The next morning, when I went into the main lobby of the Adventurer's Guild, I found Iris there. Our meeting time was 9:00 a.m., so there were still fifteen minutes to spare.
"Good morning, Iris. Did I make you wait long?"
"No, I'm just arriving."
Iris smiled cheerfully and lined up beside me on my left.
Whenever we walk together, we are always in this position. Recently, I sometimes glance to my left side even when Iris is absent.
Well, it's probably inevitable since we see each other every day.
I guess it's a kind of habit.
We left the town of Aunen and headed in the southeast direction.
We entered the forest near the road, opened the door hidden under the cliff at the back, and descended the stairs into the underground.
When we finally exited the tunnel, even though this was supposed to be underground, there was a blue sky and grassland.
"We've been here many times, but it's still a strange sight."
"Indeed."
I nodded at Iris' words. It's just my personal opinion, but I guess that sky is like a three-dimensional image.
The technology level of ancient civilizations is very high. It should be easy enough to create a fake sky.
In fact, when I looked closely, I could see the stone ceiling peeking out from behind the cloud-like white blur, and when I returned my eyes from the sky to the ground, I could see houses standing side by side in the distance.
This is the city that I built with [Creation] before.
As we started to walk towards the city, four translucent round creatures approached us from the other side of the grassland, jumping up and down.
They are the Helper Slimes, magical creatures created by ancient technology.
They have an amicable personality and are experts at cleaning, washing, cooking, and other personal care tasks.
I'd like to take them along with me on the journey to the royal capital, but there are restrictions on their range of movement, and they can't seem to go outside of the underground city.
I wish there were a better way.
The Slimes stopped moving in front of Iris and me and bowed a little vertically.
""""Welcome back, Master-san and Iris-neesan!""""
The Helper Slimes said this in unison and welcomed us with happy expressions.
The sight of them is soothing to the soul.
"Hey, Kou…"
Iris put her face close to my ear and muttered in a troubled tone.
"Isn't it very awkward to say 'we're going on a journey in this atmosphere…?"
"Well, yeah."
The Slimes will be lonely.
When I think about it, I feel bad. However, postponing the problem will not solve anything.
I need to say exactly what I need to say.
I took a deep breath and said to the Slimes.
"Actually, I'll be leaving Aunen soon. I won't be able to return to the underground city for a while."
With these words, silence fell.
The Slimes immediately stopped moving and turned their gaze towards me.
And then…
"Eeeeeeeeee! Master-san, you're disappearing?"
"But you'll be back soon, right?"
"Have a safe journey!"
"I want to go out too, but I can't leave the underground city…"
A single Helper Slime sighed in disappointment.
That's when it happened.
One of my skills… [Full Assist], was automatically activated, and an inorganic voice sounded in my mind.
By rewriting the main system of the underground city, it will be possible to bring one Helper Slime to accompany you above ground. Would you like to carry out the rewrite of the system?
Sure, do it right away.
As its name implies, the Helper Slime is good at treating humans. If they accompany me, the journey will be very comfortable.
Soon, a single Helper Slime was enveloped in a soft glow.
It will take ninety-six hours to rewrite the system. Please wait for a while.
Apparently, it would take ninety-six hours… or four days to get the Helper Slime out of the underground city.
"Aah! I feel warm and fuzzy. Master-san, what happened to me?"
"I'm rewriting the main system of the underground city. When it's done, you can go out."
"Eeeeeeeeh! Then I can go outside with you, Master-san? Yay!"
The Helper Slime wrapped in a shiny light and bounced around me happily.
"Yay, yay, yay! I can be Master-san's friend! I'm a friend slime!"
"That's great!"
"Take care of Master-san!"
"You'll have to take care of Master-san for us, too!"
The other three Slimes were as happy as if it were themselves.
In the midst of this friendly atmosphere, I hear the voice in my mind again.
Please give a name to the Helper Slime that will be accompanying you.
Excuse me?
I don't like being told that all of a sudden.
As I groaned, Iris, who was standing next to me, called out to me.
"What's the matter, Kou?"
"I'm thinking of a name."
"Could it be a name for the child you're taking to the surface?" How about… 'Osese' or 'Sewawa'?"
