Interlude 1: Mesaria
“Lord Shu. Welcome to our humble abode.”
As I was engrossed in my usual tasks, I suddenly sensed a presence and went to greet the visitor, only to find it was none other than Lord Shu, the Grandmaster of our Information Guild, who had teleported to our headquarters.
“Ah, I wanted to conduct a little experiment,” he replied casually.
“An experiment…?” I echoed, receiving the usual funds for the guild’s operations. Lord Shu often engages in unpredictable endeavors, so I couldn’t let my guard down.
“Indeed. Well, let’s see…”
We were in a room at the Fairy Inn located in Fairy Valley, a designated space for Lord Shu’s teleportation. As he muttered to himself and walked toward the wall, I watched with a mix of anticipation and trepidation as he began something.
“Hmm? Oh? It seems like something is happening?”
What could he possibly be creating? My excitement and anxiety swirled together, growing ever more intense.
“Eh?”
Before I could process my thoughts, a door suddenly appeared in front of me, materializing on the wall.
“It turned out to be easier than I thought,” he remarked, almost to himself, before stepping through the door and vanishing from sight. I hoped he would explain everything soon, but a sliver of worry crept in. Surely, he wouldn’t leave me in the dark like this.
However, I recalled that the other side of the wall should have been a hallway, yet what lay beyond was a dimly lit stone corridor. I couldn’t help but hope it wasn’t connected to some strange place…
Determined to distract myself, I opened the pouch to check the funds I had received. Inside, I found a Mithril Coin worth one billion Fron mixed in with the other coins. It was always a hassle to exchange them, but there was no helping it. As an individual adventurer, Lord Shu likely had little need for Mithril Coins compared to my role in managing the organization.
Before long, Lord Shu returned through the door, holding a box adorned with numerous branches. What could that be? Two string-like tendrils extended from the door, connecting to the box.
“…Oh, it worked,” he said, manipulating a smartphone with a satisfied expression. Was that a different smartphone from the ones we had received? I recalled that it had a function to capture the scenery in an instant. If that were true, our Information Guild’s work would surely become much more efficient.
“Did the experiment go well?” I couldn’t contain my curiosity and spoke up as soon as I thought he had finished his task.
“Hmm? Ah, yes, no problems at all,” he replied.
“Could it be that your smartphone is now operational…?” I ventured cautiously, and a sly grin spread across his face, confirming my suspicions.
“Indeed. Now I can send photos instantly from here. Though, the wireless range isn’t very wide, so it might not connect if you’re more than fifty meters away.”
What a revelation! It seemed that our work would indeed become much more streamlined.
“Oh, and now the city we’re based in is connected to this place, making travel much easier.”
“…Huh?”
“Look, it’s just on the other side of this door.”
Ah, right. The door had appeared. I had momentarily forgotten in my excitement over the smartphone.
“…What exactly is that door? It seemed to appear out of nowhere.”
I understood that it was a door created by Lord Shu, but it connected to the location he was based in? He had been in the Kingdom of Faerdehelde, hadn’t he? Wait, it connected with just a single door? My mind was racing, struggling to comprehend.
“Ah, yes. I suppose I should explain from the beginning.”
Of course! Ever since we received smartphones that allowed for instant communication, our organization had grown exponentially. Now, we could travel to distant lands simply by passing through a door?
“This is a Dungeon.”
“…Huh?”
A Dungeon?
“…What?”
My mind went blank for a moment. Was he referring to the kind of Dungeon filled with treasures and monsters? The thought of such a terrifying place being connected to the Fairy Inn sent shivers down my spine, but I knew Lord Shu would never do something so reckless.
“Please, create entrances to Dungeons at our other bases immediately.”
The moment I grasped that Lord Shu could manipulate Dungeons, the words slipped from my lips without thought. With the smartphone, we could send not only information but also personnel and supplies in an instant!
“Let’s go! We must act quickly!”
“Ah, yes.”
I took hold of Lord Shu’s arm, ready to spring into action. He could teleport to any area where smartphones had been distributed.
“Let’s gather personnel from various locations and send them to the Royal Capital of Faerdehelde. We’ll acquire the information you need as swiftly as possible!”
“Ah, understood. Thank you for your assistance.”
I could see that, despite his initial hesitation, Lord Shu was now fully on board with the plan. Together, we teleported to the locations where smartphones had been distributed, creating Dungeon entrances and connecting them.
In the days that followed, the distribution of Japanese-made smartphones and laptops further accelerated our information gathering efforts. It seemed I would need to learn Japanese as soon as possible.