Chapter 33

The food at the canteen used by the magicians was rather ordinary. It wasn't bad, but the taste was monotonous and unsatisfying. He thought that eating with Robson and the others in the staff dormitory wouldn't be much different.

The bread, in particular, was terrible. It wasn't the black bread that Robson and the others ate, but it was undoubtedly from the same bakery. It was overly salty and dry.

Ricardo seriously thought he would prefer to eat rice. There were grains similar to rice in this world, so he could obtain them later. However, he wondered how to cook them.

Ricardo had only cooked rice using an electric rice cooker.

Once, when the electric rice cooker he used to have broke down, the rice he cooked was terrible, but it wasn't much different from the bad bread. He wanted to study how to cook and enjoy delicious rice.

After the meal, when he was about to part ways with Tania and the others, Tania spoke up.

"Are you coming to watch the test firing of the new magic cannon with Councilor Isarco?"

Ricardo and Patrick were interested and happily agreed.

"We'll go."

"Of course, I'll go."

The three of them headed to the training ground. There, the royal faction magicians and some quick-eared merchants had gathered to watch. Bernard was also among them.

Bernard didn't seem to notice Ricardo and was talking with his merchant friends.

Councilor Isarco was already there.

"Oh, you brought Ricardo and the others too."

Ricardo and the others greeted Councilor Isarco.

The history of the magic cannon was short, invented by the magic engineer Lucio Cefal two years ago. Initially, it was unpopular.

The magicians opposed it, thinking, "What good is such a thing?"

The magic cannon was a magical tool that allowed anyone to cast magic, not just magicians. They feared that if such a thing spread, magicians would lose their value, and the elder faction criticized it.

On the other hand, the royal faction studied the structure and principles of the magic cannon and realized its limitations. It consumed more magical power than when a magician cast a spell, and a single magic cannon could only cast one type of spell.

The magic cannon being tested was made by Emilia Zerbini, a rare female magic engineer in her thirties, a disciple of Lucio Cefal.

Ricardo observed the magic cannon he was seeing for the first time.

It resembled a break-action rifle, with a barrel that looked like a staff or a rod.

Councilor Isarco picked up the magic cannon, unlocked it with a lever, and loaded a cartridge containing a catalyst into it. He then returned it to its original position and aimed the barrel at a target board.

"This magic cannon is equipped with the spell 'Scatter Spear.' Let's see its power first."

Emilia, the magic engineer, began her explanation and signaled Councilor Isarco to fire.

Councilor Isarco pulled the trigger, and the 'Scatter Spear' spell was released from the barrel. A stone spear flew through the air and hit the target board, exploding on impact. The board was shattered into pieces.

"Amazing."

Praises came from the royal faction magicians.

"To have developed it to the point where it can cast mid-level lower spells, which were previously only up to high-level beginner spells, you truly are Lucio's disciple."

Until now, due to the difficulty of integrating the magic circuit and the stability of the magical field, the magic cannon could only reproduce up to high-level beginner spells.

"Indeed. By the way, what modifications did you make?"

One of the magicians asked Emilia.

"I added new innovations to the magic circuit and used a Yunavolta magic-forming rod for the barrel."

"Hmm, I wouldn't have thought of using a Yunavolta magic-forming rod. No, perhaps I should praise the new innovations in the magic circuit more."

Councilor Isarco exclaimed in admiration.

Emilia shook her head.

"No, the new innovations in the magic circuit were already in progress, but I was struggling with the instability of the magical field during spell casting. However, I received a notification that Yunavolta magic-forming rods had arrived yesterday, so I obtained one and integrated it."

Ricardo was startled. He realized that the Yunavolta magic-forming rod was the one he had sold.

Afterward, several magicians tested the new magic cannon to confirm its power.

When the test firing was over, Bernard noticed Ricardo and came over.

"What do you think?"

"It was amazing. The power is comparable to the spells we magicians cast."

"If we could have more of these weapons, the damage from magical beasts would decrease, but it seems there are issues with mass production."

Emilia approached Bernard and thanked him.

"Thanks to you, Bernard, the 'Scatter Spear' magic cannon was completed. I'm grateful."

"No, no, I just sold the goods I bought. There's no need to thank me. By the way, let me introduce my young friend, the magician Ricardo."

Emilia wondered why Bernard was introducing a young magician.

"This Ricardo is a disciple of Matou, the maker of the Yunavolta."

"The maker of that magic-forming rod... I see, you're a studious person to learn the techniques of a magic engineer while being a magician."

Councilor Isarco joined the conversation.

"Ricardo is also an excellent magician. I wanted him to do research at the Refinement Bureau, but he refused... I wonder what he's doing now."