[T/n: Osewa can mean Helper since the Japanese name for the slimes is Osewa Slime, Iris suggested that name to Kou.]
That's a bit of a stretch.
But it's not a bad idea to take the name of the race.
"How about 'Surara'?" [T/n: this is taken from Suraimu.]
"I think it's good. It's prettier than my idea."
Iris agreed with me, so I'll go with "Surara."
The Helper Slime that will be accompanying you will be registered as "Surara." Is that okay?
It's OK.
As I nodded, the Helper Slime that was to accompany me stopped moving and turned around.
"Master-san, I just got a call from the main system of the underground city! Did you give me a name?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, hey, I want you to call me!"
"Surara?"
"Yes! My name is Surara! Thank you, Master-san, for the wonderful name! Ehehe!"
Apparently, Surara liked the name.
After that, Surara remained in a good mood for a while and said, "My name is Surara! Yay!" He kept jumping up and down in the grass, saying that.
But after about five minutes, he seemed to get tired, and his movements became slower and slower, and his expression turned sleepy.
"Munya… I'm starting to feel sleepy… Suh."
Surara closes his eyes and begins to breathe peacefully in his sleep.
It's very sudden, but is it because of the system rewrite in progress? It might be like a computer update that requires a reboot.
"Surara, he's gone to sleep.
"Shall we put him on the bed?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea!"
The three Helper Slimes huddled together and consulted, finally nodding to each other.
"Then let me…"
"I'll carry Surara."
"Be careful! I'll give Master-san a present!"
The two Helper Slimes reached out their hands and carried Surara like a portable shrine, carrying him to the city beyond the grass.
I watched them go and then spoke to the one remaining Helper Slime.
"You said you had a present for me earlier."
"Whoa! Master-san, did you hear me?"
"Well, you were talking very loudly…"
When I thrust in that way, Iris chuckled a little beside me.
"Right. It's normal to be heard."
"Um, Master-san, you're going on a journey soon, right? I've got some good stuff in the warehouse in the underground city that I'd like you to take a look at."
The slime said so and opened its mouth wide.
What popped out of it was a carriage about the size of a camper.
The warehouse in the underground city is a sub-space like an [Item Box], and it is connected to the mouth of the Helper Slime. There was a time when a chair came out of the mouth of the Helper Slime, but this time the carriage was even bigger than that. I think they are ignoring the laws of physics and many other things too much.
"There's more!"
Immediately after the Helper Slime announced this, four carriages popped out of its mouth.
If you include the first carriage, there are five carriages in total.
When I use [Appraisal] to check, it seems that all of them were made in the ancient civilization, and each of them has a different interior.
"This one has a kitchen inside the carriage! That one has two fluffy beds, and that one is small but has two floors!"
"…Wouldn't it make a great carriage if you combined them all into one?"
When Iris muttered this, the Helper Slime nodded loudly and said, "Yes!"
"You have [Creation], right, Master-san? If you want, you can use this as material! You can make a great carriage out of it!"
"That sounds interesting."
Since we're going on a journey, it would be a good idea to travel around in a luxurious carriage of our own making.
Okay, let's give it a try.
I store the five carriages in the [Item Box].
Then a new recipe popped into my mind.
As the Helper Slime said, it seems that by using all five carriages as materials, I can create a new large carriage.
I immediately activated my skill.
"…[Creation]"
Grand Cabin: One of the world's largest and most luxurious carriages, created by Kou Kousaka. It is a two-story carriage with a living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom.
Granted effects:"Physical Defense Enhancement S+","Magic Defense Enhancement S+","Wind Defense A+","Golem Combination EX".
The description says, "The world's largest and most luxurious carriage."
This was also a huge carriage that was made.
It's called the Grand Cabin.
Because it has"Physical Defense Enhancement S+"and"Magic Defense Enhancement S+"its defense performance is extremely high.
Even if surrounded by monsters, it would be possible to stay in the carriage safely.
The"Wind Defense A+"is effective in blocking the negative effects of the wind, allowing you to accelerate without being hindered by the headwind, and the strong winds from the side will not cause the carriage to tip over.
But the most important point is the"Golem Combination EX".
