Chapter 282 B4 Chapter 38 - Spelunker

“Is Eem here?” Vivi asked.

“The co-chief of our spelunkers is present, indeed!” Ealan announced proudly. “Though probably deep in the caves, where she won’t hear you call.”

“Co-chief?” Vivi asked. “Eem has been promoted to a position like that?”

Ealan rubbed his cheek awkwardly. “Promoted only to the co-chief. The ore she hauls outweighs and outvalues everyone by millions of ether. Results like that would make her the chief… but, you know…”

“I understand.”

“Helia is officially handling anything to do with actual leadership. Still, now that Emmy’s communication has greatly improved, it only makes sense to offer her an appropriate promotion.”

“Wait, her communication has improved?” Vivi asked. “Can she speak now?”

Ealan smirked. “You haven’t heard the news, eh? It’s not that Emmy herself can speak, but it turns out a lot more moves in her head than we could have expected. I think you’ll want to meet her yourself.”

Vivi nodded. “Let’s find her.”

“That might take a while,” Ealan said as he led her down into the mines. “Best if you spread your aura into the tunnels. She will feel you.”

Vivi was already doing that, blinking her aura for signals. They passed more mine workers, mostly drillers or spelunkers. Work moved swiftly and without nonsense, but those on breaks were smiling and exchanging jokes. Nobody seemed overly stressed—a good indication that the city remained safe, and that everyone trusted the slingshot launchers to keep the walls that way. It felt surreal to think that Vivi’s efforts, and Grandpa’s runeswords, had actually helped a city enough that statues were now being built for the both of them.

Eem’s ability to smell metals was clearly a great help, too. Vivi could have never expected that the little fiend she befriended in a prison to actually help defend cities. Hopefully Eem was also satisfied with her new job at the mines.

They descended much deeper into the mines than Vivi had visited so far, until Ealan paused at the end of the walkable paths, a crawlspace stopping their way. “The caves open up again after this, but if she doesn’t show up now, I’d say it’s better to wait,” Ealan said. “I wouldn’t want to make you crawl.”

“That’s no problem,” Vivi said and got into the crawlspace. If anything, it wasn’t nearly as tight as the spaces she was used to in Zand’s dungeon.

The cave opened up again on the other side, and Vivi spread her aura into the nearby crawlspaces, pushing as far as she could. It was difficult to keep her aura neutral without any hostile intent escaping into the wisps, but if she pushed slowly, she managed.

That was when an aura within the caves responded to her. Not an idle presence, but an actual aura of a small being.

What in the world? Vivi thought. The feeling got closer, until it was clear that something resembling an ether hunter crawled within the caves.

A white and pink haired figure hopped down, her grin showing a full line of small, sharp teeth. A helmet dangled on her head with her horns poking out. “Ivwi!” Eem said and ran to hug Vivi’s leg.

A chuckle came out on its own, and Vivi lifted Eem up for a better hug. Dark wisps escaped from Eem’s body, tickling Vivi’s face. She held Eem from the shoulders. “You’re shaping ether!” Vivi said.

“She has a spirit!” Lucius blurted out. “Who is it? Show yourself!”

Sluggishly, a translucent black cat revealed itself from Eem’s core. “Hello…” he said.

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“Gupps?” Vivi asked.

The cat had the most bored expression Vivi had ever seen. It yawned. This was the same unenthusiastic spirit that the Greenwitch company had given to Grandpa. His spirit-form barely stayed solid with wisps burning off, as if he was too lazy to fully materialize like other spirits.

“That’s me,” Gupps said. “Eem wants me to say, um… Hello, Ivwi?”

Vivi couldn’t suppress the grin. “Eem, you’re an ether hunter now!”

Eem flailed her arms. Vivi placed her down, and the fiend jumped up and down. Gupps inched away from the enthusiasm.

“Has Gupps been conveying your thoughts, Eem?” Vivi asked. “You’re communicating with his help?”

Eem three times nodded excitedly. She went into stance and readjusted her helmet. Gupps then said, “She, uhm, has been working hard, and she hopes… Ivwi is proud of her.”

