Chapter 44

"O, Orun. What about the material?"

Selma, unusually hesitant, asked.

"It's the material I obtained in the deep layers."

"That's obvious just by looking! Why do you have so much deep layer material!?"

"I got it during my time as a hero party member and never used it..."

"Amazing... Do the other members of the hero party have this much too?"

"Hmm, I don't think so. Except for Luna, they tend to spend a lot. They would make meaningless magical devices or sell the materials to fund their play, so they were quite extravagant..."

Back then, Oliver managed the party funds, but he kept buying things we never used, almost depleting the party funds. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I took over the financial management. After that, we started to save a little bit, but now that I'm gone, I have a feeling the hero party's financial situation is in bad shape... Maybe Luna is helping them out.

"Alan, with this much, can you make a sword?"

"Yeah, with this much, it shouldn't be a problem. Actually, you should have made one already with this much."

"Hehe... I thought I wouldn't have a chance to use it, so I thought it would be a waste..."

"Wow, wow! This is a griffin's claw, and this is a manticore's fang! There are materials I've never seen before! Hey, hey! Is this material from the 93rd floor's monster!?"

Lucre, holding a white, glowing material, asked me.

"Yeah, it's a unicorn's horn from the 93rd floor."

"Wow, amazing! It's so cool! --- Ah, this..."

Lucre, who had been in high spirits until just now, suddenly became deflated upon seeing something. --- It was the black dragon scale I obtained yesterday.

The black dragon is a symbol of trauma for this party. Selma was unusually shaken when she saw the black dragon on the 50th floor.

The atmosphere instantly became heavy.

Maybe it was a mistake to bring out the black dragon material... But as a floor boss, the material from the 93rd floor's monsters is far inferior to the black dragon's. If we're going to make a sword with the materials here, we should use the black dragon scale as the main component.

"...... If we use the black dragon scale, we can make an amazing sword, right? What do you think, Alan?"

Rain tried to sound cheerful.

"Yeah! We can make the best sword!"

"But, how did you manage to store so much in a storage magic tool? You must have stored materials from the lower and middle layers, as well as various consumables and equipment, right? Isn't it exceeding the capacity of a single storage magic tool?"

Selma asked.

"Indeed, a regular storage magic tool can't hold this much. But this one is special."

I tapped the bracelet on my left wrist and explained.

"When I was in the hero party, I temporarily held all the magic stones and materials obtained from dungeon exploration. But a regular storage magic tool's capacity wasn't enough. I didn't want to carry multiple, so I asked a certain magic tool craftsman to make one with the storage capacity of several storage magic tools."

"...... Can you introduce me to that magic tool craftsman?"

Of course, that's what you'd ask.

"Sorry. The condition for getting this made was to keep the craftsman's identity a secret and not show the magic tool's circuit to anyone. So I can't introduce you. Even talking about the high storage capacity is a gray area, so I'd appreciate it if you could keep it to yourself."

"I see, that's unfortunate, but I understand. I promise not to talk about the storage magic tool. Everyone, got it?"

Everyone nodded in response to Selma's question.

"Getting off track, we should use the black dragon scale as the main material for the sword, right?"

Alan brought the conversation back.

"Yes, please."

"Alright, let me hear your requests."

"Looks like the welcome party will have to wait."

Will said, sounding disappointed.

"Will, sorry."

"Don't apologize. We can always eat later."

"Right. Since we're just getting in the way, let's go back."

With Rain's words, the other members left.

From there, the discussion with Alan began.

◇

"Are you serious?"

When I described the sword I wanted, Alan sounded exasperated.

"Dead serious. It's a custom order, so I'm asking for thoroughness!"

"Well, if you say it's not a problem, that's fine. It will take more time to complete, though. Also, the circuit embedding is up to you. That's not my specialty."

"Sure, no problem."

"Got it. It's late today, so I'll start making it tomorrow. It should take about a month."

"...... That's fast. I'm aware I'm asking for a lot, so I thought it would take longer."

"True, it's a tough request, but making the sword itself isn't a problem. The circuit is the issue. Can you do it?"

"Probably."

"Vague answer. Well, considering you're trying to do something impossible for a blacksmith, it's understandable."

"I can see it faintly, so it's just a matter of turning it into a circuit. That's the hard part..."

I should consult my magic teacher, grandpa, about this.

"Developing magic is said to be incredibly difficult, so it's understandable. The magic development team is also struggling... Anyway, the only thing I can do is make the sword. I'll make it the best it can be, so look forward to it."

"Understood. Thank you. --- Ah, can I have this sword? It feels so natural in my hands. I'd like to use it until the new one is complete. Of course, I'll pay for it."

I asked if I could use the sword Alan made for testing the balance and center of gravity during dungeon exploration.

"Yeah, no problem. And you don't need to pay. You're providing so much material."

"Huh? Why? I thought it was our duty to provide the materials for the sword you're making."

"Ah, you're new, so you don't know. In our guild, explorers don't own magic stones or materials individually. The exploration management department buys them all. Then, the funds go to the party, and within that budget, we request equipment and magic tools from craftsmen."

"...... So, explorers don't provide materials?"

"Right. The materials are supplied by the exploration management department, and we make what fits the requests from those materials."

I see, that's an interesting system.

In other words, even parties that can only reach the middle layers can get equipment made from materials they can't obtain on their own if they gather enough funds.

Furthermore, consolidating materials and magic stones makes inventory management easier.

And there's no conflict over loot distribution between parties, which is a major cause of discord.

"I see. Then, I'll use it gratefully."

The discussion lasted for several hours and finally ended late at night. I conveyed all my requests and hope for a good sword.

When I returned to my room, I immediately fell asleep.

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