nThe Egg’s Identity

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nCome to think of it, Rokuko spent 10,000 DP on an egg a while ago.

nWe don’t know what it is, but Haku-san probably does.

nBecause of that, we consulted her about the egg that had grown about as big as a softball.

n… I have no idea why an egg is growing though. Mysterious.

n“This is it Haku Ane-sama, do you know what it is?”

n“Oh my, this is… it’s the first time I’ve seen one in a while, a phoenix egg… their meat is quite delicious you know?”

nAccording to Haku-san’s appraisal, it seemed it was a phoenix egg. And it seems that a phoenix’s meat is delicious… I wonder if phoenixes are all-you-can-eat meals?

n“An existence who is like a mass of magical power… even its blood is medicinal. There’s a lot of various uses for it, it’s not that useful as a monster though.”

n“It isn’t strong?”

n“Even though it can revive itself if it dies, it’s basically just a bird that’s on fire you know? It’s considered a B-Rank monster when assigned for subjugations because it’s an unusual existence, but for simple combat even a solo C-Rank adventurer can hunt it.”

nHmm, so it doesn’t look like I can make it into a dungeon boss.

nMaybe it’d be fine if I just make it appear as a rare monster in the dungeon?

n“Incidentally, it needs to be as hot as possible for it to hatch… just putting it inside fire isn’t enough. It won’t die even if it’s frozen though. Even though it’s an egg, it’s still a phoenix.”

n… Furthermore, it looks like it’ll revive even if the egg is broken. How it does that is a mystery.

nIt looks like a phoenix can only die of old age. Though since it seems that it’ll turn back into an egg when it’s old, calling it a death is questionable.

n“A phoenix huuuh, thanks for telling us, Haku Ane-sama… I want to thank you somehow, what should I do?”

n“Fufu, Rokuko-chan’s feelings are plenty enough… Ah, but umm, the massage chair in that room… I want it, but… umm, is that no good? If needed I can pay with DP?”

nOoh, a business chance. Gotta increase its worth as much as I can.

n“Aah~ so that~? It’s just ticklish for me, not that pleasant… Kehma, can’t we just give it to her for free?”

n“There’s no way! … Is what I want to say, but we’re constantly receiving help from Haku-san, so I guess it’s fine?”

n“Oh my, really? I’m glad.”

nHaku-san’s face was smiling, but there was something she wasn’t saying: “I wonder what your angle is?”

nI returned the best smile I could muster. My face hurts.

n“No really, it’s just our goodwill. If anything, please continue to favor our Dancing Doll’s Pavilion from now on alright?”

n“There’s no need to even ask. And?”

n“Yes, and since it might trouble us after this… I’d like it if you could tell us about that dungeon on the other side of the mountain.”

n“Oh my, it’s simple if that’s all.”

nHaku-san laughed lightly and gave us information about the dungeon on the other side of the mountain.

nIts name is Flame Cavern. It’s location was exactly on the opposite side of Tsuia Mountain.

nAdventurers had to be at least C-Rank to enter it. For information disclosure, they also needed to be at least C-Rank.

nMonsters that appear in it are fundamentally of the fire type. Occasionally there would be a ground type.

nFire type monsters are… things like a magma slime or red lizard.

nWell, that much could be gotten from the guild if you were at least a C-Rank adventurer.

nAfter that, Haku-san gave information that you couldn’t get from the guild.

nIts dungeon core was a salamander type. No. 112.

n… Salamander type huh. So it doesn’t have to be humanoid.

n“There aren’t many human types. That’s why I dote so much on Rokuko-chan.”

nEh. So this person was self aware that she doted on her?

nAlso, it appears that the Flame Cavern had a dungeon master.

nMoreover, it was a dragon. It was originally a red dragon that built its nest on Tsuia Mountain and was now the dungeon’s master.

n“Dragons like to hoard shiny things. It’s sure to have a lot of treasure you know?”

n“No, more importantly, a dragon…? So dragons can also be masters huh.”

n“So long as the person has intelligence, they are suitable for becoming a master… Or maybe the condition was something like having a name? It’s not talked about often, the conditions for becoming a master still aren’t well known.”

nCome to think of it I still don’t really know how I became Rokuko’s master huh…

nFrom what she told me, once a dungeon core is attached to a master they can’t attach themselves to a new master on their own.

n“… Ah, right. If you have a dungeon battle with that dungeon, don’t use that rat strategy to win.”

n“Eh? Why not?”

n“That dungeon’s floors are fundamentally hot. It’s not a problem if you’re wearing boots, but it’s probably too severe for rats. At best their feet would be burnt after the first floor.”

nI heard something good. I probably would’ve mass produced some roasted rats if I didn’t know about this beforehand.

n… Actually, I shouldn’t assume that we’ll have a dungeon battle. From now on I could just think about ways to not be at a disadvantage… well, it’d cut down on my sleeping hours right? I went to great lengths to be able to sleep for twelve hours a day recently.

nI obtained some rough information from Haku-san.

nAt any rate, I was able to buy some very useful information. I’m very happy about using that handmade massage chair to obtain this information.

nAlthough adventurers could get information about it, we’re E-Ranks right now and wouldn’t know until we became C-Ranks. Besides, getting information on a dungeon master is definitely welcome.

n“Then again, I did say it’s on the other side of the mountain, so you probably won’t meet them for a while.”

n… Haku-san, I can’t take that as anything but a flag!

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n*

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nIn the end, Haku-san firmly hugged Rokuko, reluctant to leave her.

nWe were able to obtain a lot of various things. Both funds and information.

nI’ve thought this before, but Haku-san is like a bonus character huh… I’ve come to view her as a god of fortune. Should I pray to her?

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