I called His Majesty the King of Gandiris, the Steel Country, and asked him if he would personally sell me some steel products, and he readily agreed. In return, though, he asked me to give him some advice. The Steel King consults me?　What is it...?

Well, you'll find out when you get there.
Did you get it?
Yes. He'll be waiting for you at the palace.

　I answer that to Lean and quickly open the 【Gate】.
　As if to say that I've been waiting for you, Kuhn jumps into the 【gate】 first. Even if you're in such a hurry.

''Utterly and utterly.......restless. Who does it look like?''
'Oops, I know you're going to say me, but Lean was like that when we were looking for Babylon's 'library'.
I was a bit more relaxed about it.

　Oh, come on. Paula, who's underfoot, said, 'Is that right?' He's nodding his head.

Well, they're father and son, so it's only natural that they're alike.
Yeah.

　We both look at each other and laugh. Then, from the other side of the [Gate], a nyote-eyed coon comes out of the other side with only his head.

''It's fine that we're good friends, but can't we go quickly?　I think it would be rude to make His Majesty the King of Gandiris wait.
Oh, yeah. Okay.
Yeah, sure. Let's go.

　Somewhat embarrassed, we hurriedly passed through the [Gate] in a hurry.


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'Oh, father, I'll get you some high mithril, too.
Here you go.

　I throw a lump of white and silvery high mithril into the 【Storage】 as Kuhn said.　
　After greeting His Majesty the King of Gandiris, I was immediately led to the large warehouse under the castle, which is a steel and resource storage area.
　There are piles of all sorts of steel stones and alloys piled up like a mountain here and there, as well as products that have been refined into steel.
　That's a hell of a lot of steel. It's just like the Iron and Steel State.
　The Iron and Steel State of Gandiris is a mountainous country surrounded by a variety of mines.
　Due to its abundant underground resources and advanced refining technology, most countries on the western continent buy steel from this country.
　Because of this, the country has been invaded on several occasions in the past, but the land of Tianji and its hardy golems have fought off invasions.
　Because of the availability of all kinds of minerals, many dwarves live here, and many of their weapons and armor are of the highest quality. It's a good thing I didn't bring Frey with me....

''If only we had a mine or something in our country.
We can't ask for something that isn't ours.

　Leaning back at me with a twitch. That's true, but come on.
　Naturally, I can't tell the subtle differences between ores by looking at them. Naturally, 【Search】 doesn't catch them unless they're fossils or magical stones that are very easy to understand.
　If it's in a shape that's easy to recognize, like the Mithril Golem or Orihalcon Golem, I'd be trapped.
　Orichalcong golems were hunted a bit too much when making the Ortrinde Overlord of Sue.... It was about to become an endangered species.
　When I told them about it, the other kings got angry with me, as expected. Well, it's like we're depriving another country of a precious resource.
　I managed to get the countries that had already caused trouble by hunting them to forgive me by telling them about some of the habitats of mithril golems and diamond golems and so on.

''But even so, you buy a lot. Do you need this much to make one overgear?
'We need it!　I can't go into detail.
Are you sure?　You didn't buy your own as quickly as you could, did you?
'Mother, I don't think you should doubt your daughter. Oh, this will work too. Father, I've got one for you.

　While ducking Lean's suspicions, Kuhn specifies the steel.
　No, that's really a lot........ Even if you add up the steel that was originally in the 'workshop', I think that's quite a lot of steel.
　The overgear is bigger than the frame gear, and I was prepared for that to a certain extent........ Oh, will I be able to get the money in time?　We came here to buy it cheap, but it would be a complete disaster if it ended up being too expensive.
　With a hint of anxiety, I walked after the mother and daughter.


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''This is quite a lot........ I'm curious what they're going to use all this for, but let's not pry.

　The Steel King was surprised to see the list of things I've stored in [Storage]. I'm surprised too. It's more than double the amount I expected. Is it really this much?　How many planes are they going to make?
　I wonder if they're going to make a couple of dedicated underwater frame gears as well as overgear.
　Kuhn is just smiling at me and won't tell me. Like the Doctor, these races are too secretive. We're the sponsors.

And the amount of money you're paying me...
Oh, how much?

　I gulped and spit at the Steel King's words. He ran his pen over a piece of paper in his hand and handed me a piece of paper with the amount of money written on it.
　Oro?　Hey, is that cheaper than I thought?　Are you sure?　For this amount of money?

