Chapter 60

Every time the PVs increase, I get a lot of reports about typos.

...I thought I was revising it, though.

Thank you everyone.

Good morning from room 5-304. It's April 12th, the day of the seminar. I'm Herman. All the guys are here. Kevin is here too. He arrived earlier than expected, I guess. Did he finish his work smoothly? The women are still 20 minutes away, so only the beastmen and half-elves are here. The former nobles and Selena always arrive just in time. However, while waiting, no one talks. I don't know if they're being polite or what. Anyway, I'm being stared at by Gabriella again. ...What is it today? I didn't use any color nail polish, and I don't think I'm wearing anything that would make her stare... Is she expecting something like color nail polish again? I don't think it's that easy to do things like that.

Deborah, who is also a half-elf, is glancing at me too. But the beastmen aren't looking this way. ...What is it? Is there some kind of understanding among the half-elves? The guys aren't looking this way either. I know I'm being watched, but I don't know why. There's a slightly awkward atmosphere in the room. As the others arrive and Selena sits down, Bruce announces that it's time, and the seminar begins.

"Alright, it's the April meeting. I don't have anything special to say. ...Ms. Selena, if you have the report from last time, please submit it."

"It's about the syrup from Rulutel. I made the report."

"Thank you. I'll submit it with my name as well."

"...What happened while I was gone? What's this about Rulutel?"

"Ah, while you were gone, we found that the water from the crops Ms. Selena was growing had a taste similar to sugar. When boiled down, it turned into sugar, so we had her compile a report. Since it involves the royal family, we plan to submit it with my name as well."

"Sugar!? ...If it's sugar, there's no choice. It's definitely a royal matter. It will take some time to spread here."

"The ducal family will handle it well. ...If they start making excessive profits, they might become assassination targets."

"True. We just have to wait patiently."

"Right. If anyone has something to say, or if you want to hear Kevin's report, go ahead."

"Sure. ...It wasn't a difficult task. Basically, the seeds everyone brought were given to the farmers to grow. They were happy to grow crops that can be grown year-round. And the seed oil and Yugarhi fruit... They did grow, and we confirmed that seeds were produced. We made a deal to buy them at a high price, so we secured enough seed oil for nine people. We arranged to have it sent from the family's territory every two months as alchemical materials. I've already distributed the recipe to the alchemists in the territory, so it should be usable by commoners too. ...For now, the nobles will monopolize it, but eventually it will reach the commoners."

"I was about to give up on this batch since you came back so quickly, but you did bring it?"

"Yes. I didn't expect to come back so soon. It was supposed to take two months to harvest."

"It would have been better to let them grow a bit more, but it seems squeezing the oil can be done a bit earlier. I did some experiments on the side. By the way, the mill with a grinder is being used by commoners too. They've been promoting it as a way to grind various things. It's popular in the capital, so they plan to set it up in other towns and villages. ...There's plenty of skeleton material, so it shouldn't be a problem. And as Herman mentioned, we've been distributing seeds to each village and having the church teach reading and writing. We've also been promoting the effects of prayer. The results won't be clear for about 20 years, but it didn't seem to have much effect when we tried it before. ...We've decided to do it anyway. If there's a sudden price increase or a collapse in the material market, we'll reconsider. ...And the logistics network. It's interesting, so they're going to try it. ...Since it takes manpower to transport crops from the villages to the towns, it's not clear how it will affect the price of vegetables in the towns. They're worried about the balance between wages and costs, but they're also concerned about the increase in work at the magistrate's office. It shouldn't be a problem."

"If my strange ideas were useful, I'm glad. But you really did it."

"Sure. ...If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask."

"Did you tell them that it's better to rotate crops rather than plant the same thing repeatedly?"

"That's covered too. I've been instructing the village chiefs to plant different crops. I don't know what will happen to those who force continuous planting. ...They'll learn from their mistakes, and they have the talent for farming, so they'll do better than us. Their talent will guide them well."

"Farming talent is quite mysterious. ...Well, all talents are mysterious."

"Right. Since it was created by the gods, I don't know the details, but it started about 10,000 years ago, I think."

