Isekai Smartphone - Chapter 495
“Ship ……? ”Crom Ranches” made by ……? ”It could be the Ark.”
“Ark?”
Illuminati Arbus, the White Crown that Yumina had brought with her, replied.
“The Ark. It’s a mobile factory built by Chromium. This is where I and the other crowns were made.
“Built by ……? Does that mean it’s a factory that makes crowns?”
It’s like a workshop in our Babylon. I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it’s a good idea. He used the Ark, a mobile factory ship, as a means of transportation.
My doctor is the same as you, but do oddball magicians tend to be the same?
“Don’t tell me that there are also nine ‘Ark of the Ark’ ……?”
“What? As far as I know, there’s only one.
That’s good. It’s not surprising.
I’m not sure what to make of it.
“Do you know how to enter the Ark?”
” The crown is the key. No problem.
I see. So the crown itself is the key to getting on the ship. No one can get in, then.
“I’m sorry, King. I’m sorry, but can you lend me this ‘white’? I really need the power of the crown to enter the ship.”
“I’m sorry, but I really need the power of the crown to get into the ship.” ……
The leader of the Seekers, Mario’s old man, asked me to lend it to him, but I couldn’t just say yes.
“Father, father! I’m here to tell you that I’ll be going to the ‘Ark of the Ark’ with Albus as a representative of Brunhild: ……!”
“Dismissed. You just want to see a rare magic ship, don’t you? Be quiet.”
“Mother, no!”
Leen pulled away from Coon, who was giving me an earful. Well, I knew that would be the case.
To be honest, I’m interested in the Ark. It is the legacy of the rare Golem engineer who created the Crown series. It must be historically and technologically valuable.
But more than that, I don’t know what kind of power the Ark has. It is, after all, the residence of an engineer who has transcended the walls of the world. It would not be a good idea to leave it unattended. It is necessary to check it at least once.
“Crom Ranchez’s workshop: ……! I want to see it! Maybe the secret of The Crown will be revealed!”
“I’m curious too. There’s a lot of technology buried there that we haven’t seen yet, so there’s no way we can’t go there, right, Touya?”
Elka and Dr. Babylon were ready to go. Look! Here! I’m not sure what to make of that. You can’t say that you won’t go to …….
I’ve been wanting to visit Gandilis for a while now, and this is the perfect opportunity. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that will help you get through the day. …… The second princess, Princess Cordelia, says that the king of Gandilis is a generous and mild-mannered man.
“All right. Let’s take Albus and go to those ruins. Yumina, do you mind?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Though Albus belongs to Brunhild, its contractor master is Yumina. I’ll have to ask for permission. I’ll have to ask for permission, you know.
“Yes! Father, I’m coming too! I’ll go if I have to!”
“That’s not fair, Coon-oneesama! Father, I’m coming with you!”
“You guys. ……”
My head hurts as Coon and Ashia raise their hands in competition. It’s not like we’re going out to play, though.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You’re fast! Fast, whoa!”
The old man Mario is excited like a child while looking at the scenery from the window. It’s not only Mario’s old man who’s excited. It’s not just Mario who is excited, it’s all the old men of the Seekers.
This is the inside of the “Balmunk,” a large high-speed airship built by Dr. Babylon.
When we went to Gandilis, we realized that it would take weeks to get there with the Seekers’ airship. That’s when the airship in the hangar in Babylon came into play.
The airship was originally built 5,000 years ago to transport frame gear. Since I can use the gate, it has never seen the light of day, but it is useful for moving large groups of people like this.
Incidentally, the airship of the “Seekers of Exploration Engineers” is in my storage.
In addition to the members of the Seekers, the passengers were myself, Yumina, Leen, Coon, Lu, Ashia, Dr. Babylon, and Engineer Elka. We were accompanied by Paula and Albus, and Fenrir from Engineer Elka’s place.
“Well, I’m surprised, ……. I didn’t expect to see an airship like this. Is this normal on this continent?”
“No, not really. Only in Brunhild. There’s a lot wrong with that country, you can’t mix them. You’ll break common sense.”