Well, I see you're getting a pretty good deal on this one...
'Hmm. It's actually related to the consultation we talked about on the phone.... If you can do something about it, I'll give you another half price discount off this amount.

　Oh, I knew a good story had an ulterior motive. What do you want me to do?

Look at this map.

　A map of the area around Gandiris was spread out on the table in the reception room. This must have been made from the map on my phone that I gave him. The royal capital of Gandiris is in the center.

This is Merculium, the city with the largest mine in the country. And then there's the royal capital across the Gandra Mountains. The only way to get the steel to the capital is to take a blimp over the Gandora Mountains or go around in a circle via this town to the south.

　Hmmm, isn't it too much to ask for an amphibian to haul the steel?　You can't put that much weight on a flying boat. It would be impossible to fly.
　I don't wanna take the south route, either. That's a long way, isn't it?　Haha. I think I know what the Steel King is trying to say.

"What's up?　So what you're saying is that we should dig a tunnel here?

　I thump my fingers on the mountain range that looms between King's Landing and Mercurium. The Steel King grins at me.

To put it bluntly, that's what this is all about. We've had plans to dig tunnels here for a long time," he said, "but there are some places where the ground is too fragile. It was too dangerous to dig a tunnel because it would have collapsed if we had been forced to. However, magic came from the Eastern Continent and I think we can use earth magic to dig them.

　I see. It's true that soil magic can be used to dig through areas that are likely to collapse while consolidating. It's the same as the shield method.

But this is quite a distance...

　When they were pulling the rails for the magic train, they dug a tunnel in the mountain range that straddles the Kingdom of Belfast and the Empire of Lefries, but it's nearly twice as long as that one. In other words, it's nearly a hundred kilometers long. Well, it's not impossible to dig it, but I don't want to spend too much time on it. Maybe we should just do it all at once.

I'll do it. I'll do it.
'Oh!　Can you take it on!
So, where would you dig, and where would you dig?
Hmm, I'd like to connect King's Landing to Merculium, if possible, in the shortest possible distance.

　Next to the Steel King and I were discussing the map, Leen was elegantly drinking tea with the queens of Gandiris. Leanne is also a Duchess of Gandiris. She was doing her best to deal with the situation in a manner that was typical of a duchess so as not to bring shame to the country.
　The problem is.........

''Heh, you're even drawing ether lines in the drive train........ Ah!　I see, and in case of an emergency, it switches to auxiliary power over here... it's interesting.

　The problem is that there's a duchess in the corner of the room, attached to a kinsman golem deployed to the Gandiris royal palace, peering in through the joints. No, I'm sure the Steel Nation will recognize her as my relative's child, not a duchess.
　The Konoe Golem, who was in charge of guarding this room, didn't make the slightest movement at the sticking Kuhn, but remained upright and immobile like an ornament.

''I'm sorry....
'Oh, no. I'm honored that you're interested in our country's golems.

　When I apologize, the Steel King replies with a bitter smile. He must be dumbfounded.

As expected of the royal palace golems, they also use the highest quality lubricant. ''Oh?　The wiring over here is....

　Hey, you'd better stop now! Your mother is smiling over there, drinking tea, and blue streaks are starting to appear on her temples. Oh, it's too late.
　Leanne refused to tell the queens, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' and then left the room and went straight to the bottom of the coon at a brisk pace. Ugh, this is not good.
　Coon, unaware of this, was engrossed in Golem, when Lean's fists struck him from behind on both sides of his temples.

''Umm, if you keep going this way, the coefficient of friction is... dada dada!　Oh, mother!　You're hurting me!
Kuhn?　What's the matter with you?　Are you trying to embarrass me?

　Guri Guri Guri and Lean's Guri Attack explodes. Seeing that, Paula said, ''Fearful.......! He shuddered in a small way.

'Something ... I'm sorry.'
Oh, no...

　The Steel King no longer tried to hide his drawn-out smile.
　In the meantime, I'll check where we're going to dig the tunnel and take a picture of the direction and distance with my phone. I'll also check the size of the tunnel when I dig it. Later on, if a magic train passes through here, it will make transportation even easier.

''Darling, if you're digging a tunnel, we'll help you dig it too.
'Yes, mother?　Me too?
You're part of the problem. You have to help me.
Yes.....

