The mining operations led by Asue concluded with the discovery of two massive Spirit Stones. Not that we were stopping because we were bored or we’d finally secured a sufficient quantity of Spirit Stones, though—we were forced to stop because the number of Spirit Stones available for extraction had been depleted.
We had only been able to mine such a large variety of Spirit Stones in the first place due to Velvet’s dungeon, which was favored by the spirits. Even after Velvet’s demise, the dungeon’s administrator, Returner, had continued to attract spirits, resulting in an abundance of various types of Spirit Stones.
Returner had also passed away, and with her, the reason for spirits to visit the dungeon had vanished, so no new Spirit Stones were formed. Once the existing ones were mined, that was it.
Fortunately, we’ve already secured more than enough.
The benefits we’ve gained from Velvet’s blessing have been immense. Filled with gratitude, I offered a prayer for peace to the two enormous spirit stones. Afterward, of course, I consumed them.
[Ability learned: Photon Manipulation: Photon Ruler!]
[Ability learned: Aurora Resistance: Photon Tolerance!]
[Ability learned: Gravity Manipulation: Law of Gravity!]
[Ability learned: Darkness Resistance: Darkness Tolerance!]
The two Spirit Stones I consumed—the Light Spirit Stone and the Dark Spirit Stone—surpassed any Spirit Stones we had previously mined in terms of purity, size, and beauty. Though I found it a bit puzzling that I had gained a Gravity Manipulation ability from the Dark Spirit Stone, when I thought about black holes, it kind of made sense. And honestly, having a more defined term like “gravity” instead of the vague “darkness” made it easier to grasp, so I had no complaints.
Following this morning’s training, I checked the progress on the renovation of our dwelling. Then I prepared for our journey out of the forest. I had promised Redhead Shorty and a few of the others that I would eventually take them into a town, so I first needed to figure out their means of transportation.
I could have used our familiars, but I decided to use the tireless pawns at my disposal instead. First, I mass-produced Black Skeletons using Lower Undead Generation. Then, I disassembled them, gathered the black bones, and started constructing a vehicle using Bone Fusion.
After several hours of work, I managed to complete a centipede-like structure with a rectangular cargo bed on its back. I then coated the skeletal frame with the numerous slime duplicates I had created on the battlefield and implemented measures to protect it from sunlight, preventing the bones from evaporating.
By the time I finished, it was already late. After dinner, I called Redhead Shorty and the others for a meeting to discuss our departure. When they asked if this was just an excuse to kick them out, I explained that it was to honor my initial promise to take them to a town and promote our work. I told them they could decide later whether to stay with me.
We talked late into the night.