Chapter 71

"I'm back. By the time I got to Broken, it was already over."

"I was told to call for a guild assembly, so I contacted them, but it was already over. I'm sorry."

"No, I don't think Mercia needs to apologize."

About two hours after arriving in Broken.

It wasn't even evening yet, and I had heard the cause of the summons. The banquet had also ended, so I returned to the guild to report.

The banquet, though not particularly long, wasn't purely for entertainment.

When a large number of adventurers gather, it's often better to have such an event rather than a formal meeting.

Information is exchanged, and since it's a front-line city, no one drinks to the point of collapse.

The main topics today were the changing patterns of monster appearances in Broken and the distribution of today's rewards.

Of course, it wasn't all serious talk; there were also jokes about mages who mishandled their mana and discussions about what to buy with the rewards.

Originally, these wouldn't be laughing matters, but the adventurers, who have become accustomed to super recovery potions, now consider anything short of instant death as just a minor injury.

After such conversations, the food ran out, and everyone dispersed.

If this were a safe city, there would be drinking contests and the party might even last until the next day, but in a front-line city, the party is limited to this extent.

"I'm sorry for calling you during your vacation..."

"I was just finishing up there anyway, so it's no problem. This time it was easy, but it won't always be like that. Is everything okay at the guild?"

"The transportation of Zunana grass is a bit slow with just the ship, and the inventory is running low due to the recent commotion. The Alchemist Guild is still demanding more. Building a facility on the island to distill the liquid might be a good idea. That way, the ship can transport it efficiently."

"Then let's do that. Since we've already defeated Leviathan, we can use its materials to add to the ship."

"Levi... You defeated another sub-dragon!?"

"Yeah. It got caught in a fishing net. It's long, so I might cut it to a suitable length and use it as a dragon bone."

"Please don't talk about sub-dragons like they're just any fish... They're supposed to be so rare that you might hear of one appearing once in a lifetime. And we don't need that many ships."

By the way, sub-dragons are rare.

They've become so common that they feel like mid-bosses.

...Oh, if I keep talking like this, the big boss might show up. I should be careful.

I don't want a dragon to appear.

"Do you really not need the ship? Is the transportation pace insufficient?"

"Building a distillation facility on the island is cost-effective, and I was planning to do it anyway. With that, the current ship will be sufficient."

"Got it, then we don't need it."

If the materials are left over, I might as well build a battleship.

But that's impossible.

"No, we don't need it. What about the distillation facility?"

"Can we move the existing one over there?"

"Please do. The Decibattle wine can now be bought in high concentration from the liquor store. I also want to add more staff."

"Is it okay to expand that much?"

"Actually, it's not enough. We've raised the prices, and there's no shortage in this city, but considering the consumption in other cities, the real challenge will be when the medicine starts to circulate."

"Then there's no problem. Increase production to meet the demand. Should we develop other islands?"

"Not yet, as the harvest can't keep up, but it will be necessary eventually."

"I'll do it when I have time."

The Zunana grass grows back the next day after the trees are destroyed by magic, so it's fine to wait until the staff is ready, but it's good to have the fields prepared.

"Also, I caught a lot of fish over there. Should we sell them? They seem edible without any preparation."

"This city is near the sea, but there's not much fish, so they should sell well. What kind of fish are they?"

"These and these..."

I took out some fish from the item box.

One of each type as a sample.

"Wait a moment, you can't eat that."

After taking out about five fish, Mercia stopped me.

I hadn't noticed, but one of the fish had a unique appearance.

It was inflated and had small fins and tiny spines on its belly.

It's a pufferfish, apparently called Futogra.

"It's poisonous, but can't it be eaten if prepared correctly? Maybe I can detoxify it with magic."

"What's the point of going through all that trouble?"

Pufferfish are delicious, but people in this world don't seem to have the same enthusiasm for food as the Japanese.

Foreigners are reportedly shocked when they see Japanese eating pufferfish...

