Volume 11 Chapter 5 Research Tower Part Ii
When Malachi touched the door on the south side of the tower, it opened silently. At the same time, white half-sphere lights on the ceiling began to glow one by one, softly lighting up the room.
"Wow, amazing!"
Al couldn't help but exclaim. Behind him, Patricia and Joanna also looked surprised, staring at the walls and ceiling with wide eyes.
"This is nothing special."
Malachi the Golem replied, sounding like he found it strange that the 3 were so amazed. Just then, 2 Golems, almost identical to the High-Rank Worker Golem, came from the back. They politely bowed to Malachi the Golem, who returned the gesture.
"Al, Lady Patricia, and Lady Joanna should register too,."
Malachi the Golem said, pointing to a shiny black stone tablet on the wall, about Al's height.
"You're already registered as visitors, but that only means you won't be attacked by the guardian Golem. You won't even be able to open or close the doors. It's better to register so you can move freely."
"Wow, so there's a right to open and close doors? If we register, do we get something like an ID?"
Malachi the Golem shook his head.
"Unfortunately, we can't issue IDs here. However, if you register, information will be shared within this facility, so you shouldn't have any problems for now. Also, Al's assistant device should have a function that acts as an ID."
'Yeah, I have it!'
The assistant device has that kind of function too... There might be other abilities that Al doesn't know about. While thinking that he needs to ask more later, he decided to register first.
Al followed Malachi the Golem's instructions and gently touched the black stone tablet with his palm. After a short wait, a beep sound was heard.
"Registration complete. Now you can open and close the door without any problems."
Al nodded at Malachi the Golem's words. Next was Patricia. She also touched the black stone tablet with her palm. After a moment, a different beep sound was heard.
"Lady Patricia has been confirmed as a direct descendant of Sir Tempest. You have received the approval, and of course, I accepted it. Congratulations. Lady Patricia is now officially registered as Sir Tempest's successor. Sir Tempest's research tower can once again have a master. Thank you."
"""Eh?"""
Suddenly, Malachi the Golem's tone changed, sounding like a servant serving a high noble. Al, Patricia, and Joanna couldn't help but exclaim. A formal successor... So, she is from the royal family that carries Tempest's bloodline. It seems they confirmed it somehow. It felt a bit rude, but Al had heard that some nobles adopt others, so bloodlines aren't always protected. Maybe that's why they didn't mention it.
"A successor?"
Patricia asked with a slightly confused expression.
"Yes, Sir Tempest's remaining legacy, at least regarding this tower and its related facilities, has no official owner since Sir Tempest passed away. Lady Patricia, since you are of his bloodline, you can inherit it."
Malachi, the golem, watched as she weakly shook her head.
"I have escaped while sacrificing many people. I am not worthy to claim royal status."
"Princess, that is not true."
Joanna spoke up unusually loud at Patricia's words.
"You have done your best in your own way, Princess. And together, we have often lamented our lack of power. This tower can be the first step towards that. We must also repay Sir Al for his cooperation... no, 'repay' is not enough for Sir Al. We need to ensure that Sir Al can fully use the power left in this tower and continue to help us. Furthermore, according to what Lord Malachi said earlier, this is not the royal family's property, but rather Sir Tempest's personal belongings. It's like a daughter inheriting the house built by her father. There is no need to be tied to the royal family."
Joanna spoke quickly, getting all of that out in one breath. Patricia listened carefully to her words and thought deeply. Then, she looked closely at Al. Al paused for a moment, considering what to do, but decided to support her with a small smile and a nod. Patricia slowly nodded in response.
"Understood, Sir Malachi. I gratefully accept. And please give Sir Al the same authority as me."
"Thank you. I understand."
Malachi the Golem bowed politely. The 3 High-Rank Worker golems beside him (one of which came from the graveyard) also bowed to the two of them at the same time.
"Lady Patricia, Sir Al, I have served Sir Tempest like a butler. Since you two are the new masters, I kindly ask you to call me Malachi instead of using honorifics."
Al and Patricia looked at each other, confused, and tilted their heads slightly. Then they nodded lightly to each other.
"Understood, Malachi. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you."
At their words, Malachi the Golem and the High-Rank Worker golems bowed deeply again.
* * *
Joanna's registration went smoothly, and Malachi led them into the tower. The first floor was a lab, full of tools for making golems by writing magic circuits and shaping parts. High-Rank Worker golems kept the place ready to use. Floors two to seven were like warehouses, storing prototype golems in big containers, each about 3m (10ft) wide.
"That means the first to 7th floors of the tower are all workshops and storage, right? I wonder if there's anything useful for Sir Al."
Patricia looked curiously at the many devices lined up on the first floor and asked Malachi the Golem.
"Before, Sir Al mentioned he wanted to analyze a small magic tool. I think it's possible to do that using a device that writes magic circuits for making golems. Also, Sir Al's assistant device, Glee, said she wanted to use a doll golem like the one I'm using now. I believe there might be something usable among the prototypes."
'Yes, yes! That's it! Let's search quickly, okay?'
Glee replied cheerfully to Malachi the Golem's explanation.
"Both of those things can wait until we have a proper plan for living here first."
'Ehhhh?'
