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TL: ALT
Chapter 225 – Day 1 of Trading Life
The demonic land coin manufacturing permit arrived from the royal capital.
When I woke up that morning, Sylvia had returned with a large amount of fruit.
“Hey, welcome back.”
“I’m back. So, Makyo was living quite the popular life with prostitutes, huh?”
She seems to have found out about my past somehow. She’s completely stopped stuttering.
“Did you go to the trading village?”
“Yeah, I spent some time teaching the villagers how to use magic. Isn’t life in the demonic land all about lewd sexual escapades?”
“I didn’t think it was lewd back then either. It’s just that the people I got close to were straightforward.”
At this, Sylvia grinned.
While I was washing my face in the swamp, Hel had returned unnoticed and handed me a cloth to dry off.
“Welcome back.”
“I’m back. It looks like we can establish a trading village beyond the Milder Highway. For now, I’ve asked the undead to handle security.”
“You mean we can set up a trading post in the Elven Kingdom?”
“Exactly. Also, take a look at this magical tool. If we install this antenna on the floating island, we can clearly and clearly communicate from anywhere in the demonic land.”
The magic tool resembles a magic stone and is called a Sound-Light Device. Apparently, it allows conversation with distant locations through voice and glowing text. Suddenly, I felt as if I had seen something similar in a dream, as if it were a memory from a past life.
“That’s convenient. How many did you bring?”
“One for each base. Ideally, I’d like one for each person.”
Her words caused characters to float onto the ground through the Sound-light Device. The light could project anywhere—onto an arm, for example, or even clothing.
“Can’t you make one, Hel?”
“I haven’t figured it out yet. I thought the golems might know.”
“So this is the antenna?”
“Yeah. Relay points shouldn’t need much mana. Can you set it up so that the wind won’t blow it away?”
“Got it. I’ll do it after breakfast.”
For breakfast, we had soup with Katan’s special chewy bread. It tasted fresh; I’d almost forgotten that bread came in different varieties.
“So, what’s changed in the demonic land?”
To Sylvia, the demonic land always seemed to be changing.
“Things happened while you two were gone. Magic stone mining started in the northwest, and Ka-Ryu is building a new lighthouse in the town of the undead. I gave the harpies from Cliff Garuda in the desert some furs and tools that use warming magic, but they’re still not used to the land. They just keep flying away.”
I pulled out the letter that had arrived the night before and showed it to them. They seemed to have anticipated this, nodding as they ate breakfast.
“Also, the royal family sent a permit to manufacture demonic land coins. This means we can now produce currency within the demonic land.”
“Huh!? Demonic land currency?”
“Yeah. Is that the direction we’re taking?”
For a moment, both of their spoons paused in midair.
“The population inside the demonic land is growing. There are shortages; things are going badly. Luckily, we found an iron mine to the northeast. You know about the Time Magic circle, right? I want to create coins that can only be used within the demonic land.”
“First, what can those coins be exchanged for?”
Hel asked. Sharp as ever.
“Magic stones. Chel will manage the northwest magic stone mine. She’s also become the dungeon master there. It seems she’s researching magic.”
“Magic stones from the demonic land carry high credibility. I see. Engraving time magic onto them creates value higher than gold…”
Hel nodded vigorously.
“But how do you make them?”
Sylvia seemed curious about engraving the magic circle onto iron.
“First, we’ll make a mold to shape it roughly. Then, Hel will finish the details of the magic circle.”
“No, a stamp will suffice. In this demonic land, no one can completely nullify magical power.”
“But wouldn’t the ink wear off while carrying it around?”
“It won’t. The soil in this demonic land has high magical power to begin with. It’s as if a magic circle is constantly active. However, if you press a time magic circle stamp, the ink won’t transfer to the coin. Combine two stamps to complete the magic circle.”
“I see. But won’t that make it easier to counterfeit?”
“Time magic circles aren’t that well known. Only people like us know about them.”
“What if someone who knows about Satra’s knowledge comes along?”
Sylvia asked Hel.
I thought about what we should put on the coin if we were going to add a gimmick.
“In that case, maybe we should put a gimmick on the reverse side.”
“Like Makyo’s face?”
“No. Wouldn’t something like the Deer God or a dragon emblem be better?”
“What do you think, Makyo?”
Sylvia turned to me when I suddenly fell silent.
“You can do whatever you want with the reverse design. It can change yearly. More importantly, can you infuse the coin with a specific magic stone?”
“You mean change the concentration? Since it’s a mineral, I suppose it’s possible.”
“Right. If possible, could we infuse it with Imp magic stones? They’re good for ailments.”
“Hmm, that might work. But the magic stone’s effect weakens over time.”
“Even so. In the demonic land, health comes first, so it’s like a wish.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s do that. That’s the way to go.”
After breakfast, Sylvia headed to the northwest mines. He went to the desert military base. I took the antenna of the sound-light device to the Sky Island. We each set off.
“Have a good trip!”
“We’re off!”
Katan saw us off as we started running.
Even Hel, who can’t use magic, can use mana. Recently, she has gotten the hang of circulating it. She’s even using mana property changes, apparently.
