454 - - Four hundred and fifty-two times, huh?a word

Tulu had discovered the ruins, so Gina and the others were escorted by Dine, and we came to check out the ruins. The ruins were almost completely buried in the ground, and it looked like it was going to be a big project, not like the excavation we had expected.

Tulu is removing the soil from around the building, and the soil that was inside the ruins is being taken out together with it.

Oh, there is an object on the surface of the soil coming out of the building. That must be something different from the soil inside the ruins that Tulu was talking about.

However, seeing the objects being carried out one after another like a conveyor belt, it seems to me that this is more of an inspection work than a treasure hunt.

Excavating ancient ruins is supposed to be the royal road of fantasy, but at once it seems like a part-time job, which is a little sad.

"Yuta. I found Belle! Is this a gift?"

While I'm indulging my sentimentality, Belle picks up something from the dirt and comes swooping toward me with a big smile on her face.

They don't care about conveyor belts or inspection work, so they seem to be having a great time, and I feel like my spirits are lifted just by looking at them. I know, there's no need to think about unnecessary things to lower my spirits.

I regain my composure and freeze when I see the treasure that Belle has brought.

"Yuta?"

"...... Well, wait a minute. Sylphy, is this treasure?"

I couldn't appraise the treasure in the first place. I think it's impossible for me to appraise a find when I can't even recognize an ordinary item on the market.

If it is a big jewelry, I can judge how expensive it is, but this is a ...... dish?　It looks like metal, though it is coated with some kind of soil and darkened. It doesn't look like rust, so it's not iron, right?　　

"Hmm, I think this is silver. I think it has some value as a metal, but I don't know if I'd call it a treasure."

Silver. I've heard that silver used to be used for tableware to prevent poisoning. Maybe it was used for tableware in the same way in this world.

In a world with mithril, orichalcone, and other fantasy metals, silver is also a metal with a certain value, so let's call it a treasure.

"Belle. It's silver. It's a treasure."

"Whoa, Ginny, treasure!"

Belle holds up the clay-covered silver plate with both hands and flaps her feet. He looks so happy. Well, I guess he's not so much happy about the silver, but about the sound of treasure. Let's just praise her a lot.

"I'll look for more!"

Satisfied with all the praise, Belle gently placed the silver plate next to me and flew to the next treasure. She seems to be addicted to treasure hunting.

"Coo!"

I heard Tamamo's muffled voice and turned around to see her holding something in her mouth that looked like a stick. Behind him were Rain and the others.

It's hard for me to check every one of their treasures, but I'm sure they'll be disappointed if I don't check and praise the first one.

Is this a ...... silver spoon?　If there is a silver plate, there should be a silver spoon. Maybe a complete set of silverware. Would the price go up if it were a set?

**

"You found quite a bit of treasure."

Even though the building has not yet been fully revealed, treasures have been discovered that could be worth a small mountain.

Some of the metals, which look like pebbles, have been eroded by rust, but there are also gold ornaments, jewelry, and silverware. We also found mithril and other fantasy metal weapons, armor, and magic tools.

I was especially surprised that the fantasy metals did not rust or deteriorate, but became shiny after wiping off the dirt. Also, magic stones were found in good condition. It seems that the magic stone is also a material that does not deteriorate over time.

"That's right. Considering it's a big building and the number of silverware found, it must have been the house or store of a very wealthy person, right?"

"I think Sylphy is right too. If so, does this mean that the ruins were destroyed before the rich people had time to escape?"

In my mind, rich people are well informed and sensitive to danger.

"Or maybe they escaped with only really valuable treasures. But since we found some bones, it's more likely that they perished before they had time to escape."

No, it could be the bones of servants or something. ...... Whether they escaped or not, it doesn't matter now. We may wonder why it was destroyed, but it is enough to know that there are still some treasures of some value.

However, it would have been better if human bones had not appeared. I had fought skeletons and zombies so much in the land of the dead that I thought I could handle human bones, but the ones that were not demonized were strangely lifelike and scary.

I don't want to see Belle and her friends bringing human bones to me again with such glee. Flare, you know you don't need to bring skulls, right?

...... how many human bones are left to begin with?

