It didn't take long for them to arrive in the Dwargon region. Because the minivan was too conspicuous, they landed in a forest not far from the city and continued on foot toward Dwargon.
"Waka-sama, where's the city? All I can see is a rocky mountain," Koyuki asked.
"Koyuki, can you see the gate beneath that rocky mountain over there?" Makoto said, pointing toward a distant gate.
"I see it, Waka-sama. What's special about that gate?" Koyuki asked.
"That's the entrance gate to Dwargon City. The dwarves built a city inside a mountain, turning it into a natural fortress to protect themselves from their enemies," Makoto explained.
"Wow, how did they come up with the idea of building a city inside a mountain?" Koyuki asked curiously.
"I don't know either. Maybe the dwarves were once cornered and had no choice but to hide inside the mountain to avoid their enemies. Or perhaps they've lived inside mountains for generations. But in my opinion, the main reason they built their city inside a mountain is to mine valuable minerals," Makoto said.
"What do you think, Shiki?" Makoto asked.
"I agree with what Waka-sama just said. You can tell from the fact that most dwarves are master craftsmen and take great pride in the tools they make. I believe they live inside the mountain so they can easily obtain the materials they need," Shiki replied.
Before long, they arrived at the city gate. There weren't many people waiting to enter—probably because it was already approaching evening and most had already gone inside. After waiting for a short while, it was their turn. Once they were checked to ensure they weren't carrying any prohibited items, they entered the city without issue.
"Wow, this city really is inside a mountain!" Koyuki exclaimed as she looked around.
"Koyuki, don't look around too much. What if you bump into someone?" Hakuren warned.
"Don't worry, I'm confident in my ability to dodge," Koyuki said cheerfully.
Hearing their conversation, Makoto smiled as he watched Koyuki and Hakuren curiously observe their surroundings.
"Shiki, could you find us a hotel for tonight?" Makoto asked.
"And you all—does anyone have something they want to do?" Makoto continued.
"I do, Waka-sama! I want to explore the city," Koyuki said, raising her hand.
"I'd like to try the restaurants here," Mio said.
"Then I'll go explore the city with Koyuki," Tomoe said.
"Really, Tomoe-sama!? Yay!" Koyuki cheered.
"As for me, I'll go with Shiki-sama to look for a hotel, Waka-sama," Hakuren said.
"Alright. Let's meet again at the hotel Shiki finds," Makoto said.
After they split up, Makoto walked leisurely through the city, taking in the scenery. Most of the city's residents worked in craftsmanship, which was evident from the shops lining the streets—many of them weapon or armor stores. Makoto noticed several swords and axes of fairly good quality.
"It seems they use magical stone materials when forging these," Makoto thought.
After wandering around, Makoto didn't find anything that particularly caught his interest.
"Shiki, have you found a hotel for us to stay at tonight?" Makoto asked via telepathy.
"Yes, Waka-sama. I've found a fairly good hotel," Shiki replied.
After learning the location, Makoto headed toward the hotel. Along the way, he met Mio exiting a restaurant.
"Mio, how's the food in this city? Did anything interest you?" Makoto asked.
"Waka-sama, I tried several restaurants that were said to be good, but after tasting them, they weren't as delicious as people claimed," Mio said disappointedly.
"Then let's go," Makoto said.
"Yes, Waka-sama!" Mio replied cheerfully.
When they arrived at the hotel, Makoto found Shiki talking with Hakuren.
"What are you two talking about?" Makoto asked.
"Welcome, Waka-sama," Shiki and Hakuren said.
"Waka-sama, I asked Shiki-sama to teach me magic theory," Hakuren explained.
"For magic theory, Shiki is indeed the best teacher. But don't focus only on theory—don't forget to train your magic energy manipulation as well," Makoto advised.
"Yes, Waka-sama," Hakuren replied.
Not long after, Tomoe arrived with Koyuki.
"Waka-sama, we're back!" Koyuki said cheerfully.
"We're back, Waka," Tomoe added.
"So? Did you find anything interesting?" Makoto asked.
"We didn't find anything particularly interesting. Although this city's technology is quite advanced compared to Rimuru City, from our perspective, it's still outdated," Tomoe said.
"Huh? But didn't we find lots of interesting things, Tomoe-sama?" Koyuki asked, confused.
"Like what?" Tomoe asked.
"Things that move on their own without using magic," Koyuki said.
"That's just because you lack experience. Once you study more and gain experience, you won't be surprised by such small things," Tomoe replied.
"Alright, Tomoe-sama! I'll study hard!" Koyuki said enthusiastically.
"Now that everyone's gathered, let's go have dinner. Mio, is there a good restaurant?" Makoto asked.
"Why don't I cook instead, Waka-sama?" Mio suggested.
"Trying local food is one of the joys of visiting a new place. We might find unique dishes or gain new experiences," Makoto said.
They went to the place Mio pointed out and ordered local food and drinks.
"Hm, it's not bad, but it feels like something's missing," Tomoe said.
"I know!" Tomoe exclaimed, pulling out sake from her storage space and drinking it without hesitation.
"Ahh, now it's complete," she said.
"You're just looking for an excuse to drink sake, aren't you, Tomoe?" Makoto said.
"How did you know, Waka!?" Tomoe asked in surprise.
"How could I not? It's written all over your face," Makoto replied.
After dinner, they returned to the hotel to rest.