“I still can’t break curses like Makyo.”
“Just observe slimes, and you’ll pick it up naturally. You just need to observe the demonic land.”
Even so, Hel was still scratching her head.
I parted ways with her at the desert army base and flew skyward, kicking up dust.
Despite being in the desert at noon, the sky was cold. An island in the sky was visible at the end of the chain.
Glancing sideways, I saw a Desert Eagle with wings spread twice my height, fleeing. I had thrown stones at them a few times before and knocked one down, so they seemed wary of me.
I landed on the sky island. It was cold, so the dungeon emerged from my armor to warm me. It felt like a winter coat, though it might have just wanted to use up its stored magic.
This is the grave of Peter Jefferson, a descendant of the dragonkin. I installed the antenna near the gravestone. Secured with palm sap, it shouldn’t come loose.
“Antenna installed. Is it working?”
I sent a signal to the sound-light device Hel was holding, and I received an immediate reply.
“Reception excellent. No issues. We received word that the dragons have begun transporting the magic stones. Wait for us on the east coast.”
The women are already becoming proficient with the sound-light device.
“Roger that.”
I plunged from the tip of the Sky Island. The wind instantly dried out my mouth.
I used water magic on my arms to gain buoyancy and flew eastward in one swift motion. Gradually, the sensation of my magic power interfering faded away.
I was starting to fly naturally, without needing to think about it.
Looking down from above, I saw succulent plants resembling rocks thriving in the desert in the aftermath of flash floods. They were probably luring monsters to feed on them.
In the forest, too, there were places where fields of Rafflesia flowers had formed; the stench of decay drifted around them.
Staring intently, I saw a giant pumpkin preying on an emerald monkey. Perhaps it was an autumn version of the camouflage fruit. Vines twined and stretched as if trying to strangle the trees.
Though the vegetation on the eastern side was different, it had changed considerably with the arrival of autumn.
Several dungeon dwellers were hunting. They appeared to be targeting a wild boar, but a bear was stalking them from behind. I recognized them because they were wearing clothes. If they hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have helped.
“You should always watch your back.”
As I fell, I sliced off the wild bear’s head and warned the dungeon dwellers. They were startled by the Lord’s sudden appearance, but I calmed them, saying, “Get used to it.”
“Have the monsters changed with the season?”
“Yes, the plants have changed, and monsters I’ve never seen before are appearing.”
Large leopards, deer with magnificent antlers wrapped in plant vines, and huge flocks of crows were said to be entering their breeding season on the East Coast.
“They’ve even learned to spot the pitfalls. We have to get creative, or else we won’t be able to hunt.”
“What kind of tricks are you using?”
“Right now, even if we try to lure them with rotten smells, they think it’s rafflesia and become wary.”
“Then what scent are you using to lure them?”
“We’re trying things, but nothing has been particularly effective so far…”
Rustle!
Kahiman emerged from the thicket. He had blood on him in places, but it wasn’t his own.
“I heard something fall and came to check. Turns out it was you, Makyo-san.”
“Hey, Kahiman. Having trouble setting traps?”
“Yeah, I’m using a mix of blood and boiled chestnut juice, but I haven’t had any luck.”
“I see. Keep trying different things.”
After that, I briefly examined the wild bear’s carcass. Then, I shared information about the Rafflesia flower fields and desert succulents.
“If you’re going to collect Rafflesia dissolution fluid, you should prepare either an ice magic staff or a jar.”
“Got it.”
Kahiman nodded and vanished back into the thicket. The trap master of the demonic land seemed to still be growing.
I headed for the East Coast with the dungeon dwellers.
The dragon flock hadn’t arrived yet.
While sparring with the dungeon dwellers, I told them to observe their own bodies. Since they are Lamia or Arachne, they can’t fight without understanding their own strengths and weaknesses.
“The number of legs and tails changes your attack style, so try using everything and have fun.”
When I shaved a tree branch into a wooden sword and we sparred, I was surprised by their strength. They said they never skipped the training Lipa taught them.
“Then it’s about field of vision. See? Check the range of motion while dismantling or climbing trees for an overhead view.”
I explained, showing the Wild Bear’s arm joint.
“Is that really enough?”
“That’s enough. If you stab a sword into the connection point of this joint, there’s no way it can use its right arm, right?”
“I suppose so.”
“Muscles move bones. Where you attack and which muscles you sever drastically changes the situation. That’s how you should dismantle them.”
“I see.”
We waited for the dragons while the dungeon dwellers dismantled the monsters.
Before sunset, the dragons finally arrived.
“Took you long enough.”
Sylvia, who had led the dragons, was utterly exhausted.
“They were stubborn. Their blood is too thick. Even adding vampire blood didn’t help much. In the end, I had to borrow Chel’s power.”
“It was just the first day. We couldn’t find our rhythm. Let’s use the ruins of Midgard as a relay point.”
Chel patted Sylvia on the shoulder.
We put the magic stones that the dragons brought into the warehouse for now and waited for the ship from the Meiju Kingdom, which was due tomorrow.
Sylvia made sure the dragons rested and ate properly.
Tonight’s dinner was bear stew.
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