That would be an illegal entry, and no one wants to risk becoming a red player.
“Should we start searching the surrounding areas now that we know the town doesn’t have any leads?” Mr. Alf suggests.
“The abandoned mine to the south needs some more eyes on it,” Mr. Skelly responds.
“Shall we explore the abandoned mine? We’ll need help if it turns out to be a maze inside. What’s the map like?” I ask them.
“It works just like a dungeon, so the others are planning to go in a group.”
“In other words, we can’t get a read on it until we go and see it ourselves?”
The mini-map in the dungeon doesn’t work like the overworld. The best way to clear it is to have multiple parties go down separate routes while combining their map data.
Party members usually only share this information with each other when it comes to normal dungeons, but since all data gets synchronized at the end of official events, it’s more beneficial to share it with everyone now.
Does that mean it’s time to explore the mine? I’m not too attached to any option right now. I could also use this accelerated time period to work on production, or I could go to the mine and raise my combat skills.
“Princess, could you come to the lord’s manor real quick? There’s something I want you to see.”
“The lord’s manor? Will I be able to enter without accepting his quest?”
“It shouldn’t be an issue for you. Thanks in advance!”
“Very well. Everyone, Mr. Cecil has just asked me to see him, so why don’t we head to the manor the lord is currently moving out of?”
“Okay!”
“Let’s do it!”
We head toward the lord’s former residence in the southwest of town.
If Mr. Cecil is asking for me, he must have found something relating to the church, the Nether, or the Medium. I assume there are maids on the scene there to supervise the move, so if Mr. Cecil couldn’t ask them about it, it must be the latter.
Information has been shared with you.
The amount of lumber in the storage shed meant to be used on the campfire seems to be decreasing.
“The lumber?” Mr. Alf asks.
“It looks like there are quests for harvesting more lumber and investigating the missing logs,” says Mr. Skelly.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to burn wood from trees immediately after cutting them down,” I recall.
“That’s right, now that you mention it. Maybe it works differently in this game…” Mr. Alf ponders.
“Yeah, I actually haven’t heard anything about live trees yet,” Mr. Skelly adds.
“Well, we don’t have Lumber skills anyway, so Primura and the like will have to take care of that for us,” Mr. Alf responds.
Our party would have to take on the investigation quest instead of the harvesting quest, but first, let’s stick to the plan and head to the manor.
Mr. Cecil is waiting right out in front of the manor. A maid stands at his side.
“Thank you for waiting,” I greet him.
“Hey there, Princess. Sorry about this, but I found something I’m really curious about.”
“Does this person work for the lord?” I ask him.
“Yep, she’s in charge of the move.”
She’s kept her head bowed ever since I began to chat with Mr. Cecil. He must have told her about me. If the lord trusts her enough to put her in charge of this job, I doubt she wants to risk harming his reputation in any way. Such is the life of a maid in a status-based society!
“What’s your name?” I ask her.
“I am Luana.”
“Hello, Ms. Luana. We haven’t been hired to work here, but may we still enter?”
“You may. However, I am obligated to inform my master of your presence.”
“That’s all right. Thank you for allowing us inside.”
We follow Mr. Cecil toward the entrance.
“You can already see it right there.” He points past the front doors, which are sitting wide open, to reveal a large clock in the entryway.
“A grandfather clock?” the twins observe.
There’s at least one facet of it we can all see right away. “It’s quite tall, isn’t it?”
“Damn, that thing’s fancy!” Mr. Skelly cries.
“It’s definitely over two meters tall,” Mr. Alf estimates.
We approach the clock to look it over.
“This is…a clock?” Mr. Skelly suddenly questions.
“Is this actually a clock at all?” asks Mr. Alf.
“There’s four hands!” the twins declare.
“The shape is unnatural, that’s for sure,” Mr. Cecil adds. “The part of the clock that sits on the ground is usually bigger.”
It’s well over two meters tall and just over one meter wide at the longest. Mr. Cecil is right—it definitely has an unnatural shape, almost like a coffin where a vampire would rest during the day. That is to say, it’s not rectangular. You could never have a clock like this in Japan, where earthquakes are so common. Since the top part is larger than the bottom, it’s much easier to tip over than the alternative.
Also, as the twins said, the clock has four hands instead of the usual second, minute, and hour hands alone.
It’s a very fancy clock covered in intricate engravings.
I wonder what it’s made of.
“Isn’t it strange?” Mr. Cecil asks me.
“Did you try Appraisal yet?”
“I did, but it didn’t tell me anything.”
“Then let me try it too. Is that all right, Ms. Luana?”
“Yes, but please be gentle.”
“Very well.”
Old Decoration
A very old piece of ornamentation that has sat in this spot for generations.
A single piece of advice is passed down from owner to owner. “The unprepared should not touch it.”
Outsiders view it as a clock, but they’ve never seen a clock with four hands before.
“The hands don’t match the time at all. There’s no pendulum either,” Mr. Skelly observes.
“Appraisal says it isn’t actually a clock. Also, the display isn’t the same as it is for normal game items,” I tell him.
“Yeah? Not even you can decipher it, Princess?” he asks.
I’m at a loss, although, if it is related to Cthulhu…that is, if it’s related to the Medium, then…
“Oh?” the group calls out at once.
“That would be my Book of the Elder Keys activating. Yes, that confirms my hunch.”