"Waka, tonight I won't let you fall asleep!" Tomoe said, dragging Makoto into the room. Mio simply smiled and followed them inside.
"Shiki-sama, what are Tomoe-sama and Waka-sama doing? Why aren't they sleeping?" Koyuki asked innocently.
Shiki was at a loss for words.
"Waka-sama is doing something important with Tomoe-sama and Mio-sama. You two should go to sleep quickly—don't oversleep tomorrow," Shiki said before heading to his own room.
Koyuki and Hakuren looked at each other. Though still confused, they didn't dwell on it and went to their respective rooms.
When morning came, Makoto woke up with Mio sleeping on top of him and Tomoe hugging his arm.
"Mio, wake up. It's morning," Makoto said, patting Mio's head.
"Mmm… good morning, Waka-sama," Mio replied.
"Good morning, Mio. Hurry up and get ready," Makoto said.
"Tomoe, you too—wake up. Don't pretend to be asleep," Makoto added.
"Isn't it fine, Waka?" Tomoe said lazily.
"Hurry up. Shiki, Koyuki, and Hakuren are surely waiting for us," Makoto said.
They got up, prepared themselves, and headed to the lounge, where Shiki, Hakuren, and Koyuki were already waiting.
"Good morning, Waka-sama," they greeted him.
They ate the breakfast provided by the hotel.
"Waka-sama, what are we doing today?" Koyuki asked.
"If you don't have any business here, we'll return to Eryndal," Makoto replied.
"I can't wait to see the world Waka-sama owns!" Koyuki said excitedly.
After breakfast, they left the city and entered a forest not far away. After walking for a while and confirming no one was following them, Makoto brought out the minivan.
"Let's get in," Makoto said.
"Koyuki, Hakuren, sit in the seats beside me," Makoto said, pointing.
"Yes, Waka-sama," they replied.
Looking ahead, Makoto saw Tomoe sitting in the center to drive, with Mio and Shiki on her left and right.
"Are you all ready?" Makoto asked.
"Anytime, Waka," Tomoe replied.
"Yes, Waka-sama," Mio said.
"Ready, Waka-sama," Shiki said.
"Yes, Waka-sama," Koyuki and Hakuren echoed.
"Then activate special mode," Makoto said.
"Understood, Waka. Activating special mode," Tomoe replied.
Once special mode was activated, nothing changed inside the cockpit except that a 3D map appeared on the monitor, displaying the coordinates of this world and several directions leading to other worlds.
"Shiki, open a portal to exit this world," Makoto said.
"Yes, Waka-sama. Opening portal in 3, 2, 1… Portal open," Shiki reported.
"Tomoe, let's go," Makoto said.
"Roger, Waka," Tomoe replied, flying the minivan into the portal.
After the minivan exited, the portal closed automatically. What lay before them now was a void with not a single trace of light.
"Mio, how are the minivan's status indicators?" Makoto asked.
"Everything is operating normally, Waka-sama. No issues. Energy absorption from the Chaos Space is also normal," Mio reported.
After hearing Mio's report, Makoto displayed Rimuru's world on the monitor.
"This is the form of a world. The membrane surrounding it is the dimensional wall. You previously understood a world's structure, but you've never seen one from the outside. What do you think?" Makoto asked Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki.
"Quite an interesting sight, Waka," Tomoe said.
"It looks like a pearl, Waka-sama," Mio said.
"So this is what a world looks like from the outside… what an incredible experience. If I get the chance, I'd like to study its structure in more detail, Waka-sama," Shiki said.
"You can study it another time, Shiki. For now, activate camouflage," Makoto said.
"Yes, Waka-sama. Camouflage activated," Shiki replied.
"Tomoe, let's go," Makoto said.
"Yes, Waka. Destination: the world of Eryndal," Tomoe said cheerfully.
The minivan then flew toward the world of Eryndal.
"Waka-sama, why don't we return using a portal?" Mio asked.
"Using a portal would indeed be faster, but I want you to experience traveling through the Chaos Space. Didn't Tomoe say she wanted to try special mode?" Makoto replied.
"Oh, Waka really understands me," Tomoe said happily.
"Waka-sama, may I ask something?" Shiki said.
"What is it, Shiki?" Makoto asked.
"Why does the minivan's map only show directions to other worlds?" Shiki asked.
"Hm. I created that map using data I obtained while using Erin's abilities. I can only sense where other worlds exist, but I don't know their distance or exact location—because it's impossible to determine distance and time within the Chaos Space," Makoto explained.
"Waka-sama, I've been hearing the term 'Chaos Space,' but where exactly is it? There's nothing visible on the monitor," Hakuren asked, confused.
"Hakuren, Chaos Space doesn't mean a place filled with scattered objects. It refers to a realm where space and time become distorted, making it impossible to calculate distance or time while inside. For example, one second here could be one hour or even one day in another world—and the opposite can also be true," Makoto explained.
"Waka, we've reached the coordinates of Eryndal, but I can't see anything," Tomoe said, puzzled.
"That's because Erin is using her ability to camouflage the world of Eryndal so it can't be detected by others," Makoto said, pointing not far away.
"Do you see that world? That's the Goddess's world," Makoto continued.
"The dimensional wall of the Goddess's world looks much thinner than Rimuru's world, Waka-sama," Mio noted.
"That's because Rimuru's world is stronger than the Goddess's world—not just in individual power, but the overall quality of the two worlds is vastly different," Makoto replied.