Chapter 339: Elixir Lapis and secret partnerships<hr>


    I epted a new quest and Cain-san gave me permission toe to Einstein-san''sb at Elixir Lapis.


    "Uwa~..."


    Einstein-san''sb is like a universityb you see on TV dramas. The ckboard is covered with unintelligible forms and on the desk there is a globe and a strange device that I have never seen before.


    And there is a strangely realistic-looking mannequin doll. Then the eyes moved. Scary!


    "Wee back. Master"


    It talked!? It''s so horrifying.


    "Huohuo. Nice reaction. Mireva, we have a guest. Tea, please"


    "I''ll be right with you, Master"


    The mannequin called Mireva walks away. What was that? That? Then Einstein-san exins.


    "That''s an automatic doll called an automaton. It is one of the powers of Elixir Lapis"


    "Power...?"


    "Umm. Elixir Lapis is and of research. Many of them do not have the power to fight. So we can create a being that will fight for us"


    Well, I''ve heard on the news that it is bing a trend in reality to have machines fight. I can''t me them, since I''m letting Ix fight too.


    "Now, will you summon Ex Machina?"


    "Yes. Come! Ix!"


    "You wanted to see me? Master"


    Einstein-san''s eyes widen as I summon Ix and he stands up.


    "Wonderful! What beauty of form! What an unknown crystal! I am more excited than ever!"


    Ah~he is a dangerous man after all. Then Mireva witnesses it.


    "...Is this an affair? Master"


    Mireva removes her arm and a gun appears. Woah!


    "Wa, Wait! You''ve got it all wrong! This girl is our guest automaton"


    "I''m not an automaton, I''m an ex machina"


    I guess that''s a non-negotiable point for Ix.


    "Hou. You can converse that well! That''s fantastic!"


    "I''ll shoot"


    "Why would you do that!? W, Wait"


    Then the door opens and someone enters.


    "Sensei! It is true that the Ex Machina is here"


    Mireva sees whoes in and shoots.


    "Wee. Edison"


    "...Am I the only one who thinks that words don''t match actions? Sensei"


    "I agree. Edison-kun"


    That''s a terrible bummer. I mean, someone famous again. Edison is famous as the king of inventors. Although some of his inventions are suspected of giarism, there is no doubt that he was a technological innovator.


    Then people started to arrive one after another.


    ""Sensei! Is it true that Ex Machina is here!""


    Two young men came...the Wright Brothers, apparently. They are famous for inventing the powered airne.


    "Let me take care of the research on the Ex Machina"


    This man with the distinctive beard is Nobel. He is the inventor of dynamite and famous for the Nobel Prize.


    "I don''t like the idea of you being the only one who has a monopoly on Ex Machina"


    The gentleman-looking man is Newton. Along with Einstein, he was a great physicist and mathematician, a leader of the scientific revolution of the 17th century and I''m sure there were stories about him learning alchemy. No wonder he''s in Elixir Lapis.


    As it turns out, Elixir Lapis is a country full of great schrs and inventors. Isn''t that crazy? With all these people here, you never know what kind of things they''ll create.


    But it''s not going to be easy, apparently.


    "You guys! Get out of the way! I brought it here! I will study it alone!"


    What!


    It is a big fight. Maybe this is what happens when great inventors and schrs get together.


    Then Mireva shoots everyone in the foot.


    "Who do you think cleans this room? Ladies and gentlemen"


    I, I''m sorry


    I think this Mireva is pretty much the same.


    Anyway, I''ll calm down and talk. First of all, Newton-san was the Grandmaster of the Alchemy Guild. And Edison was the king of this country.


    It''s a mess, isn''t it? Elixir Lapis. And they were all interested in Ex Machina in the same way, but for different purposes.


    The Wright brothers were wing units, of course. Edison and Nobel are weapons. Newton seems to be interested in the same ex machina as Einstein-san.


    So I showed them the weapons and the four of them left in a mad dash.


    "They are inventors, you know. And the fastest inventor wins. It''s no wonder they are in a hurry"


    "...You''re not going home?"


    "The Beastmaster''s Guild asked me to take care of you, in case you were interested"


    "Tsk...damn you, Cain boy"


    They don''t seem to be on bad terms. These two.


    "Well. I''m not going to get in your way. Don''t mind if I do"


    "Huh...first of all, is it true that the Ex Machina is from outer space?"


    "Yes. We, the Ex Machina,e from a different than this one"


    They nod to each other. They don''t seem to be on bad terms after all. Then they both look at me...why me?


    "I ask frankly. Takuto. You know the ship Ex Machina, do you not?"


    Geez...they know about this.


    "...Yes. I am the master of the Ex Machina ship"


    "So you can get inside the ship, right?"