Ripple and Engineer Elka are having a rude conversation, but please correct them. Because the only one who’s crazy is the doctor.
When I blurted that out to Yumina, she said, ‘Touya-san, you should look at things more objectively”. What do you mean?
“Well, at this pace, we’ll be in Gandilis in about another hour.”
The doctor said this while looking at the clock on his phone. The Balmungk is on autopilot, so it will reach its destination on its own even if we’re asleep.
To be honest, I think it would be faster if I flew to the destination on the fly and connected the gate from there. I tried to suggest it, but the people who wanted to ride the Balmunk pushed me away. That includes Coon, of course.
Well, it’s not like there’s a huge difference in days or anything, so I relented and decided to take it easy.
On the way, the doctor and engineer Elka kept talking about something difficult with Mario’s old man and Ripple, while Coon listened to them with great interest.
Albus was also whispering with Fenrir, but it didn’t seem like they were having a lively conversation. He seemed to be checking something out. Paula was pacing around.
Lu and Ashia have been bringing me food from the kitchen in the Balmungk as if they were fighting over it. No, I can’t eat this much! I apologize to the two of them, but I had to share it with the old men of the Seekers. I laughed at the resemblance between the disgruntled mother and daughter, though.
“I guess it’s about time.”
“Mmm. That’s the Pisto Mountains. We’re already in Gandilis territory.”
Dr. Mario’s mumbled words were echoed by the old man, who checked the mountains from the window. It all happened so fast, didn’t it?
We headed towards the bridge and looked down from the front.
It was a mountainous country with many mountains in a row.
There were basins in places, and towns spread out in them. A number of narrow mountain roads stretched out to connect the towns.
“Is that a tunnel?”
“Those are the roads that the dwarves dug a long time ago. Some of them were dug with digging golems, though.”
Ripple-san answers my question. Dwarves. They live mainly in the mines, so that’s no problem. I thought to myself as I glanced at some of the dwarves in the Seekers, the Explorers.
“Whoa, I can see them now. What’s ……? What’s that?”
Mario’s old man stared at the mountain in front of him, straining his eyes.
There was some kind of smoke rising from around the base of the mountain.
“Is that the entrance to the ruins?”
“Mm. The Knights of Gandilis and the younger members of the Explorers are stationed there. …… But what’s that smoke?”
“I think it’s a fire. ……”
The doctors also looked in the direction that old man Mario was pointing. Which, me too.
“[Longsense].”
I let my vision fly and look in the direction that old man Mario pointed. It’s true that there’s smoke rising from the ground. The tents and other structures that have been set up are on fire. Not only that, but there are also the remains of a dismembered golem. Is that a Knight Golem of Gandilis?
“I don’t know, but it looks like we were attacked by something. There are remnants lying around that look like Gandilis’ golems.”
“What? !”
Ripple-san’s voice rises at my words. The doctor sat at the controls of the Balmunk, and the airship’s speed increased.
Eventually, when we got close enough for everyone to see, the devastation was clear.
The encampment was on fire, and the remains of fallen people and broken golems lay everywhere. It was clear that someone had attacked the camp.
As soon as the Balmungk landed, the Seekers, the explorers, rushed out.
There was no sign of the enemy in the area. Have they already left the area? No, they have rushed into the ruins. ……?
The entrance to the ruins was quite large and shaped like a path to the underground. Even a few golems would be able to enter easily.
“Hey! Are you okay! Stay with me!”
I came to my senses at the voice of Mario’s old man holding up the injured man.
Oh, no. I’ll think about it later. I have to save the injured first.
“[Come, Light, Equal Healing, Area Heal]”
I invoke recovery magic on the entire target-locked people. Fortunately, there were no dead. The one who had been in critical condition earlier stood up, inspecting his body with a pouting expression.
“Is this …… recovery magic? You’re outrageous, …….”
I’m not sure what to make of this.
“What in the world happened here?”
“Huh? Oh, ah …… all of a sudden, we were attacked by a strange group. Dozens of thin, four-armed golems led by a guy wearing a funny mask.”
“Funny masks?”
