Despite using no fuel, the core temperature of this Solar Furnace surpassed that of any industrial furnace currently in use in the Old World.
Unlike conventional furnaces that require prolonged air-blowing to allow fuel to fully combust and gradually reach the temperature needed to melt steel, this furnace heated up with remarkable speed.
In less than half an hour, the ore within the large crucible had already melted into a liquid state.
Artisans clad in work-grade Heat-Resistant Armor forged from heat-resistant metal rotated the reflective panels one by one, extinguishing the furnace.
The crucible suspended in mid-air was lowered by hoisting cables, and the artisans approached with specialized tools to skim off the impurities floating on the surface of the liquefied metal.
At the edge of the Solar Furnace, the Elder explained, "This process must be repeated multiple times. Once the impurities are gradually refined away, we obtain a relatively pure Heat-Resistant Metal Alloy.
After the final casting, the metal ingots ready for commercial sale are complete.
That's the general process. Could the Vespoid infestation be related to the Solar Furnace here?"
The Professor removed his goggles, pondering, "I initially thought you might be using some special fuel, and the exhaust from combustion attracted Vespoids or similar creatures. But it seems that's not the case.
However, like many insects, Vespoids have an instinctual attraction to light and also exhibit heat-seeking behavior. From this perspective, it wouldn't be strange for them to be drawn by the light and heat emitted by the Solar Furnace."
"Professor, if that were the reason, ordinary smelting workshops and processing houses might also attract Vespoids, but there doesn't seem to be any such claim?" Erik asked from the side.
"Hmm, so I believe this is only a superficial factor. There must be a deeper reason, but with limited information, it's too early to draw conclusions."
While the scholars were discussing, Isis continued to observe the artisans' work with curiosity.
She watched as they pulled open a metal cover plate, revealing a several-meter-wide hole at the bottom of the Solar Furnace. The artisans skillfully poured the recently skimmed, still red-hot slag into the hole.
After the dumping was completed, the hole was sealed again with the cover plate. The crucible was hoisted back into mid-air by thick metal cables, and the artisans gradually adjusted the angles of the reflective panels, restarting the Solar Furnace.
The subsequent smelting steps were similar to before, so the group didn't linger outside the furnace for long.
The place was extremely hot. Even though they hadn't entered the Solar Furnace interior and were dozens of meters away from the core, they could still feel waves of intense heat washing over them.
Without Heat-Resistant Armor, their inner clothes were already soaked with sweat, and staying longer would risk heatstroke.
They took the Lift down from the top level where the Solar Furnace was located and returned to the residential area on the mountainside.
Suddenly, the Professor turned to the Elder and said, "For the next few days, we'll conduct our investigations freely. Just to confirm in advance, there aren't any so-called restricted zones in Sun Worship Town or this entire bedrock, are there?"
The Elder was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head. "No, our Sun Worship Town has nothing to hide."
"I'll give you a token shortly so that even if you need to inspect the warehouse, showing it to the guards will grant you passage without obstruction.
However, there are a few points I hope you'll pay attention to during your investigation."
"Please go ahead," the Professor nodded, unsurprised by the Elder's response.
If Sun Worship Town was truly hiding something unsavory, the Elder wouldn't have directly sought assistance from the guild headquarters.
Altaïr also took out his memorandum, ready to take notes to avoid committing any taboos during their subsequent investigation.
"These are actually matters mentioned before. First, try to avoid combat in the water-fetching caves to prevent contaminating the water source; this is crucial for us."
"Naturally."
"Additionally, the Solar Furnace is extremely dangerous. Exercise utmost caution during investigation. Those metal plates reflecting sunlight are all concave mirrors; even a single reflector focusing sunlight can instantly cause severe burns.
It's best to conduct investigations after sunset when there's minimal risk.
If you must enter the Solar Furnace during daytime, be sure to inform me beforehand so I can arrange heat-insulating protective armor for you."
Altaïr diligently recorded these points. The Professor glanced at him and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
When his gaze shifted to his disciple, he saw Erik staring blankly at his insect net, having absorbed nothing. The old scholar's face immediately darkened.
"One final point: some older buildings and facilities in town bear ancient Sunwheel Emblems. Try not to touch those symbols.
For the elderly in town, I refer to those Wyverians older than myself, these emblems hold sacred significance. Careless contact might anger those elders."
"Understood. Is that all?" The Professor composed himself and confirmed with the Elder.
"Yes, that's everything."
"We'll be careful."
"Then I leave it to you all. Feel free to seek me out anytime you need assistance."
After exchanging pleasantries, the Elder led them to their prepared accommodations before taking his leave.
