394-362 What is the value of the sea (1)

"The sea, sir?

Yes. The ocean.

Not like a subterranean lake or something?

No. It was very salty.

After returning from the dungeon after several days, we visited the adventurer's guild and reported to Diora.

On the other side of the cut, there was only a small amount of grassland, a wide sandy beach, and a vast ocean that filled our vision. 　

With so many rivers flowing through it, it was possible that there was a sea. ...... Our feeling was, "I didn't think it really existed.

Even those of us who have actually seen it can't believe it, so it's no wonder that Diora is skeptical.

Is it really so rare to find an ocean in a dungeon?

It's not found in any of the dungeons in this country, at least. No dungeon has ever been fully explored, so maybe there is one somewhere. ......

Is that so?

As far as I know, yes. Not all the information about the dungeon will be made public.

So you're saying you don't know much? It's possible that the place is also a salt lake. ......?　If it's in a dungeon, what's the difference between an ocean and a salt lake?

"Size, I guess. I've never heard of a salt lake in a dungeon, but if it's a pool of salt water and it's big enough that you can't see the end of it, then I'd classify it as an ocean.

"Then it is an ocean. I could see the horizon from the hill.

What we saw after passing through the cut was the entire ocean, with no islands in sight.

With the horizon, I wondered if the dungeon existed on a planet. I wondered if dungeons existed on planets, but it was probably a waste of time to think about it.

But when it comes to the ocean, you can't just leave it there, can you?

Is that so?

Yes. Iron is one thing, but salt is also an important commodity.

...... No, I think it would be difficult to manufacture salt in a dungeon.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but it would be hard to build a salt field, and I wonder how to secure workers to work there.

I don't think it's worth it to take a civilian and guard him with soldiers, or to use a skilled man who doesn't need guarding as a worker.

--I thought about it, but Diora shook her head.

Not really.　Well, it's a lot of hauling.

If you ask me, I heard that there are magical tools for salt production without building a salt field.

I heard that working in the salt fields was hard work, and with alchemy, it was only natural that such magical tools would be developed.

In addition, the source of energy for magic tools is magic stones, and there is no need to worry about their supply in the dungeon.

This country does not face the sea, so it is not common, but it is said that magic tools are commonly used in coastal countries.

However, if you are in a dungeon, you will need to have guards on duty to protect the magical tools, so it is not something that can be easily commercialized.

And whether you actually do it or not, it's important to be able to do it.

...... The salt they sell in this town is rock salt, right?　Is it produced in a few places?

I can say yes or no. There is a mountain range in the north, right?　The salt mines are in that area, but the demons in the area are strong and dangerous.

There may be places to mine if you look in the mountains, but so far they haven't found any places where it's safe to mine on a large scale.

The reserves are not very large, and the industry is not very lucrative.

The reason why they are still mining is because they can't completely depend on other countries for salt, which is a necessity.

This town is located near a mountain range and far away from other countries, so rock salt is distributed, but in places close to other countries, a lot of salt is imported from abroad.

So it's all about bargaining power.

That's what I mean. At least we don't have to pay more than the price of domestically produced salt.

We can't say to our importers, 'We're stopping the salt! When an importer says, "We're going to stop selling salt," or "We're going to raise the price! When the importers say, "We're going to stop producing salt," or "We're going to raise the price," whether or not you can say, "Well, we'll produce it ourselves," is a big question.

Come to think of it, there was a term for resource diplomacy.

When you think about it, simply saying, "It's cheap, so we can just buy it from abroad," or "We don't need to produce it ourselves," is quite a risk from a diplomatic point of view.

So, in a case like this, we need to check .......

And by confirmation, you mean ......?

I'm not sure if there really is an ocean, as Haruka and the others have reported. I trust them, but that's not the point. We need a third party to confirm the existence of the ocean before we can make an important report.

I'm sure you're right.

I understand, but ...... do we need a report in the first place?　That's our private property, isn't it, in a manner of speaking?

"Right?　Doesn't it matter to the Adventurer's Guild what happens on private property?

At Yuki and I's words, Diora-san lowered her eyebrows as if troubled.

I'm sure you're right, but the Adventurer's Guild is responsible for managing the dungeons, so if you can help us out, we'd appreciate it. ......

Normally, who owns the dungeon?

Needless to say, it is the lord who rules the land.

The only reason we can say that the Dungeon of Refuge is ours is because the lord gave us the right to own it.

The relationship between the adventurer's guild and the dungeon is that the owner entrusts the management of the dungeon to us.

A dungeon has value only when adventurers enter it and collect materials.

Of course, there is a way for the owner to manage the dungeon, but it is much easier to outsource the management to the adventurer's guild in terms of know-how.

Therefore, most dungeons are managed by adventurers' guilds.

In such cases, the status of the dungeon's exploration is reported to the owner of the dungeon, the lord, and especially important matters must be reported to the state as well. .......

This means that our dungeon has nothing to do with it, right?

Strictly speaking, yes, but ......

It's important information that should be reported to the government, but since there is no reporting requirement for dungeons that are not managed by the government, even if you know about them, you don't report them. That seems to be the case.

It is indeed difficult.

If you are pursued for something, will you be able to say, "I didn't report it because I wasn't obligated to"?

In a country governed by the rule of law, you might be able to get away with "I didn't violate any law," but here, .......

In a legal country, you might be able to say, 'It's not against the law,' but here, it's not. But in that case, if they bring in material related to the sea, ......

Diora said with a crisp expression, but slurred her words.

If you bring it up, I will have no choice but to report it, I suppose.

At that time, the report might not be 'there is an ocean in that dungeon' but 'there might be an ocean', but what is the point of going to that much trouble to hide it?

Especially considering Diora's position, I feel bad about putting her at risk.

Diora has been a great help to me, so I think it's okay to cooperate with her.

"Well, I'm willing to help, too, but--

"Thank you!

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the site, you can contact us at the web site.

I'm not sure what to say.　I'm not sure what to make of this.

Normally, we would ask a high-ranked adventurer to confirm this. That being said, Haruka and the others do meet the requirements, but they're the ones involved this time.

"Other high-ranked adventurers?

But as you know ......, there are no high ranking adventurers in this town.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few.