Chapter 112. Village Construction Plan
60th day in the labyrinth.
As I was flipping through the Monster Guidebook, recalling the monsters I had encountered so far.
［Huh Huh Huh.］
“Welcome, nya.”
［Nice to see you, Huh Huh.］
Omega arrived at our hideout through the warp device.
Omega trotted over to me, suddenly popping her head beside mine.
［Huh Huh. A masterpiece of a drawing. But do you always go through the hassle of drawing each monster by hand?］
“I used to, but now Centaurides helps me out sometimes.”
［Doesn’t it get tedious and tiring, Huh Huh? If you’d like, I could give you a camera.］
“No, that’s alright. It’s the fun of drawing it by hand that makes it worthwhile. Plus, both Centaurides and I enjoy drawing.”
［I see. So, it’s more like a hobby activity than tedious labor… Got it, Huh Huh.］
I closed the Monster Guidebook.
Then I stood up and looked toward Passage No. 4.
Today, we were heading to the Desert Shelter.
Originally, we had planned to go yesterday, but I postponed the trip by a day to take care of the unstable Hedgehog Summoner.
【Pururu】─What? When did the broadcast start? Am I first?
【Mysticism】─😶
【Pururu】─Emoji monster is here before me again. Do you even sleep?
【Mysticism】─Early bird Mysti catches the Pururu. 😀
We didn’t use the Hyper Express.
It wasn’t that far of a distance anyway.
Right now, it was the perfect distance for a casual walk for me.
“Well then, let’s head out.”
［Huh!］
We stepped into Passage No. 4.
***
As we walked, chatting along the way, we soon arrived at the shelter located in the desert.
A dome-shaped house was situated around an oasis, and thanks to Solorb’s protection, it was the safest spot in the desert.
［Eberrrrr!!!］
［You’re here.］
Two monsters greeted us.
The one eagerly welcoming us was the Giant Caterpillar.
The one lazily rising from a sunbed was the Pharaoh Devil.
They were the sub-manager and manager of the Desert Shelter, respectively, monsters I had appointed to the positions.
【Pururu】─Where did the sunbed come from?
【Mysticism】─I sent it over last time! 😃
【Pururu】─Stop sending useless stuff.
【Mysticism】─😟
【Rizenova】─Rizenova here!
【Yumi】─Hello.
【Bubble Bubble】─I’m tired. You started the stream early today.
While I was exchanging greetings with the shelter’s monsters, Omega was strolling around the oasis, glancing at the surroundings and observing the terrain.
［Huh Huh. The location isn’t bad.］
【Pururu】─Is the site good?
After saying that, Omega installed a warp device next to the dome-shaped house.
With that, the Desert Shelter became a location that we could travel to from our hideout in just one second.
［Gauntlet. I’ve just come up with a concept for a village here, and I want your opinion on it. Huh Huh.］
“Sure, tell me about it.”
［It might be a long explanation, so come here first. Huh.］
Omega placed a square table down on the sand.
It looked like a meeting table.
I approached the table.
【Pururu】─Where does the table keep popping out from?
【Yumi】─It came out of Omega’s belly.
【Mysticism】─😮
［Before I explain, let me show you the blueprint of the village I have in mind. Huh.］
Omega tapped the table with the back of her hand.
A large hologram unfolded above the table, displaying a three-dimensional layout of the village Omega had designed.
The village she envisioned was circular, with the oasis at the center.
“Wow… Is this the village you’ve designed?”
［That’s right. Huh Huh.］
【Pururu】─Wow. That’s awesome.
【Rizenova】─This village looks more splendid than I expected.
【Mysticism】─🧐 Didn’t you just come up with this? How did you make the blueprint so fast?
【Yumi】─She’s a robot, after all.
【Bubble Bubble】─It kind of feels like a prosperous magical city.
The desert village Omega showed was quite different from the Machine Factory.
While the Machine Factory reminded one of a dystopian future city overrun by robots, the desert village now floating in the hologram looked like a utopian ancient civilization that might have only existed in legends.
“The scale is a bit larger than I thought, but… the overall layout isn’t bad. I like it.”
［Huh Huh. I’m glad you like it.］
Omega wagged her heavy reptilian tail, seemingly pleased by the compliment.
［Now, I’ll start explaining the village. Huh Huh.］
Omega manipulated the hologram.
The hologram zoomed in, revealing a more detailed view of the desert village.
［Huh Huh. The village is designed with three concentric circles, and the streets are narrow and winding to maximize shade. Also, there are cool resting spots and fountains scattered throughout. That’s the general layout, and now I’ll show you the innermost area.］
The hologram moved.
The innermost circle.
