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Chapter 227 – Day 3 of Trading Life
I had been at the Botanical Garden Dungeon since morning to build a healing potion factory.
Jennifer and Lipa were gathering plants inside.
“Healing potions? Do you make sleeping potions and paralysis potions, too?”
Jennifer grabbed a fire-breathing walking weed and tied its petals. She seemed to be trying to stop it from breathing fire.
“I plan to eventually. But right now, we only have as many bottles as there are at the entrance.”
My dungeon is on standby there. I’m having it spit out bottles one by one.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to turn part of the Botanical Garden Dungeon into a factory?”
“If that’s possible, I suppose it’s fine. Would Jennifer become the dungeon master of the Botanical Garden Dungeon? It’s unoccupied now, right?”
“Is that okay!?”
“Just don’t start a fight with the other dungeons.”
“There’s nothing to be gained from that, so I won’t. You can make the bottles as long as you have the materials, right?”
“Probably. Do you know what the bottle materials are?”
“Sand and lime, plus the stone from the hot springs. I’ll experiment with those materials and try to import some from the Meiju Kingdom.”
No hot springs have been found in the demonic land yet. They might be found around the southwestern mountain range, though.
“You could even get them from the Kingdom of Estinia.”
“Ah, right! I got carried away thinking about what I could get in return for sending magic stones.”
“We’ve gathered wheat and have plenty of food. We have what we need, right? Is there anything you want, Lipa?”
“I think it would be better to have buildings. At the very least, buildings like a botanical garden or a genetic research lab might give the dungeon dwellers peace of mind.”
“That’s a fair point. After all, in the demonic land, we live in dungeons, caves, and ruins. People need places to settle down. Should we restore the foundations and put up some pillars?”
“Since you’re busy, Makyo-san, it’s fine to do it after you’ve finished your other tasks.”
“No, I think it’s important. I should consider the workers’ living conditions.”
Forcing people to live somewhere they don’t want feels wrong.
We can’t just have them pitch tents near the magic stone mine. Housing will be needed at the northeast iron mine as well.
“Hel, make me a time magic trowel as soon as possible.”
I say to the sound-light device. I’m still not sure if I’m using it correctly.
“I’m making it now. Come get it.”
A moment later, a reply came from the dungeon floor.
“I’ll go. If you need anything, let me know.”
“How about the original members have a meal together once a week? I’m starting to lose track of who’s doing what. Maybe we could find ways to help each other. Some of us might not know how far along Makyo-san’s plan is.”
Jennifer’s suggestion was right.
“Yeah, that’s true. What day should we meet?”
“Tomorrow.”
“All right, let’s have a meal together at the home cave tomorrow. I’ll tell Katan.”
“Please do.”
I left the Botanical Garden dungeon, carried the jar inside, and headed to the home cave with my own dungeon.
“A dinner party? Got it. Tomorrow works—I can prepare. You liked the haze turtle soup, didn’t you?”
“Right! If we run out, I’ll hunt some from the swamp.”
“No need. We should still have enough meat and bones.”
“All right, thanks.”
Then, I flew out into the desert.
“You seem to be flying around a lot. You must be busy.”
I exited the military base dungeon, and Hel came to greet me.
For some reason, Kahiman was there, too. He was on the east coast yesterday—did he teleport here?
“You’re building something, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I made two types of patterned baking paddles. They’re prototypes, so don’t expect much, and don’t throw them away if they don’t work.”
I took the two trowels from Hel.
“The wood doesn’t need to dry, does it?”
If the paddles are frozen in time, they won’t suddenly crack from moisture loss.
“That’s right. It saves effort, but if a rift appears in the magic circle in an area with low magic power, it’ll collapse.”
“Depends on the land, then.”
“The demonic land should be fine.”
“So, what about Kahiman? Did you need something?”
It seemed like Kahiman had been waiting for Hel and me to finish talking.
“The harpies in the south are suffering from a water shortage.”
“Ah, right. They said that going to the western water source was life-threatening, too.”
“How about trying the sleeping bird’s magic stone? It gathers moisture from the air to create water spheres, so the water shouldn’t be too contaminated.”
Come to think of it, there was a waterbird monster that did that.
“Should I go get one?”
“Actually, I already got one.”
Kahiman smiled and showed me the bag containing the magic stone.
“You’re well prepared.”
“I ate a lot of poultry dishes.”
Katan must have used it for cooking.
“I’ll take it with me. Are you coming, Kahiman?”
“Yeah, but I can’t fly.”
As he said that, my dungeon gently enveloped him.
“He says he’ll give you a ride.”
“Is that okay?”
“Sure. Hey, thanks for the trowel.”