“It’s an iron mask-like mask that covers your face, or rather your entire head. It had a beak like a crow. ……”
A mask like a crow? Would it be like a plague mask on Earth? He’s a funny guy, that’s for sure.
If you look closely, you can see the wreckage of a wrecked golem, probably the Knight Golem of Gandilis, as well as the remains of a thin-limbed, four-armed golem lying around.
Its head is round, and it wears something like a cloak. It looks like a scarecrow.
“So where did that group go?”
“Probably into the ruins: …….”
“So the target is Crom Ranchez’s ship. ……! Damn it, where did the leak come from!”
Old Mario tapped a crate that was lying on the floor. It’s a ship, a legacy left behind by the makers of The Crown. It’s probably the most attractive thing in the world. It could be just a band of thieves, but it is more likely to be a unit of some other country.
“But the ship is locked, isn’t it? Don’t we have to have the ‘crown’ to get in?”
“Mother, there’s no need to be foolish and go in the front door. If you don’t mind a bit of damage, you can forcefully destroy the outer wall and enter the interior.”
Coon answers Leen’s question. It may be true, but that’s the way grave robbers do it. They might be the same kind of people, though, judging from this situation.
I’d like to think that even if they were, the creators of The Crown would never create security that could be breached that easily.
” They’re going to destroy that ship! You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s a treasure chest full of lost technology! Hey, you guys! We’re coming after you!”
At the sound of Mario’s old man’s voice, not only the Seekers, but also the knights of Gandilis raised their fists. Are you okay? The knight golems are still broken though.
“Hmm. A little damage to the ship is acceptable, but it would be a great loss if the data recorded inside were erased. I think it’s better if we go here too.”
“I guess so.”
As the doctor said, some things can never be recovered once they’ve been ransacked. As expected, we want to stop such a rampage.
We decided to follow Mario’s men as they entered the ruins. The ruins are seven stories underground, and the ship in question is apparently located in a dock at the bottom level. It seemed to be quite an intricate structure, and Ripple started to unfold a map.
“From here to here ……. And it’s faster to go down from here. I hope the other side doesn’t get lost.”
Looking at the map, we could see the complicated shape of the corridors that were laid out like a subway. I’m sure I’m going to get lost in this.
“Master, permission to proceed.”
“Huh? What’s the matter, Albus?”
Yumina calls out to Albus. Then Albus took the map from Ripple-san and pointed to a place on the first floor. Hmm? There’s nothing there but …….
“There’s an elevator here. Direct to the bottom level.”
“What? How do you know that?”
“This facility is the hiding place of Crom Ranchez’s secret base. I’ve been here before.”
I see. If this place was made by Crom Ranches, it’s not surprising that Albus, the ‘crown’, knows about it.
If that’s the case, then why didn’t he tell me where this ship was until now?
The location of the base is kept secret by the High Master’s authority. The same goes for the other “crown”.
“So that’s it. But this Chromium Ranchez is very secretive, isn’t he?”
“People with superior technology are often targeted by the powers that be and their peers. I can understand why he would want to hide. Just like I built Babylon.”
The doctor nodded deeply, as if agreeing. I’m not so sure about that. As I recall, Dr. Babylon was also told by some king to give Babylon, Chesca and the other Babylon Numbers to him. Five thousand years ago.
“Anyway, let’s hurry to that place.”
We headed for the place Arbus had indicated. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a wall.
When I poured magic power into a small disguised magic stone, the wall split in two without a sound, revealing a boxy space.
As expected, it would be difficult for all of us to get in, so first of all, only me, Mario’s old man, Ripple-san, and a few knights from Gandilis got in, and we decided to head to the lowest level at once.
The door closes and the box descends. There was nothing to see, but I couldn’t help but look at the top of the door, which I guess was a consequence of knowing elevators on Earth.
There was a dinging sound of metal, and the doors opened. Then, several thin, four-armed golems that were a few meters ahead of me in the dimly lit passage turned their eyes toward me.
“Oh, that’s them! The ones who attacked us!”
The knight from Gandilis who was riding the elevator with me shouted.
“Guy! Gi, Gi!
A four-armed golem attacked me, jumping up and down like a monkey. I pulled out my Brunhild from my waist and without hesitation unleashed it at the golem’s chest.