　Kuhn, freed from the grieve attack, replied without effort. Maybe he thought that if he refused, the Gurri attack would resume again.
　Coon, like Lean, can use all magic except the dark attribute. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it much easier to dig through if you can help me.
　Well then, let's start the father-son collaboration, shall we?


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[Earth, digging, spiral digging, digging spiral]
"[Earth, come, earthwall, earthwall]

　Leanne and Kuhn, who were stationed on either side of me, applied 【Earthwall】 to the horizontal hole I had made, about ten meters in diameter, and fixed it so that it would not collapse. The excavated soil is compressed by the earth wall to create a dome-shaped wall and flat ground.
　After fixing it in place, the hole is teleported back to the point where it was dug and dug again. I can dig about ten kilometers at a time, so if I do it ten times, I'll be able to reach the other side.

''If we don't put up a warding after we finish this, something like a magical beast will get in.

　If that happens, it's just a straight dungeon. And there is no place to escape. As expected, Gandiris would be troubled by that.

''I think we need a resting place where we can rest along the way.
And a ventilation system.

　The speed of the golem carriage is roughly 20 to 30 kilometers per hour. Since we'll be spending four or five hours in the tunnel, we'll certainly need a rest stop.
　When we've dug about half the tunnel, we'll make a large space and dig a small vertical hole for ventilation.

"But when you're in a hole all the time, you start to feel like a mole...
Oh, darling, is this how most dwarves live?　They're diving for the ore, though.
'It would be nice to hit a vein of ore. It might even bring our steel costs down further.

　As I was muttering about such things, the ground before it was hardened bobbed up and a huge mole with sharp, large claws peeked out of it. Paula, who was scared, clings to Leanne's leg.

“Oh, how unusual. It's a giant mole, isn't it? There's another one over here.''
Your father said some strange things.
What, is it my fault?

　The mole must have been drawn to the sound of drilling. I don't think it came because it heard our conversation.

"Guffaaa...!

　The giant maul crawled out of the hole and pointed both claws at us, threatening us. Hmm, maybe it heard us and came to us. He thought he had found a bait.
　Well, what should we do?

''Water, come, limpid sword blade, aquacutter.''
Oh.
"Gugioia?

　Before I could even think about it, Kuhn's magic burst into the giant mall. The five or six meter tall giant mole has been cruelly split in half by splitting bamboo. Ugh.........

''Totally......... Fool, you should think about the magic you're going to use.
'What?　Fire magic is bad, and in this case, isn't water magic the best way to go?
''There's no doubt about it, but I'm telling you to figure out how to defeat it. Even if you collect it with Darling's [Storage], the smell of blood seeping into the ground won't go away, will it?

　Lean was right, there was the smell of blood from the giant maul that had been knocked down in the tunnel. Quite, no, quite bloody........
　I immediately collected the dead Giant Maul into 【Storage】 and used wind magic to push the dirty air to the outside.

''If it was water magic, it would have been better to choke him, or use ice magic to freeze his entire body and contain him.
Mmm..... I'll do that next time.

　Lean strokes Coon's head as he sulks a little. It's like my hand just went out of reflex, I guess. Kuhn is a smart guy, so he should have figured it out with a little thought.
　After that, several more of the same giant moles and giant worms came out, but Kuhn iced them all up.
　There are quite a few of them in the ground. I'll have to put a warding and reinforcement spell on them to prevent them from getting into the tunnel when it's completed.
　Thinking about that, when I activated 【Dig Spiral】 for the umpteenth time, I felt a different response than before. It's like the magic struck out or pierced through.
　Huh?　Breakthrough?　No, there's still a lot more on the other side, right?

There's some kind of hollow...?
Oh, dear. Did we hit a limestone cave?

　Since it was dark in the tunnel, the [Light] that Lean created was floating above our heads. Even that light couldn't reach the hole at the end of the gaping hole and we couldn't see inside.
　Kuhn created a new 【Light】 light and rushed to the end of the collapsed hole. Ah, hey!　You don't know what's out there!

This is...!　Father!　Mother!　Look at that!
What is it?　What's going on?

　As Kuhn raises his voice, Lean and I also rush to the end of the hole.

''Huh, this is........!

