Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Episode 142
============================================================
Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Episode 142
34. What Is This Now (6)
My Lawrence Mage Tower is currently growing at a terrifying pace.
After acquiring the Anahaim Mage Tower, its scale expanded significantly, and the production output of Force Engines and Vanguard equipment more than doubled.
In addition, overseas, we are virtually monopolizing orders for Vanguard equipment, and domestically, we are supplying a massive quantity of Force Engines to Metal Fortress.
And the Panther 1.5 from the Lawrence Mage Tower continues to sell steadily despite being priced higher than rival Mage Towers' products, so this rate of growth can be considered only natural.
The Lawrence Mage Tower's market cap is 1.5 times that of the Royal Magic Tower.
That placed it 6th among all Mage Towers in the world, and within the Kingdom of Rhinehearts, it was the 2nd largest among all enterprises, second only to the Royal Bank.
The reason this was possible was thanks to Grand Duke Lucas's Opportunity and the existence of a mine that could reliably supply high-quality tourmaline.
Because of that, I and the Lawrence Mage Tower paid great attention to the management of the mine.
Not just the mining process, but security as well.
"You've arrived?"
As I approached the mine, a woman came running out of the administration office.
She was one of Blue Moon's top agents, a high-ranking Spirit Summoner of the earth element named Helen Crystal.
Helen was acting as the mine administrator here, but in reality, she was the person in charge of security and intelligence for all of Ophelia Island.
"I have something to discuss with Agent Helen, so please step back for a moment."
I waved off the island's administrators who had been tagging along, and asked Helen with a smile.
"How is it today?"
"A total of 11 have been cleaned out: 2 miners, 2 mine technicians, 4 construction workers, and 3 general laborers."
"The number has dropped quite a bit."
"It seems that after repeated failures without any results, they've realized ordinary methods won't work."
11 people cleaned out.
That referred to the number of spies sent by foreign intelligence agencies or information guilds that were highly interested in my Mage Tower.
And this doesn't mean that 11 people accumulated over several days it means 11 were cleaned out just today.
"They sure are dedicated."
Since I was virtually monopolizing overseas orders, anyone with any sense would realize I must have some technology to reduce costs.
As a result, industrial spies and intelligence agents were running rampant all over the place.
"An attempt to recruit 'Taria Anser,' the administrator who's been watching us from behind me, has come in from the Bringham Empire. She hasn't betrayed us yet, so keep a close eye on her, and if she does anything suspicious, clean her up immediately."
"Ah... I'm sorry I didn't notice it in advance."
"No, it's fine. If it were Blue Moon, you would have found out eventually even if I hadn't noticed. So don't worry about it."
"Thank you."
The biggest reason I visited this place today was exactly this.
To check whether there were any gaps in security.
Personally, I believe that nothing done by human hands can be perfect.
That's why I don't just sit back thinking, "Good thing Blue Moon is guarding it," but instead do these intermittent inspections.
Of course, a person like Taria Anser might not betray us, and even if she did, Blue Moon might catch on in time.
But I believe there's nothing wrong with being overly cautious.
"And have you found what I asked you to look for?"
The reason I stationed her, a high-ranking earth-element Spirit Master, here was to find a certain mineral.
That being diamonds.
Diamonds mined near tourmaline mines are said to occasionally possess the properties of tourmaline at a low probability.
And since Ophelia Island is essentially built entirely on top of a tourmaline mine, I thought that if diamonds were found here, they would have a high chance of possessing tourmaline properties.
'If I could make a Force Engine using only diamonds with tourmaline properties, what kind of result would come out?'
I didn't let that content, which passed by like a flash in Grand Duke Lucas's research notes, slip away, and ordered her to search for it.
After all, there was nothing more specialized in finding minerals than earth spirits.
"We haven't found any yet."
"Well, it's not like a diamond mine would be discovered that easily."
Perhaps that was only to be expected.
It was disappointing, but I didn't dwell on it and simply shrugged.
"Please keep up the good work."
"Yes, understood."
That was the end of my conversation with her.
I resumed inspecting the island with the administrators, including the interior of the mine.
Then I climbed the tallest mountain on this scenic island, where a receiver was being installed to amplify communication signals.
But rather than the receiver, I found myself admiring the sea visible from Ophelia Island.
"A deep navy blue."
Except for a few spots, the island had no beaches, and the sea was such a deep navy that it felt like one step would drop you straight into the abyss.
True to a fantasy world, all sorts of monsters would be lurking deep in that sea.
Recalling the legend that a highly civilized continent once existed in this Silent Sea during the mythic age, I let out a wry laugh, thinking of Earth's Atlas.
"This is the last site. Is there anywhere else you'd like to see?"
I shook my head at the island administrators' question.
We'd covered enough for today.
"Arcia, shall we go?"
"Yes."
With that, I took in the island scenery one last time and turned away from the site.
-KUGUGUGUGUGU!
No, I tried to turn away, but the entire island suddenly began to tremble, forcing me to stop in my tracks.
"An earthquake?"
"Everyone, get away from the pillars!"
The island shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
But something about it felt off not like a normal earthquake.
Arcia and I looked around and soon spotted dark clouds gathering in the distant sky.
They were strange dark clouds that anyone could see were unnatural artificial.
"Wh-what is that?"
