WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 63: Orichalcum (2)
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Throughout history, humanity has drawn countless resources from nature.
Wood, water, stone, animals, plants, soil, minerals, and more. There is nothing humanity has not taken from nature.
If wood is the alpha and omega of human civilization, minerals are the resource that made humanity even wealthier.
From iron, commonly used for weapons, to luxury goods like diamonds and gold.
Wood may be overwhelmingly important, but minerals have also contributed enormously to the development of civilization.
As technology advanced, even minerals once considered useless had their properties rediscovered.
The potential of minerals came to be appreciated more highly over time.
[Post title] Guys, look at this lol
[Post] (A stock board covered in blue)
[Post] Is mining doing badly these days? What's going on? lol
└ Why the hell is it like that lol Did something happen?
└ I heard a mine shaft collapsed?
└ Why'd it collapse? Aren't those built solid?
└ An Earth Dragon came out. Caused an earthquake, so it collapsed.
└ Holy shit...
[Post title] What the hell is with this guy?;;
[Post] (A photo of a goblin wearing a diamond crown)
[Post] An abandoned mine became a goblin habitat, so we cleared them out. Then we found one wearing a diamond crown;;
[Post] The goblins hadn't been mining it, so what the hell is this?
└ It was a golden goblin lol
└ What happens to that?
└ The side that took it down gets it, obviously. It's written into the law.
└ What if it's fake lol
[Post title] Selling Mithril.
[Post] (A photo of a rock painted green)
[Post] Selling Mithril. It's real.
└ If you're going to scam people, at least put some effort into it;;
└ Lmao, it's so half-assed that it's ridiculous.
└ How much? I'll buy it for 1 gold.
└ 1,000 gold.
└ Your conscience is dead lol
[Post title] What doesn't Setan have?
[Post] It has gold. It has diamonds. It has mana crystals. It has coal. It has all kinds of other stuff. What doesn't it have?
└ [AllHailTheSun]: Mithril. Adamantium. Orichalcum. Ten-thousand-year cold iron. Water.
└ Those don't exist in other countries either lol
└ If it had even those, it'd be shameless lol
└ Does it have little water because of its conscience?
└ [AllHailTheSun]: No? Water really is scarce there.
└ Lmao
Minerals came up in conversation often, like this.
Someone might find diamonds in a mine, or uncover a rare metal somewhere else.
They were directly or indirectly tied to wealth, so people could dream of striking it rich in one shot.
[Post title] Question about the world's three greatest metals
[Post] The world's three greatest metals are Mithril, Adamantium, and Orichalcum, right?
[Post] If I find even one of them, can I become seriously rich?
└ Did you find one?
└ Nope. I'm going to find one now.
└ Let's talk after you find it.
└ Okay...
└ Cute how dejected they got lol
└ Which of them is the most expensive?
└ They're all similar, but Orichalcum has gotten fucking expensive lately.
└ Why? Isn't Orichalcum just a mineral that's sensitive to mana?
└ Its mana sensitivity gave it lots of uses. You know Broadcasting Magic? It uses Orichalcum.
└ Using a rare mineral for Broadcasting Magic feels kind of wasteful;;
└ There are substitute materials, but producing them requires demanding technology, and they still can't compare to Orichalcum.
└ Doesn't having Orichalcum massively increase broadcasting range?
└ The problem is finding it.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Strange. Why is ten-thousand-year cold iron not included?
└ Granny, do you even know what Mithril is?
└ [Heavenly Demon]: I am not well versed in the language of the Western Kingdoms.
└ Then do you know true silver?
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Is it not a metal lighter than steel, yet equal or greater in strength?
└ Yeah, that's right. Orichalcum is true gold, and Adamantium is cold iron.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: Then they are all inferior to ten-thousand-year cold iron.
└ Forget it. Why did I even start talking;;
└ I feel like I can't breathe;;
Mithril was much lighter than steel while possessing similar or greater strength.
Adamantium weighed about as much as steel, but its strength was on an entirely different level.
Lastly, Orichalcum. Orichalcum was a somewhat special mineral.
It was weaker than iron, but it had one remarkably distinctive trait.
It was sensitive to mana. If that had been all, it would have been one thing, but more and more uses had been found for that sensitivity, making it even more valuable.
[Post title] Things possible with Orichalcum
[Post] Increase Broadcasting Magic range. Increase communication range. Run air conditioning and heating indefinitely. Increase airship speed, etc.
[Post] Of course, you need Orichalcum to do any of it.
└ Isn't that just a ridiculously overpowered material?
└ Not quite. There are substitutes. They're just fucking expensive to make.
└ It's easier to think of it as upgrading anything related to mana by several levels.