"True. The talent system began 10,000 years ago. What kind of life did people have before that?"

"Did talents not exist before 10,000 years ago!?"

"Yes, ...I guess commoners don't know about this?"

"I don't think they do. ...Selena might know."

"I'm not as knowledgeable as the nobles. I only know that the first alchemist talent appeared about 8,000 years ago."

"...So alchemist talents didn't exist when the talent system started?"

"They didn't, apparently. Only the gods know the details."

"I don't know anything about this, so I'd like to learn if you can teach me."

"I don't know either, so I'd like to learn too."

"Then I'll give a brief explanation. Humans are said to have appeared about 50,000 years ago. The talent system began about 10,000 years ago, according to church records. At that time, the first saints and saintesses with 10 stars were born around the world. The records say that age didn't matter, and people suddenly received divine revelations. They built churches, and since writing had already been developed, the church's role was to preserve books. The current church was built by the saints and saintesses, and the star-distributing bell was created. If a 6-year-old child heard the bell, they would receive a star talent."

"Do they just need to hear the bell? They don't need to enter the church?"

"Yes. Basically, it's bad if they can't hear it, so they can go to the church or nearby. In the capital, children are sometimes outside because the church can't fit everyone, but they still receive their talents. ...Let's get back to the story. Many talents received 10 stars. For some reason, those with 10 stars had knowledge as if they already knew about their talents. This applied to farming and sewing talents. These 10-star individuals could use their talents at 100% from the start. The alchemist talent with 10 stars appeared about 8,000 years ago. At that time, alchemists could perform alchemy without cauldrons, wands, or alchemical arrays. Later, these tools were created to make alchemy accessible to those with fewer stars. The 10-star individuals laid the foundation, and improvements have been made since then. ...Around this time, 10-star sages also appeared. The Extend Space used by sages was a mimicry of a spell with no capacity limit and the ability to stop time, according to records. With the power of talents, the range of human activity expanded, and some formed countries amidst conflicts. This happened about 5,000 years ago. Our country was also born around that time. With the birth of countries, the governance talent appeared. Those with this talent could make the land they recognized as theirs prosperous. No one knows why, but it's a talent. Along with many alchemists, the capital was built, and the current seven dukes are descendants of those who built it. For some reason, only those bloodlines inherited the governance talent."

"By the way, the current seven dukes take turns producing kings because the one with the most governance talent sits on the throne. There are quite a few with the governance talent. I think the current king has 6 stars of governance."

"That's how it works. Whether the king is competent or not, the one with the most governance talent rules. Those who lost in the talent competition spread their blood, becoming the current nobles. ...I don't know why, but only the dukes and above have the governance talent. The marquises and below don't. Only the gods know why, but the nobles are descendants of the seven dukes."

"Wait, weren't all the seven dukes human? How did elven and dwarven nobles come about?"

"That's a mysterious story. It's said that pure elves and dwarves were also born from the seven dukes. Some species didn't, but the noble blood is definitely connected to the seven dukes. It's a mystery. ...So, there are long-lived species among the nobles. However, the long-lived species never receive the governance talent. Only humans receive it. ...Let's get back to the story. The country tried to make the nobles use their talents fully. That's when the noble school was born. About 100 years later, the magic school was created for efficiency, followed by the alchemical academy. At first, only nobles attended, but about 4,000 years ago, there were too many nobles. To prevent further increase, they started demoting them to commoners. The schools were efficient, so about 4,000 years ago, commoners could attend if they paid. This led to the inclusion of commoners in the magic school and alchemical academy. ...As the number increased, factions centered around nobles began to form. These are the current six factions. They are said to have formed at the same time. As commoners couldn't afford to continue schooling, they went out and created shops and guilds. The alchemical academy, wanting to use the guild network, created alchemical items for location tracking and distributed them to alchemists. This was developed by someone from the Dawn faction, probably a commoner, as their name isn't recorded. If a noble had developed it, they would have left their name. This led to the current class system about 3,500 years ago. The content hasn't changed much since then. Each faction focuses on teaching the basics of their faction. ...The Illusionary faction is an exception, as they claim that only what you see and feel is the answer, leading to their unique curriculum. There was an attempt to force the basics, but it didn't work. The system evolved to teach basics for a year, then join a faction for advanced studies. As the factions grew, different ideas emerged, leading to the current seminar system about 3,000 years ago. The Abundance Seminar was also created during this period. Ms. Selena knows more about this."