Just as everyone was voicing their confusion at the sudden situation
We all found ourselves stepping back involuntarily under an overwhelming presence that seemed to constrict our entire bodies.
"That is "
The source of that presence was the suspicious dark clouds.
The clouds spread rapidly across the sky over the open sea, moving from east to west.
And when I looked at those clouds more closely, I choked on my breath.
[Bramgish / Gold Dragon]
Race: Dragon race
Age: 8,502 years
Affiliation: -
Talent: Supreme (All)
Trait: Rondel's Arbitrator
Relations: -
Status: In a good mood
A legendary being I'd only ever heard of in stories was right there.
Whether as camouflage or not, the dragon cloaked in dark clouds passed by indifferently, as if Ophelia Island was of no concern to it at all.
But that presence was so overwhelming that Arcia and I swallowed hard, and those around us stumbled to the ground.
"What on earth was that?"
After a moment, once the dark clouds had completely vanished from view, the presence that had bound our bodies also disappeared.
"The earthquake may have caused an accident at the site. Please check and get back to me."
"Yes, understood."
Aside from Arcia and me, no one had noticed the dragon's existence.
Telling them would only cause chaos, so I didn't bother.
Besides, the dragon had no interest in us and seemed to have its own purpose.
"I've just seen something incredible. So it really existed."
"Indeed."
At my muttering, Arcia nodded with a dazed expression.
The dragon had nothing to do with us, but the moment I witnessed its existence, I was reminded of just how insignificant I still was.
'It feels like a spur telling me not to settle and to keep pushing forward.'
That unannounced encounter was an experience so intense I would never forget it for the rest of my life.
* * *
The day after Arcia and I returned from Ophelia Island.
"Your Highness, we found them."
Gregory, who had risen from the floor like a shadow, delivered the news I'd been waiting for.
"That's good news."
They had found the owner of the smartphone a presumed Earthling.
Thanks to that, I was able to regain my composure, which the dragon had rattled.
"Where are they?"
"In Marquis Otis's Viscounty."
"How unexpected "
The location was so surprising that I let out a dry laugh.
But that only lasted a moment.
Soon, a woman from Marquis Otis's territory came to mind, and I had to scrunch up my face.
'Why of all places, Marquis Otis's territory?'
I demanded a detailed explanation from Gregory.
"The Marquis of Otis's Young Lady and the Viscount Pieren's Young Lady are friends. The Otis Young Lady went to visit the viscount family, happened upon a suspicious-looking man, and took him in out of curiosity."
"Good grief "
And what followed was just as disconcerting, forcing me to rub my temples.
The Otis Young Lady is a fervent fan of Grand Duke Lucas.
If she were just a simple fan, that would be fine, but she is quite far ahead among the candidates seriously seeking Opportunities, and she even has a record of accessing a fake Opportunity and illicitly copying data.
To make matters worse, she even possesses English interpretation ability as a trait, making her a decidedly unpleasant person to deal with.
'Is this a coincidence? Or is it the goddess's mischief?'
The mere fact that he ended up in Marquis Otis's territory is unsettling enough, but knowing those two met and are together is utterly displeasing.
I rose from my seat with a grim expression.
"Let's head to Marquis Otis's territory."
Everything can be resolved once we meet and confirm.
I set out for Marquis Otis's territory with Arcia and Gregory.
* * *
The day after fleeing from the saber-toothed tiger.
The man who had crossed over from Earth due to an accident managed to sell his dead smartphone to a man who showed interest in it, earning a considerable sum of money.
Thanks to that, he no longer had to go hungry immediately, but since his identity was unclear and he couldn't speak the language, frequent problems arose.
Eventually, when the domain's soldiers began searching for him and questioning the surroundings, the man had to flee Aren City as if escaping.
He could easily tell that this strange world, despite being highly developed, still had a class system.
He judged that being caught by soldiers in such a place would bring nothing good.
"I want to go home."
For the outsider, Rondel was far too dangerous and frightening.
The man repeated those words several times a day, but nothing changed.
Yet perhaps the heavens had not abandoned him.
"Are you alright?"
A stunningly beautiful woman, clearly from the upper class, extended her hand to him.
Though her head still held a girlish air, and she instructed him to shake off her hand, he was simply too exhausted.
So, with a sense of resignation, he grasped that hand, and it became a chance to turn things around an opportunity to adapt to this unfamiliar land.
"Are you getting used to it now?"
"Thanks to you, Miss Michelle."
Rondel was a fantasy world where magic existed.
Of course, its feel was vastly different from typical fantasy worlds, but thanks to the translation artifact, he could finally communicate normally.
Michelle, Young Lady of Marquis Otis.
She was his savior, and a daughter of a powerful family who could casually hand out clearly expensive artifacts without a second thought.
Under the protection of a noble, the man parted ways with hardship, and his days became as sweet as honey.
"Do you think of home?"
"Haha, yes."
But even while enjoying such comfort, his heart was not at ease.
He had gained a chance to adapt in a foreign land thanks to a good patron, but this was not his world.
He had told Michelle everything about his situation.
It was a story no one would easily believe, but she believed him, and even offered to look for a way back in her own way.
And so, he spent his days leaning on Michelle.
Then, one day.
"Huh? That is?"
"What is it?"
He caught sight of Michelle deciphering a string of letters letters all too familiar to him.