“Then come this way.”
The Black Faction’s pick-up arrived two days earlier than planned.
They left Kurikara in a carriage and met up in a secluded spot with a Megabird, a bird-like monster with a huge body that could be seen from above.
Its huge body was noticeable even from afar, and was hidden by camouflage equipment developed by the Black Faction.
It used light refraction, different from Shin and the others’ 【Hiding】.
The effect did not completely blend into its surroundings, but became harder to see, and that was enough to travel in the sky.
When it descended to the ground to meet up with them, it seemed to cheat by having multiple equipment activated.
The Megabird was a monster that played a part in long-distance transportation even during the game, and was used by NPC merchants.
As a transport monster exclusively for NPCs, even merchant players could not handle the Megabird.
It was generally used as a means of transportation by players giving orders or requests to NPCs.Although it could not be used by players, there was also popular content in the game where players could have the Megabird carry a container with the interior renovated, and enjoy the scenery from inside the container.
The Megabird that came to pick up Shin and the others also had a transport container placed right next to it.
When asked about the means of transportation, he said “it will be a little faster,” which seemed to be true if the Megabird could be used.
The number of days that was originally announced was short, but it made sense that it would be even shorter now.
Although the amount of goods that could be transported by air was small, the speed was overwhelming.
This method was also reliable for returning to a base, as you didn’t have to change your means of transportation depending on the location, and it was not affected by unexpected events such as disasters or monsters.
Shin hadn’t seen a Megabird since coming to this world, so he assumed it was no longer in use. Because of that, he had ruled out air routes as a transportation or travel option, but it seemed that’s not the case.
“That’s convenient.”
As he gazed at the shrinking land from inside the container, Shin blurted out what he was thinking.
“I’ve never ridden it, but I can see why it was popular.”
Unlike Milt, Shin had ridden it once during his game days. At the time, it was just for looking at the scenery, but now he could think of various uses for it.
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t see it at the Golden Company. If I use this…”
Shin thought that he could have traveled faster when chasing after the 3rd Moving Base Miraltrea and the Reed’s doll from Golden Merchant – Welberad.
However, Megabirds were not that convenient to have in that location, and there were also issues with flight distance and supplies.
Since teleportation was something that players and support characters used, it was possible that NPC-only monsters could not be teleported along with them.
It was unclear whether the Golden Company owned Megabirds, but the fact that they didn’t use them meant that there must have been a reason.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah… No, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Golden Company had a few of them in service there.”
Shin answered Kluck’s question, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“Even the Golden Company probably only has a limited number of Megabirds. It costs a lot to maintain them. Besides, the number of people who can raise Megabirds has decreased considerably.”
Megabirds were one of the few monsters in the game that NPCs could raise and breed.
Since players rarely had any involvement with the Megabirds, only some players, such as tamers, knew about them. Shin didn’t know the details either.
He checked the job of the driver that was currently driving the Megabird that was carrying Shin and the others, and found out it was a “Bird Servant,” something he had never heard of before.
As they spent the time chatting, the scenery on the ground changed.
From the greens and browns of the grasslands and wilderness to a deep blue.
It seemed they were out at sea.
Below them, they could see fishing boats leaving the port and large ships for long-distance voyages.
Sending them off, they went further. The Megabird began to descend, heading for a space that was nothing but sea as far as the eye could see.
The scenery ahead was slightly distorted. It seemed that the base was also equipped with camouflage equipment.
“Whoa, what’s that!”
It was no wonder that Tiera was surprised.
The moment they passed a certain point, an island suddenly appeared before their eyes.
“This is our base. Parda Island.”
“Parda Island…I see. It was originally the Hiiragi Union’s guild house.”
Shin, who recognized the name of the island Kluck mentioned, spoke the name of the guild that owned it.
The Hiiragi Union was not a single guild, but a kind of community formed by a group of production guilds.
He had heard that the guild house was also purchased jointly by all the guilds pooling their funds to purchase the island.
“Did you know this place, Sir Shin?”
“No, I just happened to remember the name from a story I heard during my travels. There are still people among the Elves and Dragnils who have actually seen and heard about the past.”
“I see, so that’s the kind of knowledge you get from traveling the world without a fixed base.”
Kluck was impressed, and Shin nodded vaguely, thinking that he didn’t need to take it so grandly.
Shin couldn’t say that he only went to see it because it was famous for a while.
The Megabird landed in the square in the center of the island.
There were several Megabirds a short distance away. From the sky, they could see what looked like a ranch next to the square, so it seemed like there was a breeding facility attached to it.
After Shin and the others emerged from the lowered container, the driver guided the Megabird to what seemed to be a stable.
The container had wheels, so it could be pulled by a horse.
“First, you will meet with the representatives of the Black Faction.”
“Is that the department head you mentioned before?”
“Yes. It’s an interview before we show you the facility, but it often turns into an exchange of opinions in each field of expertise.”
Most of the people who were invited to Parda Island were people who loved making things. Many were the type who would go anywhere if it meant learning about unknown technology.
As Kluck said, it was not uncommon for them to hit it off with the department head in their field of expertise. Since everyone has had the same experience, no one seemed to stop them when it happened.
“It’s a final check for what kind of person we are. I do wonder if that’s okay, but I understand how they feel.”
As a leader, they must have a wealth of knowledge in their field.
At the same time, they should be very interested in unknown technology and knowledge. Those who were invited like Shin were usually production-related Chosen Ones or apprentices of special people, so they probably got along well.
Since Shin has had a similar experience, he could only nod.
They checked what kind of people they were before inviting them to Parda Island, so there was practically no need to screen them when they were brought here.
“This way.”
When they got off the container, there was a large gate. Beyond the gate, they could see the top of a building that could be called a factory. In fact, the inside was said to be a production-related facility.
When the gate opened, the entire building, which had only been visible at the top, was revealed, and they could hear the hustle and bustle inside.
There were people making their horses carry metal pillars, people running with stacks of paper, and people yelling at each other loudly; thus, the scene was the same as that which had unfolded in many production guilds back in the game days.
Several people seemed to have noticed Shin and the others. Some approached, but—
Before they could speak, an explosion sounded from the back of the factory.
Several people hurried back at the sound. The rest of them walked towards their respective destinations with looks that seemed to say, “Not again.”
Those who were panicking did not seem to be in a pinch, but rather like they had just had a small secret revealed.
“This seems like a typical day in the life of a production guild.”
“We’ve been told not to carry out experiments that could cause explosions…”
Kluck gave a wry smile at Shin’s comments.
“There’s nothing you can do about unintentional explosions. Some materials require processing that you don’t understand.”
Shin had experienced an explosion in his game days, so he knew that when taking on new materials, you first had to be prepared to die a few times.
That’s not the case in this world, so there must be a safety margin.
Otherwise, the explosion earlier wouldn’t have been just a little panic for a few people.
←Previous | Next→ (7-Days Free Trial)