. What remains are ironworks, but I provided the blueprints, so Meripapa-san might already be building them, meanwhile, I can process the ore with alchemy, so I don’t think I require them? The question is what the geeks are doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if their attempts in making swords produced a blast furnace? I’ll be surprised if they properly managed to make a sword though. Their clumsiness is on the supernatural level. I mean, coming to this world they managed to put up tents, make a fence, and even created the base, but they can’t make even a single wooden table? Although it seems they managed to somehow produce chairs?

And with this and that it’s near the completion. The goal is near, but…

「Mind if I dig for my share? Or rather, do we have an agreement for 50%? Did you hear anything?」

Probably, the thing I’m after is right below us. There is a huge vein of iron ore, and below that, there is another response. That is probably the most mithril-like reaction among all of the veins I found until now. I’d like to mithrilify all of my classmates’ equipment, but I don’t have that much stock, that’s why I was searching for it, and this place seems like the most likely candidate. However, if my share is only 10%, then it might not be enough? In that case, I’ll have to buy it out or I will be short on mithril again. This will require tenacious negotiations.

「Yes, I do. In regards to the ratio of payment in mining rights, according to your proposal of 50%, that would’ve been half of the minerals you mined, but as Father said, 『Let him have everything. Hand over to Haruka-kun everything that he mines. We don’t need to take more than that!』, so it’s all yours. In addition, 『He can mine whenever he wants, wherever he wants, as much as he wants!』. The officials agreed to that as well, so there will be no issue.」

Tenacious negotiations weren’t necessary.

Or rather, he is too nice. I actually raised 50%, planning to haggle from there, but it turns out I get 100%. What is he planning to do if I mine everything to the last bit? Making a whole mine level just to have nothing left there? I’ll have to give a stern talking to his aides. Iron is essential to the frontier, but such naive decisions of their lord will bring doom to the frontier.

「Also, 『Even if Omui-sama hands over everything, he will angrily force it back on us anyway』is what the aides said, so they seem to be fine with letting you have what you want, but fully intending to take anything you won’t need.」

Well, he should be fine with such aides. It seems they served as the aides to those lords for generations, so they probably evolved to excellence through excessive hardships. Even though our idiots are regressing into meatheads.

Well, in fact, what I want is mithril, and I don’t need that much iron, meanwhile, what the frontier needs is a large quantity of iron. Below us is a huge amount of iron and a bit of something that might be mithril.

I mean, I get the mithril that I wanted, moreover, all of it. And the frontier will have a mine and tons of iron without doing anything. Maybe they should just let the aides govern the frontier? Neither side will lose from this Well, there is no point comparing people excellent at the time of strife and the people excellent at peace times. They might be a good combination after all. While the aides might be good for discussing regular business with the kingdom, threats and intimidation can be done only by Meripapa-san.

Looks like they still haven’t made any progress on negotiations though, both sides are currently busy arguing their own terms. They are yet to arrive to the search for a compromise and are in the very midst of a clash of wills. The first one to lose to the tension will be the kingdom, being unable to obtain new magic stones, so until then, the frontier will have to establish self-sufficiency while developing and scaling up their economy.

The only danger was an assassination, but with Stalker Girl’s clan now on our side, we can engage in intelligence warfare as well. Although they claim to have no combat power, but high capability in gathering information and espionage is a high combat power in itself. Someone else can take care of actual combat, but it’s hard to find anyone capable of espionage. Even if assassins were sent, if they are discovered and reported, they will simply end up getting caught, unable to do anything. In case a beauty assassin comes, let’s guide her into my room. Battling beauties in an inn room is my lifework, so they can leave it to me, I’m training in that every day. Finally, the time to reveal secret ads made specifically for beauty assassins! I wonder if the 500 copies I printed will be enough?