I guess it depends on the environment in which they were buried, but considering how many dinosaur bones have been found, how long can they remain for thousands of years?　If so, there are a lot of human bones ...... from this site, which makes me feel depressed, and I think it is right to throw them to Mr. Viktor.

If he also investigates the reason why the site was destroyed, it would kill two birds with one stone since my doubts would be cleared up.

The moving earth finally stopped and Tulu flew in front of me.

"Are you done?"

Tulu nodded in response to my question. The excavation of the building was completed. He did not look tired from the exertion, and there was a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

"Did you have a good time?

Tulu nodded his head again. It looks like he had a good time after all.

"I see. That's good. Thank you for your hard work.

I think about it as I thank and praise Tulu. If Tulu is having fun, should we continue excavating the ruins?

But it's still heartbreaking to see human bones, even if they were found a long time ago. They may be historically valuable materials, but I wouldn't want to see them again and again if I could.

......If Mr. Viktor can do it, we can ask him to participate in the excavation by chance using spirit techniques. Let's leave the disposal of the human bones to Mr. Viktor and the others.

Tulu. Do you know what the inside of the building looks like?　Is it safe to go inside?"

It is a three-story building made of stone and looks sturdy, but some parts of it have collapsed, so I am concerned about its safety.

"It's pretty rock solid, so ...... are you sure?"

When I asked Tulu to confirm the safety of the building, he tilted his head and gave me a subtle response. It was an ancient three-story building, so even Tulu, a spirit of the earth, might not have been confident.

With Sylphy, I would be perfectly safe if something happened to me, but there was still a chance that the ruins would be beyond repair.

Since I'm going to ask for an appraisal anyway, I might as well summon Nomos and have him check it out.

"What?"

A nomos with a slightly troublesome expression was summoned. Probably, he summoned Nomos while he was working on something related to alcoholic beverages. Well, I can't be bothered with Nomos, since he is working on alcohol-related tasks most of the time.

"I need you to check the safety of those ruins and appraise the treasure there, okay?"

"Ah, the ruins of the land of Morion. I found something I've missed."

...... Huh?　I thought I heard a word that might ruin the romance of history.

"Nomos. Do you know about these ruins?"

"Mm. The country was destroyed by floods and mudslides caused by the long rains. There used to be a big town here. There was a royal city at the foot of that mountain, but it was completely engulfed by the mountain. I remember it well because I was there to clean it up."

No wonder Sylphy knew about it, but it seems that Nomos not only knew about it, but was directly involved in it.

Well, I was going to ask Mr. Viktor to tell me if he found out anything, so the result should not be any different, but it is a delicate feeling to talk directly to the people concerned.

...... Well, it can't be helped. What was supposed to be a grand historical romance has turned into an old story of a neighborhood grandfather. There's no excitement at all.

"What's left to clean up?"

"I told you before that spirits move when the balance of nature is greatly disturbed. That's it. It's been raining here for a long time and there's no sun. It's gotten so bad that we've been sent.

I remember hearing something like that. I remember that we talked about why the spirits don't touch the land of the dead, and that's how it came about.

"...... I see. Well, then, if we search in the royal city, will we find the ruins?"

The treasures in King's Landing look more impressive.

"It's completely swallowed up, so you'll probably find some treasure if you look for it, but I doubt the ruins will be as beautiful as they are here."

Apparently, the royal city was in worse condition. If there are no buildings left, the treasures are scattered and hard to find.

If we are in need of money, there is no need for us to go on a hard treasure hunt in our current condition. Let's be satisfied with this town.

I see. Thank you. Can you appraise the building and the treasure for me?"

I'm sure I could find out more about the situation back then if I asked him for more details, but since I'm sure it's not a bright story, let's focus on the objective at hand.

"Ah, yes, of course. Which is ....... It's pretty solidly built. I've reinforced the weak points, so you're safe now. Next is the appraisal. ...... Yuta, the little guys there seem to be concerned about the ruins. I'll appraise them.

Tulu was right, it was a pretty sturdy building. Still, there were some weak points, so it was right to have Nomos check them out.

And then Nomos' tsundere burst out. He was blunt, but it was so obvious that he was looking out for Bell and his friends that it made me smile.

I'm tempted to keep on grinning at the bearded uncle with the tsundere, but I'm afraid he's going to snap at me, so I'd better go inside the ruins.