└ Then where do you get Orichalcum?
└ Somewhere rich in mana lol
That was roughly the extent of it. It really could do a lot.
After someone kindly explained Orichalcum's uses to me, a thought came to mind.
‘Is it like a superconductor?’
Or perhaps it played a role similar to a semiconductor.
Semiconductors used several different materials, whereas Orichalcum could fulfill the role on its own.
And at a superior level, too. It was practically an all-purpose material.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Can I pawn this off for candy?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Want to trade it for my beer?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Get lost.
└ Lmao, you're stingy.
└ A dwarf is willing to give up beer for it...
└ Is that really Orichalcum?
└ [Wild Grylls]: I don't know either. And it wasn't just this. The entire cave was a similar color.
└ ??? The whole cave?
└ Say something believable;;
└ Then again, it was also an Adult Mandrake habitat;;
└ Unlike other minerals, Orichalcum can form anywhere with enough mana.
└ Show us already.
└ [Wild Grylls]: I'll pass today. First, how do I prove it's Orichalcum? Do I need to give it to someone?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: The simplest method is infusing it with mana. If it shines brighter after receiving mana, it's Orichalcum.
└ [Wild Grylls]: That's too simple. That's it?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: You need to see how long the light lasts. If it lasts over twelve hours, it's confirmed.
└ [Wild Grylls]: If that's all, I'll just give it to you. You're not going to brew liquor with it, right?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Are you insane;;
I decided to give the suspected Orichalcum rock to Passing Dwarf.
I needed to request a trade soon anyway, and it wasn't like I planned to mine any with a pickaxe right away.
At least I'd found another item worth trading, like the Adult Mandrake.
Besides, it wasn't a medicinal herb but a mineral, and a strange one at that, so it felt a little awkward.
‘Are Passing Dwarf and Allfather the only people worth trading it with? AllHailTheSun seems interested too.’
As a rare mineral, it would naturally be expensive. But I didn't need money.
Wouldn't it be more useful to make weapons out of Orichalcum instead?
That thought made me curious, so I wrote a post.
[Post title] What can you make with Orichalcum?
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] Can you make weapons with it?
└ Most of its uses are magic-related, so it probably won't be useful for you.
└ It's useful in cities, but not that much in the wild?
└ You could make armor from Mithril, but this is Orichalcum.
└ Pawning it off for candy is probably best.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Tch.
So it really was just a solid chunk of semiconductor. I smacked my lips in disappointment.
I asked if it would be possible to make something like a refrigerator or washing machine with Orichalcum.
Having those would greatly increase the time I could devote to hunting and Wonmo.
└ It's not a perpetual motion machine. Where are you going to get the mana?
└ [Wild Grylls]: From my body?
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Just wash your clothes by hand.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah...
└ Lmao
Even Passing Dwarf was that firm about it, so there really was no way around it.
Just as I was about to put off deciding what to do with the Orichalcum, someone spoke up.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Would you consider selling it to me?
It was PrincessChaenggu. An unexpected offer.
Until now, PrincessChaenggu had only ever given me things.
My confusion lasted only a moment before I asked what PrincessChaenggu wanted in exchange.
└ [Wild Grylls]: You gave me clothes, so I'll give it to you for free. I'll just confirm that it's Orichalcum first.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Okaay. I'll wait.
└ [Wild Grylls]: What are you going to use it for?
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Broadcasting Magic. It starts cutting out after a while.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Orichalcum can prevent that?
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Yep. It picks up signals better and prevents overheating.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Magic can overheat?
Magic could overheat? That left me a little confused.
I'd thought that as long as you had the right spell formula and enough mana, you could cast magic freely. Apparently not.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: Of course! Because most magic is one-shot, people tend to overlook the risk of overheating.
└ [Wild Grylls]: That's interesting. I thought you could cast magic freely.
└ [PrincessChaenggu]: You know Starlight Princess, right? She couldn't use magic because her body was weak. It's similar to that.
└ [Starlight Princess]: I can use it as much as I want now!
└ [Wild Grylls]: Ohh.
I didn't really understand it, but I learned that magic could overheat.
And Orichalcum was the mineral that reduced that phenomenon.
Either way, it was still unquestionably useful stuff.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Anyway, I'll give it to you after I trade with Passing Dwarf. Would you like one too, Starlight Princess? I picked up a few.
└ [Starlight Princess]: Could I have just one in an appropriate size? My workshop is old and needs maintenance.
└ [Wild Grylls]: That's where you make Elixir, right?
└ [Starlight Princess]: Yes. While I'm at it, I plan to make protein supplements too.
