Chapter 340
The judging ended after about two hours. Whew, I was amazed by all the different plants everyone had grown. Walnuts with a texture like gum, sweet potatoes so sweet they caused heartburn but restored fullness to the maximum with just one, kiwis whose seeds popped and crackled in your mouth, wheat that had no flavor but rapidly increased your fullness... These were all well received.
However, there were also some things that received scathing reviews. There was asparagus so bitter that it made the judges writhe in agony, onions that released such a foul stench the entire plaza was affected the moment they were peeled, watermelons as large as a person's head whose only edible part was a small section in the center, and small metal grapes that only Metallica could eat—and which were apparently not very tasty. I felt like shouting, "What do you have to do to create something like this?"
It was a two-hour stretch in which I was shown all kinds of crops, from things that made me want them to things that made me glad I wasn't a judge, but I never got bored for a moment from beginning to end. It might be fun to reveal how we grew them to one another afterward. I'll send a message to the clan chat later.
I was made to realize that the nuts and other things I had created were still within the bounds of common sense. Though we had simply piggybacked on the event to hold this festival ourselves, it had gone better than expected. Konrad must have smelled money in some of the food, because he pestered me to compile a chart showing who had made what. He was so pushy that I couldn't refuse... Perhaps it was precisely because he was that forceful that he had made a name for himself as a talented merchant.
In any case, once all the judging was finished, the next step was announcing the results. The winner who had received the highest total score from the strict judges and claimed the prestigious first place was someone unexpected.
"And now, Sei-sama, the outstanding winner of the competition, how do you feel?"
It might be rude to call him unexpected, but I never thought Sei would win. I had considered Iris or Shiitake the favorites, and Nenaashi as well since he was plant-type, so Sei had been completely off my radar.
The plant Sei had created was a peach called 'Phantom Peach.' When it was brought before the judges, we were puzzled. The reason was that the plate appeared to be empty. Yes, this peach was colorless and transparent.
It definitely existed, but because it was transparent, watching the judges eat felt like watching a pantomime in which they pretended to eat something. However, its taste was superb, and it was a superfood that restored health while granting resistance to status ailments for a certain period. It was good enough to deserve the victory. Incidentally, the Metallica evaluation was, "It smells good."
"Well, I barely did anything. It's all thanks to Tess and Momo, so honestly, I feel bad being here... But I'm happy to have won."
Even Sei himself seemed confused, as though he hadn't expected to win either. Tess and Momo were both his familiars. Ah, perhaps his familiars had cared for the plants while he was logged out. If so, they must have been able to devote more care to them than anyone else.
On top of that, Momo was a plant-type monster. As you could tell from the peach fruit growing at the tip of Momo's tail, Momo had been born from a peach seed. Since Momo understood better than anyone what needed to be done, Momo must have been able to produce the finest fruit.
I didn't consider that cheating. If Sei's familiars hadn't been attached enough to diligently care for potted plants while he was logged out, this result would never have happened. It may be a trite and clichéd way of putting it, but I suppose this was a victory for their bond. As one of the losers, I offer them my wholehearted praise.
When I began to applaud, the clapping was sparse at first, but the venue was soon enveloped in a storm of applause. Sei scratched his head bashfully, though he looked happy at the same time. Yes, it was an endearingly youthful reaction.
"Do you think that 'Phantom Peach' fruit could be supplied steadily? If so, we'd make a fortune. Seriously."
"Hmm. It will probably be difficult, but I'll try."
The value of 'Phantom Peach' was obvious to everyone. Once the event ended, its seeds would remain, so if they could be cultivated successfully, it should be possible to increase their numbers, although it would take effort. Indeed, this event seemed designed to encourage exactly that.
However, struggling to create something with powerful effects is a familiar staple not only in games but in real life as well. We had powerful allies in the Dark Elves, who could bring out the best in plants or kill them outright, but turning something like this into a commercial product, as Konrad wanted, would likely take time.
If we could easily mass-produce an item as powerful as 'Phantom Peach,' wouldn't that break the game's balance? I couldn't imagine the Goddesses—the Management AIs—letting that slide. I'm not an expert on games, but I doubted this prediction would be wrong.
"Oh, I don't need huge quantities. If there are too many, their scarcity value will drop and we won't be able to sell them for as much."
"...I see? Would it be a problem if their numbers increased too much?"
Apparently, Konrad wanted to preserve 'Phantom Peach's' rarity while selling it regularly as an expensive luxury product. He'd probably gouge wealthy customers... Oh, how frightening.
