“Mizuhikigoke?”
Seeing Kousuke tilt his head at the name of the material, Donovan began to explain in detail.
“Ah. It seems to often grow near puddles inside caves, but it’s a type of moss. As the name suggests, it apparently glows.”
Although Donovan explained this, Kousuke didn’t tilt his head because he didn’t know about the material.
Rather, he knew of a material with the same name.
Stopping Donovan from adding further explanation, Kousuke looked at Shurein.
“Is there a material with the same name?”
“Well now, at least I don’t know of any? I can’t say for sure because I can’t deny it.”
Shurein replied similarly to Kousuke, tilting her head.
Hearing their conversation, Donovan likely understood what Kousuke and the others were trying to say.
His expression became slightly surprised as he asked,
“Whoa, whoa. You don’t mean…?”
“Yes. I have heard of a material with the same name? Among the items that Crown handles.”
The reason Kousuke knew of this material among the vast number of materials available was simply because it was famous as a high-grade material used in magic tools.
After all, the place where this moss exists is extremely rare, and it is difficult to cultivate.
Therefore, it was a material whose price was soaring.
In response to Kousuke’s answer, Donovan slapped his right palm against his forehead.
“Geez. Seriously?! That was an oversight on my part.”
As capable as Donovan and Adele were, they didn’t know all the materials Crown handled.
While they were aware of the materials handled by their branches, there were still an enormous variety.
Therefore, he didn’t know that Crown dealt with Mizuhikigoke.
By the way, Crown handles many other similarly rare materials.
“Well, rare materials are only supplied internally for our own use, and no information is released to others. It can’t be helped.”
“That might be true. …Hmm? Wait a minute? Does that mean it’s difficult to get even a small supply?”
“Honestly, I can’t say for sure. If you want to know properly, I think it would be best to ask the Division Head?”
“That’s right.”
Donovan nodded as if convinced by Kousuke’s reasonable reply.
“Still, I wonder if the Battle Trading Company didn’t know that Crown handled it.”
“Who knows? As for me, maybe not, but since even Adele didn’t know, it’s unlikely they did either.”
Come to think of it, Kousuke didn’t know how much Crown was making public.
The amount he used was collected from areas (floors) outside human activity, so he didn’t know the actual amount being distributed.
Kousuke knew that it could be collected from towers other than Amamiya Tower, but he had no intention of revealing that at the moment.
“More importantly, what is that moss used for? You brought it here with such confidence. It must be something quite special.”
Shurein asked what she had been wondering about.
It was a material that had become a rumor in town.
It would be natural to assume it had considerable value.
And, as expected, Donovan nodded deeply.
“Ah, about that. Actually, it has something to do with you all as well.”
“Yes?”
At the unexpected words, Kousuke tilted his head.
Even if it had something to do with them, he had no memory of cooperating in any particular way to find the material.
“Ah, no. It’s not directly related. When you all created this branch, didn’t you find Raspica Water, which is a material?”
“No way…”
“Ah, your guess is probably correct. It seems a highly potent medicine can be made using that water and the moss found this time. Of course, it’s not just those two things that are used.”
Donovan’s answer left Kousuke with an indescribable expression.
After all, Raspica Water had been known as a lost material for a long time.
Therefore, it was said that its usage was not well understood.
Crown had likely been conducting various experiments seeking a way to utilize it.
“So, you found a way to use it?”
To Shurein, who tilted her head, Donovan shook his head left and right.
“No, I don’t know. However, if the Empire is truly involved, it wouldn’t be strange if the manufacturing method was passed down.”
Raspica Water, like Aether, was a material used on this West Continent.
Donovan reasoned that even if older nations had lost the material itself, the method might still remain.
And Kousuke held the same opinion.
“Indeed, that is likely the case.”
Older nations have a higher possibility of retaining such records.
While some nations might deny past regimes or governments and disregard ancient texts and documents, the Dominant Empire was fortunately unrelated to such ways of thinking.
Except perhaps in its very early founding period, the nation had maintained a stable regime for a long time, which allowed for such leniency.
Thinking of this, Kousuke suddenly voiced another question.
“Speaking of which, is it confirmed that the Empire is involved?”
“While there’s no definitive proof, I suppose it’s safe to say it’s confirmed. Is there something wrong?”
“Ah, no. If it’s confirmed, wouldn’t it be strange that the other two countries aren’t making a move?”
The three countries bordering Seichun had a history of disputes over ownership.
It was strange that, this time, everything seemed unusually quiet.
Donovan shook his head left and right in response to Kousuke.
“No. They are likely not inactive. They have been fighting over Seichun for years. They must be skilled at that kind of negotiation.”
Even if there were no overt movements, there was a strong possibility that negotiations were underway behind the scenes.
Rather, given the magnitude of the disturbance, if no action had been taken, it would be more certain to assume that some form of exchange had already occurred.
“In other words, it’s a targeted move by Crown?”
Donovan nodded with a wry smile at Kousuke’s direct statement.
“Well, to put it bluntly, that’s about right. To them, we who suddenly appeared are an anomaly.”
“What a strange relationship.”
Kousuke felt a complex mixture of admiration and exasperation.
“Well, that’s probably how it is.”
Beside him, Shurein nodded, saying something similar.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
After Kou and the others left, Donovan was in his office, recalling the recent exchange.
Thanks to the information from Kou, things seemed to be progressing more smoothly than initially planned.
“An adventurer who knows of Crown’s dealings, which even Adele is unaware of, huh.”
Donovan was already certain in his mind about the adventurer Kou’s true identity, but he did not speak the name aloud.
He looked, to put it mildly, like any ordinary person one might encounter.
However, his retinue, which included not only Corry but also others who seemed to have various connections, made him a peculiar sight in Donovan’s eyes.
Furthermore, there were Kou’s own abilities, which were not apparent from his appearance.
“…I wonder where he obtained such knowledge…”
To Donovan, the adventurer Kou was an enigma.
“Well, there’s no point in thinking about it. Time to get to work.”
In the empty office, Donovan’s muttered words echoed.
It was a material that Crown had already been handling.
That said, the distribution volume was extremely low.
This was because it was a plant that had a high possibility of complete extinction if handled carelessly.