"Is this a seminar with a long history? And one of the oldest?"

"Basically, it's about year-round crops. Spices were imported from abroad by nobles about 1,000 years ago, and irrigation was added about 2,000 years ago. It's not exactly the same as back then."

"So, it's come this far. The content hasn't changed much in about 3,000 years. ...Ms. Selena, were there any major changes?"

"Well, the Iron Welcome faction, with their mysterious alchemical items."

"...Ah, those. They appeared about 1,500 years ago, I think?"

"Probably around that time."

"What are those?"

"Everyone except Herman here made them, right? Those alchemical items that only combat talents can break through."

"Ah, the River of Stars. I don't know why it works that way."

"They can make it, but they don't know why."

"Really?"

"Yes, look forward to December. The Iron Welcome faction's alchemical items are not based on logic. They are said to be in the realm of alchemical techniques. If the logic could be explained, it would bring us closer to immortality."

"Because of the River of Stars, many former nobles go to the Iron Welcome faction. It was meaningless for me since I don't have a combat talent."

"Same here. It's an alchemical item that makes you want to join the Iron Welcome faction if you have a combat talent."

"...I heard that even one star can increase enough to grant a knighthood. Is that true?"

"I don't have a combat talent, so I don't know, but I've heard that the Sorcerer Amethyst from Stinarnia can increase talents by 7 stars."

"...In my case, that would make 10 stars."

"Do you have 3 stars in combat talents, Herman? ...I think alchemists have 7 stars. Your talent distribution seems to be pushing you towards the Iron Welcome faction. However, your answer is wrong. You won't have 10 stars, but 9 and 1."

"I don't understand. 9 and 1 is 10, right?"

"No, it's different. There was a famous person in the Iron Welcome faction named Karl Vireck. He lived to 142 years old and fought in the magic realm until the day before his death. He had 8 stars in spear talent and wore the River of Stars made from Stinarnia. He said, 'My talent is 9 and 6 stars. 10 stars is a different dimension.' At that time, there were no 10-star individuals, but even 9 and 6 stars felt like there was more to go. That's why 10 stars are not counted."

"Wait, he was human? 142 years is impossible."

"He existed. Ms. Selena confirmed it."

"Bruce was alive too. It's only been about 500 years since he died."

"His death became famous. I heard he said, 'The tip of the spear was off by a few millimeters. I'll rest tomorrow,' and died the next day. He's famous among nobles."

"Right, I know. If you had a talent for handling weapons, you could have joined the Iron Welcome faction."

"I've heard that the long life of humans in the magic realm is due to soul training, as taught by the Iron Welcome faction, but I didn't know he was that significant."

"...So, that's one reason the nobles support the Iron Welcome faction."

"Many of our friends who joined the Iron Welcome faction lived long lives. It seems the Iron Welcome faction's teachings are close to immortality."

"...We've deviated a lot, but that's the history of talents and alchemists."

"Noble schools teach this much. I learned a lot."

"I'm glad I learned something too."

"Right, what were we talking about?"

"...I was asking if anyone had questions about what I did."

"Oh, that's right."

The history lesson is over. It was interesting, but it ended with the question, "What are talents, really?" Alchemists didn't exist at first. Why did they introduce this system halfway? I can't understand what the gods, who are responsible for the world's updates, are thinking.

"If there are no questions, let's move on to other reports. Does anyone have something to report?"

"---Yes. I think Herman has something to report."

"...Gabriella, why do you think that?"

"Well, what Gabriella said is correct. You made something again, didn't you?"

"Right. You can fool the guys and the beastmen, but not the girls."

"What? Did you make something related to women again? What did you make this time?"

Did you do something again? I don't remember... I was going to report about the bread, but did I have anything else to report? I was lost in thought, wondering about this.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I'd appreciate your feedback.

If you could leave a review, that would be great.

I think I can improve my writing