Volume 15 Chapter 11 Ruins Exploration Part I
What caught Al's attention the most in the ruins was the area to the northwest of the room with the stairs leading to the underground storage.
There were hardly any walls left standing, but it had the most responses to the 'Detect Magic' spell.
While flipping over the rubble that used to be walls and ceilings, Al searched for things that glowed with a bluish light in response to the 'Magic Sense' spell.
However, what he found there were 8 light magic tools, 3 cooking magic tools similar to those in the research tower's kitchen, 3 water magic tools, and one each for refrigeration and freezing magic tools.
He needed to check the magic circuits before actually using them, but since they looked very similar to the ones in the research tower, he was pretty sure they were safe. This area must have been a kitchen or something like that.
These were valuable items, and if sold, they would definitely fetch a high price, but Al felt a bit disappointed.
His excitement slightly diminished, Al relied on the remaining responses from the 'Detect Magic' spell and continued to search other places.
It seemed that the light magic tools were set up in each section, and he found about ten more. He also discovered 3 writing magic tools that had previously been found in a magic bag.
"Hmm, there are only life-related magic tools... Is there no spellbook or something?"
'Could it be that they're out of mana? Or maybe there's a "Stealth" spell like the button-shaped magic bag?'
'Stealth' spell... That was indeed a possibility. If that was the case, he would have to try increasing the accuracy of the 'Detect Magic' spell.
The 'Detect Magic' spell, with the options in the spellbook, could detect active magic tools and magic, but it was limited in accuracy so it wouldn't respond to magic stones or magic tools that were out of mana.
If he increased the accuracy, there was a chance it could surpass the effects of the 'Stealth' spell. He wouldn't know how much accuracy was needed until he tried.
"Got it. I'll give it a shot."
'Detect Magic'--Distance: 55-meter (180ft) radius, Accuracy: Triple
As he tried to use the spell, he suddenly felt dizzy. He instinctively knelt down.
'Ally?! Are you okay?'
With blurred vision, Al endured the urge to vomit. This was the same symptom he had experienced before when he kept using the 'Floating Eye' spell while searching for Raindrop.
It seemed to be a symptom of overusing magic. However, this time there had been no warning, and he didn't think he had used magic as much as before.
"I don't know. Did I overuse magic?"
'You were trying to increase the accuracy of the "Detect Magic" spell, right? Is "Detect Magic" that tiring?'
"Well, it didn't feel like that... It was like Lord Zora should be used continuously..."
Saying this, Al dragged his feet back to the first room, going down the stairs halfway. There, he drank some water and caught his breath.
'Should we go back for a bit? Patricia and the others might be worried.'
"Yeah, let's just take back as many magic tools as we can and head back for now. We can get the coordinates from this position, right?"
If Glee could get the coordinates, then they could register this location with a teleportation magic tool. Alternatively, they could revisit it by storing it in a button-shaped magic bag.
For now, Al decided to return to the research tower.
* * *
"Perhaps, you expanded both the accuracy and range too much at the same time."
As Al explained the situation and how he returned, Patricia and the others turned pale and sighed in relief, while Malachi the golem spoke calmly.
In the case of spells that affect range, if you want to increase accuracy, you have to reduce the effective range by about one-eighth for each increase in accuracy; otherwise, the level of fatigue won't be the same.
It seemed that increasing the accuracy 3 times while keeping the distance the same was indeed too much. Also, to find something hidden by a 'Stealth' spell, it would require 4 times the accuracy.
"So, if I increase the accuracy to about 4 times and reduce the radius from 50 meters (164ft) to 6 meters (20ft) in 3 stages, is that okay?"
Al counted on his fingers: one-half, one-fourth, one-eighth.
"Yes, Sir Al, you could probably increase it a bit more, but that level seems reasonable."
Malachi the golem nodded as he said this. By narrowing the range and searching little by little, they would be able to proceed with the investigation without getting dizzy.
"Also, there was a magic tool that I didn't really understand..."
Al talked about the magic tool that was moving behind the wire mesh window next to the stairs. He didn't know its purpose, and it was astonishing that it had been moving for hundreds of years.
"That is probably a magic tool for ventilation. The small room where that magic tool was located had a high ceiling, right?"
According to Malachi the golem's explanation, the underground area tends to accumulate bad air, and if living beings stay there for a long time, they can't breathe.
The magic bag storage itself was not originally designed for living beings, and it likely didn't have ventilation openings to consider the intrusion of insects.
However, there were vertical holes for minimal ventilation in the maintenance passage, and a magic tool was probably installed at the bottom to send air upward.
It seemed that it only activated when it sensed Al's presence, so it likely wasn't operating normally, which is why it hadn't run out of mana.
"There's a lot of different things, huh..."
"Sir Al refers to it as an ancient ruin, but in reality, it was a facility used during Sir Tempest's time, where people lived. Having lighting, ventilation, and a kitchen is quite normal."
Malachi, the golem, explained, and Al couldn't help but be impressed.
"By the way, over there, I can't see the sun at all."
With that, Al looked out the tower window. In the spacious living room where everyone spent time together, there were windows on the south and west sides. From there, they could see the sun setting.
"Previously, Riana mentioned that about 250 years ago, there was a huge earthquake, and the sky was covered with clouds, causing it to snow in summer. I wonder if those clouds are still covering the sky."
In response to Al's question, Malachi the golem shook his head.
"That does seem like a long time, but I can't say for sure."
It seemed that even Malachi and Riana didn't know everything.
"Well then, let's wrap it up for today, and we'll continue tomorrow morning."
"Understood. I will check the condition of the magic tools that were retrieved."
Malachi the golem gave a slight bow.
"Now, I'll prepare dinner. Since Tabasa and Doris have moved in today, we're having a feast to celebrate."
"Oh, did Patricia help out?"
Patricia smiled happily.
"I learned a lot from the High-Rank Worker Golem through Riana. I even helped with preparing the chicken."
The High-Rank Worker Golem, responsible for the butchering, shouldn't be able to talk, but it seemed that Patricia learned how to do it through explanations from Riana.
Since coming to this research tower, Patricia had been trying many new things.
"Wow, that sounds exciting!"
Al smiled brightly.
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