Side: Meena
Ten days have passed since the port development in Prada Village began.
Mana and I have used our Unique Magic to separate a part of the opposite shore, widening the lake entrance, and are now in the process of leveling the lakebed.
Flam is overseeing the work and also acting as a guard, but since he is making full use of the Ancient Undine’s magic, his work is apparently the fastest.
The other Crafters were initially bewildered by the high magic consumption of the Craft Magic Basing when leveling the ground underwater, but they have now gotten used to it.
Even so, the completion of the work seems to be slightly delayed from the original schedule.
It is fortunate, perhaps, that the work on land is proceeding without a hitch.
“For a while, we’ll be working on processing stones, but will there be enough?”
“Probably not. But we’ve started cutting stone with Mylight, and I’ve also requested some from Count Steifelsen, so I’ll go pick it up soon.”
So you asked Count Steifelsen for materials too.
County Steifelsen is located in the Aselo mountain range southwest of the Ideal Mountain Range. It boasts not only iron, copper, and Magic Silver mines, but also gold and silver mines, and even an Adamantine Steel mine discovered a few years ago.
Although the amount of Magic Silver mined is inferior to Mylight, it also produces Crystal Silver, making County Steifelsen one of the largest mining towns in Amister.
The stone quarried in the Aselo mountain range is of the highest quality in Amister, so it is more than sufficient for the port’s construction materials.
“Even so, there isn’t enough, so they must be cutting down the rocky mountain north of Float as well.”
“North of Float… ah, that rocky mountain.”
The amount of stone required for port construction is on the scale of hundreds or thousands of tons.
The stone procured from Mylight and the Aselo mountain range can adequately cover this, but since it involves quarrying rather than just cutting down a mountain, it takes time to process.
Therefore, they are now cutting down the rocky mountain north of Float, which also benefits Float.
Deep within that rocky mountain lies a vein of gemstone rough. However, the path is so treacherous that mining is impossible without hiring guards.
The monsters there are only C-rank monsters like Rock Boars and Rock Snakes, but not only is the path difficult, there are also many sheer cliffs, making it dangerous even for High Hunters if they let their guard down.
Emperor Reinhardt had intended to clear a path to the ore veins and improve the mountain roads, but it would require a considerable number of Crafters, guards, and Hunters, as well as a solution for the cut mountain slopes.
Thus, the rocky mountain has only undergone minor improvements, with no full-scale development until now.
However, this time, the cut mountain slopes can be utilized for the port’s construction with a little processing, allowing for the concurrent development of the rocky mountain.
Sir Yuri proposed this, and His Majesty Emperor Reinhardt readily accepted, agreeing to undertake the stone processing as well.
“If they’re cutting down that mountain, there won’t be any shortage of materials.”
“We have Stragizing and Inventorying for transport, and we can use Traveling for movement. Though, if we do too much, the Trader’s Guild will probably complain, so we have to be moderate.”
As Prim rightly pointed out, cutting down the rocky mountain north of Float will ensure a sufficient supply of materials and allow for its development at the same time.
Regarding transportation, it would be instantaneous for us to store items in our Inventory and use Traveling, but Mako says that’s a problem.
What could she mean by that?
“The Crafters and guards who are cutting down the mountains, the Order members, but wouldn’t transporting that stone normally be the Trader’s job?”
“Yes. Since it becomes merchandise, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Trader’s Guild.”
“It also becomes income for traders through transport fees, but if we do it ourselves, the Trader’s Guild won’t be involved. This might reduce the number of traders who come to peddle goods here, and money won’t circulate, so it’s not good economically either.”
Economically, you say.
It’s natural to accumulate some wealth, but hoarding more than necessary is meaningless. Furthermore, if salaries can’t be paid, people will become unemployed, so money must be spent.
Especially development projects like this cannot be carried out without hiring people, and hiring people means a need for supplies. This necessitates purchasing large quantities of food, materials, and even luxury goods from neighboring territories.
When more money flows in, people’s lives become more comfortable, leading to increased purchases of luxury goods. This benefits not only the Crafters who undertake the work but also the Traders who sell them, thereby stimulating the economy and enriching the nation.
Although I don’t fully understand the details, it seems to mean that if you hoard money, the amount of money circulating in the world decreases, causing prices to rise, so you should spend money properly.
“Wing Crest has accumulated quite a lot, so we’ve decided to contribute some from our public funds, not just from official sources. After all, Hunters only spend money on things like equipment.”
Indeed, the assets of Wing Crest have become far greater than those of many Nobles.
Since they often hunt high-ranking monsters, their personal assets alone are close to one hundred million El, and their Union assets are no less than one billion El.
Even low-ranking Hunters can easily earn enough for living expenses if they don’t make mistakes, let alone high-ranking Hunters.
Thus, high-ranking Hunters live quite affluent lives.
Moreover, such Hunters are usually married and tend to only spend on luxury items like food, drink, and clothing, which can lead to accumulating wealth.
“For Wing Crest, we’ve built the Union House and own three Beast Carriages, including a prototype. The regular expenses are just food for our familiars and our living expenses. We still need to commission about two more Beast Carriages, but even then, I don’t think it’s enough.”
That’s why Mana said the funds would be used for development and luxury goods.
Indeed, Wing Crest will not receive any payment for this development.
The client is Sir Yuri, and we are participating as family members, as Heavenly Baronesses. It is only natural.
Instead, we are considering increasing the compensation for the Crafters and Order members who have taken on the commission.