When Al answered, Glee made a displeased sound. But the food in the magic bag was running low. They had heard they could be self-sufficient, but the grape fields looked dry, and the other areas were overgrown with weeds. Even buying food would take 4 or 5 days for a round trip. Without fixing this, it couldn't be called a safe shelter.
"Understood. Let's go to the 8h floor of the tower. This way, please."
Malachi the Golem walked to a small room along the east wall of the tower and lightly knocked on the door. The door opened.
"This is a small room called an elevator. There are stairs next to it, but going from the first to the 8th floor is tough, so this room itself moves up and down."
Al looked around as they entered the small room. The High-Rank Worker golems that welcomed them, along with the ones that came from the tomb, seemed to be waiting on the first floor. They stopped outside the small room and gave a slight bow. The door to the small room closed.
"To the 8th floor."
When Malachi the golem said this, Al felt a light floating sensation. After a moment, the door opened on its own.
"We have arrived. The 8th floor is where Sir Tempest and his friends stay."
2 High-Rank Worker golems were waiting. When Al and the others stepped out of the elevator, the golems bowed lightly. Malachi led them through a wide entrance, over 5 meters (16ft) across, into a spacious living room. The room had a big sofa, a table, and a dining table. It was spotless, with no dust in sight.
"What about the kitchen and food management?"
"This way."
Malachi the golem opened the door to the northeast. Inside was a hallway with several doors. At the end, there was no door, just a large space that turned out to be the kitchen.
"The kitchen has a magic tool stove, and the High-Rank Worker golems on this floor can cook. The pantry has sections for refrigeration and freezing, but everything was empty the last time Sir Tempest visited."
As expected. Even if there was food left, it wouldn't be edible.
"Um, are there any golems that can handle the butchering of magic beasts or livestock?"
"Common animals and plants, like ducks, deer, boars, rabbits, horse mackerel, mackerel, cuttlefish, and lobsters, can be managed by the High-Rank Worker golems on this floor. However, they can't always tell which ones are poisonous and can't cook them to remove the poison, so be careful. As for magic beasts, they can process wild boars, but handling dragons is impossible."
It seems like wyverns are out of the question. That's too bad. It will probably take more than 6 months to get a harvest from the fields. If Al goes down to the sea, he might catch some fish. Still, it looks like there's no path to walk there without the 'Fly' spell. No, before that..."
"Is there water?"
"Yes. We have a magic tool that creates water, so you can rest easy."
Malachi the golem lightly twisted the handle at the base of a twisted pipe above a large bowl in the center of the kitchen. Water started to flow out of the pipe, filling the bowl a little before draining out through a hole at the bottom.
It's amazing that there's a magic tool that can create water so easily. That's really helpful. But then again, it makes sense since they were also doing farming...
Next, Malachi showed them to their rooms. Each room had a large bed, a small table, a comfy sofa, a cupboard, a big closet, and even a small shower with hot water. The beds had pure white sheets, ready for someone to sleep in. The cupboards and closets were empty."
"Is this really over 300 years old?"
Patricia murmured in wonder. Could it be that there wasn't a room as clean and comfortable as this in the Tempest castle?
"Yes. It seems there are still some supplies in good condition."
Malachi the Golem replied as he checked something. He said materials for a comfortable living were stored in a warehouse, thanks to 'Packing' and 'Retention' spells. However, everything was fine only because no one had stayed here until now, and it didn't mean there were many supplies.
"Next, there might be a problem on the ninth floor. Please follow me," Malachi said.
Al and the others followed Malachi back to the entrance and took the stairs behind the elevator to the ninth floor. They entered a huge sphere that looked strange from the outside. Magic tools they didn't understand were lined up. Nothing seemed damaged, but Malachi checked each one carefully and tilted his head in confusion.
"The mana generation device is working fine. It can supply mana for most of the magic tools and the golems' basic functions. However, there is no mana flowing to the magic antenna device at all. There might be a problem with the mana transmission network itself."
The mana generation device creates mana from solar energy, which impressed Al. But it was just a backup; it normally received mana from the Mana transmission network, a system that supplied mana to the whole world, through a magic antenna.
"I've never heard of a Mana transmission network..."
Al tilted his head in confusion.
"What!? The Mana transmission network is actually lost...? No way..."
Malachi the golem couldn't hide his shock. Magic tools that used the Mana transmission network were common when Tempest was alive. Without it, many tools and devices that supported daily life would lose power. He thought there weren't many facilities like this tower with a mana generation device. If it was such an important system, there should have been safety measures. But the truth is, that system no longer exists--or maybe it exists somewhere Al doesn't know about.
"I don't know anything about the Mana transmission network right now. If it's really lost, there won't be enough mana to float in the air or to move all the golems."
Malachi the golem shook his head weakly.
"Can't we make up for it with the 'Magic Power Control' spell?"
At Al's suggestion, Malachi the golem tilted his head slightly but nodded.
"Well, we might be able to move the golems. But floating in the air is really..."
Without floating, could Patricia stay safe here like this? If the guardian golems were in perfect condition and they could bring in food, maybe they could manage somehow.
"What about the guardian golems and the worker golems?"
"They're stored in a facility in the building called the West Wing, which is to the northwest of this tower."
From above, 2 huge buildings were visible on the north side of the tower. The West Wing must be the building on the west side. Al and the others decided to head toward the West Wing.
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