TNG Vol. 22 Chapter 2 Part 7

By the time the tour of all the facilities was over, the sun had already dipped low in the sky.

If there were ever a time when one could forget the passage of time, this was it.

“Ah, I really got carried away chatting. It’s always interesting hearing perspectives different from my own.”

“I learned a lot too. Especially regarding alloys, I’ve got some new ideas brewing.”

Shin and Druk Yulk, having hit it off completely, laughed together like old friends.

“Well, I suppose we’re done for today. It’s a shame, but I’m sure the other departments are eagerly waiting their turn, so it can’t be helped.”

Just as Shin was thinking about tomorrow’s visits, Druk suggested changing the plan to focus on the marine department.

“Tomorrow, the marine department will be leading an operation to extract ore from an underwater vein. If I talk to Shima, I’m sure you can observe. What do you say?”

“An underwater vein, huh? That’s a rare opportunity. I’d love to see it if possible. How about you two?”

“I’ll accompany you.”

“Kuu~”

With nods of approval from Schnee and Yuzuha, Shin gave a nod of agreement.

Unlike surface veins, underwater ones required high-level gear and skill just to reach. In the game era, they had been an invaluable resource for ore-based materials.

Though he hadn’t actively sought them out since arriving in this world, Shin felt a sense of nostalgia at their continued existence.

“Why don’t we all go, while we’re at it? No one’s visited the marine department yet, right?”

“Good idea. I’ll suggest it when everyone returns. But will it be alright to bring the whole group?”

“As long as it’s just for observation, there shouldn’t be an issue. Shima mentioned she was planning to propose it anyway. Once you decide, just inform the receptionist by the dining hall entrance.”

“Got it.”

After parting ways with Druk, Shin headed to the cafeteria along with Schnee and Yuzuha.

Once they’d ordered food, Shin brought up something that had been on his mind.

“So, uh… you two didn’t find today boring or anything, did you?”

Shin had felt like he’d spent the day at an amusement park, but for Schnee and Yuzuha, it might’ve been a bit alienating.

Schnee, while having picked up some forging skills back when the two of them had been transported to Erkunt, likely couldn’t follow the more technical discussions. And Yuzuha—well, that went without saying.

Caught up in the excitement of watching forging progress firsthand, Shin had ended up a bit overzealous.

Now, he felt slightly guilty for possibly boring the others.

“Not at all. I was surprised by how different the tools developed here were compared to those on the continent. And seeing you act like an excited child was fun in itself.”

“Mhm mhm.”

Yuzuha, nodding enthusiastically beside the smiling Schnee, was adorably chomping down on meat cut just for her, matching her child fox form in spirit as well as appearance.

“Ugh… yeah, I just can’t help but get excited in places like that.”

Embarrassed that he’d been so openly enthusiastic, Shin admitted it.

Even in the real world, he couldn’t resist documentaries on how technology developed.

Being able to experience it firsthand, and understand the tech in use, was incredibly fun.

Even the workers seemed to have heard about Shin, and they’d engaged in some casual exchanges of ideas.

Of course, Shin had to be careful not to reveal too much, lest he accidentally cause a paradigm shift.

Still, there were moments when he couldn’t help getting fired up.

“I imagine there were a few tools even you recognized as more advanced, huh, Schnee?”

“Yes. I hope the people developing kitchen tools keep at it.”

Being someone who cooked herself, Schnee had been particularly interested in the development of cooking tools.

At Moon Shrine, even the stove could be precisely temperature-controlled.

That was only the beginning. Some tools even included safety features to protect cooks, especially when dealing with dangerous ingredients.

If cooking tools improved here, the range of edible ingredients would expand. Things that were once discarded or overlooked might one day become gourmet delicacies.

“How about you, Yuzuha? Has anything caught your eye?”

“Hmm… the thing that cuts fur, and the one that makes warm wind. Shin has those too.”

“Ah, the clippers and the dryer, huh?”

Yuzuha had shown interest in things she’d experienced firsthand.

Even during the game era, monsters with fur would shed, molt, or grow longer hair—familiar to anyone who’d owned a pet.

Ignoring such care routines would lower a partner monster’s affection.

Though the Element Tail monster hadn’t shown fur growth in the game, Yuzuha now did.

She remembered Shin once trying to trim her overgrown fur with clippers.

After surpassing level 600, though, regular clippers became ineffective, so Shin now used Chimeradite scissors, carefully grooming her by hand.

As a result, he’d become surprisingly skilled with scissors.

As for the dryer, it was Shin’s custom-made device, used after baths to dry her fur without damage and leave it fluffy.

Add in a custom grooming comb—the Groomeister—and daily grooming was flawless.

“Both of those have real demand, but I was surprised they were even on the development list. I thought everything would be weapon-focused.”

“Same here. But I actually prefer it this way. People like Kluck and that Vulcan we met before seem to create weapons as works of craftsmanship, not just tools to hurt others. You’re the same, Shin. You take your work seriously, but you also enjoy the act of creation. If everyone abandoned that and focused only on making weapons to harm or defend, we wouldn’t have what we do today.”

The forging department did make weapons and arms, but its main focus was developing metalworking techniques.

So rather than traditional arms, the number of general metal goods produced was greater.

Unlike in the game era, alloys made from ordinary metals were now used extensively, and the research in that area seemed more advanced than before.

That focus on easier-to-process metals had overtaken the reliance on rare metals like Orichalcum.

In the game era, rare metals were synonymous with high performance.

The reason the Moon Shrine’s utensils were made of Orichalcum and Mithril was because Shin had used leftover materials from training experiments.

“So tomorrow’s the marine department, huh? I guess that means ships.”

“We are surrounded by sea. Shipbuilding must be a necessity. But now that I think about it… would underwater gear fall under forging or marine?”

“If it’s like what we wear, that’d be considered enchantments. If not, it’s just equipment, so maybe forging? But if it’s like diver suits, then maybe marine. Huh… which one is it?”

Nothing in the earlier explanations had clarified that.

In production-based departments, many areas overlapped with forging.

In fact, if tools were involved at all, forging likely had a hand in it.

Even the dryers mentioned earlier were more than half in the production department’s realm.

And forging definitely played a role in marine-related tech like shipbuilding.

“Well, something to look forward to tomorrow.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Shin felt no pressure to give perfect advice, so he could relax.

A short time later, the other group members returned from their own department visits.

When Shin suggested focusing on the marine department tomorrow, everyone readily agreed.

They passed the message to the receptionist and went to rest in preparation for the next day.