Kousuke and his party were guided through the Igirid village and stayed there for one night. In the morning, they were shown around the village.
Clara, by the way, did not come with them.
“I have things to prepare!” she had said, but everyone understood that it was related to their true objective. They also understood that her choosing to prepare in private, away from Kousuke and the others, meant she didn’t want them to see what she was doing. Kousuke, being the type of person who believed people didn’t need to know things they didn’t have to, didn’t pry, and went on their sightseeing tour (of sorts) of the village.
As Kousuke had noticed when he first arrived, the entire Igirid village is illuminated by a mysterious light source. This light source makes it possible to cultivate crops in the surrounding fields, supporting the village’s population. However, as evidenced by the fact that Igirid wished to relocate, this underground city, which appears vast, cannot expand any further.
“I thought if it was expanded once, it could be expanded again in the same way,” Kousuke suggested after receiving an explanation. However, he knew it was probably impossible, as he had no idea what kind of magic was being used.
As expected, Lang, who overheard Kousuke’s mumbling, shook his head and replied, “Unfortunately, it’s impossible to dig it out by hand either.”
“Oh, really?” Kousuke said, looking at the outer walls of the village, which appeared to be just dirt.
The mystery of the Igirid village seemed to extend beyond just the light source; it was impossible to dig in any direction, up, down, left, or right. This was not only because Igirid was small in stature, but also because any destructive act, magical or physical, was impossible. Hearing this explanation, Kousuke thought to himself, “Is it like the Tower in that respect?” In the case of the Tower, an invisible wall marks the boundary of space, and the Tower itself cannot be destroyed from the outside. Kousuke surmised that a similar principle was at play.
Guided by Lang, Kousuke and his party continued to walk through the Igirid village. They were currently in what could be called the downtown area, where many buildings that appeared to be shops were gathered. However, as one might expect, the buildings were scaled down to suit Igirid. In fact, the ordinary houses where Igirid usually lived were so low that Kousuke could barely enter them without stooping. Additionally, the ceilings of the rooms were so low that he would hit his head if he didn’t stoop.
Despite being a collection of buildings of such small scale, the Igirid village had one major characteristic. What supported this characteristic was sold in large quantities as merchandise in the shopping street where Kousuke and his party were now. Floria, captivated by the merchandise, exclaimed in admiration, “As expected, the accessories made by Igirid are truly wonderful!”
“Ah, you think so too, Floria?”
“Of course!” Floria replied, giving Kousuke a look that asked what he meant, as he nodded with an expression that said, “I knew it.”
Having seen beautiful accessories since birth, Floria fully understood the high value of what Igirid was creating. That was precisely why she had been looking around at various shops, as if mesmerized. It wasn’t just Floria, by the way; the other women were in the same state. Kousuke, while not as captivated as the women, was also able to appreciate their beauty, so he understood the level of craftsmanship.
Watching the women, Kousuke suddenly thought of something and decided to ask Lang. “I’d like to do some shopping here, but how would that work? Is it bartering?” Kousuke asked this not because he thought Igirid’s economy was based on bartering. He could tell from the fact that Igirid, who had moved from the village to the Tower, used currency without any issues. Rather, he asked because he wasn’t sure if the money he had would be accepted.
In response to Kousuke’s question, Lang’s expression became thoughtful. “Hmm… If you were to barter, it would depend on what you offered. Ah, Kousuke, you must have meat with you, can’t you?”
“Meat? Monster meat?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, there are a few types…” Kousuke replied. In this world, “meat” generally refers to monster meat, so not only Kousuke, but also Kouhi and Mitsuki, always kept some monster meat stored in their Item Boxes. If these meats could be exchanged for the currency used by Igirid in their village, Kousuke was willing to pay any amount.
Upon hearing Kousuke’s reply, Lang looked somewhat relieved and nodded. “Is that so? Then, you should go to the representative and exchange it for currency.”
“I see. In that case, let’s do that,” Kousuke said, nodding at Lang’s words, and immediately started walking. The women, by the way, listened silently to Kousuke and Lang’s exchange. This was understandable, as they were fully aware of why Kousuke was going to such lengths. Kousuke intended to buy presents for each of them as a memento of their visit to the Igirid village. Of course, those who were not present at the moment would receive their souvenirs later. Noticing the hopeful gazes of the women, Kousuke pretended not to notice. He knew from their past interactions that it was better for them not to say anything to each other. And so, Kousuke and his party left the shopping street and headed towards the mansion where the representative resided.
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The currency exchange went relatively smoothly. However, since buying accessories would require a considerable amount of money, they decided on specific items before determining the exchange amount. This was also based on Lang’s advice. Furthermore, carrying that much currency would be very inconvenient, so they decided to settle the total amount later. The representative would pay for the purchases at the shops, and Kousuke would later pay them back with meat (and other items). Of course, the representative would then sell that meat to specialized shops and restaurants.
After making those arrangements, Kousuke and his party returned to the shopping street and began visiting the shops. The women, now knowing they could get their hands on those accessories, had sharp gazes like hawks hunting prey. They could, of course, afford to buy them with their own earnings. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm they entered the stores with was different because Kousuke was buying them.
Naturally, the women could afford to buy them with their own earnings. …But it’s still a joy to have Kousuke buy them for you lol.
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*Public Report*
We have posted an activity report regarding further information on the manga adaptation and the e-book release. Please check it out.
