70-Episode 70: Let's Find Trade Items

With Bahamut defeated, the food shortage that threatened the people of Kuuujima is no longer a concern.

The demon who was working behind the scenes was crushed by another Bahamut, so we can't get any more information about it, but since the gate was destroyed, there will be no more threats to the sky island.

The plan to send Vern and the rest of the Goodruiser's crew back to the surface was also made possible by converting the ship into an airship.

I'd like to think that all my worries are behind me, but there is one thing I still have to worry about.

That is, is it safe to leave the people of Empty Island as they are?

After all, the people of this empty island are the descendants of ordinary people who lived on the Sky Continent, so they have almost no technological experience.

They're in a state where they've assembled technology from scratch, so their combat and magic skills are low.

Thanks to the magic items for defense, they didn't have to be desperate to survive, which is probably the reason why their fighting skills didn't grow.

Well, there are many other reasons as well.

And because of that, I wasn't able to stand up to an enemy like Bahamut this time, who was of a different strength.

If Bahamut had recognized humans as food in the environment of an empty island with nowhere to run, the humans of the empty island would have been wiped out by now.

Furthermore, the magic items they were relying on were also quite degraded, which was not good.

After all, it's been used for hundreds of years without any maintenance and has been overused for a long time.

I fixed it this time, but it will eventually break down completely.

If my magic item is broken, I won't be able to fight demons, and I won't be able to go gather food in the forest island.

After all, you wouldn't be able to fly.

The best thing to do is to teach them flying magic, but it's a bit difficult to get everyone on the sky island to learn it.

I'm sure it's not only the time, but also the age.

So I made a suggestion to Mr. Calm and Mr. Byrne.

"Move the empty island dwellers to the ground?

''Yes, at this rate, the people of the Empty Island will be unable to live with their magic items broken. So why don't we let them move to the ground if they wish?

Now there's the Goodruiser, which has been transformed into an airship.

While the crew is learning to fly the airship, the King of the Sky and the inhabitants of Kuuujima should be aware of the current situation and consider whether they should stay on the island or move to the surface.

It's a good idea to move out of the sky island for the future of the people. I'm afraid that the magic item might break one day, which is something we knights have always been concerned about.

Carm-san showed a favorable opinion of the migration.

Apparently, that anxiety has been among the knights of the Sky Island for some time now.

''Umm, but...''

And Mr. Byrne looks a bit thoughtful.

'Is there a problem?'

When I asked him about it, he answered for me.

But when it comes to emigrating to our country, it would be difficult for us to use our own discretion. We would have to accept immigrants from other countries.

Mmmm, so it's a political issue.

It's just...

The XO continued.

'I thought it would be easier to persuade the top brass if I showed them the Goodruiser, which you converted for me,' he said. After all, no one has ever seen a ship that can fly.

Huh?　I think airships are common, right?

Or is this ship ready for mass production, Lord Lex?

The face of the XO who asked me was the face of an aristocrat making a political decision.

I've seen this expression often in my previous life, so I'm sure this is the face of a person who is thinking about whether it can be used for military purposes.

But why do they say they want to mass produce airships and such?

I don't want them to be used for something bad, and I guess I'll just fool them appropriately.

''No, the materials used in this airship are limited in number, so we can't have enough of them to use in a war. It's a pretty rare material nowadays.

The main material used for the modification was the gravium contained in the soil and ores of Sky Island.

Now that there is no Sky Continent, Gravium only exists in the empty islands that are left now.

That's why I answered that magic items using gravium would be difficult to mass produce.

It's simply because flying magic items made with ordinary technology are better in performance.

'Also, the amount of material used is small, so it won't be able to maneuver well enough to withstand a battle. If you push it too hard, the flight function will be destroyed.

Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that.

Perhaps he believed my words, but the XO easily withdrew.

Could it be that there really are no airships in that country?

No, no, it's probably because they broke too many of them in the war or something, and the number of them became too small.

That's why they were told to make a lot of airships in the past, just barely good enough to withstand transportation.

As for the immigration to our country, we need a decision from the higher ups. Therefore, why not start with trade?

From the trade?

Yes, we can demonstrate the benefits of our nation's interaction with Kuuujima by presenting our unique trade goods. Fortunately, we have those ships that have made it possible for us to fly.

With that, the XO looks at the Goodruiser as it continues its flight training.

That's right, it's easier for both sides to trade and exchange food rather than just asking people to suddenly move to a new country. And if the countries get along with each other, they may be able to emigrate in the future without any problems.

