5 days before the release of the Invidia Overlord.

*Clang, clang, clang*...

"W-why am I always finding you fiddling with some contraption, Flint?" - Vierter

"I'm a blacksmith. And where did you two go yesterday!? ...rather, what happened to you two. You're looking worse than someone who's been trampled over a bunch of Bloodrush Bulls." - Flint

Unlike their energetic appearances from yesterday, now the two dragons looked like something the cat dragged in, to put it lightly. Lord Runitos outright collapsed after he sat down on the floor. ...Is he going to be alright?

"You are not far off... We used a Bull Medal and were tasked with some bullfighting...and the bull was the "great beast" from the first Trial." - Vierter

"Ouch..." - Flint

"100 clears...in a row...couldn't leave...without 100...clears..." - Runitos

Err...Lord Runitos is muttering something with eyes more dead than the undead under Garami's control...

It was then my current employee started to laugh in a boisterous voice.

"Ahahaha! Vier and Runi, you haven't changed at all!" - Employee

"Ugh. I was afraid it was you..." - Vierter

"Who's calling me "Runi"?! ...GEH!? Edger!" Runitos

"Bwa-hahaha! It is me, Edger!!" - Employee

Wow. Lord Runitos returned from the grave just like that. As expected of Lord Edger...I think.

The guy shouting like a common thug is Edger Drasligir, the Lord of the Life Dragons, despite his appearance. He is dressed like a common worker, but with a mohawk that makes him look like a ruffian. And since both his hair, his eyes, and even his horns, are all pale pink, a common color for the Life Dragons, it seriously clashes with...everything else about him. 

"Lord Edger found me earlier this morning and asked me to look into this bucket of bolts here." - Flint

I knocked on the piece of machinery that I had been working on with my wrench to turn Vierter and Lord Runitos' attention to it. The machine has lots of pipes sticking out of it, plus a container for water attached to it. Essentially, it is...

"Lord Edger, I have finished my investigation now." - Flint

"Great work, comrade! So...what is it?" - Edger

"To put it plainly, it is a steam machine." - Flint

"N-now that's easy to understand..." - Edger

"I'm going to hate myself for involving myself, but what has this machine to do with anything?" - Runitos

"I don't know! But we found it along with some dolls that were still working yesterday night!" - Edger

"Dolls...-! Hey, you don't mean those bastard dolls?!" - Runitos

"That's right! I bet it has something to do with how those killer bots keep on getting past Viry's hunters! They can't be that incompetent!" - Edger

"Edger, you are still a genius in making others annoyed." - Vierter

"Huh? What did I do!?" - Edger

"...are you three familiar with each other?" - Flint

"Unfortunately, yes." - Vierter

"He's the boss of the handymen squirrels who takes care of the city. Even if he doesn't act like it." - Runitos

"Viry! Runi! You don't need-" - Edger

"Stop calling me that!" - Vierter/Runitos

In perfect sync...

I have somehow started to understand the relationship between the three dragonic leaders, so in an attempt of changing the discussion, I continued on my report regarding the "steam machine". 

"Lord Edger, there is one more thing you should know about this contraption." - Flint

"Whazzat?" - Edger

"The machine seems to influence the steam it creates with specific mind-related magic if activated. To keep it simple, this thing can double as a hypnosis machine." - Flint

"For real!?" - Edger

"That doesn't sound legal...or good if it was the dolls' gizmo." - Runitos

"I agree. Flint, do you know where the invaders could have obtained this contraption?" - Vierter

"Sorry, it is not manufactured by methods I know of. The only thing I know is that this sigil here seems to be the mark of whoever made it, but I don't know who that is either." - Flint

I pointed at a sigil on one of the machine's sides. It looks like those ying-yang symbols I sometimes saw in Wakoku, but the two halves that make up the circle are pointing away from each other instead of towards. 

"I've seen this before! Lots of the crates that old man Artorious orders now and then have these on them!" - Edger

"Lord Artorious? As in the Water Dragon Lord?" - Vierter

"The one and only!" - Edger

Huh?! Lord Artorious Reinlake is the oldest Dragon Lord currently in power, beating even the bedridden Ice Dragon Lord who's Vierter's boss! Not to mention the one with the reputation of being the gentlest Dragon Lord of them all.

The Water District that he governs is the home of various races that had lost their homes, mostly due to the invasions of the Avalar Kingdom located northwest of Loitan. Elves are the most common being to see in their district, more so than even the Water Dragons themselves. 

The District itself focuses on recreation and relaxation, with various pieces of water arts, health spas, and hot springs being their main attractions. And you're saying they are related to this strange machine...?

"...Edger, Runitos, Flint. Please keep this conversation between us." - Vierter

"H-hey, Viry! You're not suspecting old man Artorious-!?" - Edger

"It is my job to suspect anything that moves. But if this information is released to the public prematurely, it may spoil lord Artorious' reputation if it turns out to be a fake lead." - Vierter

The rest of us nodded to Vierter's words. Yeah, this kind of news is not the kind that can be taken lightly. After seeing our wordless reply, Vierter nodded lightly before-

*PUNCH!*

"GUH-!?" - Edger

"And I told you not to call me by that name." - Vierter

W-wow... Viry isn't the kind to let his anger flare visibly... 

---

After we said our farewells to Lord Edger, who was still crouching on the ground when we left him, we went for the Earth District, located right beside the Life District. 

