--We've been working on a number of important tasks at the same time since we returned from King's Landing.

　The first was the test operation of the medallion, including the one His Majesty gave us.

　I think we can say that this was a success.
　With the limited awakening of both of the two medallions, we should be able to use them as a minimum level of war potential for now.

　Next, I processed the Sword of Adamant, also gifted by His Majesty, which was used by Demon King Gandalf.

　It was intended to be mithril alloyed or given a mithril coating and then have Noir carve a magic crest on it, but it was stalled for unexpected reasons.

　However, by comparing it to the Sword of the Brave Ezell created by the same creator, and by referring to the research of the dwarves of Asropolis that Travis had researched, I may have found some breakthroughs like .......

　In addition to these, the request I received from Theodore - to explore the fourth level, which is an underground space of flames, lava, and scorching heat, I am also concurrently carrying out heat-resistant equipment and support for setting up a search base.

　Noir is in charge of the former, and with the help of Miranda Sewing Shop, preparations are being made for the mass production of cold air-releasing clothing.

　And the latter is in charge of Alexia, leading the other technicians who have moved to Green Hollow to continue their work--and today, the time has finally come for the results to be announced.

Well then, I, Alexia, on behalf of the Clever Engineer Group, would like to give you a report on the fourth level of the Ark of the Elements search base set up.

　The Adventurer's Guild Branch's rental conference room.

　I was to be called there with Theodore, and we were to receive a progress report from Alexia.

　There are other technicians in the conference room, but Alexia is the only one standing on the stage, as she seems to be planning to basically devote herself to assisting behind the scenes.

　And in the audience, besides me and Theodore, there are adventurers who seem to play an important role in the search, but the two of us are the only ones in the front row.

''I don't need to reiterate to you all, but the only current route to the fourth level is to descend down the huge vertical hole at the back of the rocky mountain range on the first level.

　Alexia began to draw the side view of the vertical hole with white ink (chalk) on the blackboard behind her.

　As she was used to drawing on a regular basis, even her impromptu drawings were quite precise.

'The large hole is a travel route for dragons to appear on the first level, and crawling down the wall normally is frankly suicidal, but there was a spiral semi-buried passage along the wall, so we are gratefully using this relic of the past in a situation ...... So I'm sure that's what you mean.

　This is a pure status quo so far.

　It's a reaffirmation of the basic premise that all of us in attendance should be aware of.

Now, we've been given two major tasks. "We were tasked with two main tasks: to establish a means of safely descending from the large hole in the fourth level ceiling to the ground, and to develop a means of controlling the room temperature in the frontline search center to make it more comfortable.
''It's so harsh that most of us would have to drop out if we insist on overcoming it with our individual adventurers' abilities. Even on the fourth level alone, I'm pretty sure it would be certified as an A-ranked dungeon.

　Alexia nodded loudly back at Theodore's words.

'I'm on the adventuring end of the spectrum myself, so I understand. I went to the bottom end of the big hole to inspect the site, but it was worse than any dungeon I've experienced.''
'So, since we've been called up like this, can we assume that we have a reasonable prospect of making it happen?
''The base's cooling system is perfect. It's just that we've made that kind of magic tool on a large scale so that it can be adjusted by a sophisticated device. It's an application of the product we supplied to the Ash Hawk Knights. It's just that the cost is quite high.
You don't have to worry about it. As long as me and the guild here are serious about it.

　Due to the premise of installing it in a search base, there was no need to think about mass production from the start, and there was no problem with the device growing in size.

　Since it was a custom-made product for difficult dungeons that needed to be conquered in a hurry, manufacturing and operating costs could be ignored to a certain extent, so I thought that Alexia wouldn't have a hard time with it.

'The problem was the means of raising and lowering it. Technically, we could have handled it if we had the money and time, but the most difficult problem was the environment in which the dragons were flying around.

　Alexia drew a picture of a dragon, this time with a strange charm, underneath the drawing of the great hole on the blackboard.

'A lot of dragons moving towards the first level means that, namely, the area around the Great Hole is a spot where a large amount of dragon movement lines overlap. If we were to lower an elevator straight into such a place or erect a tower for movement, no matter how you look at it, there would be a catastrophe waiting to happen.

　This is a concern not only for the attack by hostile dragons, but also for the accidental collision with the wires of the elevator and the stairway tower when the dragons were flying without paying attention to the activities on the human side.

　It must be said that expecting the dragons to carefully avoid what (...) extended straight from the hole in the ceiling to the surface of the fourth level is unreasonable at any cost.

''What we thought of as a countermeasure was to set up a ward to keep the dragons out in the vicinity. That's the guy in the Golden Fang Knights' fortress on the first level and the dwarven castle town. But this was greatly opposed by Sir Theodore.
Of course!　If we block the big hole with a ward, the dragons won't be able to get out to the first level!

　Theodore assured him with a big serious face and then gave a joking smile.

'...... Of course, I didn't claim this just for personal pleasure. Dragons that fail to move to the first level will inevitably remain in the original fourth level. This would only serve to increase the danger of exploration.

　If you block the exit, the things that were supposed to escape will accumulate inside ...... This is an undeniable truth.

　It would be rare to see such a picture-perfect endgame that the wards set up for safe elevation would increase the number of dragons on the fourth level and increase the danger in the vicinity.

''The next idea is to let the wires of the elevators hang down only when necessary. But there's a problem here, too.

　Alexia added some lines drawn on the blackboard near the ceiling of the fourth level as if the wind were swirling around it.

The environment of the fourth level is filled with tremendous heat, which inevitably creates a large air flow, and the wind can be terrible in the upper part of the underground space. So an elevator suspended with only the minimum amount of wire required is ......
'I can only imagine what it would be like to be shaken to death. Or rather, die.
That said, it's going to be so hard to put up enough wire to stabilize it every time it's raised or lowered that I can't do it.

　Theodore and I continue to say words of agreement.

　The reputation of this place as an A-ranked dungeon is not an exaggeration.
　Every aspect of the environment itself is harsh, to the point where you can only imagine that it refuses to allow humans to enter.

The next thing I thought of was, let's just go around.

　Alexia turned her back to the blackboard once and turned back to us, smiling wryly.

'This is why I called you here, Luke-kun. We would very much like to have your help.