What do you think, Captain Calm? Why don't you think about the exchange between the two countries in the form of trade first?

'Hmm, you're right, XO. If it's trade, I don't see a problem with it either!　And only one of our ships, the Goodruiser, can trade!　This is the guy who says my time has come!

Mr. Vern looks happy.

'So the captain must be careful not to let his political enemies take his ship.

Mm-hmm.

The XO just nailed it to the wall.

Well, I suppose we'll be better off with more food on hand.

Mr. Carm reacted favorably to the trade, too.

I can see his relief at knowing that he won't have to leave his homeland.

''Wow, we have an abundance of seafood to offer from our country!　We can offer you lots of big fish off the coast!

Oops, here comes Maylene and the rest of the seaside country to join the trade negotiations.

They are trying hard not to miss out on the lucrative trade negotiations.

We don't have airships in your country, do we?　Besides, you can catch fish from the sea in the Inland Sea, too.

''Hahaha, but since you were able to escape from a demon that should have been managed by both countries, you'll have to make up for our loss as well. You said that your country would be responsible for transporting the witch by ship, right?

Ugugu....

There's a fierce political battle going on here.

Well, I'll leave that to the experts.

I'm not a mere adventurer, so let's leave it to the experts.

I'm a mere adventurer, so it's none of my business.

Isn't it good?

The Sky King, who heard about the situation from Mr. Calm, meditated and was lost in thought.

Incidentally, for some reason I was also brought to the meeting.

I didn't think my presence was necessary in the trade negotiations between the nations, but since I'm deeply involved in the proposal to emigrate to Earth and the modification of the Goodloser, I was asked to participate in the meeting.

I don't think there's any point in me being there.

'I'll accept the trade case. And you can tell the people about the emigration. You may emigrate to the earth if you wish.

Are you sure, Your Majesty?

Carm hesitantly confirms to the Sky King, "This may be a good time for you....

The knights listened to the Sky King's words with a divine look on their faces.

We called ourselves a nation to protect ourselves from the demons' attacks with the few magic items left in the fort and to dispel the people's fears. But we lacked the strength to escape to earth, and we were weary and afraid of the end of days to come.

The Sky King rises from his throne and tells his knights.

We have moved to this empty island in search of a safe place to live. Then why should we insist on the empty island where there is no destination? Calm, first prepare some tradeable goods. Then the knights will gather those who wish to emigrate. And let them know that they will never return to their homes again.

""Ha!"

The knights began to move swiftly after receiving the Sky King's order.

''Oh dear, now it looks like I'm finally going to be able to take off this heavy crown.

The Celestial Sky King muttered that, and although he was tired, he had a clear expression on his face.

.........In this small and nowhere to escape land, this person may have been desperate in his own way.

I'm not sure if the reason he tried to capture us or kill us is because of the king's mask that he wore to protect his people, who had nowhere to run.

"This crown is quite stiff in the neck, isn't it?

Oops, you might be tougher than you think, this old man.

◆ ◆

'That's why I've been trying to find something that could be a trade product...'

Mr. Calm, who was ordered to find the goods to be used for trade, called the chiefs of each village scattered around the Celestial Island to discuss whether there are any goods that could be used as trade goods.

The crew of the Goodruiser and the emissaries of the seaside country are also participating in the selection of goods, and they are selecting goods to see if there is anything that will benefit their country.

''Hmmm, to be honest, it's a bit lacking in terms of trade goods.

It's the same in my country.

Hmmm, I don't think there's anything concrete to offer, and the negotiations are not going well.

This is a problem. This is the only specialty product we have in our country.

Mr. Calm is also puzzled that he has no other products to offer.

The chiefs of each village also seem anxious that their business might be taken by surprise.

Well, then, do you want to explore whether there is anything in Morishima that can be sold?

Morishima?

Yes, Mori Island has been occupied by Bahamut and has been unapproachable until now. But now you can enter Morishima Island, and perhaps there are rare medicinal plants and other things that are rare on earth.

It's true that searching for Morishima was originally a necessary task. If that's the case, we should use this as an opportunity to conduct a large-scale search.

After realizing that there is still hope, Mr. Calm ordered his men to explore Morishima.

Now, I hope there are some things on Morishima Island that could be trade goods.

◆

We will now proceed with our search of Mori Island. Since our priority this time is to find the goods to be traded, minimize the number of battles with demons.

""Ha!"

The knights proceeded into Morishima after receiving instructions from Mr. Calm.

