"We thought that you would only come a few days later. My apologies for leaving you behind," Meryl said when she saw Billy the next day.
"That didn't bother me," Billy said. "Anyway, are you going to keep helping your people get stronger? Is that really the only thing you think you should do now?"
"I suppose we should scout the enemy territory…" Meryl said and then looked at Icarus. "Can you do that?"
"I guess so… However, to avoid problems, I will need some things," Icarus said. "Those binoculars that let me see mana, that will help me avoid traps. While I am fast, I can still fall for traps if they activate instantly. That amulet that the leader of the Galatea followers gave you also would be nice… Just to be sure I fail to dodge any attack."
"If it is just a loan, I don't mind, but…" Billy said. "This was a gift from a friend, if you lose or destroy it…"
"I will take care of it," Icarus said.
Billy wasn't so sure of that, but it was a risk he had to take for the mission. As soon as he got the items, Icarus left and then the others headed to the dungeon. Meryl and Lucyna would help the demi-humans get stronger. At the same time, Billy quickly headed to the lower floors and then summoned more monsters on some spawning spots for them to hunt the tyrants.
"I need to make a supply route… One way that will make the monsters send the materials to outside the dungeon automatically," Billy thought.
The problem was the fact that Billy would have to make dozens of carts, and yet, the spiders would have to load them. They weren't suited for that kind of work… In the end, it seemed that Billy would have to be satisfied with the materials that he gets when he is in the dungeon. In any case, Billy used Limited Foresight to see the future sixty seconds ahead every ten or so seconds, so he saw the moment that Icarus suddenly appeared in front of him. He looked pretty exhausted, and he returned a lot sooner than expected, so Billy stopped working and waited for him to arrive.
"... I have my report to tell you all," Icarus said. "We should talk calmly outside."
Billy nodded and then followed Icarus. After a couple of minutes, he found Meryl and Lucyna already at the entrance of the dungeon, and they looked rather curious. It seemed that something out of the norm had happened, but it was hard to say since Icarus as of late, couldn't keep his cool about most things. Still, it didn't take long for everyone to confirm the severity of the situation and the weirdness as well.
"Somehow, I managed to avoid being blasted by the cannons dozens of times and I got close enough to find the enemy base…" Icarus said and then took a deep breath. "It was hell… Almost all the demi humans were fighting each other, even those who belonged to the same tribe were killing one another."
"Do you think that they were being controlled by some kind of spell that forced them to do that?" Meryl asked.
"No, some of them looked pretty calm," Icarus replied. "Besides, why would the enemy need that? He is powerful enough to fire those beams with a magic item and that can probably wipe out an entire army. I get shivers just by thinking of almost getting hit by those beams several times."
"What else did you see?" Billy asked.
"Well… their camp was pretty big and their civilization apparently had developed quite a bit, but all has gone to hell by now," Icarus replied. "I suppose Meryl was right when she said that he changed once he got a lot more powers than he had… I saw some signs of buildings that were similar to the ones in our world. Some buildings even had some solar panels… but they have been neglected for a while."
It seemed that the maker had planned to use other sources of energy aside from magic to make its base develop. That was fine and all, but now he didn't care anymore. It was a pity, given that he could make such complicated stuff from Earth using his own innate skills.
"Any sign of the maker?" Lucyna asked.
"I didn't see him, but I guess I saw his power in action… now and then, after the end of a battle, a beam of light would surround some of the surviving warriors and they would disappear soon after," Icarus replied. "My guess is, that the maker is selecting the strongest of those people to make his own elite army."
"Well, he probably got a point that where he is so powerful that controlling a large army would only become a pain in the ass and if he has so many people under his rule, then that it is a good method to thin out those numbers," Billy said.
"That isn't a good method, it is awful!" Lucyna said.
"I was talking considering a logical standing point, not a moral one," Billy said and then sighed. "So, it seems he is truly busy in his dungeon, but he is aware of the things that are happening outside and then he selects his new extra powerful soldiers… It is weird. His people aren't planning of leaving even though you managed to enter the territory and see that?"
"I don't think so…" Icarus said. "They probably know that they can escape, but escaping those beams are too much for them. Still, they didn't look that afraid of death and fighting, so… perhaps they think that it is a good thing to fight and be selected by the maker…"
That wouldn't surprise Billy. After all, Galatea is a fine example of someone that became a goddess for some people of this world. Perhaps the demi-humans under his rule reached the same thought…
