Once we were done with the creation of the first floor, Solitary Island, in the dungeon, we left the place untouched for a while to stabilize the creatures brought in from the outside and the World Tree planted at the center of the island.
However, there was no problem with gathering salt and tropical fruits, so people from nearby settlements formed a labor force and gathered in the open dungeon. They cooperated to make salt and harvest fruits.
However, since they weren't professional salt makers, the production volume was not very high. Therefore, instead of striving for self-sufficiency through salt production, we decided to have them do it on a small scale as insurance in case the external supply was cut off.
As for the creation of the second floor, I was planning to make it a training floor based on a forest, but I decided to leave it for another time. For now, I had the mana generated inside the dungeon stored in the Dungeon Core, and the excess mana was released to the outside.
As for us, we were currently—
"Majou-sama, we'll be able to see it soon!"
"Yeah, we are getting close. The fallen capital..."
I had taken Teto with me and left the for the first time in a while. Riding on my wand, we headed west, flying over the former territory of the Christa Kingdom where the stampede occurred.
"It's been two years already... The monsters have surprisingly advanced quite a bit..."
A great number of monsters had left the dungeon during the stampede before the final horde of skeletons. The same monsters had now spread all over the nation while wreaking havoc, and in just two years, they each settled in places they found comfortable to live in.
"There are also plants rapidly growing!"
Now, the cobblestone roads that used to connect the towns of the kingdom were overgrown with weeds that had crept in through the cracks. The well-maintained streets had become rough and were barely recognizable.
"A civilization nurtured by magic truly proves to be a fleeting existence, doesn't it?"
Feeling the remnants of the decaying kingdom, we finally arrived at the fallen capital of the former Christa Kingdom.
The tall outer walls were crumbling in places, and there were countless buildings with collapsed roofs and walls throughout the town. The once-impressive white castle, which must have been a sight to behold when the kingdom was still thriving, was just another big but dull building now.
"Majou-sama, there seem to be many monsters in this town-nanodesu! Are we going to defeat them?"
"Well, we didn't come here to exterminate monsters, so let's leave them be."
Bird-like monsters that had settled in the town were pecking at the fruit trees that had taken root in people's homes, while cat-like monsters, that seemed to have invaded through the broken walls of the houses and had turned indoor spaces into their sleeping dens, were teaching children how to hunt mice. Unlike in the past, a clear stream of water was flowing in the sewer that had once handled the capital's drainage, with slime creatures consuming the moss and grass that grew there.
Wolf-like monsters ran along the main streets, pouncing on fleeing wild rabbits. However, unlike the outskirts of the royal capital, which could be best described as 'peaceful', the threat level of the monsters spiked the closer we got to its center.
In the cleared plaza before the royal palace, an A-rank monster, the King Chimera with the body of a lion bigger than any cow, wings, and a serpent tail flickering in the air, was peacefully sleeping there.
Places like the royal capital possessed all the qualities to become a mana power spot, so when such places lose the support of humans, they more or less become nests of high-ranking monsters.
Now, the ecosystem and hierarchy of the monsters that were being built up gradually centered around high-ranking species like the King Chimera.
"Royalties and Nobilities who have sought asylum in other nations seem anxious to reclaim the land, but looking at this place, that's going to be a futile endeavor most likely......"
There seemed to be some people who managed to flee from the stampede with their family assets and were planning to recapture the town by hiring the adventurers but given the tattered state of the royal capital and the monsters residing in it, they wouldn't be getting any conclusion in a few years for sure.
On the flip side, however, some courageous Adventurers had been traversing this monster-dominated former Christa Kingdom territory to seek the riches that were left behind in the destroyed royal capital— since not everyone could escape with their family assets.
But, whether it was to trespass into the castle's treasure vault, or reclaim the town, these A-rank monsters would definitely be a wall they would have to deal with to achieve anything.
"Majou-sama... What do you think about the castle's treasure?"
"Hmm? I can defeat it, but it's not why we came here."
I could do it if I tried.
Apart from the royal castle, there should be a reasonable amount of wealth left in the noble residences, the commercial establishments, and the other households. Many adventurers came here seeking such treasures, braving the dangers.
We could indeed secure the valuables before their arrival, but that would spoil their fun. Besides, we weren't here for the free-for-all treasure, but to retrieve the culturally valuable items.
"Let's see...... This seems to be the library we're looking for."
"Oooh! It's so big!"
As soon as we landed in front of the library, located a slight distance from the King Chimera's territory, the monsters residing inside lunged at us.
After clearing them out, we systematically collect the corpses of the monsters and put them in the magic bag. Then, we entered the library, which had been left open.
"Sure enough, insect and beast repellents are bound to lose effect in just a few years, huh?"
The books near the wide-open library door were made of parchment.
"
."
I used telekinesis magic to lift nearby books. However, they were severely damaged due to the damage done by insects and exposure to sunlight.
Books open to the public might not be rare, and I think I should be able to find them in other countries as well, but I still couldn't help but lament about how much of a waste it was. I sighed and advanced deeper into the library.
"Ah, Majou-sama. The books here are so pretty."
"Fortunately, they seemed to have put up state preservation magic on the rare and valuable books."
The books that couldn't be put on display for the public like the priceless spellbooks, research notes, historical records, technical manuals, references, forbidden books, or historically valuable original copies were placed deep in the library in rooms protected by magic.
