Episode 27 – Let’s go with safety first!

"Well, thank you very much for everything!　I'm going to go back to the dungeon and plan our future strategy."
"Well, I'm off then too."
"Uh?　Are you coming too, Fiona?”
"Eh?　Of course, I am!”

　Is she?　Does she need to?
　I mean, it's been a really long time since she's been home, so it's okay if she just relaxes at home, right?
　Also, there's no need to go back to that gloomy place, is there?

"Maho, you're going to help me run the dungeon, right?　I'll help too. Or rather, we should be the ones doing it."
"Really?　Of course, I'd like to look around and see things, but it would be reassuring to have you with me, Fiona."

　I made my calculations and said what I did, but I still have some concerns.
　The worst thing would be for people to find out about the existence of the infinite inventory of the Hardware Store. At the moment, only Fiona and I can easily reach the 101st underground floor, but there is a possibility that a high-level adventurer party could reach it.  Or rather, should I even think it's possible?
　I don't know much about the strength of adventurers in this world. However, even if their level increases, it doesn't seem like they'll become all that superhuman (I think Fiona and I are about as strong as an adult man), and I don't think they'll become strong enough to kill a Red Dragon in a head-on fight.

(……But still. From the 95th floor down, it's harmless, so you can just walk right through.)

"Hey, Fiona. Is it true that there are quite a few towns that make money from dungeons?”
"Yes, there are.　The famous places in this area include the Mathers Labyrinth to the north and the Great Labyrinth of Merry Jane to the west. Both of them have a town that revolves around a dungeon, and the towns are run through the efforts of the adventurers and the people who support them."
"What resources can you obtain in a dungeon?　Just magic stones?”
“The magic stones are the greatest, but you can also get materials from monsters that leave corpses behind. And then there are the treasure chests. I've heard that the monsters in Mathers are quite popular, and that you can often find treasure chests even in shallow levels in Merry Jane."
"So, it's okay to think that explorers make a living by cashing in on things like that, right?”
"Mm-hmm. You can also use the materials and treasure chest contents yourself without selling them. Oh, it's a rule that you absolutely have to sell the magic stones."

　The purchase price of magic stones was set for each dungeon, such as how much per weight, and the Great Labyrinth of Melquodia was set to buy at a higher price than anywhere else. Even so, since there are no explorers, there must be other factors involved.

"What do you do with the magic stones you buy?”
"The king buys them all up. So, I guess the remaining amount is our profit."
"The king?”
"Mm-hmm. I think it's to prevent them from flowing to foreign countries."
"I see, so they're what you would call strategic materials."

　In a nutshell, the magic stones are energy itself. Dungeons are probably like dangerous, high-paying coal mines. For example, they can be used to start a fire, so they are indeed like coal, or if you wanted to be precise, they could be used like kerosene in terms of energy efficiency…… maybe.
　It seems that they can even generate water, so the magic stones are a kind of all-purpose energy source.

"I guess they're important for military purposes too. Like beam weapons and stuff."
"I don't know what a beem is, but it seems like they are used for big spells. I don't know the details, though."
"Fumu, fumu……"

　So, getting people to gather in the dungeon means that the country will also be prosperous, right?
　Strictly speaking, it doesn't matter to me what happens to the country, as long as Fiona's territory improves, but if this place becomes rich, the surrounding areas will inevitably also receive the benefits of that wealth.
　……Well, before that, we have to pay off the debt.

　Fiona and I walked the path to the dungeon.
　Through the town, through the scattered farming villages. The distance was a bit far, so it might be nice if they fixed up the horse-drawn carriages.
　But still, management…… management……

"I wonder why the government lets people choose whether to do it themselves or outsource it.　It seems like it would be better to force an administrative office to be included, saying that it's a national rule. Do you know why, Fiona?”
"Uhmm?　I hadn't thought about it before…… but I think it's because even the king can't easily interfere in matters of fiefdoms."
"He doesn't have a say in that?　It seems like the king doesn't have that much power, does he?”
"Rather than power, I think he doesn't want to go to the trouble of bothering with his vassals' fiefdoms. There's only one king, so he's very busy. If they really lacked management skills, he would probably interfere, but for now, he's been running things normally except for the dungeons, so there's no need to worry."