“I’m very proud of you,” Vivi said. “I couldn’t be more proud. Did you know you’ve discovered the best metal in existence?”

“Emiwiumm,” Eem said.

Vivi chuckled. “Has everyone treated you nicely here?”

She glanced at Gupps, who said, “The miners listen to orders well.”

“Oh,” Vivi said. “So you’re really the leader here, huh?”

Gupps said, “Only Ivwi is a higher rank than us.”

Ealan shrugged at that.

Vivi found an amused smile on her face. How interesting. She could learn so much about Eem’s personality now that she could convey thoughts more clearly.

“I promised to bring fish, didn’t I?” Vivi said. “Sorry, I haven’t yet found a river in the desert.”

Gupps floated in place, until Eem pouted at him, as if commanding him to speak. “Ah, she is, uh, happy that you have returned.”

Vivi patted Eem on the head. “The promise remains. I’ll bring a bucket of fish next time.”

Eem grinned back.

“First, I need to craft something very powerful,” Vivi said. “I’m going to need the best metals you’ve discovered. Can you two help me with that?”

“Emiwiuuum,” Eem said. She turned to Ealan and said. “Ivwi, emiwium.”

“Yes, Vivian Runeblessed will have all the enirium she asks for,” Ealan said. “Shall we head to the smelting plant?”

Eem was already excitedly running upward, nudging everyone to follow. A subtle smile was glued to Ealan’s face. Eem was almost always in a good mood, and that spread. She’d been that way even in Zand.

Wielding a spirit probably helps her mine ore faster, Vivi thought. She’s making good use out of shaping ether.

Lucius snorted. “I’ve never heard of Gupps or any of his wielders ever being successful. Eem is already doing better than most.”

As far as I’m concerned, Gupps’ previous wielder was the most successful human to ever obtain a spirit, Vivi thought with a grin.

“Hm, I wouldn’t say so,” Lucius said. “Your Grandpa never even fought a monster.”

Well, I’m not surprised that’s your way of measuring success.

Lucius gave her a look, as if not understanding why she said that, but she didn’t argue. Vivi and Ealan followed Eem up the way they’d come with Eem moving much faster, constantly having to pause to wait for Vivi to catch up.

They eventually reached the smelting plant, near the surface but still inside the mines. The temperature rose already at the doors, scents of fresh metal overpowering all other smells. The ground was stone, but had been flattened. A pathway had been marked in the middle as a safe zone away from the smelting furnaces and machinery.

Ingots were being smelted with similar theory as Vivi’s bloomeries, though the foundry furnaces here were much larger and tenfold more sophisticated. Operating them was as simple as placing ore in and adding ether to the emberstones. The ores were being processed at the back, also with machinery Vivi hadn’t had the luxury of using in the caves below.

Eem and Ealan instead led Vivi to the right, to the gallery of finished ingots. “Here’s what we have yet to sell,” he said. “Thirteen ingots of enirium.”

The heavenly white ingots were stacked cleanly in a pyramid-shape. Thirteen would probably be just enough to complete what Vivi intended to craft. “I’ll take them all,” Vivi said.

Ealan didn’t give an enthusiastic yes right away. “All of them, huh…” he said. He tapped his foot, thinking. “I want to give you a fair price. A discount for certain. But we’re still running a business here…”

“Iwvi, fwee,” Eem said, frowning up at Ealan, though with her cute face, the expression looked more like a pout.

Ealan laughed awkwardly. “You know, Emmy… I think you’re right. I can’t be charging Vivian Runeblessed ether for ingots. If she needs enirium, that she shall have.” He picked one up and handed it to Vivi. “All yours. All thirteen of them.”

As if he hadn’t already been respectful enough with the offer, he bowed.

Vivi returned the bow. “Thank you. I’ll promise the city will remain safe.”

“Make good use of them,” Ealan said. “That’s all I ask.”

She placed the ingots into spatial storage. Ealan paused at that. To him, the ingots had merely disappeared. “Thank you,” Vivi said, ignoring his surprise.

She patted Eem in the head. “Next time,” she said, “I promise I’ll come back with a bucket full of fish. That’s a real promise.”

Her final destination before her work-spree was Civar’s lab.