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I Have Tamed a Spider Monster - Chapter 287, 288, 289
🕑 Added 2024-12-22 06:23:00 +0000 UTCThe Skill Crystals Vein
Spreading out before us was the vein of Skill Crystals!
Bathed in the light streaming through the ceiling, it glimmers brilliantly.
All of these were Skill Crystals!
"Wow, what an impressive vein this is."
"Indeed. I've never seen anything like it."
Melanie and Plum murmured in admiration.
I see, so it's not usually this enormous.
"Still, this pillar that stretches up to the ceiling—this is part of the Skill Crystal vein too, right? How many crystals' worth could it possibly contain?"
"I can't say. But I’d guess it’s far more than a thousand."
"I see. So, Lily, what do you intend to do with this vein?"
What does she mean by "what to do"?
When I asked Melanie, she explained that it was a choice between keeping quiet about the vein or informing Marquis Vardmoi.
If I kept it a secret, I might be able to monopolize all the Skill Crystals in this vein.
However, if someone else discovered it and handed it over to a noble, I wouldn’t be able to use it, and I wouldn’t get a reward either.
Conversely, if I informed Marquis Vardmoi, I’d probably receive some kind of reward—though who knows if it’d match the value of this vein.
Incidentally, Melanie’s recommendation was to inform Marquis Vardmoi.
She explained that no individual could possibly use this many Skill Crystals, and even if we handed them over to Marquis Vardmoi, he’d likely let us keep a few for ourselves.
In short, even Marquis Vardmoi would have trouble managing this.
While it’d mean passing on the hassle to him, I think I’ll just let him handle it.
"So, are you going to figure out which skill each part of the vein corresponds to?"
"Can you do that, Melanie?"
"If you mine it, you’ll know. Just extract it carefully to get a fragment."
"Got it. I'll give it a try."
If it’s just about extracting fragments, my spear should do the trick.
Thinking that, I gave it a light tap, and a few fragments came loose.
Does this look about right?
"You did well. If the fragments are too small, they lose their effectiveness as Skill Crystals."
"You should’ve mentioned that first, Melanie."
"More importantly, hurry and figure out what Skill Crystal it is."
Though Melanie was urging me, she really should’ve told me about the fragment size earlier.
When I examined the Skill Crystals, I found out that this vein was a source of the "Adamantine Body" Skill Crystals.
Hearing this, Melanie froze.
It wasn’t just Melanie; everyone from the Wildcat Claws was frozen too.
Is it that rare of a skill?
"Rare doesn’t even begin to describe it! This is something the royal guard divisions of a nation would desperately want! Keeping this vein a secret is not an option!"
I see.
For me, it’s a miss since I was aiming for "Magic Sewing."
When I mined other parts of the vein, I found Skill Crystals for things like "Magic Blade" and "Magic Barrier"—all extremely rare skills.
Even checking the lake, there were Skill Crystals there too, forming another vein.
However, I couldn’t find the "Magic Sewing" I was looking for.
Hmm, a miss for me, I guess.
As I kept exploring, I came across a vein of Skill Crystals that had broken off into a chunk small enough to carry.
Whether it had detached from somewhere or was a unique piece, I decided to try extracting a fragment from it.
"… Found it! The Skill Crystal for Magic Sewing!"
It was a small chunk, but I discovered a Skill Crystal for the Magic Sewing!
I also found another chunk of similar size for Magic Weaving.
Glad it wasn’t a total miss.
Now, I’ll take samples of the Skill Crystals back and report to Marquis Vardmoi.
Finally, I can go home and have Amira learn the skill!
----------
A Long-Awaited Return Home
"Hmm. A vein with this many types of Skill Crystals..."
As soon as I returned home, I was granted an urgent audience with Marquis Vardmoi.
Considering the sheer number of Skill Crystals, it certainly qualifies as an emergency.
The marquis’s expression remained stern.
"So, Melanie, this vein—it isn’t located somewhere just anyone can access, is it?"
"No. Without someone holding this map, they can't even acquire the first key. So, I believe there's no risk of it being plundered."
"I see. The issue is whether we can send additional people."
"Indeed. With this map, it should be manageable."
"This map… who owns it?"
"... Lily does."
There had already been some debate over the ownership of this map.
For my part, since I had already obtained the Skill Crystals I wanted, I thought I’d hand it over to the Adventurers’ Guild, but they outright refused, saying they couldn’t take responsibility for something so dangerous.
Well, it is a dangerous find, but that’s all the more reason I’d prefer the guild to handle it.
"Lily, regarding the value of the Skill Crystals you brought as samples... how much would you like?"
Huh?
Don’t items like these usually have a standard market value?
When I asked Marquis Vardmoi, he explained the situation in a somewhat troubled tone.
"If these were Skill Crystals for something like fire magic or healing magic—things already widely circulated—it wouldn’t be an issue. But the ones you’ve discovered are of exceedingly high rarity. Honestly, the only way to proceed is to purchase them at whatever price you name."