While the Life District is a garden of flowers, trees, and building constructions, the Earth District is a gigantic mining field. The Loitan mountain range is extremely rich in various kinds of Earth- and Metal-type aether, which makes it possible to continuously excavate minerals nonstop without the risk of emptying the mines. And the Earth Dragon clan, along with the Dwarf race who works as the subordinates of the Earth Dragons, knows fully well how to use this natural treasure trove. 

"*Yawn*, where are the Trial Grounds in this place? Behind a mine cart? I hope it's at an inn..." - Runitos

"Keep it together, Runitos. We need to stay...to stay sharp..." - Vierter

This is no good. They're practically sleepwalking! Forget about investigating the Trial Grounds, these two look like they could collapse in the middle of the street at this rate! 

"Vierter, Lord Runitos, please take a rest for today. If it is simply investigating the area, I think I can handle the Trial Ground on my own." - Flint

"Thanks, pal. I'll take you on that." - Runitos

"I am the only one not referred to as Lord? ...hold on for a second." - Vierter

The Ice Dragon took out a pen and paper and used Lord Runitas' back as a table before handing it to me along with a bag of coins... Hey! The Extra Medals!

"Give the letter to Dainlow Drunmine, the Earth Dragon Lord. He should be found at the mine where they excavated the Trial Grounds." - Vierter

"Yeah, okay, but..." - Flint

"No worries. The Frost Hunters who have been tailing us will show you the way." - Vierter

Ah...so we were stalked on by the wolves. I had my suspicion when they suddenly appeared with a room at an inn prepared for me in the Life District, but hearing it straight from the source is something else. No wonder he's fine with giving me the Medals. I can't dine-'n-dash, or rather, medal-'n-dash with them! 

"Well, I will leave this to you." - Vierter

Vierter cut the conversation to a stop as he picked up Lord Runitos, who had fallen asleep on his feet without me noticing, and headed down the street for a while until a pair of wolves suddenly appeared and guided him the rest of the way. Wow... Just, wow...in lots of ways.

"Lord Solrah, please follow us."

GYAAA!? Th-there was another pair of wolves right behind me. That's bad for my heart.

"O-okay..." - Flint

"Is everything alright?" - Frost Hunter

"Yeah, splendidly. I'm as excited as someone in a haunted house! Now, let's get going already!" - Flint

The wolves didn't bat an eye as they simply followed my request. Huh, they're more polite than the rumors about them would have you believe. ...Then again, those rumors were never that specific. At most, they would say that the Frost Hunters were ruthless, cold-blooded executioners for the Ice Dragons. Why were such rumors going around?

I entertained that line of thought for a while until we reached a relatively new mining area, but it is heavily guarded by Earth Dragons in their real forms and dwarves armed with war hammers. Quite the delicate design on those weapons. I should try to ask if they could introduce me to the smith behind them. 

The Frost Hunters who had been acting as guides had disappeared after we arrived, probably hiding in the shadows again, so I went up to the blockade and asked for Lord Dainlow as I showed the officials my "letter of recommendation" from Vierter. 

Soon after that, an old-looking Earth Dragon in a half-human, half-dragon state came walking. He's holding a gigantic pickaxe over his shoulder and wearing a safety helmet on his head. 

"Howdy! You're this Flint fellow the Frost Hunter chief wrote about?" - Earth Dragon

"Yes. And you are Lord Dainlow, or a miner who is working for him?" - Flint

"No worries, I'm the boss here, alright. You're free to try out that arena thingy, but we're still busy cleaning it for boulders. You have to wait until then." - Dainlow

"Is the door blocked or something...?" - Flint

"Nah. Those Trial-places are just a tad different from each other, that's all. You'll see it soon. In the meanwhile, you're free to walk around the area. Just don't enter the mines. They are easy to get lost in if you don't know your way there." - Dainlow

After saying his part, Lord Dainlow went back to his work. But what did he mean by that the Trial Grounds are a "tad different from each other"? 

I could see some Frost Hunters working with the miners, so this cleaning process shouldn't be anything Vierter doesn't know of, so it should be fine to let them do as they please. In the meanwhile, I want to test out these goggles I obtained yesterday. They are black all over, except for the nose part which is closer to dark red, and the glasses are somewhat orangeish. 

I put them on and simply tapped on their rim.

Yes, yes you are. I want to meet the person who wrote this description. They have style.

These items are perfect for me. Even the eyes of a Fire Lizardman will hurt if sparks from forging new items suddenly hit them, so I am always using some sort of visor when I'm smithing. But these glasses are amazing! Even dismantling that unknown steam machine went as a dream. Not to mention they look stylish. 

...hmm, there are lots of magic signatures all over the mining field. This place must be making great profit. I hope Damavand can turn into something this profitable one day. 

And the first step toward that is to start acting and not just daydreaming! For now, I can determine what Extra Medal I'll be using. The goal here isn't to win, but if I obtain an item this tailor-made such as these goggles, it doesn't hurt to give it some thought. The medals I have available are...one, two..., six medals left! The Desert Medal and the rumored Bull Medal are already used, but from those that remain, I can choose...?

This one here is weird? What's it supposed to picture? A mountain with thunderclouds on top of it? On the backside and the data that the goggles give me, this thing here is supposedly an... "Olympus Medal"......?

Olympus? What is that? Some sort of Migrant word? I've never heard about it. Whatever. If I am lucky, I can pull a Garami and have one of the two dragons do the heavy lifting for me. Of course, I should give my thanks to Lord Runitos if he helps. Vierter? Don't care. And the last five Medals are...