第１０７８堀：明日の予定 (Part2)
"That's good to hear. Now, regarding the target of our investigation, it's that rocky mountain mine we received the intel on. Come to think of it, didn't Shou do something similar?"
"Yes, I did. Though, it snowed there—a rare experience—and since Aslin and the others were there, it was quite enjoyable... but this time, there's no snow, just a rocky mountain with dust blowing everywhere. I don't think there will be any such entertainment."
Shou replied to my comment with a shrug.
Honestly, Shou and I hit it off surprisingly well, so I’ve been able to maintain a casual relationship with him, much like I do with Rurua.
Initially, seeing his interactions with Eupia, I thought he was a stiff-necked traditionalist, perhaps even more so than Hifie, but he turned out to be unexpectedly easygoing.
"Well, it's just a rocky mountain rich in mineral resources. Maybe there isn't much to enjoy in terms of scenery or atmosphere. But for me, I really want to dig deep into what kind of ores are being mined. That place is a treasure trove."
"Indeed, mineral resources are precious and grateful assets for a nation, and for a researcher, one could certainly call it a treasure trove. But does Weed really have a need for mining resources?"
"Ah, in terms of securing supplies, not in the slightest."
After all, with DP, I can manifest whatever I want, as much as I want.
Are DP finite? Don't be ridiculous. Thanks to Yuki's policies, there are countless people living inside the dungeon who I never would have imagined would be there. The idea of running out of DP is currently impossible.
Or rather, for that to happen, magic would have to vanish from the world entirely.
...Ah, come to think of it, if I were to fire off modern Earth weaponry without a second thought, I suppose we would run dry pretty quickly.
Yeah, I guess it is finite after all.
Oops, if I let that slip, Eris, who is participating in this meeting, might cut my research budget.
"As Comet says, we don't need them right now, but I want to secure mineral resources just in case. Still, it's too much of an exclave. It would cost too much to maintain, so for now, it's just a concept."
I see. Yuki is thinking ahead, even considering a future where the dungeon might become unusable.
Well, I suppose that’s to be expected—or perhaps it’s a perspective that only someone from a world originally devoid of magic could have.
He understands well that simply possessing resources is a strength in itself.
"Ah, in that case, shall I offer you one or two mines from Zurabl? We still haven't properly settled the debt of gratitude from that battle."
Whoa, Shou just dropped an incredible proposal.
Usually, it’s unheard of for a country to just hand over a mine to another nation when they haven't even been defeated in war.
"Don't worry about any opposing opinions. I can handle the mining rights however I see fit, and I am certain that if it is Yuki-sama and his people, they will produce value far exceeding the worth of the mine itself."
Ah, if that's his aim, he's absolutely right.
There's no way Yuki would just use a mine in the conventional sense.
Sure, he might mine the minerals normally, but the products created from them will undoubtedly be chunks of "over-technology" far too rare for this world.
And since he won't monopolize them and will share the spoils with Zurabl, there is no problem at all in currying favor with Yuki if you're looking toward the future.
In fact, knowing Yuki's true power and *not* using such tactics would be the sign of a broken mind.
Yes, that should be perfectly obvious, but... why does it annoy me that Shou is the one saying it?
Well, whatever. More importantly, the information on the mine.
"If we can get the mine, we'll take it later, but for now, what about the intel on the mine we're planning to investigate? How much preliminary information do we have?"
"Regarding that, you have drones flying over it right now, don't you?"
"Yup. We're currently conducting aerial reconnaissance with scout drones and scout familiars. Well, it's night, so we can't see much. Also, for what it's worth, Milly-ane-san sent over the preliminary mine info, but have you checked that yet?"
"Of course. I received that information directly from Milly. Right?"
"Yes. Since it concerns the safety of Yuki-san and the others, I prioritized it above all else."
"Then, in addition to that, let's cross-reference the monster intel we heard from the villagers earlier. We'll verify the answers tomorrow during the day."
"I'm looking forward to seeing how high our accuracy rate will be."
That's right, we expect to understand the full scope of the mine by tomorrow afternoon.
We're going to deploy a dungeon, after all.
Now then, is it in the troublesome state Yuki predicted...?
Tomorrow's schedule is to investigate the mine.
The "cheat" method of seizing it with a core and collecting the data.
Still, there's no reason not to use it.
There are people out there who insist on fighting "fair and square" even when they have cheats, but while that might be good for show, it's not very realistic, is it?
Gathering information beforehand is the ultimate justice.