　I see. In dungeons, you can collect things like magic stones, so they're basically like mines.
　It might be an important asset, but that didn't mean the government would go "Alright, I'll be taking this," after a fief announced finding one.
　That being the case, you could say that you should manage it yourself from the start.
　Not necessarily a mine or a dungeon, but the same could be said for a farm or a fishing ground.
　Because they are all just resources.
　When I thought of a “dungeon”, I thought of something much more than that, but perhaps that is the bias of a non-fantasy human from Earth.

"Although you can choose one or the other, there is no option to 'leave the dungeon as it is' after it has spawned. If that's the case, it's a given that you'll outsource the management. You have to keep the dungeon under control."
"Does that mean it's bad if you leave it alone?　Maybe bandits would use it as a hideout?”
"No, not that. When the magical energy density becomes too high and the system overloads, the monsters spill out into the outside world. If that happened, it could be a major disaster. Well, the monsters in the lowest level of our dungeon were already defeated by Maho, so I think there's almost no need to worry about that anymore."
"Monsters spill outside?　Speaking of which, aren't there any monsters outside?”
"There are some, but not as many as in a dungeon."

　It seems that normal monsters and local people coexist, with the local people and professional warriors hunting them. The monsters that pour out of a dungeon come out in such large numbers at once that even if you take countermeasures, there is still a certain amount of damage.

"……They're more troublesome in nature than I thought. These dungeons."
"If they are managed well, the profits will be huge. Ours is quite sizeable, too."
"It really is just like a mine, isn't it?"

　In the old days, Japan was full of coal mines, silver mines, gold mines, and so on.
　If that is the case, then to operate it――

"Fiona. I've decided on the management policy for the dungeon."
"Eh?　Based on what we've just talked about! ?”

　I don't know what kind of dungeon management the Labyrinth Administration Bureau, which is run by the government, does, but I'm confident in my own way of doing things. And if I'm going to do it, as someone from modern Japan, I have only one policy.

"Safety first!　We will use this to thoroughly collect the magic stones!”
"Sa…… Safety……?　While diving into the dungeon……?”
"Well, I don't think it's 100% safe, but I believe there are many measures that can be taken. Or rather, if people keep dying and the dungeons are too difficult and not worth it, they'll just end up being deserted like this one, right?　It's better to be able to easily earn money. If we can make that happen, we'll definitely be able to get people to come."
"Well, of course, it's better if we can do that, but…… How?”
"So, as for how to do it, I'll put it together later, but it'll work out somehow. I mean, we have our very own hardware store!"

　If we just need people to gather, we can do it with the sheer power of quantity. Without doubt.
　After all, we can prepare almost unlimited amounts of food and almost unlimited amounts of alcohol.
　But doing that won't make anyone happy. The main purpose has to be to attract explorers. There's no point in having a Hardware Store that ruins people's lives.

　Without going too far, in a natural, unremarkable way.
　We need to identify a route that is plain, reliable, stable, and not suspicious.

"Ah, Fiona. Of course, the existence of the Hardware Store is a given, but the fact that we've cleared the lowest level and everything around it must remain a secret. Because a dungeon that's already been cleared is not very appealing."
"I know that, but what about you, Maho?”
"Let's just pretend we're distant relatives. Or maybe some secret child that had to be kept a secret?”
"You mean…… pretending we're sisters?”

　Isn't it common for a noble family to have one or two illegitimate children…… or would that be a problem?
　But 「who」 am I? I think it's better to have some of the details set, to a certain extent. I'm the only one who knows what's in the Hardware Store, and Fiona will have to take a supporting role, so I think she'll stand out even if she doesn't want to.
　
"Hmm, I'd have to ask Father and Mother about that…… Probably.　Ah, but then that means you'd become my sister, Maho. A little sister, huh?"
"Eh?　Wouldn't I be the older sister?”
"No way! You're so much smaller than me, Maho."
"Why is size relevant?

　Or rather, where were you looking when you said that?
　The average Japanese person is smaller!　I'm average!　Average!

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