What emerged from the earth was a fossil.
It looked like the remains of a carnivorous dinosaur, something like a Tyrannosaurus. Only the head had been uncovered so far.
"Is that a dinosaur bone...?" Tria asked.
"Since this is another world, it might just be a dragon's, don't you think?" Miti suggested.
"Actually, there's a theory that dragon legends originally started from people finding dinosaur fossils," Penpen added.
I was impressed. Those fangs certainly looked the part. Perhaps it really was a dragon fossil. That would be a nice find.
"I might have been a bit too enthusiastic, though. I accidentally crushed part of it while digging," Miti said sheepishly.
"That’s just what happens when amateurs try their hand at mining. Besides, even looking at it as an item, the description only says 'Mysterious Fossil,'" Penpen noted.
Since that was all Penpen could see, it was no surprise that my appraisal didn't offer anything beyond "Mysterious Fossil" either. We probably wouldn't know for sure until we found someone who could identify it.
"Can we use it for materials?" I asked.
"Well, since it’s a fossil, it’s technically considered stone rather than bone... Stone, huh? Maybe we could turn it into a golem?"
"Wait, aren't fossils just the bones themselves?"
"They’re bones that have mineralized over a long period of time. Apparently, minerals from groundwater seep into them and replace the organic matter," Miti explained.
"Does that mean there's groundwater nearby?"
"There are mountains close by, but it’s also possible this area used to be under the sea and rose up due to crustal movement a long time ago."
A Fossil Golem... there was something incredibly romantic about that idea.
"Oh! This is definitely going to be a Tower Defense unit!" Penpen exclaimed.
"Then it'll be a great addition to our strength! I'm sorry I broke part of it earlier," Miti said.
"Don't worry about it. I'll just reinforce it with metal materials—assuming I can actually make the thing! Besides, if we use it for defense, it's bound to take damage and break anyway. Repairs will be mandatory!"
I wasn't sure if we’d use Alchemy or some specific golem-making magic, but for now, we had a goal.
"I don't know if the whole skeleton is there, but we need to finish digging it out first."
"Right! I'll be careful not to crush it this time."
"Alright, let's get to mining!"
Miti-chan took over the delicate task of clearing away the fine soil. Peta-peta, mogu-mogu, jari-jari.
"You know, speaking of fossils, that means one thing: a museum! A giant dinosaur fossil is the perfect centerpiece for an exhibit," Penpen said.
"Oh? Are we making an exhibit? I think I've played games like that before," Miti replied.
"I think it’s a great idea! We can find all sorts of other treasures, or even capture living creatures to raise and display."
Apparently, this was purely for the sake of the collection, not for profit. They just wanted to display things and admire the gathered items themselves. It was what you’d call end-game content in a slow-life game.
"If we’re building a museum, I wouldn't mind collecting every single type of pickaxe to put on display either," Penpen added.
"Wouldn't just one of each of the best tools be enough?" I asked.
"It looks much cooler if you have the full set lined up."
I could understand that. If you have a series and there’s a gap in the middle, it feels unsettled. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that wanting to complete a set was just human nature. Collector's items and book sets only had true value when they were complete.
"Wait, if we put it on display, won't that mean we can't use it as a Tower Defense unit?" Miti asked.
"It'll be an exhibit normally, but when monsters attack, it deploys! The Fossil Golem! I can see it now!"
"I feel like that would be terrible for its state of preservation," Tria remarked.
"It's not just a feeling, Tria-shi. It definitely would be."
It was unlikely that a defensive battle against a monster powerful enough to give Gin-chan trouble would end without a scratch.
"I’d almost love to see a curator-appraiser panic and shout, 'Ah! There’s a crack in this fossil worth millions!'" Penpen laughed.
"I can see a future where the museum curator scolds us every time it goes into battle. A fighting exhibit... maybe it could even transform into a humanoid form!" Miti said.
"Let me just ask... is that really necessary?"
"It is!" they both shouted.
Of course it was. Transformation was part of the romance, after all.
If we could find a good curator, I wouldn't mind building a museum. It would be a bit lonely if this fossil was the only thing on display, though.
"I'd want at least a few dozen exhibits to start with," Penpen said.
"We can look for all sorts of things! Maybe we can even buy some instead of just digging them up?" Miti suggested.
"Buying them... that means the Merchant. We should try consulting him!"
"Come to think of it, that man did have his favorite pots and vases on display," I recalled.
He was bound to be well-versed in cultural knowledge.
With that settled, we successfully managed to unearth the entire skeleton. Once we moved the fossil into the Inventory, we were able to extract the rest without further damage, though the parts we'd hit while it was still buried were still a bit of a mess.
"Looking at it all lined up like this... it really is a dinosaur."
"Looks like a Tyrannosaurus to me."
"I don't know if it's stronger than a dragon, but it looks powerful. It’s huge."
It was so massive that Tria-chan looked like she could be swallowed in a single bite. If we could get this thing working as a golem, it would be a massive boost to our defenses.
"Hmm, now I want to try making a golem too... Is that in the Alchemy Tree?"
"It's under the Physical Crafting branch of Alchemy. It looks like there are also Golem Recovery Potions, so maybe Miti-chan could focus on making those?"
A recovery potion specifically for golems? I guess those existed too. I wondered if there were slime-specific recovery potions as well.
"Oh, Miti-chan, could you try making a display stand for the fossil?"
I really wanted to raise my crafting experience and eventually learn how to make golems. Golems were just... so cool.