Chapter 406: Majesty of the Imperial Crown

My thoughts were too scattered for any ideas to come to me, so I went and died once to get myself going.

Sunraku: "First of all, that scorpion... Three-way shots are bullshit. You can’t do three-way shots..."

On top of that, the beams bounced around so much I could not read their path at all, then it intercepted them with its tail and aimed right at me... No, but... Hmm?

Goldhuneenay: "Whoa, he came out."

Sunraku: "Watch how you say that?"

She looked like someone who hated bugs and had just seen a cicada molt...

Elma: "Question: Even knowing your own traits, why did you willingly enter a situation where death was guaranteed?"

Sunraku: "Huh? No, you know... That thing. That thing."

Elma: "Abnormal eye movement detected. Look me in the eye and talk."

Damn... This thing was barely anything but a left arm, and she was still full of energy. But I had not rushed in without a plan... You know, that thing. Yeah, okay, I got it.

Sunraku: "I’ve been wondering a little about how this place works."

Goldhuneenay: "This place?"

Elma: "Negative. This is Sigmonia Canyon Frontline."

Sigmonia... Wait, this place has an actual name?

Sunraku: "This area looks like someone scooped out everything around the middle, right? And those spiders and centipedes are fighting around the gem zone."

Elma: "Fortress Gargantula and Treynor Centipede Gustaf."

Sunraku: "Too long. If you’re just explaining the situation, ‘spider’ and ‘centipede’ are enough."

It was weird.

You could say those two giant monsters were too busy trying to wipe each other out, but it was still strange that their battle stayed completely within that outer ring.

Both had ranged attacks. Even if the scorpions were confident about taking down things in the air, could they really protect the area without taking any damage?

It was strange that the Crystal Crown was not being attacked for some reason, but it was also strange that the spider and centipede never left Sigmonia Canyon Frontline. So maybe there was a reason for it... That was what I had just started thinking.

Sunraku: "Getting me, you, and that busted junk over there out would be one thing. But if Sammy-chan is coming too, we need some way to deal with the spider and centipede."

Elma: "You fail to understand the appeal of this unit, a mass of intelligence and high technology... Next-generation primitive human."

Sunraku: "Fix that left hand that can only throw rock before you say that. A brain-dead paper with zero intelligence could beat you."

Apparently, this happened while she was running from some dragon. Even so, could she not have picked a better place to crash?

Elma: "Guh... If I received proper repairs, I could crush next-generation primitive humans with intelligence... Grrr..."

Nyah nyah, busted junk.

Anyway, back to it. I had just set up a tent in this underground space and used it as a limited-use respawn point before heading into the Crystal Crown.

A three-way beam-tail-intercept smash had literally punched through my heart, but that was not the main point.

• Tsaberil Imperial Treasure Crystal

A crown crystal that can only be mined from the highest layer of Shining Crown Tower Hill in Sigmonia Canyon Frontline.

This crystal is believed to be a variant of Lapisteria Stellar Crystal. By being exposed to sunlight and moonlight, it changes the nature of the mana stored inside into something completely different. When that extremely dense mana changes, it explosively raises the mana density around it.

The emperor of jewels. Its twin gleams shine down upon all below like a wise ruler—or a tyrant.

Sunraku: "Even flavor text isn’t something to underestimate..."

Tsaberil Imperial Treasure Crystal. That was the name of the crystal forming the Crystal Crown, and probably most of the body tissue making up those scorpions.

The important part was that it spread mana around when it changed color. That was probably the key to dealing with the spider and centipede.

Sunraku: "They’re huge. A big bowl of food isn’t enough to cover their energy needs."

They might fill their stomachs by killing and eating each other, but that would not be enough to keep them alive as a species. That meant there had to be another source of energy.

This was a game that put way too much work into its setting. If flavor text were just flavor, nobody would call it a god-tier game.

Apparently, even the haters called it a god-tier game lately, meaning, “It puts so much pointless effort into its setting that humans cannot understand it.” I did wonder sometimes what that said about the game itself... It was like one piece of caviar sushi going around on a conveyor-belt sushi line. No matter how out of place it was, something that good had enough power to shut people up.

I got sidetracked.

The spider and centipede probably lived on mana mist or something like that. They did not target the Crystal Crown because it was their lifeline, and even though they hated each other enough to kill each other, they lived together because there were not enough resources anywhere else.

Goldhuneenay: "So... what does that mean?"

Sunraku: "They don’t attack these crystals... Probably."

They say the trip there is easy, but the trip back is scary... But in this area, it was probably the opposite.

Anyone who made it through hell, then came back from the even worse hell beyond it, would get glory. A light worthy of something as grand as the emperor of crystals—a light that guaranteed safety.

