第１５９４堀：海の怖さ (Part2)
"Indeed, for the average person, they would be a threat. But for us, while underwater combat is a nuisance, they are nothing more than small fry."
The real question, then, is whether the resources they provide are worth the effort of mobilizing our forces.
"Rurua and Lilishe are confirming the details for us right now, but from what we've seen, the majority of the fish don't appear to be toxic. Oh, there are certainly some that are, though I imagine we could manage if we knew how to handle their poison glands. Look, it’s marked in the documents. See? The skull icon."
Prompted, I scanned the monster reference materials. Sure enough, several entries were marked with a skull. So, these were the poisonous ones. Some were vibrantly colored, while others were drab. People often say that brightly colored mushrooms are poisonous, but that isn't always the case in reality—I suppose the same logic applies here.
"As for the materials themselves, that’s where I’m lost. Neither I, nor Vilia, nor Hiiro are blacksmiths or magic tool crafters, after all."
"Fair point."
That is a hurdle even higher than determining if they’re edible. I can tell that some of these crustacean-like monsters have hard shells, but the question of whether they can actually be processed into something useful is another matter entirely. It’s not something Dressa and her group could possibly know.
"Well, we need to investigate their characteristics and potential uses anyway, so I’ve already handed that off. The main team—Narjia, Agil, Firia, Aslin, Wazfi, Havia, Nilua, and representatives from the Adventurer Guild—are already conducting the survey."
"Hah, that’s a group I don’t have to worry about."
"Actually, I’m rather worried that they might get carried away," Samantha remarked.
She was right; they were exactly the type to lose themselves in their work. Narjia, with her eccentric obsession for tool-making; the insatiably curious Firia; Aslin, whose love for monsters is second to none; Wazfi, the monster specialist; Havia, the ghost; and Nilua, the magic tool artisan. And of course, the Adventurer Guild members, tasked with judging if this will lead to future profit.
Yeah, I don’t think there’s a single person in that group capable of a "sensible" judgment.
"…Hmm. May I go and observe as well? I’m quite interested."
"Ah, indeed. We should probably grasp the reality of these monsters ourselves. Yuki, would that be acceptable?"
As I was lost in thought, Cleena and Jessica stepped forward, expressing their desire to see for themselves.
"Right, you’re both correct. We need to make a judgment call, and right now, information on these monsters is our top priority."
Since their reasoning was sound, I decided to head to the site where all those eccentrics were gathered. But I had to check with the others first.
"What about you, Dressa?"
"We’re coming along. Detailed information on these monsters will be absolutely essential for our upcoming voyages."
"Yes. I believe it will be necessary for what lies ahead, so we shall join you."
"And we need to verify if the fish caught on-site are actually delicious."
Right. Dressa, Vilia, and Hiiro were coming. That left…
"What about you, Prol?"
Prol and her group are my subordinates, but they aren't directly involved in port development. They exist to handle the miscellaneous tasks so I can focus on high-level operations. It wouldn't be a problem for them to tag along, but if they were buried in other work…
"We will accompany you as well. The pursuit of the Dark Guild isn't over yet, is it?"
"True. For now, we’ve only tracked them down to the base we already dismantled."
As Prol noted, the investigation into the Dark Guild was far from complete. We had only crushed one major hub; the smaller, scattered remnants would certainly still be out there. In fact, even without "hidden cards" like the old Vinosia of Hinsua, there were likely other operations of significant scale still active.
"You don't intend to stop investigating, do you, Yuki-sama?"
"No, of course not. In that case, it’s better to be as informed as possible."
"Exactly. There may be connections that emerge during the port construction. There is a very good chance we can trace the Dark Guild through those channels."
She was right. In fact, the construction of the port might even flush out factions that had been lying dormant until now.
And so, the entire group headed out to investigate the monsters.
Survival of the fittest.
Yet, there is strength in numbers.
Nature is a terrifying thing.