Whoa, so they’re that rare.
In that case, what should I do?
"Um, could I ask for increased security for Amira?"
"For Amira? That’s a simple request, but are you sure that’s all you want?"
"Yes, that will suffice. Oh, and also, there are small veins of Magic Sewing and Magic Weaving Skill Crystals. Could I request mining rights for those?"
"Magic Sewing isn’t an issue... or so I’d like to say, but I’d prefer not to see an uncontrolled increase in magic tailors. Let’s make it a regulated system."
"Understood. What about Magic Weaving?"
"I’ll need to think about that. There’s talk of establishing a major textile production area in the country, and this skill might play a significant role."
I see.
In that case, perhaps I can arrange for the orphanage children to have opportunities there.
I’m starting to develop a knack for crafty thinking, aren’t I?
"One more thing: regarding who will mine the Skill Crystals... could I leave that to you, Lily?"
"To us!?"
I couldn’t help but raise my voice at the marquis’s serious suggestion.
He explained his reasoning:
First, he wanted to keep the existence of the vein a secret. Even if someone learned about it, they couldn’t reach it without the map.
Second, the demand for Skill Crystals wouldn’t be frequent, and they’d only order quantities they could prepare for in advance.
Finally, since we already had the map’s key, we could reach the vein just by entering the dungeon and ringing a handbell.
You see, ringing the bell on the first floor brought you to the vein, and ringing it again when leaving returned you to the first floor.
No need to delve to the fourth floor.
Given the set requirements, relying on us would be quicker.
It was hard to argue with that logic.
We agreed that we’d receive compensation for each job, and with that settled, I hurried to return home to Amira!
The marquis arranged for me to be dropped off at my house via a magic carriage.
Finally, I’d get to see Amira again!
"I’m back, Amira!"
"Welcome home, Big sister Lily!"
Ah, the life where Amira greets me with a beaming smile.
This, this is the life I’ve always dreamed of!
"Oh, right. Big sister, look! I made this!"
Amira showed me an apron she had crafted.
It was beautifully made, with perfect form.
Could it be...?
"Amira, did you learn Magic Sewing?"
"Yeah! While you were away, I practiced a lot and finally got it!"
… Of course. Amira is such a hardworking girl.
I was away for quite some time, so it couldn’t be helped.
The Skill Crystals may have gone unused, but I’ll let that slide!
----------
The Hot Season Has Arrived!
After returning from collecting Skill Crystals—and making another trip at the request of Marquis Vardmoi—the seasons had shifted, and summer was starting to set in.
Although I had restocked my shop when I returned last time, a significant portion of the inventory had already been sold.
It’s always a delight when sales are strong.
Well, except for the fact that those Skill Crystals required such an enormous effort to obtain.
"... Yes, I confirm receipt of this week’s batch of Spider Silk and Mana Spider Silk."
Today is the weekly silk delivery day.
Although the schedule has been irregular lately due to various other engagements, the basic arrangement is a weekly delivery of silk products to the Trade Guild through Alizée.
This week’s shipment was slightly larger than usual.
"That concludes this week’s tasks. Lady Lily, do you have any travel plans this week?"
"Not particularly. Unless Marquis Vardmoi calls for me, which I doubt will happen for a while."
"Ah, Marquis Vardmoi. Is this about the Skill Crystal vein?"
Ugh, how did Alizée figure that out?
I haven’t told her anything.
While I was caught off guard, Alizée mentioned that she and Priscilla, the Guildmaster of the Trade Guild, had heard about it directly from the marquis.
Apparently, it was to ensure the guild could back me up in case anything happened.
However, they didn’t seem to know the specific details about the types of Skill Crystals being mined.
Well, considering how sensitive the matter is, even the marquis himself had personally counted the crystals to avoid any leaks.
The Trade Guild didn’t seem eager to pry into risky matters, so they avoided delving further.
Instead, the conversation shifted to the designs for the clothes I planned to sell in my shop.
"Let’s see... I suppose short-sleeved shirts would be a good choice. Summer does get stifling, after all."
"That’s true. It can be uncomfortable. However, professions with uniforms, like those in the guild, don’t have the option to simply switch shirts."
Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.
Having never attended a school with uniforms, it hadn’t occurred to me.
In my previous life, schools typically had separate uniforms for summer and winter, but that kind of system doesn’t seem to exist here.
Hmm? Could this be a business opportunity?
"So, if we were to create summer-specific uniforms, they’d sell well, wouldn’t they?"
"That’s correct. However, when it comes to guild uniforms, such decisions aren’t solely up to the Guildmaster. They’d need to be approved by the Guild Staff Union."
The "Guild Staff Union" Alizée mentioned appears to be an organization that negotiates for guild employees’ welfare, similar to labor unions in my previous world.
I didn’t know such a thing existed here.
Apparently, only after gaining the union’s approval could negotiations with the guild proceed.
That sounds like a challenging yet rewarding project.
I’ll head home right away and discuss this with everyone!