The sound of a gunshot and a roar echoed, and a wind hole opened in the chest of the four-armed golem. This is the effect of the【Spiral Lance】given to the bullet.
“Bastards, no need to hold back! Smash it!”
“Oh!”
At the sound of Mario’s old man’s voice, the members of the “Seekers of Exploration Engineers” jump out of the elevator. They are engineers and explorers at the same time. I guess they are used to rough stuff. Wielding wrenches and hammers, they headed toward the four-armed golems.
The knights of Gandilis stepped forward in defeat.
“Giggle!
It quickly became a melee, and I switched Brunhild from gun mode to blade mode. I’m afraid of shooting my allies by mistake, or ricochets in a narrow space like this.
On the contrary to me, lightning bolts shot out from the magic gun spellcaster that Coon took out of his sleeve and held up. I like that. I think I’ll make one too.
“Gghh!”
“Ugh ……!”
A few people are blown away by the four-armed golems. This guy has a lot of power for someone so slender.
“What a pain in the ass. [Slip]”
“Geez!
Four-armed golems fall onto the aisle. When the old men of the “Exploration Engineers Seekers” hit them all at once with a big hammer, the attacking golems eventually stopped functioning.
“Where are these guys from? It looks like it’s not the ancient aircraft Legacy.”
“The body looks similar to Isengard’s.”
“But I’ve seen the arms and legs around Gardio before.”
The old men of the Seekers of Exploration Engineers are poking and prodding the four-armed golem, which has stopped moving, while they give their opinions. I’m not sure if you can do that later.
‘Up ahead on the right. About a hundred meters down the stairs, you’ll reach the dock.
“All right. Let’s go.”
Leaving some of the older guys behind, we followed Albus’ words and hurried on.
We turned right at the corner, walked straight down a long, dimly lit corridor lit only by a small lamp, and descended the stairs to find the ship near what looked like an underground lake.
It’s pretty big when you look at it up close. It looks more like a spaceship than a ship. It doesn’t have any sails or anything, and there’s something like an engine attached to either side of the hull.
“Does this thing fly by any chance?”
“No.” No. The Ark can’t fly. Diving is possible.
That’s it. Is it a submarine? If you say so, it looks like a submarine. But even if it is, it’s too big.
“Hmm, an uninvited guest has arrived. Gandilis is quite persistent, isn’t he?”
We were stunned by the Ark’s appearance when a voice called out to us.
I looked back and saw a figure standing in front of us, as if blocking our way to the Ark.
He wore round black sunglasses-like goggles and a metal plague mask that looked like a crow with iron studs. He wore a black coat with a hood, a jangling spray can on his left hip, and a metallic red thin sword rapier on his right hip.
On his back, he carried a strange school bag-like thing and wore a belt with some kind of dial on it.
At first glance, he looked like a retro steampunk cosplayer, but there was something …… strange about him.
I’m not sure what to make of the plague mask guy.
“You are a bandit looking for ruins? Or are you an agent of some country?”
“Neither. I dare say I’m an ‘apostle of the evil god’.”
“…… what?”
Ignoring my frown, the man in the plague mask threw something that looked like a spray can off his waist at me.
In an instant, the poisonous colored smoke spewed from it spread around the area. Oh no! Is it poison gas!
“[Prison]!”
I quickly deployed 【Prison】 and protected everyone from the poisonous gas with a ward. The poisonous green smoke quickly takes away my vision, and the man in the plague mask disappears from sight.
“See ya.”
A wing-like thing flew out from the school bag the man in the plague mask was carrying, and he flew up into the sky like a rocket or a jet plane. What the hell is that? ……!
The man in the pest mask flew over the underground lake and landed on the deck of the Ark. There, his vision was completely blocked and he could not see anything. Damn it!
“[Wind, whirl, storm whirlwind, cyclone storm]!”
The tornado released by Leen blew away the surrounding poisonous gas. The spray cans that were spewing it out also blew away together and fell into the underground lake.
When our vision was restored, all we could see was the calm water of the underground lake.
In an instant, the Ark had suddenly disappeared before our eyes.