    "Yes"


    ""How I envy you!""


    Huh? Something''s off...


    "C, Can you move that ship?"


    "N, No. I''m not at a high enough level yet"


    "I...Is that so..."


    "I thought I could go into space, but I guess not"


    Ah! I see. If the Ex Machina ship came from outer space to this, that means it can do the opposite!


    "You''ve told us your secret, we''ll tell you ours. The Alchemy Guild has one Ex Machina ship hidden away"


    Seriously!


    "As you may have already guessed, we have a number of Ex Machina''s as well. The automaton is a replica of the Ex Machina, which we have made"


    Yeah. I kind of knew that. But thenes the surprising statement.


    "It is said that the golem and the colossus were also made by alchemists and researchers in the past, imitating the Ex Machina.


    What...that. No, I''m not surprised why they could make it, but...


    "Why is it monstrous?"


    "There are a lot of theories...that they went savage because their masters died, or they forgot to put a control device on them"


    "I''ve been betrayed because I was too clever."


    That''s no good! The first time was one thing, but the second time was a disaster!


    "Well, it''s none of our business"


    "It must be"


    Yes, there is! Let''s clean up the mess! That''s how much power these two have! Then Einstein takes out something.


    <b>Amor Core: Exclusive item for Ex Machina</b>


    <b><i>Evolutionary material for Amor Ex Machina.</i></b>


    W, What the hell! Ah, so this is what he means when he said he thinks it would be a meaningful time for me.


    "You want this, don''t you?"


    "...What are the terms?"


    "We just want you to cooperate with us. Specifically, we want you to take us for a ride when you get your ship up and running. If you can''t get your ship up and running, then we''d like you to help usunch a ship that we have under our control"


    That''s...fine, but there''s a problem.


    "How big is your ship?"


    "It''s about the size of a small ind"


    It''s a battleship


    Right. Then it''s no problem. If it''s the mother ship, I can''t saye in.


    "I understand. I will cooperate"


    "...Umm. You still have some secrets"


    "Yes. If you''re keeping the Ex Machina ship a secret, maybe you can tell us why?"


    These two should be able to figure it out.


    "...That''s right. I''m aware that it''s a hazardous material"


    "But we are not interested in weapons use. We just want to go to space"


    The two of them have a real obsession with space. I''ve decided to coborate with Einstein and Newton.


    "Let this be a secret rtionship. You and us having a partnership would be too provocative for other nations"


    "Okay"


    "Before I give you what you promised, I want to know what you are prepared to do. With this, you will be able to evolve the Ex Machina, which means you will gain even more power. What will you do with that power?"


    My answer is already decided.


    "I''m not...we''re not standing still. If I need power to explore the world, I want it. I''m not going to abuse it. But if you get in our way, I won''t stand for it"


    "Huohuo! You''ll give me a quick answer! Does your world include the universe?"


    "Of course. If there is a of Ix, I''d like to go there"


    Hearing this, Einstein-san and Newton-sanugh.


    I" get it. Then I''ll give you this. Okay? Newton"


    "I have no objection"


    I got the amor core from Einstein. Now we can evolve Ix! As I''m getting motivated, Einstein takes out a ve cor.


    "And Newton...look at this"


    "Hmm? What is it? This inefficient cor"


    "If it''s efficient in this application, then it''s not an inefficient cor"


    "What? ...This! A ve cor!?"


    Newton-san is surprised. Then Einstein tells the truth.


    "As it turns out, this cor was made by an alchemist and a researcher. Of course, he is no ordinary guy"


    "The creation of such items that can only lead to misfortune is strictly forbidden by the Beastmaster Guild, the Alchemy Guild and the Production Guild"


    "Are you sure about the weapons?"


    "Normally, weapons should be restricted as well, but since they are power over monsters, no restrictions can be ced on them"


    Indeed. Well, of course.


    "I guess the reason why Cain-boya asked me to unlock the door was because he was thinking about the Alchemy Guild and Elixir Lapis"


    "Certainly...if the Alchemy Guild and Elixir Lapis are involved in this, we''ll be at war with Freetia...this is something we have to take care of in a hurry"


    "I''m sure that''s what whoever made this is after. Fortunately, it is Takuto who has been entrusted with this case. I am sure you will find the culprit soon. You seem to have a lot of ideas"


    What makes him think I''ll find it so quickly?


    I certainly have an idea. I think that the people in the caravan may know something about this quest and if they are doing all kinds of bad things, it will be easy to gather information.


    The problem is after we find the hideout. I don''t know if it''s possible toplete the quest by myself, based on the content of the quest. Well, I guess I''ll just have to wait until I find the hideout.