Elma: "Conclusion: Mine the relevant ore in the center of Sigmonia Canyon Frontline... Correct?"

Sunraku: "Yeah, busted junk. You’re sharp."

Goldhuneenay: "No no no no! We’ll die!!"

Sunraku: "Rather than rot away here, let’s go out in a blaze of glory?"

Goldhuneenay: "That’ll get us killed!!"

Yeah, it would not be an easy mission. At the very least, if we were getting out with Sammy-chan, we would need a huge amount of Tsaberil Imperial Treasure Crystal.

Each swing of the pickaxe only gave me a palm-sized amount once it turned into an item... I wanted to get at least a hundred hits in.

But I had a secret plan.

One mistake, and it was an express ticket to hell.

Sunraku: "That scorpion. Its species builds its body out of the ore it eats. In other words, its body itself is basically made of the same stuff."

The scorpions were gardeners and cooks. That was why the spider and centipede left them alone. Teaches you how important production classes are!

Even the lowest-rarity shell drops from Crystal Scorpions and Golden Scorpions were big enough to use as shields right away. There was a good chance these would drop something similar.

Sunraku: "We’re hunting scorpions. But first, we need research... Field research."

Heh heh heh, Library’s way of doing things was not so bad after all. It felt like putting together a puzzle or something...

Let’s be buddies, new-species guy!!

Two hours later.

Sunraku: "This game is bullshit!!!"

Wimpy Nene: "Eep!?"

I shouted without thinking as I kicked the tent that had reached its use limit and was starting to disappear with all my strength. Wimpy Nene made a weird noise, but I did not have time to care.

Fuck!! How the hell was I supposed to deal with that!?

Elma: "Question: What happened, pervert?"

Sunraku: "Support fire is fucking bullshit...!!"

I knew it. My loss came from getting greedy and thinking maybe I could solo it.

But the instant I crossed the boundary, beams came flying at me from every direction. Even knowing it was coming did not make that any easier to deal with.

Sunraku: "What a bullshit monster... No, maybe it’s pretty merciful that you can handle them if you gang up on one...? No, still a bullshit monster."

After twenty tries, I had learned four things.

First, those scorpions were called Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpions—Alexand Scorpions. I learned that when I cut off a tail and picked it up on my last attempt. Fancy-ass name...

Second, they were not Unique Monsters or rare enemies. Horrifyingly, Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpions were all over the area. They just did not have that whole crush-each-other culture.

Third, Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpions barely cared when one of their own was in trouble. As long as I did not cross a line, they would mostly ignore a fight happening right under their noses.

And fourth...

They probably had clear territories.

Their traits pointed to that too. The moment anyone stepped even one foot over a boundary, the owner of that territory immediately came to wipe out the intruder.

Even if the intruder was one of its own kind.

Sunraku: "How do I spot the boundaries... The shape of the crystals? Their color...? Either way, even trying to keep my distance could turn out to be the worst move... Even if I figure out the very edge of a boundary, it’s game over if the scorpion itself simply crosses it... Or is it the other way around? But Inventoria got nerfed..."

Elma: "───Review complete. Based on prior interactions, the subject has been classified at Target Rank “Negotiate”. Next-generation primitive human Sunraku, I need to talk."

As I muttered my thoughts aloud while searching for a way through this, the busted junk that had mocked me every time I respawned suddenly spoke with a serious face.

The half-broken blue-haired doll called Elma=Saina? somehow stood herself up on her severed thighs. Then she moved her pupils in a way no human ever could and said this:

Elma: "Proposal: I recommend forming a contract with this unit."

Sunraku: "...Huh?"

Elma: "This unit can use the weapons connected to that bracelet device."

Sunraku: "...Fine. I’ll hear you out."

When did I trigger that flag? Whatever. Picking “No” here would be pretty wimpy, right?

The flags are: possessing a working item made in the Divine Era, being in a situation a Conquista Doll cannot handle alone, and getting a Compatibility Value above a certain point in the affinity check.

They are actually separate flags, but the important ones this time are the two besides the first.

“Negotiate”

A Conquista Doll execution mode for targets that can be negotiated with. Instead of using force, it attempts recovery through spoken negotiation.

“Full Scramble”

An execution mode used when recovery is difficult for one unit and requires all units from all forty-eight models. Limited use of Class IX weapons is allowed, while repairs to other damaged units are put off.

“Destruction-Class”

No recovery is needed. This is an execution mode for destroying targets that can only harm next-generation primitive humans, even if the Conquista Dolls must ignore their own existence to do it. Class X strategic weapons and all recovered objects may be used, and every unit currently active is treated as expendable and sent in to charge.