Rune awkwardly tapped the magic plate.
After a moment of silence, Jed's characters quickly appeared.
<Ah! So you mean 'yes'! Well, it's only natural that you're not used to it yet? Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it as you keep using it!>
‘...How fast can this guy type?’
Even though Rune was not a slow learner, the speed at which the dwarf Jed sent his characters was unparalleled.
Perhaps because dwarves were known for their dexterity, watching the sentences appear made it feel as if Jed was right next to him, talking.
<Blackmi finds this really fun!>
<Wow, as expected, Lady Blackmi! Right? Hehe. I made it, but I'm even amazed by my own talent! While I was making this for you...>
The message was cut off because it was too long.
Rune didn't feel the need to read Jed's boasting and chatter in detail, so he skimmed through it.
The gist of Jed's excited story, as he received encouragement from Blackmi, was this:
- There are already communication crystals invented by mages in the human world.
- However, they consume a lot of magic power, so only mages can use them.
But Jed's 'Magic Communication Stone' was different.
- As long as the magic power stored in the artifact remains, you can keep sending messages!
However, to conserve magic power, it could only transmit text, not images. He also mentioned that he planned to add more text-based features soon.
‘So, he intends to develop it further to allow checking messages left when he's away...’
Even as an initial product, it was quite useful.
<What do you think! This Jed, a reformist dwarf, has certainly created a good item, hasn't he?>
There were areas where magic power didn't work or where transmission failed, but those issues could be improved over time.
‘I should acknowledge his efforts.’
Jed seemed pleased that his abilities were recognized and started hinting that he wanted a name for his invention.
<Wow! To receive Lord Rune's recognition is an honor! While I'm at it, I want to name this communication stone. Do you have any good names?>
An awkward silence followed, as if he was waiting for Rune's response.
Fortunately, Blackmi's message appeared.
<Me! Blackmi wants to call it 'Shiny and Magical Communication Stone'!>
<Oh, what a cute name! But if it's known that I made something with such a cute name, I might get beaten to death!>
<Oh! Uncle Jed can't die!>
Watching the flustered Blackmi and Jed's strange exclamations, Rune fell into thought.
‘Now that I think about it, there was a word that referred to a group of people gathering to play games or have fun.’
‘...? The character recognition seems to be off.’
Rune realized there was a typo in the word he had posted, but Jed's response was already up.
<'Mokoji'? It sounds good! What does it mean?>
Originally, he wanted to use the word 'Mokoji,' but correcting the already posted word was too much trouble.
So, he explained the meaning.
<It means a group of people gathering for a game or party.>
<The meaning fits the communication stone well. By the way, is it a verb?>
Before Rune could say anything, Blackmi's message shot up first.
<Blackmi thinks I've heard it before! It sounds familiar! Mokoji!>
<Really!? Great. Then, let's call this communication stone 'Mokoji Stone'!>
Without giving Rune a chance to interject, Jed quickly coined a strange but catchy onomatopoeia, 'Mokomoko!'
<Great! If we change the notification sound to 'Mokok,' it will stick in your ears!>
Watching the enthusiastic Jed and the excited Blackmi, Rune agreed to the new name 'Mokoji Stone.'
‘Well, a name is just a name. Practicality is what matters.’
Rune slowly wrote down the most important improvement he wanted.
<If possible, add a function to turn off the alarm. Preferably.>
<Oh, right! Blackmi's ears hurt too!>
<That's true? For us dwarves, the sound of hammering is like a lullaby, but I guess it might be off-putting for humans! Alright, I'll add the function to turn off the alarm first. Changing the sound to 'Mokok' will take some time.>
The most important thing was that the sound of hammering on an anvil would be improved.
Lately, Jed had been sending messages unilaterally every morning as a demonstration, which was tiring.
‘I've been waking up startled by the alarm after passing out from exhaustion after classes.’
Sometimes, the sound was so nerve-wracking that he felt like throwing the Mokoji Stone.
If it weren't for the ingenuity of developing a way to communicate with the human world, he would have already vented his anger to Jed.
<Oh, there are quite a few things that need improvement. So, is there anything else you want to add?>
<If the part I mentioned is improved, make another Mokoji Stone. I want to give it to Ferdikion, so preferably use a red magic stone.>
‘Once it arrives, I can make a copy and give it to Amelia too.’
Magic stones were easy to obtain, and both of them were dragons who could freely use magic.
So, once he gave it to them, they could use it without worrying about magic power.
‘If communication becomes easier, it will be less effort to exchange information and maintain relationships.’
Building bonds with the strong.
Rune planned to foster camaraderie through the Mokoji Stone.
Rune, in his physical form, immediately made a copy of the improved Mokoji Stone using a blue sapphire magic stone upon receiving it.
He then used the copied <Magic Key> to open the door to Amelia's lair.
Unlike Ferdikion, Amelia couldn't let others know she was meeting someone, so he made the 'copy Mokoji Stone.'
By his side were Dura-han and Banya.
At first, Christina was surprised that Banya, who had opposite attributes, had become friends with Dura-han, but she eventually came to a conclusion.
“Probably because the great soul inside it contains the feather of a phoenix.”
Christina said Banya was a 'bird that sees the inner self.' From that day on, she started calling Dura-han by a proper name.
For Rune, it was much better than Dura-han always being referred to as an impure object.
However, Banya was just too... a baby bird.
‘To me, it just looks like a regular bird.’
He examined the white bird perched on his head, preening its feathers with its beak.
After losing a lot of feathers in the previous incident, Banya used to hide behind Blackmi whenever she saw Rune.
However, as her feathers grew back even better, her attitude started to change.
Sometimes, she would look at Rune with sparkling eyes, and other times, she would rub her cheek against his cheek while making cute sounds.
It seemed the bird thought Rune's feather harvesting was a well-intentioned favor to help her molt.
‘She's recovering smoothly.’
Recently, Banya's feathers were whiter and fluffier than before.
Her feathers had grown longer, giving her a new elegance.
She often shook her newly beautiful tail feathers, looking satisfied.
‘She must really like her new feathers.’
Rune was willing to bet all the magic stones he had that Banya followed him to show off her new feathers to Amelia.
‘Well, there's no law against a bird grooming itself.’
Banya's interest in feather care was also a good thing for Rune.
‘Now I can harvest a lot of phoenix feathers every time Banya molts.’
He let out a sinister smile.
Standing at the boundary of the water, Rune took off his bracelet and transformed into a hatchling, entering the sea.
Amelia, with her water-colored hair flowing, approached, wagging her tail.
Her skills had improved significantly, and she was now familiar with wielding a spear.
‘Now that I think about it, this girl must have had a pretty tough training period.’
At first, she was awkward with the spear.
Her hands would get blisters from practicing with Dura-han.
‘Considering it was the first time she was learning martial arts, she's done pretty well.’
Rune was also struggling with his combat training during the same period.
While physical strength and injuries could be healed, mental fatigue accumulated.
Christina said her healing magic could reinforce mental aspects to some extent, but due to Rune's innate attributes, it wasn't entirely effective.
'I need to work harder too.'
Rune chuckled to himself and handed the Mokoji Stone to Amelia.
[It's called a 'Mokoji Stone.' It's a communication artifact.]
With a puzzled look, Amelia took out the Mokoji Stone Rune had and taught her how to use it.
Even underwater, in a blue dragon's la