The dungeon in this city was a hive of activity. It wasn't just typical adventurers venturing into its depths; food producers like farmers frequented it as well. Because of that, the atmosphere was a far cry from a traditional dungeon. The first floor, in particular, felt less like a dangerous ruin and more like an extension of the city itself. I wouldn't have been surprised to see food stalls popping up at any moment.
As we watched the farming families head toward the center of the dungeon, we began discussing our shopping list.
『So, what are we hunting for? What are we making?』
"Let's see. First, I'd like to secure the ingredients we're missing," I replied, stroking Shiroru’s head as she gazed up at me with sparkling eyes.
A wide variety of ingredients could be harvested in this dungeon. Between running the shop and dealing with the Cult, I’d gone through a significant portion of the supplies in my Storage Ring. It was high time to restock.
That said, I wasn't actually very well-acquainted with the first floor. I’d spent my time grinding the lowest floors to secure Pandora Gifts, leaving the upper levels largely unexplored.
"Allen, do you guys know where the best spots are?"
"Leave it to us!" Allen replied with a confident nod.
The Petit Golems had spent some time stationed at the dungeon exit casting Clean on returning explorers, which had given them plenty of opportunities to pick up local intel.
"What should we go after first?"
"Well... let's start with eggs."
There were many things I wanted, but I decided to prioritize the eggs Halfa and the others had been asking for. Eggs were indispensable for making sweets, and they were a staple for countless other dishes as well.
Furthermore, unless you were in a region with a large-scale livestock industry, it was difficult to secure them in bulk. Finding a steady supply within the dungeon would be a massive help.
"Eggs! I love eggs!"
"We want some too!"
As expected, Halfa and Spira were delighted.
"Eggs, let me think..."
"I'm pretty sure they're over that way. Right, Shara?"
"Yes. Correct."
While the location didn't come to Allen immediately, Milly and Shara were quick to point us in the right direction.
They indicated a path that few explorers took. While the monsters on the first floor were generally weak, their strength still scaled depending on the area. Most of the weaker species congregated near the center, while tougher monsters appeared closer to the edges. Consequently, the Farmer Explorers tended to avoid those outskirts.
『Eggs, eggs, I’m going to eat delicious sweets!』
"I wonder what he'll make~"
I headed toward our destination, accompanied by the strange little song Shiroru and Pino were singing together. The area eventually gave way to a small, dense grove of trees.
"Ah, I think that’s it!"
Milly pointed toward a species of tree I’d never seen before. Standing about three meters tall, it looked quite impressive with its lush, vibrant foliage. Several white, round fruits hung from its branches.
"...Wait. That’s just a tree, right?"
Something felt off. We were supposed to be looking for eggs. A tree shouldn't have been involved.
"Is it full of bird nests or something?"
"No. That is an Egg Trent. It drops eggs when defeated. Alternatively, you can catch the eggs it hurls at you," Shara explained in her usual detached tone, giving her head a slow shake.
So eggs really did grow on trees here. That meant those white fruits were the eggs. Could you really even call them eggs at that point? The idea of harvesting eggs from a plant was bizarre. I remembered eggplants from my previous life, but those were just vegetables. These were actual eggs.
Well, I supposed I could worry about the terminology later. The only thing that mattered was whether they were edible.
"If it’s a Trent, that makes it a monster. How tough is it?"
"Defeating it is simple, but securing the eggs in large quantities is difficult."
Shara answered my question, clearly having done her research. According to her, killing an Egg Trent only yielded a few eggs. To get a real haul, you had to catch the ones it threw at you. However, since they were fragile eggs, they broke easily upon impact. Because it was so difficult to gather the materials intact, the monsters weren't very popular with adventurers.
What a waste. If there was a way to gather them efficiently, the city’s markets would be flooded with eggs.
"Could we use heavy cloth to absorb the impact?"
"It’s possible, but the efficiency would still be low. There are better ways to make money in this dungeon," Allen said, sounding unconvinced.
He had a point. Being away from the central hub was a drawback, and without a Storage Ring, the sheer effort of transporting fragile cargo would be a nightmare for most.
"But Tort, you can gather loads of them, right?"
"I bet you can!"
Halfa and Spira turned their expectant gazes toward me.
Well, they weren't wrong. If it was just enough for our personal use, I could certainly figure something out.
"In that case, let's build a specialized collection golem."
Making a standard golem catch flying eggs was a tall order. I needed to customize the design.
I used a Mud Golem with a specially softened body as the base. If I programmed it to wrap around the eggs the moment they hit, dispersing the impact, they shouldn't break. I decided to have it swallow them into its body and then "lay" them out of a port at the bottom. To prevent them from rolling away, I added a feature to have them pre-packed into cartons.
The finished product looked much like a Nurikabe—a flat, featureless wall of a golem. To maximize its "catch" area, I made it quite wide. It had no limbs, and the base was weighted heavily to keep it from tipping over. Its gel-like body rippled and wobbled with every movement.
"Go! Gel Golem!"
With a wet squelching sound that I took for a nod, the Gel Golem lurched toward the Egg Trent. Since it lacked feet, it moved with a slow, rhythmic crawl. We followed close behind.
Once we entered the tree's range, I heard the sharp whistle of something cutting through the air. The Gel Golem’s massive bulk blocked my view, but I knew what it was.
"Did it work?"
"I'm sure it did!"
Halfa seemed far more confident than I was. Fortunately, she was right. A small discharge port at the base of the Gel Golem’s back opened, and a neatly packed carton of eggs popped out. I checked them over; not a single shell was cracked.
Perfect! With this, I’ve got myself an automated egg harvester.