This marks the end of the main story for Chapter 4.
The next update will feature an interlude, followed by the start of Chapter 5 in the subsequent release.
After recruiting Peach in Mikusen, we made a stop at the tower before heading to the city of Kenerusen in the northwestern part of the continent.
That said, nothing particularly significant happened in Kenerusen.
Perhaps the fact that something always happened whenever we visited a city was unusual in itself.
The area around Kenerusen is relatively less populated by monsters compared to other cities on the continent.
Leveraging this characteristic and the wide open plains, it has been developed into an agricultural region.
However, this is only in comparison to other cities; the deeper inland areas still see an increase in monsters, which remains unchanged.
Naturally, there is demand from adventurers, so their main jobs involved patrolling fields and subjugating surrounding monsters.
There are plans to build a gate in Kenerusen as well. This isn’t so much to attract adventurers as it is to recruit technicians (like farmers) in the future when fields are established within the tower.
Of course, since we have already built, or are planning to build, gates in the northeast, southeast, and southwest of the continent, there’s also the reason of wanting to establish one in the northwest.
The hope is that the tower village will become a hub for trade.
Merchants who can freely use multiple gates will be exclusively Crown members, but we discussed with Schmidt that even those who aren’t members can generate sufficient profit.
Therefore, Kousuke found no particular reason to linger in Kenerusen. After a brief inspection, he returned to the tower.
***
On the same day Kousuke returned from Kenerusen, a discussion was held at the temple in the tower village.
The participants were Kousuke, Kouhi, Wahid, and Schmidt.
Kouhi, as usual, would likely only be there for Kousuke’s protection and wouldn’t participate in the discussion.
In the assembled meeting room, Kousuke handed out a card.
It was a Crown Card.
The decorations commissioned from the Iggrid Race were finished, and he had brought them.
“This is, once again, a magnificent creation,” Schmidt remarked upon seeing the card.
Wahid, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
“I’m thinking of making this the definitive form and issuing Crown Cards. Is that alright with you?”
“There should be no problem,” Wahid replied, nodding as he looked at the card.
“However, this must be quite expensive, wouldn’t you say? And are there enough resources for its creation?” Schmidt posed a pertinent question.
“Regarding the number, based on what I heard before, we’ve confirmed there are no issues. As for the price… for now, they’re being made out of goodwill, but eventually, we will have to pay a proper price.”
“I see…”
Schmidt hadn’t inquired about how these cards were made.
However, he wasn’t unintelligent and had some idea.
They were even trying to establish a Human village within the tower. It wasn’t inconceivable that they would be recruiting other species as well.
“Essentially, we’ll be delivering the finished product, so will that be alright?”
Naturally, the procurement of such items would fall under the purview of the Crown’s commercial division (the formal name is yet to be decided).
“No problem at all.”
“That’s good,” Kousuke nodded at Schmidt’s reply.
“Oh, and regarding the Crown Card creation machine, I’ve decided to call it the ‘Divine Power Engraver’ for now. What do you think?”
“Divine Power Engraver…?”
“Yeah, well, if we keep calling it the ‘Guild Card Creation Machine,’ it might overlap with those of other guilds, so I thought it best.”
“Ah, I see. Is that what it is?” Wahid nodded this time.
Schmidt is strictly the head of the commercial division.
Wahid is currently in charge of the overall management of the Crown.
“There should be no issues.”
“Alright then, I’ll leave that in your hands from now on. Also, regarding the gates, Kenerusen seems fine as well, so you can proceed with that.” Nan-sen and Mikusen had already been informed.
“Understood.”
“…Are you really opening three at once?” Schmidt interjected, posing a question to Kousuke and Wahid.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“It’s not a problem… but the impact will be significant.”
“More so than when Ryusen opened?”
“…Well, undoubtedly.”
If the other three planned gates were to open, it would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the distribution of goods across the continent. It was impossible for the commercial guilds in various regions not to notice.
“Hmm… Well, I’ll leave how we’ll infiltrate those markets to you and Wahid.”
There might be times when armed force would be necessary. In such cases, Kousuke wouldn’t hesitate to have Kouhi and Mitsuki step in. Of course, they would be the last resort.
“The best approach would be to offer items unique to this tower that are not available in each of those cities.”
If they could see the profit to be made, they likely wouldn’t cause too many issues. After all, they lacked the strength to conquer the tower themselves.
“Ah, right. That reminds me. Schmidt-san, are Dragons considered high-grade materials?”
“Of course… Does that mean, could it be!?” Schmidt exclaimed in surprise, recalling their previous conversation from when they first met.
“Yes, well, I was thinking we could use that as a flagship product for the Crown’s establishment.”
“…So, they actually exist…?” Schmidt involuntarily brought a hand to his head.
Dragon materials are practically never seen on the market. This is only natural, as they are rarely ever hunted.
Naturally, there are rankings even among monsters called Dragons, but even the lowest-ranked Dragons haven’t been reported as being slain in decades.
“They exist, or rather, without being able to defeat a Dragon, it’s impossible to conquer this tower…” Upon hearing this, Schmidt conceded.
After all, it was precisely because Kousuke and his companions were able to conquer the tower that they could even consider building a village within it.
“…Well, it would certainly be the best possible advertisement.”
“By the way, we can provide multiple Dragon carcasses, so we could use that as bait for the commercial guilds, couldn’t we?” At Kousuke’s confirmation, Schmidt sank entirely into the sofa where he was sitting.
It wasn’t just bait; it might even attract unwanted attention. However, it was nearly impossible for anyone to steal from them. Conversely, the very fact that there existed those capable of defeating Dragons would serve as the greatest defense for the Crown.
“…Well, it would indeed be an unparalleled bait.” Schmidt, completely dazed, finally managed to utter. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the potential profits. It would undoubtedly be more than enough to fund the establishment of the Crown.
Afterward, they discussed finer details such as when to officially establish the Crown and how to publicize it, concluding the day’s discussions. Given the issues with personnel and other matters, it couldn’t happen immediately. For now, it was decided to release the Dragon materials in small quantities, starting with a single carcass for the initial offering. The official establishment of the Crown was set for about a week before the opening of the three gates other than Ryusen. Until then, finetuning the detailed regulations would be necessary, and Wahid and his team would be responsible for that, referencing other guilds. Once the Crown’s operations were on track, Kousuke would likely have minimal direct involvement. However, getting it to that point would be quite challenging. And so, after Kousuke departed, Wahid and Schmidt continued their more detailed discussions.
The formal name for the Guild Card Creation Machine has finally been revealed. “Divine Power Engraver”… that was the best I could come up with on my own. A machine that uses divine power to engrave abilities, perhaps? To those who offered suggestions, thank you very much for your valuable input.
June 9, 2014 – Typo corrections.