It seems that this carriage ─ the Grand Cabin ─ was designed to be pulled not by a horse but by a golem, and by combining the two, it shows its true performance.
Combining is a man's romance.
As I was thinking about this, I heard a voice in my mind.
With the acquisition of skill experience, [Creation] is now level 16. Skill functions will be added.
Oops, it seems that the skill level has been increased. Apparently, the function has been expanded, but what on earth can it do now?
Whenever I have a question, [Full Assist] immediately supplements the information.
…I see.
In the past, I could only use the items in the [Item Box] as materials for [Creation].
But from now on, it seems that even objects outside the [Item Box] can be the target of [Creation] as long as they are touched by my hand.
For example, the ground.
If I continue to level up, I will be able to create a forest in a wasteland, for example.
Of course, you'll need to procure trees as materials for the forest, but even with that out of the way, it's a fantastic effect.
I guess that's why they call it God's skill.
Now that I've confirmed the function, let's take a look at the actual Grand Cabin.
I opened my [Item Box] list in my mind and thought of taking out the Grand Cabin.
A magic circle appears on the ground, and a huge object slowly rises from it.
"Wow…!"
"It's huge…"
The Helper Slime and Iris were both amazed.
The Grand Cabin was truly one of the largest carriages in the world. It was more than fifteen meters long and had two floors.
Its overwhelming sense of size gave it the appearance and dignity of a mobile fortress.
At the front of the carriage was a platform that barely gave away the fact that it was a carriage.
The door to get in and out was on the front left side of the carriage.
"Why don't we go inside for now?"
"Yes. …I've never seen such a magnificent carriage in my life."
"Master-san's carriage is amazing!"
I took Iris and the Helper Slime and got into the Grand Cabin.
As soon as we enter, there is a staircase on the left and a door leading to the platform in front of us.
The first floor was divided into three areas: from the front, these are the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
In the living room, there is a large sofa facing each other with a window looking out to the outside. There is a rather large clock on the wall, showing the time past ten in the morning.
The dining room seats four people, and the table and chairs are made of warm wood.
Beyond that was the kitchen, complete with a magic stove in the front and one in the back, running water, and a large cooking table. The cupboards were fully stocked with dishes and cooking utensils.
"I guess I can cook on the road with all this."
"It would be a good idea to stock up on ingredients and seasonings before we left Aunen."
"I'd love to cook in a kitchen like this!"
That's about it for the first floor.
Let's go to the second floor next.
As we climbed the stairs, there was a straight pathway leading to the back.
There were two bedrooms in front of us, each with a king-sized bed.
At the end of the passageway was a toilet and bathroom, complete with a shower and bathtub.
What can I say? It's blissful.
Iris seemed to agree with me and said with a sigh of admiration.
"It's so gorgeous, and it looks so cozy. I'd love to live here…"
"It's got a bathroom and a kitchen, so it could be used as a home."
"It's like a moving house!"
After saying that, the Helper Slime folded its round body into a "く" shape as if it were tilting its head.
"But Master-san, how do you make this carriage move?"
"I was wondering the same thing. It's a lot of weight, and it would require at least ten horses."
"Don't worry. The golem will pull them."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll demonstrate now. Let's go outside for now."
So we went downstairs and got out of the carriage.
"Let's get started."
I select the Destroyer Golem from the list in my [Item Box].
The Destroyer Golem is a new type of ancient weapon that I created based on the Orichalcum Golem that I defeated at the entrance to this underground city.
…The term "new type of ancient weapon" may seem like a huge contradiction, but putting that aside, it has very high combat capabilities.
In the recent battle, just before the Black Dragon resurrected, more than 30,000 monsters rushed towards the city of Aunen.
At that time, the Destroyer Golem instantly wiped out most of the monsters with the super high-powered magic laser cannon on his head.
For me, it's one of my most reliable companions.
Or should I say unit, since he's a robot?
One Destroyer Golem in the family. The power to destroy the world is delivered to your home.
…Such a world is too disturbing, so I'd rather refrain from it.
Well, let's leave the jokes at that.
When I thought to myself to take out the Destroyer Golem from the [Item Box], a magic circle floated on the ground. A black giant of steel slowly rises out of it.
