Festival Uproar (2)

The judging was proceeding smoothly. Even the conventional offerings—delicious vegetables and medicinal herbs whose effects were wonderful despite their awful taste—were tame. There were also several mysterious crops whose creation was impossible to understand, such as fruits that laughed with a cackle and peppers so smelly and bitter they could kill you.

A wide variety of crops were presented one after another, prompting the judges to scream or marvel, while the spectators watched with food from the stalls in hand, laughing uproariously or wishing they could have some. Events that brought large groups of people together really were wonderful.

"Munch, munch... I can't stop laughing! Preparing those food stalls was absolutely the right decision!"

The person who called out to Usuba and me from behind as we watched the spectacle while making small talk was Konrad. He was in high spirits as he carried food from the stalls his company members had set up in both hands. That was only natural, since he was convinced he could amass a tremendous fortune from this.

I had told Konrad that barter was the basis of commerce in this city, but although he said he was willing to trade by barter, he encouraged people to pay in Zel instead. The Metallica had their own currency, and the four Races already knew what money was, so they accepted it despite finding it novel.

There was a reason people who had mostly only ever bartered accepted currency so readily. Although Konrad made sure to offer fair trades even when bartering, he offered discounts to anyone who used Zel. Discount... No one could resist that sweet sound. Everyone scrambled to obtain Zel by selling various items to the 'Kontra Trading Company.'

They normally kept items in their homes for use in bartering, but they unloaded their stores and sold them for cash, then used it to enjoy the food from the stalls. One might think the 'Kontra Trading Company' had lost money by offering discounts, but it would be no exaggeration to say that they were actually the biggest winners. There were three reasons for that.

The first reason was that they had been able to purchase a huge quantity of items. Materials from monsters found only on the Tinbrika Continent were guaranteed to sell if brought to other continents. Their rarity alone would make wealthy people want to buy them so they could show them off.

In particular, the pelts of beast-type monsters and the scales of Evilfish-type monsters would become even more beautiful after processing. Even after taking the processing costs into account, the 'Kontra Trading Company' was sure to make a huge profit.

The second reason was that they had successfully introduced Zel, a currency used throughout the world, to this city. We had actually wanted to introduce Zel ourselves, since we knew how convenient a monetary economy was, but that had been impossible. The reason was obvious: we didn't have enough cash to put into circulation among the residents.

In that regard, the 'Kontra Trading Company,' one of the wealthiest player-run companies, had money to spare. They had so much that they didn't even need to take advantage of the naive residents when buying their items. However, there was another reason, in addition to their relationship with us, why they had not preyed on the residents.

That was the third reason: to ensure that they would be welcomed once they established a base in this city. The 'Kontra Trading Company' would buy items from the Tinbrika Continent from us and the residents, then sell items imported from other continents in return. In other words, a system of intercontinental trade monopolized by the 'Kontra Trading Company' could be established.

Once the 'Kontra Trading Company' opened a store, some of the residents would surely take an interest in commerce. I would be happy if they competed fiercely with one another, grew as merchants, and eventually turned the main street into a bustling shopping district.

This would benefit us as well, but there was also the concern that we might end up being dominated economically. Konrad seemed aware of that, and said that once the company's business in the city was up and running, he would share the route with other trustworthy merchants. That would expose us as well... We would need to build up enough strength that it wouldn't matter if our existence became known.

"Munch, munch... So, have you thought about that matter?"

"Building a new port town and a canal to connect it... That'll be a massive undertaking."

The grand project the 'Kontra Trading Company' proposed to us, the 'Nightwalkers,' today was the construction of a port town and a canal. The port would not merely be large enough for small boats; it would be big enough to berth multiple large ships capable of sailing into the open ocean. The canal would run from the Great Arterial River that Circles the Land, where we had first launched the Shiratsuki, through this city and onward to the planned port town.

If the plan came to fruition, it would surely be convenient. By keeping the canal under our control, we would be able to reach the port town much faster and more safely than by traveling across the field.

However, large-scale construction would require enormous quantities of materials and labor. Major construction projects cost enough to bring down a nation. The Great Wall built by Qin Shi Huang and the Grand Canal built by Emperor Yang of Sui are reminders of how disastrous it can be to undertake such projects recklessly.