└ [Wild Grylls]: ;;;
└ She's become a total gym rat lol
└ Well, she used to be sick...
Since things had turned out this way, I should give one to each of the others too.
Right now, I only had enough pieces on hand for PrincessChaenggu and Starlight Princess, but there were plenty scattered around the cave.
I ended the conversation there and started preparing a meal.
Instead of smoked food, I planned to cook the fish caught in the Fish Trap.
‘One for me, one for Wonmo, and I'll prepare the last one for Passing Dwarf.’
The Inner Core... I planned to store it for a while.
Heavenly Demon had advised me to consume it only after at least another week had passed.
By then, I would have fully adapted to the Inner Energy Cultivation Method, so there should be no problem.
The question was where to store it until then.
I'd heard that mana dispersed into the air the longer an Inner Core was stored.
‘I’ll put it in an empty bottle for now.’
The glass bottle left over from drinking Elixir. Maybe that would preserve it a little longer.
After putting away the Inner Core, I headed straight to the river.
Wonmo was still awake, so I had no choice but to bring him along.
Thankfully, he didn't wander off along the way, so nothing happened.
Splash! Splash!
“Kyuu! Kyuu!”
“Yeah, yeah. That's our lunch.”
Wonmo was wildly excited at the sight of the fish caught in the Fish Trap.
He looked like he was dying to eat them right away.
I collected the entire Fish Trap and returned to the shelter.
There were three fish caught in it altogether. It was a plentiful haul.
I didn't think I'd need to worry about food for a while. One Fish Trap had changed my quality of life.
“Chomp chomp chomp!”
In case of an emergency, I slipped out only the Inner Core and gave Wonmo the rest.
He'd clearly eaten a snake, yet he was still eating that happily. A glutton was a glutton.
‘Didn't they say bears liked honey and salmon best?’
Thinking pointless thoughts, I began my own meal.
A Fasting Pill took care of the Fast Sloth's meal.
Once everyone had finished eating, I prepared the remaining fish for Passing Dwarf.
[System] Wild Grylls has registered trade items.
[You]: I put in the prepared fish and the ori-whatever.
[You]: Can I give you the crab tomorrow?
[Passing Dwarf]: Yeah, that's fine.
[Passing Dwarf]: I'll eat one a day or something.
[Passing Dwarf]: Thanks. Do you need an Inner Core too?
[Passing Dwarf]: I'll try brewing liquor with it.
;;;
This guy was probably the only one who would think of brewing liquor with an Inner Core.
Once I finished trading with Passing Dwarf, only one person remained.
Allfather, who I'd given the Saber-Toothed Tiger's heart to yesterday. An unusually quiet person.
‘Still researching it?’
Maybe. It wouldn't hurt to wait until Allfather made a post.
Allfather had done plenty for me already, so this much was nothing.
‘It would be awkward to rush them, too.’
Besides, the tiger's heart was of little use to me.
Once I decided to trade with Allfather when they appeared, I remembered something I'd forgotten.
‘Ah. Right. The door.’
I looked at Wonmo, who was sprawled on the mat and sleeping without a care in the world.
Wonmo could escape again while I was gone, so I planned to install a fence at the entrance.
‘Something large enough to block the entrance, but light enough for me to move.’
I wondered if such a thing even existed as I searched the Auction House.
The Owlbear had widened the cave entrance during its rampage, so I needed something large.
‘They have an iron-bar gate instead of a fence.’
This should be enough. The size was perfect, too.
I repeatedly moved the iron-bar gate into place and secured it at the entrance.
Wonmo might knock it down with a body slam, so I didn't forget to make wooden braces for it.
‘Hm. Perfect.’
The iron-bar gate completely covering the entrance filled me with satisfaction.
There would be no more runaway incidents.
All that remained was waiting for Passing Dwarf's post.
If the ore I found this time was proven to be Orichalcum, I would give one each to PrincessChaenggu and Starlight Princess.
‘This bastard hasn't forgotten because he's busy drinking, has he?’
* * *
And just as Grylls feared.
“Ahh! This is really delicious! It melts in your mouth! Where did you get it?”
“Buurp. It wouldn't be fun if I told you. Here, Mandrake-infused liquor. Let's drink until we die today.”
“The more I drink, the more energy I have. I've never had liquor like this.”
“Want to know what's even more amazing?”
“What?”
“It isn't just in your head. The more you drink, the healthier you actually get.”
“Ooh! This truly is liquor of the gods!”
A party of dwarves had been drinking in Mountain since broad daylight.
It was an utterly dwarven sort of day.
“Ow. Why do I suddenly hurt?”
“D-did I drink too much? Buurp.”
Footnotes:
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