"Well, if their numbers increase, we can think of another way to sell them. They're fruit, so there are all kinds of ways to process them."
"Ways to use fruit, huh? Dried fruit, jam, canned fruit... And then there's alcohol, I suppose?"
"Alcohol! Great idea. If we advertised it as 'alcohol made with generous amounts of Phantom Peach,' there would be people willing to buy it even at a ridiculous price. If it tasted good and retained its healing effect, its value would rise even higher."
"It's fun to let your imagination run wild, but in our current situation, anything we say is nothing more than counting our chickens before they're hatched. Don't get your hopes up."
As the two of us let our imaginations run wild over a plant whose ability to grow was still unknown, Sei stepped down from the stage. I was reluctant to see it end and had just begun thinking that the festival was over when around twenty Scars trooped onto the stage. Only four of them were men, and all four carried something resembling drums. Everyone else was a woman dressed in flowing traditional costumes.
What? What's starting? I wasn't told there would be any entertainment besides the judging!? I looked around to see how my companions were reacting, but nearly everyone present, including Eiji and Nanako, seemed just as confused as I was.
The women were different, however. They had gathered together at some point and looked vaguely proud. Ah, so you were the masterminds behind this. So this was a surprise. When had they started preparing? I hadn't noticed even the slightest sign of it.
"Next up is a dance by the Scars. Please enjoy this performance expressing celebration and joy."
When the host Towa stepped down from the stage, the Scar men began beating their drums with their hands. A large drum as big as a barrel sat on the floor, while smaller drums were tucked under their arms; together, they produced a rhythmic beat as the women performed a dynamic dance in time with it, captivating the audience, myself included.
They've started dancing with Fireballs floating in their palms! The flames moved with their hands, tracing beautiful arcs. It was the kind of dance where someone could get hurt if anyone made a mistake, but that danger only drew the audience in even more.
"Huh?"
"Hey, seriously?"
As the dance reached its climax and the rhythm of the drums accelerated, someone landed on the stage. It was Toji, carrying two curved swords wreathed in flames by 【Imbuement】. She joined the circle, becoming part of the increasingly intense dance.
Toji danced with movements every bit as sharp as the Scar dancers'—no, even sharper—and put on a stunning display. She specialized in sword dancing, but it was impossible to believe that her movements relied entirely on the system's assistance. Perhaps she danced in real life as well.
When the music became even more intense, the dancers astonishingly launched the Fireballs floating in their palms at Toji! Toji sliced apart the Fireballs attacking her one after another with her curved swords. The remnants of the severed Fireballs scattered through the air like a shower of flower petals, transforming into a spectacular effect that brought the dance to a magnificent close.
After a moment of silence, thunderous applause filled the venue. What a wonderful performance. Trembling with emotion, I applauded along with everyone else and gave every performer who had taken the stage my unreserved praise.
"Thank you very much. Next up is a concert by the Dark Elves. Please enjoy the harmony of their traditional instruments and the new instruments created by the Metallica."
Most of the instruments the Dark Elves carried were made of wood, but several metal instruments were mixed among them. Those must have been the instruments made by the Metallica.
When the performance began, calm yet lively music flowed through the plaza. Ah, it had been a long time since I had simply listened to music at leisure. It was deeply soothing. Konrad, standing beside me, was muttering that the instruments might sell well too, but I decided to ignore him.
As I listened, Iris slipped away from the group of women and came over to me. She waggled her tentacles with a smug air and said, "The surprise was a success, wasn't it?"
"Yes, you really surprised me. When did you plan this?"
"When it was decided that we would hold the competition. Since we were going to hold it anyway, we thought we'd have the residents participate too."
Having the residents participate increased the number of events at the festival, but more importantly, it greatly strengthened the sense of unity among all the residents. Even now, people of different Races were standing beside one another and laughing together. They had already been growing accustomed to one another through their daily lives, but it seemed their sense of camaraderie had grown even stronger through the festival.
The timing of the residents' practice was easy to understand. They could practice in secret as much as they wanted while we were logged out. What puzzled me was how smoothly they got on and off the stage. Wouldn't that have been difficult without someone teaching them?
"Remember when we had Izamu strike a pose? That was just a stalling tactic to make sure you wouldn't accidentally see us checking the day's proceedings. The part about designing the statue was true, though."
Ah, that was it! I had never suspected that I was being kept occupied. In any case, it seemed that all the men, myself included, had been completely outmaneuvered. The women's solidarity and deftness at handling things seemed far superior to mine.
Iris told me the next act would be a song by the Centaurs. For now, I decided to stop thinking about anything else and enjoy the festival to the fullest!