Fortunately, the heavy-equipment Golems jointly developed by Shiitake and Iris were nearing completion, which would greatly reduce the labor required. If necessary, we could also hire tactical-shell users from the Metallica as extra help. We should be able to manage the labor somehow.

Even if the labor could be dealt with, the problem of materials remained. We would need several times the amount of stone and lumber used to repair this city alone. We would have to gather them patiently. And the final, greatest problem was that several other construction projects were already scheduled.

"I'm afraid we'll have to prioritize rebuilding the city walls and improving Felfenil-sama's nest. Until those are finished, we can't even think about a port or a canal."

"That actually works out perfectly. If I have our employees help with those projects, they can gain Skill EXP."

"...I hadn't expected your employees to be almost entirely residents. Though that is certainly more convenient for us as well."

All of the company members Konrad had brought to this continent were residents except for Sebastian, who served as his bodyguard, secretary, and butler. The 'Kontra Trading Company' had player allies as well, but it employed even more of the people known as NPCs, or residents.

There were two reasons for that. The first was to prevent information leaks. No matter how many warnings were given, the more players became involved, the greater the chance that information would leak somewhere. Konrad still wanted to keep the Tinbrika Continent and our existence hidden for now, so he had minimized the number of players accompanying him to avoid that risk.

However, the second reason was probably more important. The 'Kontra Trading Company' did not merely aim to be a trading company; it aimed to become a conglomerate with a wide range of industries under its umbrella. For that purpose, residents were easier to keep under control than players. As a result, the 'Kontra Trading Company' currently employed more residents than any other player-run company.

Since the 'Kontra Trading Company' aimed to become a conglomerate, it employed all sorts of artisans. Many of them were highly skilled but had been unable to find work and were struggling to make ends meet for various reasons. They were ideal employees for Konrad, so he had hired them ahead of the other players under exceptionally favorable terms.

To those artisans whose hard-earned skills were going to waste, Konrad was practically a savior. They worked diligently to repay him. Among those artisans, he brought the most talented ones who held no prejudice against other Races to work in our city. They were the people selling food at the stalls even now.

Those artisans included architects, carpenters, and stonemasons. They had been given important roles, such as surveying and designing the planned port town's site and assisting with its construction. If professionals in those fields designed it, the finished product would surely be impressive... But that was precisely why the exact quantity of materials required was so daunting.

"I wish you could have seen Alan-kun's face when he saw the city walls! He got furious and said, 'This isn't a city wall! It's just a pile of stones!' Though he cheered right up the moment he saw inside the city."

"Speaking of Alan-kun... Wasn't he the man who said, right off the bat, 'I want to speak to whoever directed the city's reconstruction'?"

"Ah, that was a masterpiece. The look on his face when he froze after seeing Iris-san and Shiitake-san, whom he had summoned..."

Konrad laughed brightly, while Usuba quietly chuckled as he recalled the incident. They were remembering what had happened before the exhibition began, when Konrad had held a meeting with the people he brought along. No sooner had they finished discussing where to put the stalls than a thin man wearing bottle-bottom glasses pressed up to me and said...

I somehow managed to calm the excited man down and introduced him to the two women, but apparently he hadn't expected a rock with tentacles and a spiny mushroom with arms and legs to appear. He kept adjusting his glasses while his face twitched.

If I hadn't known anything beforehand, I probably would have reacted the same way, so I couldn't laugh as the two of them did. Rather, if someone remained unfazed at first sight, I would consider that person exceptionally bold.

"In any case, if you'll accept our condition that the city walls and Felfenil-sama's nest take priority, I'm in favor of developing the infrastructure. It will be convenient, and more than anything, it will be interesting. I'll ask everyone else for their opinions, but... I doubt anyone will object."

"It's settled! We're going to be busy from now on!"

"Oh, it looks like my turn is coming up. I'll be off."

While Konrad and I shook hands to seal the deal, Usuba headed outside the city to spar with Jigoro and the others. Usuba usually acted as though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but there had been a faint trace of excitement in his voice just now. He must have been looking forward to the sparring quite a bit.

After that, I enjoyed chatting with Konrad while watching the exhibition. At that moment, the judges had just bitten into a completely ordinary-looking tomato, and all of them began breathing fire. They commented that it tasted sweet, but every time they tried to speak, they breathed flames like blowtorches, making it extremely dangerous. Wondering half in admiration what on earth someone had used to create such a thing, I continued enjoying the festival atmosphere.