Chapter 562

The Volcano Forge
The fantasy metals Modalfas and the others finished checking turned out, as expected, to be high-purity—and in great quantity.
With this, the fantasy metal issue should be completely resolved.
As for the actual forging, I wasn’t sure whether it would be better done here or at the smithy in Vardmoi, so I decided to ask Teysa once we got back.

"Hmm. A forge in such a remote place, eh? Well, I’ll have to see it with my own eyes."

"Are you sure? That would mean leaving your shop unattended."

"It’s fine. I’ve finished all the urgent work, and there are no jobs pending. What matters more is confirming this supposed mountain of fantasy metals."

"Understood. Just so you know, Alizée also wants to come along, so I’ll bring her too."

"No problem. Give me until tomorrow to get ready. See you then."

As soon as our talk ended, he flipped his shop sign to ‘Closed’ and immediately started preparing.
When we left, he even locked the door behind us.
He was taking this very seriously.

And the next morning, it wasn’t just Teysa who was fired up.
Hanon was fired up, and even Alizée had that gleam in her eyes.
Why, though?

"As far as the Trade Guild is concerned, we’ve never heard of a case where so much fantasy metal was stockpiled. So we intend to conduct an on-site inspection."

"I’m not selling to the Trade Guild, you know?"

"Of course. On the contrary, we’d prefer that Lady Lily store the ore in the Vardmoi estate’s treasury, so that its ownership is clearly established as yours."

… Ah, so that’s why the Lumite Grandwing came along this time.
I had wondered, since they couldn’t actually reach the dragon’s den.
Turns out they were here to transport the ores.
Even so, they’d still need to carry the ores down to the foot of the mountain, which would be quite the task.
Well, I’m sure they’ll manage.
I wasn’t about to be allowed to help anyway, so I kept quiet.

With Teysa’s group—who would actually do the forging—and another group tasked with hauling away the leftover ores, we made our way first to the dragon’s den, then down the slope to the forge from the other day.
As before, the building looked weathered with age, but solid and sturdy.

"Lily, where’s this fantasy metal you mentioned?"

"Hm? That building over there is the warehouse. They were piled high inside, already sorted by type as far as I could tell. You’ll know at a glance."

"Alright. Then, I’m off!"

Teysa dashed away at once.
Hannon, shaking her head, followed after her.
It seemed both of them were just as eager about the mountain of fantasy metal as anyone would be.
… Well, really, who wouldn’t be?

What do you think about this chapter?