I might try to prepare it later with an appraisal.

"Let's put the Futogra aside for now. The other fish look good, right?"

"Don't even think about it. The other fish are fine. They haven't been processed, but they won't deteriorate in the item box. Let's prepare them as we need them. We could sell them cooked or grilled."

"Should I cook this one too?"

I pointed to a tuna-like fish, different from the Boat Killer.

It can be grilled, but tuna is best eaten raw.

"People here don't eat raw fish."

"Is that so...?"

Indeed, I don't see much sashimi here.

I can feel the difference in food culture.

"Let's put that aside for now. Just put the fish in the store for now. I'll go set up the distillation equipment and start a new Zunana field."

"Understood. Thank you."

Let's finish the work quickly.

I put the distillation equipment and related materials (mainly magic stones for fuel) into the item box.

"I'm taking this."

"Understood. The alchemists have been noisy, so I'm actually relieved. And those magic stones are for the distillation."

"Those too?"

The alchemists are really demanding concentrated liquid.

I understand they want it, but they should consider our situation too.

We still don't know the market size and the appropriate production volume.

I took off from the warehouse and headed for Zunana Island (the first Zunana Island, I think).

After flying for a while, I could see Zunana Island and some other promising islands nearby.

I have the explosion magic ready, so I might as well secure some farmland.

I'll inform them when I deliver the equipment.

I approached a bearded employee near the office buildings (there were now three, including a small one with a chimney, and the number of employees harvesting herbs had increased, indicating the island's steady development).

"Hey. I've brought the distillation equipment. Where should I put it?"

"Owner? Where did you come from, and when?"

"I just came from the sky. Is there a place for it?"

"Yes, we've prepared a shed for it. This way."

He led me to the smallest of the new buildings.

It had a chimney, probably for the distillation equipment.

I set up the equipment in the designated spot, and it fit well with some space left.

"Pretty well done."

"They called in a carpenter. Business is booming, so even a tenfold price increase didn't affect sales."

I had heard about the price increase, but I didn't know it was that much.

If production continues to expand smoothly, it might lead to something like a conglomerate.

Perhaps the demand and supply need to be balanced, and I should ask Mercia about increasing the staff.

"If we fully utilize this island, how many more people do we need?"

"There are 8 people on the island now. We need about 16 more, excluding the distillation staff. With 24 people in total, we can fully utilize the island."

"Got it."

The production pace will likely triple.

From what I've heard, even triple might not be enough, so further development is necessary.

"Alright, I'll go develop other islands and return. Take care of the Zunana grass inventory and distillation."

"Will we participate?"

"No need. Just let them know there will be a loud noise."

"A little noise won't surprise us."

"It will be quite loud."

"Probably fine."

"See you later."

I flew up and targeted two nearby islands.

First, the one on the right.

I activated the usual explosion magic and barrier, and the trees and uneven terrain were blown away with a loud noise.

The burned field was left behind, destined to be invaded by Zunana grass tomorrow.

I did the same to the other island and looked back at the first Zunana Island.

The employees harvesting Zunana grass were pointing and talking about the commotion.

I didn't want to go back to the island, so I left the explanation to the bearded employee.

When I returned to Photoren, it was still early evening.

The necessary work was done, and I had some free time.

Since I have free time and a sharp knife—also a magic sword—I might as well introduce some Japanese cuisine.

For sashimi, soy sauce would be nice, but a connoisseur would use salt to bring out the flavor of the fish. Salt is the best seasoning.

From what I've tasted, the fish here is quite delicious, so it should be enough to highlight the natural flavor.

I'll show the power of Japanese cuisine, which is popular even in foreign countries.

By the way, I have Leviathan in stock, but it might be too much for regular people, so I'll hold off on that.

I feel the pace has slowed down a bit while considering the story's progression.

I don't want to delay updates for two weeks, so I'll post this for now.

I'll try to speed up the pace from the next chapter.