　There was a vague light like Hikari Moss that existed apart from the [Light] light that Kuhn flew.
　What jumped out at us. It was a large city that spread out below us.
　We could see buildings on the street, and even a tower and a pyramid-shaped object in the distance. It was a completely underground city.
　Or, more precisely, is it the remains of a city? Unfortunately, some of the buildings and towers have collapsed and it would be better to call it a ruin.
　Perhaps it's one of the ancient cities.... I didn't expect to be digging a tunnel and hit something like this.

''It's amazing!　Even in the future, they haven't found a place like this yet!　It's a great discovery!
'You've dug up a hell of a lot of stuff. Maybe you could get some steel for free?
That sounds great. You want to come up with a big dinner?

　Unlike the excited Kuhn, I and Lean are light-heartedly talking to each other. Well, to be honest, I can't deny that I feel like I've found something troublesome.
　But even in the future it hasn't been discovered?　So does that mean the future is changing?　Or is the Gandiris of the future hiding this underground city?　What does that mean?
　At any rate, I call the Steel King and they look just as excited as Kuhn and head right over there!　And then the call was cut off.
　No, it's going to take some time to get here, even if you take an amphibian to come right away.... I thought about going to pick him up from the airport, but if he says he's coming, I'll just wait. It's probably an hour or two at the most.

Father, father!　Survey!　Let's do some research!　Make sure there's no danger!

　That would have been a problem. I don't have the confidence in me to keep this excited girl in check until the Steel King arrives.
　I certainly think it's necessary to make sure it's safe. It could be a nest of demonic beasts that also operate underground, like the giant mall and the great earthworm from earlier.
　We decided to follow Kuhn's opinion and climb down from the hole we had pierced. It seemed to have smashed through the outer wall and the bottom was like a sheer cliff, but we used 【Fly】 to land safely in an open area.
　There, like the central square, the cobblestones are cracked and the buildings are showing signs of partial collapse. It's an abandoned city, after all.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it.
I think it was difficult to protect the entire city like our magic.

　According to the doctor, in ancient magical civilizations, when they built buildings, they usually strengthened them with earth magic or cast a protective spell to keep them clean.
　There were some such techniques over here, but I guess they weren't widely and commonly used. Protection seems to have been limited to things of value.
　On the other hand, there might be some treasures that were protected.
　I don't mean to sound like Kuhn, but I'm getting a little excited.
　As if to pour water on my heart, there was a crash in the abandoned city.

'....What was that?　What's there?

　More noises could be heard from the abandoned city floating in the darkness. We were alerted to the area and positioned ourselves so that we could move at any time.
　The clattering sounds of metal became more and more frequent, and eventually, out of the vague darkness, a golem appeared.
　It was about the same height as a human. It looked like a knight in brass-like armor. However, the part that hits the face is still a machine, as monoculars like camera lenses are creaking from side to side.
　There are four tubes like tubes sticking out from the back, and something like shimmering steam is coming out of them. The steam is leaking from the joints of the body as well, and it looks as if it's on the verge of breaking.
　A number of brass golems appear from all over the town and come towards us. They don't have any weapons in their hands, but they look like zombies in a zombie movie.

''I didn't expect to find an underground city where Golem lives...''
What do you think, darling?　Do you want to use wide-ranging magic to blow them all away?
'What?　What did you do?　That, mother, is a rare and ancient aircraft, the Legacy!　If you break it, you might not be able to put it back together again!
My daughter is a real pain in the ass, isn't she?

　Lean let out a voice as if he was truly dumbfounded by Koon, who clung to him stubbornly. I know that it's a valuable golem, but I won't condone it if it attacks me.
　But well, since it's Kuhn's request, let's not just stop it from functioning.
　If you put it in ice, you won't have to destroy it.
　When I was about to activate my sealing ice magic 【Eternal Coffin】, a woman's voice suddenly echoed through the underground city.

''Everyone, stay back. I will not allow you to harm those people.''

　As we were startled by the sudden voice, brass golems slowly moved in on either side of us, making their way like the Ten Commandments of Moses.
　A woman appeared ahead of us, dressed in a loose-fitting, single piece of white cloth called a toga, which was worn by the ancient Romans. Her silvery hair was long, and her eyes glittered with gold. In the dimness, her beauty was the only thing that flickered mysteriously.

'Welcome to the machine city of Agartha. People of the earth.''

　The silver-haired toga woman we met in the underground city smiled at us.