It looked like a scene from a robot animation.
"Long time no see, Master! Please give the order!"
Despite his rugged appearance, the Destroyer Golem was full of energy again today.
"I'm actually going on a journey, but the carriage is huge. Can you help me pull it?"
"Ooohh! That's a very nice carriage! Please leave it to me!"
The Destroyer Golem tapped his chest in a trustworthy manner and approached the carriage.
At that time, [Full Assist] was automatically activated, and a voice was heard in my mind.
Do you wish to combine the Destroyer Golem with the Grand Cabin?
I nodded vigorously.
The next moment, metal parts flew out from the front of the carriage and clanked into the arms and waist of the Destroyer Golem.
It seems that one of the granted effects,"Golem Combination EX"has been activated.
"Combination! Grand Destroyer Golem!"
The Destroyer Golem shouted and struck a pose with its arms outstretched as far as they would go.
It looked like something out of a robot animation.
I wondered what had changed as a result of the combination.
I activate my [Appraisal].
The Grand Destroyer Golem: A Destroyer Golem that was strengthened by combining with the Grand Cabin. Due to the effects of"Golem Combination EX", the basic output of the magic core has been dramatically improved.
Granted effects:"Advanced Calculation Function A+","Monster Detection S", "Eternal Engine S+", "Increased Power S+".
The five letters "Grand" have been added to the Destroyer Golem's name.
In addition to this, there is also the added effect of the"Increased Power S+", which means that even though it is pulling the huge mass of the Grand Cabin, its movement speed has increased.
"Everyone, please give it a try."
The Destroyer Golem said, and the carriage doors automatically opened.
This is probably also due to the"Golem Combination EX".
We got into the carriage again and sat down on the sofa in the living room.
"The carriage is now ready to depart!"
The Destroyer Golem's voice was heard from the ceiling.
It seems to have a built-in speaker-type magic tool.
The carriage began to move, its feet shaking slightly as it rumbled.
Slowly at first, then gradually increasing in speed, the scenery around us began to flow rapidly.
"Wow! It's fast. It's fast!"
The Helper slime cackles happily as it looks out the window.
"That's an amazing speed…"
Iris sighed in admiration.
"I think we'll make it to Fort Port in no time."
"We could do some sightseeing on the way."
"Agreed. Let's have a nice trip, shall we?"
While Iris and I were talking about this, [Auto Mapping] started up, and a pale window popped up.
It showed a map from Aunen to the port town of Fort Port, as well as the recommended route and the number of days required if we were to use this carriage to go directly to Fort Port.
Hmm…
According to the route recommended by [Auto Mapping], after leaving Aunen, we would spend one night in a town called Toue, then another night in a town called Surier, and then arrive at Fort Port…
It would take us three days in total.
"Iris, what do you think of this route?"
"…Not bad."
"Does that mean it could be improved?"
"Both Toue and Surier are famous tourist destinations. It would be a shame to spend only one night there, and if we could just adjust that, it would be a perfect itinerary."
Iris nodded her head in admiration and looked at the [Auto Mapping] window.
"This carriage is so fast that it can reach Fort Port in three days without sightseeing. As I said yesterday, it would normally take ten days to get there."
In other words, the Grand Cabin can move at least three times as fast as an ordinary carriage. The Destroyer Golem takes the place of the horse, so we don't have to worry about encountering monsters, and it has a bedroom and kitchen.
As a means of transportation, it's just perfect.
I'm starting to get excited.
The carriage drove around the grasslands of the underground city for a while but eventually slowed down and came to a gentle stop.
We got up from the sofa and walked out of the Grand Cabin.
"Good work, Master! How's the ride?"
"Good. Keep up the good work on the day of departure."
"Understood! Please leave it to me!"
The Destroyer Golem put both feet together and saluted with a clang.
I smiled bitterly at his appearance and ordered him to store it in my [Item Box].
A magic circle appeared on the ground, and the Destroyer Golem and Grand Cabin were absorbed into it.
Well, I guess that's about all I have to do in the underground city.
In the afternoon, we'll go to the Scarlet Trading Company to discuss our travel schedule.