Chapter 144
The day after I was introduced to Ouki Genjo, I took a walk around town on Sire's back, wondering whether there was any work I could do even during my short stay.
If they were rich and had plenty to spare, there'd be no harm in benefiting from that, but... the Earthfolk were by no means wealthy.
As far as money was concerned, they apparently had accumulated a fair amount through working away from home and processing minerals and gemstones that had shed from their own bodies.
However, Black Snow Province had few ways to obtain water or food, so it relied on imports from outside.
Since Sire and I consumed even more of those precious supplies than the Earthfolk did, simply lounging around made me feel almost unbearably guilty.
Even after looking around, I found that Black Armor Town had few shops, and all transactions were conducted by barter; money of any kind was not in circulation.
It was hard to call the economy developed, but there was an unavoidable reason for that.
That was because the most valuable things in this land—water and food—were rationed by the castle.
The town simply had no room for free trade, economic development, or the disparities between rich and poor that would come with them.
Of course, the castle presumably had a certain amount of water and food stockpiled.
But those were reserves to be released in some sort of emergency, not supplies for anyone to waste.
Before I knew it, several curious children had started following Sire and me as we walked through town.
The children had never been outside Black Snow Province, so this was probably their first time seeing someone other than an Earthfolk—and a horse, too.
...After thinking for a moment, I climbed down from Sire's back.
I picked up the brave boy at the front, a child who looked about seven or eight by human standards, and... as expected, he was considerably heavier than he looked.
Still, he was probably lighter than me in traveling gear, so I lifted him onto Sire's back and seated him in the saddle.
Come to think of it, I wondered how long the Earthfolk lived and how quickly they grew.
"You can switch with another child after a hundred steps."
When I told him that, the Earthfolk boy nodded, his eyes shining with delight.
Sire turned to look back at me uncertainly, so I stroked his neck to soothe him, took up the reins, and set off at a walk.
Oooone, twooo, threeee, fouuur...
I made my way through town, listening to the boy's loud counting.
The town looked very different from atop Sire's back than it did when I walked through it myself.
Maybe it was because I was surrounded by all the children who had swarmed over to me, but I could clearly feel the vitality and strength amid the poverty—things I hadn't noticed before.
When the boy reached a hundred, he didn't whine or protest. He obediently climbed down from Sire's back and yielded his turn to another child.
Even a child this young knew that in Black Snow Province, they couldn't survive without sharing with one another.
I lifted the next child, a girl this time, onto Sire's back and walked on.
Her counting was quieter than the boy's, but her soft, endearing voice was pleasant to hear.
So what could I do for these Earthfolk?
Blacksmithing wouldn't be a bad option.
This was a region with a serious monster threat, so demand for weapons and armor was high, and I could learn techniques unique to this land as well.
But my stay this time was far too short for me to achieve anything through blacksmithing.
In that case, perhaps the obvious answer was securing a water source.
As its name suggested, snow apparently fell in Black Snow Province during winter.
Even if it was black snow covered in volcanic ash, it was still water at its core.
It also rained outside of winter.
So even this land, which had little water available, wasn't completely without it.
The only problem was that the water had sunk deeper and deeper beneath the layers of accumulated volcanic ash.
If it were me, detecting water that had sunk so deep and digging a well down to it would hardly be difficult.
...However, I should discuss that with Ouki Genjo first.
I didn't know much about the arts of immortals, but I knew at least that they involved interfering with nature.
Ouki Genjo, too, possessed water-finding techniques, but perhaps had deliberately refrained from increasing the number of wells for some reason.
It would be better to confirm the situation and obtain permission before actually digging a well.
Since I would be working in return for being allowed to stay, I wanted them to be happy about it, if possible.
When I picked up the girl to switch her with the next child, she grabbed my ear.
Apparently, my elf's pointed ears were unusual to her.
Well, she certainly didn't hold back.
It had been a long time since I left the deep forest of my homeland, but aside from the occasional gentle touch, she was the first person ever to seize my ear in a full grip.
The Earthfolk trait covering the girl's body would probably become rock rather than mineral or gemstone, but even so, I had a feeling this girl would grow into quite a big shot.
But it hurt when she pulled, so I persuaded her to let go.
I wasn't going to get angry over something that minor, and I was glad when she apologized so readily.
What else? Hmm, looking for crops that could grow in this land wouldn't be a bad idea, either.
Volcanic ash came in many varieties, and depending on its composition, it could be suitable for growing certain crops.
Also, sunlight reaching the ground was weak because of the ash floating in the sky, but some plants actually disliked light that was too strong.
There had to be some crop that could grow in Black Armor Town.
For example... yes, the underground tubers and mosses I ate in the dwarves' country, where Azvaldo was now king, seemed as though they could be grown deep in this land, provided I could secure enough water.
Strictly speaking, though, this wasn't something I could do while staying in Black Armor Town. I would have to send crops I found during my travels to this land, so it was slightly outside the purpose of my current stay.
I would have to discuss this with Ouki Genjo as well.
Becoming prosperous did not necessarily lead directly to happiness, but I still believed that thirst and hunger were painful.
No matter how resistant the Earthfolk were to them.
After I had finished looking around town and given all the children a turn riding, I returned to the castle as they waved me off.
In the end, I hadn't easily found anything I could do, but the children had enjoyed themselves today, and I had had fun too, so I decided that was good enough.