Chapter 114: Our True Identities
The scene shifted dramatically as we arrived at a certain room in the headquarters of the Rashiyu Trading Company. As expected of a headquarters located in the Commercial City, the stone building was quite impressive.
“Um, so you two are… the Heroes summoned to the Arclight Kingdom… is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“……”
Fleur, upon hearing our explanation, stood there with her mouth agape. It was only natural for her to wonder why we were revealing something that the so-called magic research institute had failed to uncover. I hadn’t intended to keep it a secret, but I also hadn’t thought it necessary to hide it rigorously. After all, I had already mentioned it to the Guild Master of a guild somewhere in the Arclight Kingdom. Surely, it wouldn’t take long for someone to find out.
“So, um, that smartphone that was auctioned off… what exactly is it?”
“Well, we believe it’s a tool from our world.”
“It looks just like it, doesn’t it?”
I nodded slowly at Rio’s words. I wondered what the appraisal would reveal about it.
＝＝＝＝＝
Type: Tool
Name: Smartphone
Description: 6G-compatible Zony-made Expedia 3
Equipped with a Step Dragon 1082 processor
High-spec model featuring 8K LCD and 32PB memory
＝＝＝＝＝
“Whoa!”
It’s literally a smartphone! Wait, what kind of advertisement is that?
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, the appraisal says it’s a 6G-compatible Zony-made Expedia 3…”
“Eh?!”
“W-What does that appraisal result even mean…? The research institute didn’t announce anything like that.”
Is that so? Perhaps the appraisal system reveals more details when performed by someone knowledgeable about the item. Or maybe it only provides the name at a basic level? The mechanics of the Appraisal Skill remain a complete mystery. And what’s this 6G nonsense? As far as I know, 5G has only just started to roll out. An 8K LCD on a smartphone? What even is 32PB of memory? Is that even better than gigabytes? I’m utterly lost.
There are so many possibilities—maybe the timelines don’t match up, or perhaps it’s a parallel Earth. For now, I’ll try not to think too deeply about it.
“So, what exactly can this smartphone do?!”
As I grappled with the mysterious future specs of the smartphone, Fleur’s voice rose with excitement.
“Well, it can do a lot of things, but fundamentally, it’s a tool for long-distance communication… I suppose.”
“I had one too; it was a common tool among ordinary people.”
“Long-distance communication… How far could it reach?”
“It worked pretty much anywhere, as long as you weren’t in the middle of a deserted mountain.”
“Whaaat?! That’s amazing…”
“Well, it won’t work in this world, though.”
Fleur’s astonishment was amusing as we discussed various topics beyond just the smartphone. I could only imagine how hard it would be for her to believe in things like airplanes or iron masses flying through the sky.
“Still, I wonder if there’s any way to charge it.”
After finishing my thoughts, I muttered to myself. I recalled that USB charging was typically 5 volts. But given that this smartphone seems futuristic, I can’t be sure if that applies here. I can use Lightning Magic, but generating such a weak voltage might be a tall order. If I tried it suddenly, I could only foresee the smartphone breaking. Not to mention, I can’t even confirm if it’s just out of battery.
“I doubt that’s possible.”
I heard Rio’s voice chiming in, but practicing wouldn’t cost anything. The smartphone had set me back 1.2 million Fron, but I wanted to check if it could even power on.
“Well, I’ll practice and see what I can do.”
“By the way, Fleur…”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Just out of curiosity, how long has the research institute been studying this smartphone?”
“I believe they started about five years ago.”
“Five years?!”
Our voices overlapped in surprise.
“So that means this smartphone appeared in this world over five years ago?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I don’t know how the adventurer who brought it to the institute obtained it, though.”
Ah, that makes sense. But it’s not impossible that the smartphone was transported from another world. In any case, it seems that something from Earth can arrive in this world, not just through us summoned heroes.
“Is this kind of thing common?”
“Um?”
“I mean, like, when unknown items suddenly appear… phenomena like that?”
“I see what you mean.”
I wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it, but it seemed we were on the same page.
“It’s not something that happens often, but it’s not zero either.”
“Really?”
“What’s more common is finding such items in dungeons. Rare magic tools can be discovered, but it’s truly rare to find something with an unknown purpose.”
“Dungeons, huh?”
No matter how many times I hear it, that word always piques my interest.
“Also, if we’re talking about otherworldly beings, there are people known as ‘Lost Persons’ who sometimes appear.”
“…Lost Persons?”
“Yes. They are individuals who seem to have wandered in from an unfamiliar world. Their places of origin often have names that no one has ever heard of, and some of them even struggle to communicate.”
“Is that so?”
Wow, that sounds tough. It’s only natural to assume that communication would be impossible. But since I’m managing to get by, I shouldn’t complain about my circumstances.