After having Erik carefully inspect and confirm that all luggage and research equipment had been transferred from the woolly camels to the rooms without omission, the Professor gathered both Altaïr and Isis together.
The old scholar didn't beat around the bush, stating directly: "Prepare to commence the extermination."
Altaïr and Isis exchanged glances upon hearing this.
Erik, standing nearby, looked puzzled. "Start the extermination now? Didn't we previously agree to decide whether extermination was necessary only after the investigation concluded?"
"The Vespoid infestation here is more severe than initially anticipated," the Professor adjusted his glasses, expression grave. "From ascending the mountain until now, just a few hours, we've encountered no less than ten Vespoids.
Conservatively estimating, the number of Vespoids hidden in Sun Worship Town and various caves must be at least five times higher, meaning a total exceeding fifty.
This has surpassed the level of 'stray Vespoids gathering due to some attraction.' The Vespoids here have formed an 'Insect Swarm.'"
Erik visibly perked up. "You mean there's a Queen?"
"Most likely. Otherwise, it would be difficult to form a swarm of this scale," the Professor affirmed with a nod.
"Queen." Altaïr repeated the term, "Is it similar to the queen ant in an ant colony? Are Vespoids also highly social insects?"
Isis also gaped, "This is my first time hearing about it too. I always thought Vespoids were like mosquitoes, not forming swarms."
"The Vespoid Queen is a rare large monster with very few documented sightings." The Professor explained, "As I mentioned before, research on Vespoid ecology has never reached definitive conclusions."
"Initially, scholars also believed Vespoids were independent breeding insects similar to ordinary insects. Until one time, when Vespoids overran a certain area in the dense forest."
"After the guild dispatched hunters for large-scale extermination, they accidentally provoked the Vespoid Queen hidden deep in the forest. That was when the guild first confirmed the existence of this large monster."
"How big?" Isis tentatively asked.
"If I recall correctly, the first discovered Vespoid Queen measured 691 centimeters in length."
"Eek...!" Isis squeezed out a whimper from her throat, "A seven-meter-long giant mosquito, how disgusting would that be."
The Professor ignored Isis's lament, "The current mainstream academic view is that Vespoids themselves possess independent breeding capabilities. However, under suitable environmental conditions, certain individuals have an extremely small probability of mutating into a Vespoid Queen."
"The Vespoid Queen has extremely strong reproductive abilities, capable of breeding large numbers of Vespoids in a short time. Meanwhile, nearby Vespoids influenced by factors like hormones will naturally gather around the Vespoid Queen, forming an 'Insect Swarm.'"
At this point, the Professor paused, "Earlier on our way here, we dissected several Vespoids. Part of the purpose was to confirm whether a Vespoid Queen had appeared."
"Vespoids influenced by the Queen will undergo certain changes in their internal organs. We didn't find such changes, which is normal given the considerable distance."
"If we examine the Vespoids here, we should be able to make some discoveries."
Hearing this, Altaïr understood, "So that's why you asked us to immediately begin the extermination, to obtain new dissection samples."
"Speaking of which, should we still be careful not to damage the corpses too much?"
The Professor lifted his eyelids to glance at him, "Be careful at the beginning. Leaving one or two corpses suitable for dissection is enough. For the rest, do whatever is most efficient."
"My reason for having you start the extermination immediately isn't just to obtain dissection samples. The appearance of an Insect Swarm, or even a Vespoid Queen, near human settlements is itself an emergency that must be resolved."
"Exterminating dozens of Vespoids is no easy task. Before locating the nest, it's necessary to eliminate as many Vespoids as possible."
As he spoke, the Professor took out that mission form with many sections left incomplete.
With a flourish of his pen, he manually added another star after the original "★★" rating, making it "★★★".
In the "Mission Objective" section, he wrote "Exterminate thirty Vespoids", and added "Vespoid Queen" to the "Potential Monsters" column.
"Let's write thirty as the initial extermination target. We can adjust it if you exceed that number. Don't worry, the corresponding reward will increase accordingly." The Professor handed the form forward.
Looking at the heavily modified mission form, Altaïr's mouth twitched slightly.
Guildmarm Sophia said this old man holds a high position and has the authority to do this. That should be reliable, right?
PS: Vespoid Queen, sometimes literally translated as "Queen Insect" in kanji, is a hidden monster in MH2G. I recall it appears after continuously killing 20 or so Vespoids.
Additional note: There's an official bug here. In early setting collections, the Vespoid Queen's body length was set at 227cm, while in the 15th anniversary monster size compilation, it's 691cm; a damn threefold difference!
This chapter adopts the latter measurement. What's more thrilling than a human-sized giant mosquito? A seven-meter-long one!