When the conversation turned to himself, Ricardo panicked.

"I'm just a new magician. Don't flatter me."

"Didn't you start something on the land you acquired in the outskirts? What are you doing there?"

Bernard asked.

Ricardo hesitated but decided to be honest since it would be discovered soon.

"I'm growing demon trees on that land."

"What... For what purpose?"

Isarco asked in surprise.

"I'm experimenting to see if I can use the demon trees' vitality for something."

Bernard felt a thrilling excitement, reminiscent of when he hit a big score with a 'Life' catalyst in his youth.

"Can I visit your experimental breeding ground?"

Bernard asked seriously.

Ricardo agreed. Then Isarco and Emilia also expressed their interest in seeing it. Tania and Patrick looked like they wanted to go too, but they had work to do.

Since the existence of the experimental breeding ground couldn't be hidden, they decided to visit together the next day.

At that moment, Ricardo and the others didn't notice, but someone was eavesdropping. It was Filippo Tofori, a catalyst merchant and an acquaintance of Bernard.

Filippo, noticing Bernard's excitement, smelled an opportunity for profit.

He decided to send one of his servants to follow them when he heard they were going to visit the experimental breeding ground the next day.

Back in the Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau's new employee room, Ricardo spent the afternoon writing reports. He completed three reports by evening.

That day, he wrote a total of eight reports. He submitted the reports to Claretta on the second floor and headed home.

At his new home, Serge, Pamela, and Monta were waiting.

Monta, who seemed lonely, ran to Ricardo, jumped onto his chest, climbed up his body, and rubbed his head against Ricardo's face.

"Kuka, Kui Kui" (I like being with Rika)

"Were you lonely? Serge and Pamela were with you, right?"

"Kue Kui, Kui Kui" (They don't understand me)

Monta understood Serge and Pamela's words, but they couldn't understand his, so he felt lonely.

Pamela tried to climb up Ricardo's leg, mimicking Monta.

Ricardo picked her up with one hand.

"Pamela, what did you do today?"

"Well, I watered the vegetables in the garden and helped with the laundry."

The rented house had a small garden where his mother grew vegetables. It was a small vegetable patch, but Serge and Pamela also helped.

When the sun set, Antonio returned, looking tired.

The distance from home to the experimental breeding ground was about an hour and a half by foot, so walking back and forth took about three hours, which was exhausting.

"Brother, should we hire someone for the experimental breeding ground?"

Antonio looked worried.

"But we haven't harvested anything yet. If the experiment fails, we won't even get a copper coin."

Ricardo realized his brother misunderstood the value of the demon trees.

"That's not true. A living demon tree Kumiri can be sold for two hole silver coins, and a dead one for one hole silver coin."

The demon tree, when turned into charcoal, becomes a catalyst. While not as high-quality as the charcoal from the demon tree Trill, it is in high demand as a 'Fire' catalyst, so the demon tree itself is traded at a high price.

Additionally, the tree liver oil extracted from the demon tree can be used as a medicinal ingredient and is also valuable.

Antonio tilted his head after hearing Ricardo's explanation.

"If it's so valuable, why don't others grow it?"

"It's because of the Kokara."

Kokara are small birds similar to sparrows that love to eat the young leaves of the demon tree Kumiri and eat them as soon as they find them.

Kokara are found almost everywhere in the plains and near human settlements, making it impossible to grow demon tree Kumiri except in magic-infested areas or some mountainous regions where small birds don't go.

Moreover, the demon tree Kumiri is prone to disease before it can walk, making it difficult to grow.

However, once it can walk, it becomes tough and has a strong vitality.

Ricardo had a reason for using magic to make the demon tree Kumiri grow rapidly.

"Is that so? But using magic requires catalysts, which are expensive, right?"

"That's why I grafted branches from the Shuram tree, which bears catalyst fruits. They are growing well, right?"

"Ah, are those catalysts expensive?"

"The fruits of the Shuram tree are grade five catalysts. One fruit is traded for two hole silver coins, so if we get many, we can make a lot of money."

Ricardo roughly estimated that a hole silver coin was worth about 1000 yen. A fruit worth 2000 yen was a luxury item.

Antonio, who grew up in the countryside, couldn't imagine how much profit that would be, but he felt that what his brother, now a magician, said was true.

"Got it. Let's hire someone."

Antonio agreed.

"To make it easier for you, let's hire three children from the slums."

Labor in the slums is cheap.

"How do we choose them?"

"Romano the foreman sometimes uses people from the slums as labor. I'll consult with him."

Julia came to announce that the meal was ready.

The menu included stir-fried headbutt rabbit meat and vegetables, soup made from water buffalo bones, and bread from a nearby bakery.

