The Frontier Alchemist ~ I Can't Go Back to That Job After You Made My Budget Zero

The next morning, I check that the white lizard is still sleeping in its cage and leave my tent, leaving Rose to take care of the rest.

As I am about to call Hippopo out of the scroll again, I see two familiar figures.

For some reason, Ary and Roa were outside the tent again today.

I call out Hippopo first.

They remained still while Hippopo emerged from the scroll. The atmosphere seems to be interesting. It is hard to say because we cannot see their facial expressions.

"Good morning, both of you. Thanks for staying up late last night. Are you feeling all right?"

At first, I try to talk about something that doesn't seem so obvious.

"Thanks to you. Thanks for the potion. Roa told me that Master Rust gave it to you. One sip and the fatigue is completely gone. It's a great effect!

Roa is nodding silently behind him, it seems. The cloth covering his face swung back and forth.

The conversation was interrupted and I was wondering what to do when Ary spoke to me.

Kalin has asked me to stay with Master Rust today as well. She asked me to show you around the territory if necessary. Where would you like to go?

"Ah. Well, in the meantime, if you can find a place that keeps all the food in one place, please go there.

"Yes, sir. This way."

Ary. Hippopo and I follow, and Roa follows behind us.

We don't seem to be in the mood for conversation. We continued on in silence. Eventually, we came to a sloping slope. At the end of it was a semi-subterranean food storage facility.

I'll go get the person in charge," Ary said, and we went to a nearby tent.

I immediately begin my investigation.

"Let me know what you find, Hippopo."

I will also ask Hippopo, who is sensitive to harmful entities and techniques.

Hippopotamus starts to investigate by rubbing his nose against the ground with a "bump" sound.

I look at him and take out a pendulum dowsing for measuring magical elements and a scroll of "transcription" from my backpack.

"Transcription."

I activate the scroll, which follows me unsteadily, and let the pendulum - a chain with a gemstone cut into a square pyramid at the end - hang from my left hand.

This place must have been some kind of monster's den in shape, and they must have modified it and turned it into a food storage facility. Reasonable for a frontier where building materials are precious.

I go down the hill a little and get down on one knee, bringing the pendulum closer to the place where it will be below ground level. For some reason, Roa follows. He keeps touching the ground at a little distance from me.

Is he helping me ......?　Well, whatever. I'm going to concentrate. ...... The soil is thick with magma. Microorganisms can't survive in such a high concentration of magical elements, so it's been sterilized well.

I continue to measure the levels of magma at several locations with a pendulum, but they all show high concentrations of magma. However, there is nothing suspicious.

─ It is a standard practice to build food storage facilities in semi-subterranean areas, not only because of the cold and darkness, but also because of the high concentration of ammonia in remote areas, which kills microorganisms. Since the concentration of magical elements is high, it is unlikely that microorganisms specific to this area entered the body via the food. Hmmm... And then there's something else, something from the original den master's monsters: ......

"Roa, this place was originally a monster's nest. Do you know what kind of monsters they were?"

I ask Loa, who has been standing next to me for some time, holding both knees and swaying his body to the movement of the pendulum that moves from side to side.

"Bear," says Roa.

"Well, what kind of bear was it? What kind of bear?

Roa tilts his head. Just then, Ary returns with a mature man.

Master Rust, this is the head of food control," says Ary.

"So you are Master Rust!　Thanks for saving my brother!　He was paralyzed and really depressed," the man says, grabbing my hands tightly and thanking me.

"Anything I can do, let me know!　I'll do my best to help."

Apparently, the brother of the man in charge of food control is one of the people I treated yesterday.

"Thank you very much, sir, but may I inspect the food storage area at once?

"Is that what you want?　All right, this way!" The man led me into the pantry.