At the heart of the village, the dome-shaped house stood, surrounded by a central plaza.
［This is the heart of the village, where the leaders and managers will live. It’s also where the core facilities are located. Huh Huh.］
The hologram shifted again.
Next to the dome, a towering structure appeared.
［This is the Tower of Life. It draws water from the oasis, purifies it, and distributes it throughout the city via an underground waterway. It functions as the city’s heart. It would be ideal to place a monster here that can control water, or perhaps one that can generate it. Huh Huh.］
Omega pressed on the Tower of Life with her finger.
The interior of the tower was displayed.
［Inside the tower, we’ll install a vertical farm, making the village self-sufficient in food. However, we’ll need to source the seeds ourselves. Huh.］
After explaining other facilities that would be placed in the center, Omega moved the hologram to show the middle circle.
［This area will be the residential district, where the residents will live. Public facilities will also be placed here.］
Next.
The outermost circle.
［Huh Huh. This will be the commercial district, where small-scale industrial facilities will be located, and I plan to build a research lab here as well. And…］
Omega pointed at a certain device.
The device was attached to every building.
［These devices will generate the energy the village needs. Huh!］
“You mean this will generate energy?”
［That’s right. These devices convert sand into energy. Huh Huh.］
【Pururu】─What the heck? When did you make such a machine?
【Yumi】─Truly amazing.
“So, as long as there’s sand, the desert village can be completely self-sufficient in energy?”
［Exactly. And all the buildings in this village will be made out of wood.］
Omega pulled out a tree branch.
It seemed to be one she had taken from the apple farm yesterday.
［I analyzed and researched this wood, and it’s made of a peculiar material that’s stronger than most metals. I believe this wood is quite suitable for constructing a new village. What do you think, Gauntlet? Huh Huh.］
“So that apple tree is incredibly sturdy, huh… Well, use whatever material you want. I don’t really know much about that stuff, so I won’t argue or object. I’ll trust and support your judgment, Omega.”
【Pururu】─How is wood stronger than metal?
【Yumi】─It’s from the Ancient Labyrinth, after all.
【Mysticism】─😶
“Oh, and I’ve got one question.”
［Ask me anything. Huh Huh.］
“We’re building a village on sand, right? How do you plan to stabilize the shifting sand?”
［Huh Huh. I’ve already considered that. The solution is simple.］
Omega manipulated the hologram to display the underground structure.
Then she began to explain it in a way that was easy for me to understand.
［I’m planning to implement a ground stabilization system beneath the village. By injecting special nano-particles into the sand, the particles will bind the sand together, transforming it into a solid foundation, like bedrock. Additionally, I’ll apply floating technology to the foundations of major buildings, allowing them to float on the sand, which will help the village flexibly respond to any ground movements. This way, we can definitely build a village on the sand. Huh Huh.］
After finishing her explanation, Omega continued to describe other systems.
She also intended to set up a sand barrier system to protect the village.
That system would shield the village from sandstorms while controlling the movement of the sand to minimize changes to the surrounding terrain.
That was the gist of the story.
We continued to discuss the village design after that.
Incidentally, we decided not to build outer walls.
After all, we had Solorb, who was far more reliable than any wall.
［Hehe.］
“Come down already.”
［Hehe…］
Solorb, who was trying to sneak down, flew back up high into the sky.
***
After returning to the hideout via the warp device, we headed to the apple farm to gather wood for the buildings in the desert village.
As we were selecting which trees to cut down.
“……”
［……］
A monster passing by met my eyes.
It was a Dollmaker, the same type of monster we saw yesterday.
Of course, yesterday’s one had died, so this was a different individual.
The monster stared at me without breaking eye contact, seemingly preparing to use its ability on me.
【Yumi】─Your ability doesn’t work on Geon! Haha!
【Mysticism】─🤔 Why are you the one feeling proud?
Naturally, the Dolmaker’s ability didn’t work on me, and I immediately reached out toward it.
Then, with one flick… no, with the power of First Strike, I split its body in half.
【Bubble Bubble】─First Strike!
【Pururu】─He swatted it like a bug.
【Rizenova】─I’m envious of that technique; I’d like to learn it.
Thud-
When the Dolmaker died, countless teddy bears poured out of its unique space.
The bears soon reverted to their original forms, most of them lifeless corpses as usual.
Only one was still alive.
［Ugh… You are… ?］
The monster, back in its original form, lay on the ground, lifting its head to look up at me.
［You saved me again…!］
A familiar appearance.
A familiar tone.
It was Lionheart, the monster I had saved yesterday.
［I truly thank you! I will repay this favor twice over!］
“……”
This guy got captured again.