The food was seasoned to Ricardo's taste.

Serge exclaimed after taking a bite.

"Mom, your cooking has improved."

Children are honest. Julia knew her cooking was bad when she was in Unius Village.

It was inevitable due to the lack of proper seasonings and ingredients, but she felt she had been lacking in creativity after learning cooking from Ricardo.

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The next morning, Bernard, excited about what might happen, had a carriage prepared.

Ricardo, Isarco, and the magic engineer Emilia gathered at Bernard's residence.

"Come on, let's go."

Bernard, more energetic than usual, urged them to get into the carriage.

The carriage started moving. After leaving the capital's Second South Gate, they headed towards the sea and soon arrived at the experimental breeding ground.

The last time Bernard saw it, it was a forest near the coast with nothing in it, but now a moat and a sturdy fence had been completed.

"Hmm, it's fast, thanks to Foreman Romano."

"Yes, I'm grateful to you for introducing me to the foreman."

Ricardo's response made him think that his way of speaking was still unchildlike.

After everyone got out of the carriage, Ricardo started guiding them around the experimental breeding ground.

A large work shed with a roof and walls was completed, and the foremen were building a small cabin with accommodation facilities.

A boy Bernard didn't know greeted them.

"Is this Ricardo's brother? You don't look much alike."

Isarco gave his honest opinion.

"I have other work to do, so please feel free to look around."

Antonio left to gather weeds for the demon trees to eat.

Bernard glanced at the cabin under construction and then followed Ricardo to the demon tree Kumiri breeding area. They entered the section farthest from the sea.

Inside, five demon tree Kumiri were running around, apparently startled by the large number of intruders.

"These are demon tree Kumiri. I heard they are difficult to raise, but seeing them this big, it seems you've found a way... amazing. However, the scale is small."

Bernard's comment made Ricardo nod.

"I'm still in the experimental stage to establish a breeding method for demon trees."

"I see, five small demon trees in this area. Isn't that a small number?"

"No, the five demon trees Kumiri ate all the weeds that grew in a few days, so if we start breeding them seriously, we'll need a larger area."

"Hmm, demon trees eat weeds. I didn't know that."

"They don't exactly eat; they use enzymes to dissolve what they gather with their roots and absorb it."

"I see."

Emilia, who had been listening to the conversation, looked at the ground, picked up some soil, and examined it.

"This soil is different from the outside soil."

The demon tree Kumiri absorbed the salt in the soil, slightly improving the soil quality, which was unsuitable for farmland. Moreover, the nutrients from the decomposed weeds that the demon tree couldn't fully absorb remained in the soil, making it slightly fertile.

"What?"

Isarco also scooped up some soil to examine.

"The demon tree Kumiri seems to have the ability to improve soil quality."

Ricardo's explanation surprised Bernard. If true, the coastal land, which was considered unsuitable for farmland, would become significant.

Next, they were guided to the middle section. There, a strange Kumiri was present.

It was a demon tree with a pumpkin-shaped trunk that bore the fruit of the Sazami tree, which produced high-quality oil.

"What is this? It's different from a regular Kumiri."

Isarco asked, staring at the strange demon tree.

"This is a demon tree Kumiri that I improved to bear Sazami fruit."

Hearing Ricardo's words, Bernard was greatly surprised.

"How did you improve it?"

"Sorry, that's a secret."

Bernard looked disappointed but understood. He observed Ricardo again. He looked like an ordinary boy, but his way of thinking and actions were not ordinary.

Is he a genius? No, perhaps...

"Ricardo, did you start this breeding ground at the suggestion of Matou?"

Ricardo shook his head.

"It's my idea. I got Matou's approval and financial support."

"Hmm, Matou provided financial support. He must have seen great potential."

While Bernard was thinking, Emilia asked another question.

"Why did you graft the Sazami tree onto the demon tree?"

"To see how the demon tree's vitality affects the Sazami. I expect it to bear more fruit than a regular Sazami."

Emilia nodded in admiration, but Bernard unconsciously crossed his arms and thought about the value of the technique.

If this technique significantly increased the harvest... No, considering the effort required to grow demon trees, how would it compare to growing regular fruit trees, which would require much more labor.

While Bernard was calculating in his head, Ricardo continued the tour and entered the last section. There, a demon tree with branches of the Shuram tree, which bore catalyst fruits, was slowly walking.

Isarco grunted when he saw the branches on the pumpkin-shaped trunk.

"Is this a Shuram tree?"

"Yes, it is."

The moment Ricardo answered, Bernard stopped calculating. If the Shuram tree fruits could be harvested, the labor costs wouldn't be an issue. Bernard looked closely at the small boy. This boy might truly be a genius.