In a world where disasters caused by monsters were common, rare books were either copied and then stored in several locations or preserved and protected by magic.
The particularly valuable ones were the books and documents of the Ancient Magic Civilization that the modern people couldn't read and were still waiting to be deciphered.
However, for me, who had received the translation ability from Liliel at the moment of my reincarnation, they were just like ownerless gold waiting for me to pick up.
"I guess this is all the books in the library, let's move on to the next place."
"Yes-nanodesu!"
We split up and began to collect various books from the buildings in the old capital. There were many types of books people held dear like,
- Children's picture books. - Rare ancient books, historical texts, and academic literature for enthusiasts. - Collections of theatrical scripts, art books, and pamphlets with satirical drawings. - Popular novels. - Spellbooks and research records passed down within magic clans. - Forbidden books discreetly protected from public view.
The books we retrieved from other buildings, not just the library, were in good condition and had state-preservation magic. Seeing them, I could resonate with the feelings of the owners of these books. Even if others deemed them as worthless piles of paper, these books were priceless treasures they couldn't find anywhere for us.
As we continued to retrieve them, we encountered a minor issue along the way,
"Umm, Majou-sama, there are picture books and novels at the top of these bookshelves."
"Picture books up there?"
Children's books were usually placed where kids could easily retrieve them. Were they placed up there because they were a nuisance to others? This thought crossed my mind as I turned around. But I was stunned the instant my gaze landed on the book Teto was holding.
"Oh, these are picture books of naked women~"
"T-Teto! W-What are you looking at!?"
"Huh? These books are so strange-nanodesu!"
"Teto, you mustn't look at them!"
The book Teto found fell under the category of explicit or erotic literature, and since Tetto didn't fully understand what it was, I took it from her. I glanced a bit at their content and they were too explicit.
"Whoa, this is rather risqué... And there are even photo books made with magical cameras and transcribed images... Wow... Images of high-class courtesans..."
As I skimmed through the book I took from Teto, I realized it had been quite a while — over half a century since my previous life — since I had last seen erotic books, and despite being surprised, I couldn't tear my gaze away from them.
"Majou-sama, your face is bright red! Are you alright?"
"Cough! Well, you could say that these books are part of culture too. There's no high or low in culture, so let's collect them."
I cleared my throat, trying to hide my slightly flushed face from Teto who looked worried, and stored the erotic literature, including the explicit drawings and sensual novels, in the magic bag. We continued our book retrieval mission in the ruins of the old Crista Kingdom's capital.
Then, just as we had finished rounding up all the buildings in the ruined royal capital, I found an interesting book.
"This... Is it a travelogue?"
I found several books that either looked like an individual's travelogue where they record their personal journey and adventures or travel guides produced by visiting countries.
I guess the owner of this residence must have liked traveling so they read the various travel books they collected from all over the world.
"—The great temple of the Five Goddesses Church, the breathtaking view of the silvery white mountain range spanning the north extremity of the Mubad Empire, the abandoned ruins, the dungeon city, the delicious local cuisines of each place, and the picturesque scenes of capital cities from countries with rich histories......"
"They all sound like places Teto would like to visit at least once!"
As I casually flipped through the books, Tetto peered over to take a look.
"I want to go there someday."
"But Majou-sama is free! Majou-sama can go anywhere anytime, even now."
"Don't say something that would give Baretta and others anxiety, so for today, we're going back."
Teto's words were like the devil's whispers, however, I was the acting ruler of the so I couldn't just leave for a long journey so readily.
I stored all these travelogues as well in the magic bag and left the ruined royal capital of the former Christa Kingdom.
On another day, while confirming the devastated appearance of the dungeon city, which was the focal point of the stampede, from the sky, I journeyed further north to the place where the ruined Durg Duchy was, and there—
"Whoa...... They sure earned the resentment of many people. Miasma is creeping at every nook and cranny, and from the look, it has become an undead town."
"Teto is getting creepy vibes-nanodesu!"
The miasma shrouding the remains of the capital of the Durg Duchy, where the sacrifice took place, was so thick that not even sunlight could reach the surface.
The negative emotions of the sacrificed people, coupled with the bitterness of those who lost their homes and lives due to the stampede, had converged here and effectively turned the place into a town of the undead.
The remnant black skeletons born out of the stampede were roaming around within the oppressive miasma, maintaining the town and killing any living being inside.
Furthermore, the land itself had now been cursed by the undulating miasma, even the weeds, known for their tenacity, had decayed. Instead, there were glimpses of some strange plants growing here and there.
"Well, I don't think it'll be a good idea to intrude here and retrieve the books. Let's give up on this one."
"Let's go home and have snacks!"
It would take either a purification ritual by priests or the natural purification process — which might take another decade, perhaps even a century — for the miasma clouds shrouding this area to dissipate. I would visit the place at that time to search for the books. With such thought, I invoked my teleportation magic and returned to .
Afterwards, we continued our quest for books and explored the lands of several fallen countries a few more times and spotted enhanced monsters, what seemed to be a space-time floatsam, and even newly formed dungeons. We just recorded their locations and left them unexplored.
I was expecting them to be visited by curious adventurers seeking thrilling journeys and riches one day. However, if these places remained unexplored, I had a backup plan to explore them alongside Tetto. But until that time came, these records would simply linger in the depths of my thoughts.