“No, it was something I needed to make anyway.” I had the golems handle it. Don’t worry about it.”
“Ah, I should mention this before I forget. We’re having a dinner party tomorrow, so come back to the house. Tell everyone else, too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the original members, and I want to know what everyone’s been up to.”
“Got it. Even though we’re all moving at our own pace, we’re all doing different things.”
“But we’re all working for the demonic land. More than their share of the rent.”
“Right. I’d completely forgotten about the rent.”
“Well, then.”
“Yeah, see you.”
I lifted Kahiman and the dungeon and soared straight into the sky.
“Whoa!”
Kahiman let out an unexpectedly excited cry.
As I flew alongside the Desert Eagle, soaring high above, Kahiman seized it with a whirl of magic.
“Dinner’s ready.”
He grabbed the bird midair, plucked its feathers, and dissected it. He was still as dexterous as ever.
Soon, we reached the ruins where the harpies lived.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
The harpies, who had seemed downcast, suddenly perked up at my arrival.
“It’s not good. Carrying water back and forth is tearing our feathers to shreds.”
“We can get food, sure, but it’s not nutritious enough, so our skin gets dry and flaky.”
“We can cook with magic tools, but there’s nothing here but sand. It’s sapping our will.”
Their pent-up anxieties and frustrations spilled out.
“We’re pioneering uninhabited parts of the demonic land. To some extent, it can’t be helped. But I also brought a magic stone for gathering water.”
Kahiman showed them the Sleeping Bird magic stone.
“I hear that this magic stone gathers water from the air. Try using it during times of day with temperature differences, like morning or evening.”
“Hm, that sounds useful. I’ll give it a try.”
“Also, from now on, I’ll need you to gather sand.”
“There’s plenty of sand around, isn’t there?”
“It’s for making bottles. I want you to work. Didn’t you say you had nothing to do?”
“True. But where are we supposed to gather it? We don’t even have the right tools.”
“I’ll bring tools later. Unused ruins would be the best place to gather.”
Unused areas are covered in sand and buried beneath it.
Using the magic cube, I dug out the sand. There are tiled floors and walls, so it might become livable if we add a roof.
“Were there low shrubs to the west?”
“Yeah, there’s a thicket of short trees near the water source.”
The harpy with the tattered wings answered.
I examined and healed her wings with sonar magic.
“Will you guide us there?”
“Alright. But heal everyone else’s injuries, too.”
“Didn’t you have enough healing potions?”
“With wings and claws, we can’t perform such delicate tasks.”
The harpies showed me their wings and feet. It was a racial issue.
Since the bottles were made for humans, it’s no wonder they didn’t fit. We’ll try to minimize this difference.
“I see. Kahiman, apply the healing potion to them.”
“Got it.”
Guided by the harpy, I headed west toward the water source.
I had the dungeon store water from the source and cut down large quantities of shrubs. There was a one-horned rabbit hiding there, too, so I hunted it down.
I bound the shrubs with magic cords, carried the water-filled dungeon, and returned to the ruins.
Kahiman was butchering a Desert Eagle and preparing dinner.
“Kahiman-san is amazing!”
“He fixed the traps properly, and he can cook well, too.”
“Having just one man around makes such a difference!”
Though the harpies praised him, Kahiman seemed uncomfortable.
“I think harpies aren’t good with tools. Maybe we should send someone from the dungeon dwellers.”
Kahiman whispered to me.
“That might be a good idea.”
I filled the dry well with water and laid shrubs to form a roof over the ruins where only the walls remained. It’s just a temporary fix using the adhesive Kahiman made by mixing honey from honey ants with sand.
“I’ll bring boards eventually, but this is a temporary roof for now. Doesn’t it make the living space a bit bigger?”
“But won’t that mean more scorpions will come out?”
“Didn’t you have that paralysis medicine from the succulent plants?”
Kahiman asked the harpies.
“Well, whatever. Just use this one I have. Sprinkle it around the house. It’ll keep the scorpions away.”
Kahiman scattered the paralysis drug around the newly built house.
“”””Whoa!””””
A murmur rose from the harpies. Kahiman’s standing skyrocketed.
“In the demonic land, this isn’t anything to be so surprised about. Please, at least do this much.”
“But we didn’t know.”
We were only taught how to hunt monsters. We never thought about ways to protect ourselves from them.”
“Are there other ways to use magic tools?”
Pressed by the harpies, Kahiman turned to me as if seeking help.
“Kahiman, maybe you should teach them a little.”
“Oh… Well, then I’ll stay the night. With Makyo-san…”
The harpies let out a cheer of “Waaah!”
“You dragged me into this.”
“Refusing would damage your reputation as lord.”
Kahiman had started speaking like that, too.
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