Chapter 93

### The Cave of Amethyst

*Thud thud thud!*

As soon as I stepped inside and shone the light, something flew and hit my face.

“Ah!”

“Master Joshua!”

I felt so helpless, being protected by Alru...

Our positions had reversed. No, it couldn't be helped.

Alru, with her night vision, could see this place as clearly as a bright room.

The numerous shadows that flew by definitely weren't bats. What were they?

“Feathers? Wings? Attached to a lizard.”

“Like a flying fish?”

“Flying fish?”

“Yes, a fish with wings.”

After saying that, I thought it was a bit strange, but Alru nodded seriously, so I decided not to press the matter further.

However, if it wasn't a bat but a winged lizard, it might be a small species of dragon.

As I shone the lantern on the wall to examine the rock surface...

Oh, wow.

The wall was covered with rough, sharp angles. When I touched it, it felt smooth, and I couldn't help but smile.

The color was purple.

Though it wasn't what we were looking for, this was a significant discovery.

“Master Joshua?”

“Alru, we hit the jackpot. This cave is a vein of amethyst.”

“Amethyst?”

“Do you know what amethyst is? It might even contain quartz. Let's look for it.”

“Yes!”

Wow. Is all of this amethyst?

The right wall seemed to be entirely exposed with amethyst.

The left wall might be glass sand. I should take some samples from the left wall as well.

As we moved further in, we discovered a vein of quartz at the end!

Amazing. This cave.

Even if we can't determine the exact amount, if we can supplement the magic stones for tens of thousands of people with this... that would be great.

There are still many challenges in the process of generating magic stones from mana and electricity.

There are many problems to solve, but the materials from this cave will be sufficient.

Quartz can store 20 times more mana than regular magic stones. Even small fragments can last a long time.

Moreover, even if the magic stone is depleted of mana, we can recharge it using the method of generating mana with electricity, making it reusable.

In other words, if we have the initial materials for the magic stones, we won't need additional materials.

With a satisfied smile, I stepped out of the cave, and Alru still had her usual cheerful expression.

After that, we collected pumpkins and yerba mate leaves and returned to the blacksmith's.

We entrusted the quartz, amethyst, and sand to Penguin and headed for the farm.

◇◇◇

Oh, perfect timing.

That straw hat must be Thomas.

And, conveniently, Charlotte is there too. They seem to be having a conversation.

If they had gone into the shed instead of having a meeting in the middle of the farm...

Even though it's just before dusk and it's getting dark, it's not recommended to have a meeting standing outside. And there's no paper.

No, maybe they're just having a casual conversation.

Charlotte would prepare a place for a meeting. Sorry, my mistake.

“Master Joshua!”

“Sir!”

They both noticed me at the same time, and their voices overlapped.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation.”

“No!”

“We were just finishing up, so it's no problem.”

Hmm, it wasn't a casual conversation?

Well, it seems they were finished, so that's good.

“I found a new crop. I'll tell you the location later. I thought I'd give you a sample first. I'll write down the growing instructions later.”

Alru, not me, opened the large burlap bag.

Oh, I ended up picking too much. I didn't expect to have to carry such a large bag.

It's a good thing I brought the large bag. You never know when it might come in handy. Yeah, yeah.

It's surprisingly compact when folded, this bag.

“This is a fruit with a vivid color.”

Thomas picked up the pumpkin and exhaled.

“It's more of a vegetable. This yellow or orange fruit is a pumpkin. When boiled, it becomes a sweet and fluffy vegetable.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“When you open it, there are seeds inside, so you can grow it that way. The other one is a leaf and branch, but it grows into a tall tree, so it might be difficult to cultivate.”

“For a tall tree, it might be better to collect it!”

Despite saying that, Thomas's eyes didn't leave the pumpkin.

He seemed very interested in the new crop.

Speaking of new crops...

“Can we grow potatoes?”

“Yes. I was just discussing potatoes with Lady Charlotte.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you both.”

The other day, I found potatoes and left it to Charlotte.

Potatoes can have issues with continuous cropping, so I said I would ask if they could be grown, but it seems my concerns were unfounded.

“Compared to growing wheat, it's not that difficult. It's not as easy as cassava, though.”

“Yeah. I'd like to increase the variety of vegetables.”

“We have some leafy vegetables from the principality, and we are trying them out.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

I shook hands firmly with Thomas and thanked Charlotte again.

“Thanks for the paper too. Thanks, Charlotte.”

“It's thanks to Nathan! Producing it in large quantities is difficult without the power of magic stones.”

“Using existing technology, we need magical tools. We are developing the magic stones, so please wait a bit longer.”

“I was so surprised when I first heard that you could create magic stones, I thought my heart would stop. But if it's you, Sir, I have no doubt.”

“Penguin and Sequoia are also working on it. Please look forward to it.”

“Yes!”

Charlotte saluted sharply, and I gave her a gentle smile.

She blushed slightly and seemed a bit flustered.

“Was something wrong?”

“No, I was caught off guard by your sudden, carefree smile. It's my lack of training.”

“Oh, okay.”

I nodded ambiguously in response to Charlotte, whose ears were also red from embarrassment. I thought about trying to smooth things over, but I didn't want to dig myself into a deeper hole, so I decided not to press the matter further.

As we were about to part ways and head back to the mansion, I suddenly looked at Alru, who was walking beside me.

“Enemy attack?”

“No, there's no enemy here! We're going home. I thought we could try making something with the pumpkin at home.”

“Alru will help.”

“Yeah. Let's invite Elie and try cooking this.”

“Yes!”

What kind of pumpkin dishes are there?

I feel like something sweet would be nice.

As I thought about it, I couldn't help but smile. However, the weight of the load still made me stagger, just as it always did...