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「Hm… So I can’t use the shower…」
Mira muttered while twisting the lever disappointed. The Spirit King spoke to her again, explaining how to make it work. The answer was to use the Spirit King’s Divine Protection.
『My Divine Protection is a bridging power. It allows momentary connection of spiritual power between my kin. If you want to use that shower, you just need to tie a water spirit and the mansion’s spirit with my Divine Protection. If you add a fire spirit to the mix, you should also be able to heat up the water. That should serve as a perfect bonding experience for my kin, so please feel free to use it whenever you see fit.』
The Spirit King’s Divine Protection’s true power, Spirit Linking. Mira had gotten accustomed enough to the Divine Protection, so she could use that ability now. And according to the explanation, it seemed like Mira just had to summon the spirits, and then the Spirit King would take care of the rest.
The only downside was that setting everything up would cost mana. She could not just produce as much water as she wanted. Though she was doing that through the power of spirits and not Concept Magic, so it was still more efficient.
『That sounds splendid!』
Mira was delighted once she finished hearing the explanation. Mira had plenty of mana reserves and had trained how to control it efficiently, so it would hardly affect her. Rather, being able to supply everything with just mana was a preferable outcome for her.
Without waiting a moment longer, she cast the summoning spells, linking together fire and water spirits onto the mansion’s spirit.
『I’m surprised you succeeded on your first attempt. Forsythia also used this power once, but she struggled greatly at first.』
Mira followed the Spirit King’s instructions, successfully linking the spirits without a hitch. The Spirit King had been observing everything, mentioning it went better than he expected in the end.
Forsythia was a hero from the past who had also inherited the Spirit King’s Divine Protection. She had struggled mastering that ability at first, but Mira had mastered it without struggling.
Either Mira was already familiar with spirits as a summoner, or she simply had a better affinity for the Divine Protection.
Spirit Linking was an ability that could only be used once a strong bond was established, but Mira succeeded in her first try. That showed just how much spirits loved her. The Spirit King watched with a warm smile as Mira twisted the lever once again, this time looking pleased with the result.
After all that work, the shower finally produced warm water. Mira leaned into the warm stream that spurted out as she twisted the lever and enjoyed a nice shower. Soap and shampoo came from the amenities offered by the inns she visited, which she had pocketed and would last her for at least half a month even if she used them daily.
「Having warm water really changes things, even if it’s just for a shower.」
Once she was satisfied, Mira left the shower room and took out a large basket. She grabbed a towel and underwear from it and dried herself.
「I’ll be counting on you from now on.」
She placed her hand on a nearby wall and spoke gently, addressing the mansion’s spirit. The room seemed to pulsate ever so slightly in response, creating a slightly more comfortable ambiance. Mira thanked the spirit, and opened the door to the toilet.
(Still, linked spirits… I can think of other useful combinations too.)
The toilet had a strangely calming aura as Mira entered it, and as she took care of her business she smiled as she thought of other things to try.
Once Mira was fully refreshed, having taken a shower and gone to the toilet, she returned to the living room and began preparing dinner, still only in her underwear. She also wanted to try using the kitchen.
「What should I make for dinner, hmm…」
Mira took out some of the ingredients she had, looking at them and wondering what to make.
She had vegetables, meat, and fish. After looking between them for a while, eventually she decided on something and began cooking.
The Linked Spirits’ effect was also in effect there, warm water coming out of the kitchen faucet, and it could be adjusted to even come out boiling.
Having running tap water was common for any household, but a life-saving convenience when out in the wild.
Mira realized just how privileged she was at that moment, being deep inside a dungeon but being able to live like she was home. Not even the best items of the Dinowal Store could recreate such a comfortable environment.
As far as a shelter to rest went, she had a roof and solid walls, creating an isolated space only for her. It was like she could be at home anywhere.
The only place that checked all those boxes was a house, something too cumbersome for adventurers to carry around. Even the wealthiest adventurers could only get fancy tents that tried to replicate that. But those never truly encapsulated the feeling of a house.
Mira’s latest summon had finally accomplished that. It was not really a big house, but the spirit mansion still gave the same sense of safety.
(It almost doesn’t feel like I’m in a dungeon anymore.)
It almost felt like she was in her room back in the tower. Once she was done cutting up the ingredients, she took a quick look around the room again, smiling at the homey feeling it gave.
Then she grinned even more, recalling how she gave up on the large tent from the Dinowal Store the moment she saw the price.
That tent could hardly compare to her new mansion. No adventurer who bought that would ever come close to having the same experience as Mira now.
(Camping will be a far more enjoyable experience this way. And being able to shelter myself even in rough weather isn’t bad at all!)
Mira was quickly filled with a sense of superiority as she put a pot to the fire and filled it with ingredients. She was making a fish stew for dinner. The fish she had bought was already fileted, so even someone with little cooking experience like Mira could easily cut it to size.
Now she just had to let it simmer and test the seasoning, and in half an hour the stew was ready.
「This is good, even better than a restaurant!」
Once cooking wrapped up, Mira was impressed by the results. She was oblivious to the fact that both the circumstances and an empty stomach were some of the best spices for an average meal.
To put it kindly, she had picked ingredients that compliment each other. Or more bluntly, she just had a mash of random ingredients.
But that did not matter as long as it tasted good to her. She happily stuffed her cheeks with it until there was none left, and threw herself on the floor to sleep.
The floor was slightly cold but comfortable, and she remained there, wearing only underwear, looking out to the Ancient Underground City. Some time later she raised her upper body.
「Hmm, they’re coming from everywhere.」
The scenery of the ruined city spread out far and wide, skeletons loitering the streets. The monsters were slowly gathering around the house, either because it stood out, or because they could sense Mira inside.
But that was not enough to bother Mira. She stepped out to see how things were, then summoned a Holy Knight to guard the door, and two Dark Knights to crush any skeletons that approached.
The Holy Knight remained next to the mansion, while the Dark Knights made quick rounds, defeating any skeletons they found.
「I’ll have to summon my First Lieutenant tomorrow morning.」
The skeletons were turned to dust the moment they got close, leaving behind Magic Stones. Mira could only wonder just how many Magic Stones she would be able to pick up the next morning.
「I guess now that this is reality AFK farming is also possible.」
Mira chuckled seeing five Magic Stones on the ground already. Those could be sold in bulk, and then she would be able to buy more tools, or food.
(I also have to gather more body strengthening equipment.)
Creos had asked her if she could find more strengthening accessories, which new summoners needed to get started. She was powerful enough to no longer need them, so doing that had been an afterthought so far.
Then again, she always preferred to be as strong as she could, so now that she had some downtime, she began to consider making some with alchemy again.
Even if an item had a weak effect, it could be combined with others through alchemy, slowly piling up the effects into a stronger one.
「I’m really looking forward to that now.」
Excited about her new goal, Mira returned to the living room and began getting ready for bed, while dreaming about how much the Magic Stones could sell for.