This is underwater work, and the number of people involved is not large.
“Meena, now that you’ve become a Heavenly Baroness, you should study economics too, don’t you think?”
“Eventually, Yamato will also be granted a title, so I can’t be uninvolved in the management of the territory.”
As Mana and Prim said, Yamato is scheduled to be granted a title in a few years.
However, Yamato will have to be involved in the management of Mana’s Lapis Lazuli Heavenly Baronetcy, Rika’s Marquisate of Amatista, the former Solemne territory managed by Lady Hilde as governor, and this Esmeralda Baronetcy, which are also scheduled to be granted.
Therefore, Prim and I will also be involved.
However, I know next to nothing about economics, so it might be better to start studying now.
It seems incredibly difficult…
Side: Flam
Today, I am engaged in leveling work at the bottom of Veil Lake while also guarding the workers.
Normally, my sister Rebecca would be here with me, but she has been bedridden since yesterday due to side effects from an evolution.
Furthermore, unfortunately, Sir Yuri and Carol have also fallen ill, so Mako-san has come out this time and will deal with any monsters that appear.
However, we’ve only been attacked by monsters twice so far, so she’ll likely just be on standby in case of an emergency.
“Flam-sama, the leveling of the lake entrance is complete. Please confirm.”
“Understood, I’ll be right there.”
Following the report from Graba, who is supervising the Crafters, I headed to the lake entrance.
The lake entrance is a waterway connecting the Nadal Sea and Veil Lake, and it has been prepared with enough space for 20-meter class ships to pass each other.
Considering the draft, the depth is secured at 10 meters, and the port is secured at 12 meters.
The Nadal Sea side has a slightly greater depth, but this area is shallow due to its proximity to Prada Village, making depth assurance essential.
I swam through the meticulously leveled waterway, sometimes touching it with my hands to confirm. As expected of first-class Crafters, there were no shortcuts, and everything was perfectly even.
This way, the bottom of the lake will not touch the ship’s hull.
“Confirmed. Excellent work, everyone.”
As I finished my confirmation, everyone showed a look of relief.
If there had been even one mistake or oversight, the entire work might have had to be redone.
“The leveling work for the port is also nearing completion. It’s tough, but please give it your all.”
Recently, everyone has gotten used to it and can now use slightly less magic, but it still consumes more magic than working on land.
However, using magic to the limit is dangerous, so we are having them work with a little leeway.
Fortunately, they are Undines and Dragonewts, races with a lot of magic.
As we continued the work at the port on the Veil Lake side, the expansion of the lake entrance caused changes in the water currents, which in turn altered the behavior of the monsters.
As a result, monsters have started to appear more frequently recently.
Today alone, we have already fended off attacks twice.
“Flam-sama, it’s here! A Devil Megalodon!”
“Understood!”
It seems another monster has appeared, and this time it’s a Devil Megalodon.
It’s a G-I rank monster, known as a water demon, an aberrant form of a Blue Shark.
While it’s a P-rank monster, considering we’re underwater, it’s effectively an M-rank counterpart.
Yamato and Prim defeated one before, so I didn’t expect another to appear.
I took out a Lapislazurite Longbow from my storage and swam at full speed to draw the Devil Megalodon’s attention.
At the same time, I conjured and shot Ice Arrows.
Thunder Arrows would be more effective, but I need to keep a safe distance from the work area to avoid involving the workers.
Fortunately, there’s only one Devil Megalodon, so it won’t be difficult to deal with once I lure it away from the work site.
Actually, when Yamato and Prim defeated it before, I was frozen with fear.
It’s only been less than a year, but I guess I’ve grown, or become stronger…
Thinking this briefly, I continued to shoot arrows to change the Devil Megalodon’s course.
I’m using Accelerating Magic, so my arrows won’t reach the work area, and the Ice Arrows are conjured with my magic, so it’s easy to dispel them if they miss.
Annoyed by the arrows, the Devil Megalodon came towards me, just as I intended.
As soon as I confirmed this, I enveloped myself in Wing Burst and headed for the surface. As I moved away, I used Flying to await the Devil Megalodon in the air.
“Haa!”
The Devil Megalodon, which leaped out of the water shortly after me, was met with my Unique Magic, Tidal Blaster.
The Devil Megalodon can swim freely in the air, and I am accustomed to fighting flying monsters.
Struck directly by the Tidal Blaster, the Devil Megalodon’s insides were scorched by the lightning coursing through its body, and it soon died.
I immediately stored the Devil Megalodon in my Inventory.
“It looks like you’re finally getting used to Wing Burst. How does flying feel?”
“Ah, Prim-san. Yes, it feels similar to swimming, so I don’t feel much of a difference.”
“Ah, as an Undine, you’d feel that way. That’s why you chose dragon-like wings, then.”
Not just me, but Meena and Lady Hilde have also mastered Wing Burst.
When they learned it, Meena, like Yamato and Mana, chose white bird wings similar to Prim’s. However, I chose wings modeled after Dragonewts, or rather, Dragonians.
The reason was to make them easier to use underwater.
Vampire Winged Tribes also have wings similar to Dragonewts, so Lady Hilde is the same as me.
“Then I will return below.”
“Yes. We have no choice but to leave the rest to Flam, so it’s tough, but please do your best.”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
Although Prim worries about me, this development will benefit Prada Village, so I intend to see it through to the end.
First, I need to return underwater and report the defeat of the Devil Megalodon.