''Well then, shall we go too?''

Yeah.

Coo!

Liliera-san and Mohumov replied cheerfully.

''As far as I'm concerned, I haven't had a good turnout with Bahamut and the demons and such, so I'll have to do my best in this quest.

Coo!

We're both very motivated.

'Fortunately, the forest is my area of expertise, so you can count on it!

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Liliera-san was looking for rare medicinal herbs for everyone back home, and she seems to have a lot of knowledge about medicinal herbs that could be worth money.

''Kyu!''

And Fluffy quickly jumped into the forest.

He probably went to hunt for demons, right?

Well, it's a good thing that the number of demons is decreasing, and since Mohammov can use flying magic, he'll be able to come back properly.

''Then let's go too!

Yeah!

As the two of us walked through the forest, a number of wild beasts such as deer and rabbits came into view.

''Surprisingly, ordinary beasts have survived as well. I thought the demons were devouring them.

'Maybe, but the demons that eat the beast were Bahamut's food. And Bahamut was overlooked because if it was a small beast, it wouldn't be able to add to its belly. Rather, they were left as scattered bait to attract demons to feed on them.

Well, now that I think about it, it's all well and truly compartmentalized.

However, it seems that since Bahamut disappeared, the demons have become more active, and occasionally the carcasses of beasts that seem to have been devoured by the demons can be seen here and there.

In addition, the further you go, the more demons that mistake us for food and attack us start to appear here and there.

''Let me take care of this, right?

Saying that, Liliera-san holds up her spear and goes towards the demon.

Hmm, it's just so lively to fight the right prey.

''Alright, well then, I'll go look for the medicinal herbs, shall I?

While using detection magic to check the situation of Liliera-san and the surrounding demons, I search for medicinal herbs.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I'm sure you'll be able to collect herbs without worrying about over harvesting for a while.

Even if these medicinal herbs don't become the centerpiece of trade, it's good to have more ingredients for medicines because they'll be useful for the people of Kuuujima's life.

''Even so, there really are a lot of medicinal herbs... Oh, I remember making a lot of high potions with these in the past.

While beating up the attacking demons, I found a nostalgic herb and immersed myself in the memories of my past life.

It's not a particularly rare herb, but it's also a medicinal herb, so I'll take it with me.

Okay, we found a lot of different kinds of medicinal herbs.

Morishima is a rather large island, and as long as we don't pick too many, we should be able to get enough for trade without any problems.

Speaking of which...come to think of it, if we're going to trade, we'll need a lot of ships.

Suddenly I realize that this is an empty 'island', but it is quite large.

Even though this is an empty "island," it is quite large.

It's an island the size of a small country.

Then the volume of trade is not per town, but per nation.

If we were to trade on such a scale, a single Goodrouzer ship would be quite unwieldy.

Then, I wonder if it would be better to have more airships?

Oh yeah, that's why the XO asked if he could make more!

Let's go make some more.

I am reminded of a transport airship that was built from above in a previous life.

They're too low-powered to be very battle-tested, but they can carry a small crew and cargo with no problem.

Fortunately, Liliella and Fluffy are busy hunting demons, so let's build it in a hurry while we're at it.

I use my magic to create a working golem, and then order the cutting down of all the handy trees in the area.

Okay, let's get to work!

I'm not sure what it is, but it looks like the jewel that Megalo Whale gave me will work.

I don't know what it is, but it seems to be a very efficient way to transmit magic power.

I'm going to shave a little bit of the gemstone from Megalo Whale's gemstone and use it to make an airship.

With this amount of material, I think we can still make a few hundred more airships.

Now we just need to hunt the monsters that are around and get the core stone out of them.

Also, it would be a pain to transport them to the empty island one by one, so I should be able to control the other ships from the main fleet of ships.

Hmmm, feels like a bit of a Sunday carpenter!

You're not going to be able to do that.

All right, that's something.

The new airship is finished, and I think it's time to go home.

'Liliera-san, mofo, I'm going home now!

Yes!

Cuuuuut!

Mr. Liliella and Fluffy come back with their prey with great enthusiasm.

''It's nice here, I've hunted a lot of B-class demons I've never seen before... right?

Liliella stopped moving as she happily reported, "I'm sorry.

''What's wrong?''

What is that?

Liliera-san looks at the airship floating behind me and exclaims.

''What an airship. The Goodrouzer alone didn't seem to have enough payload to trade, so I made some additional ships for transport.''

That's why we made some ships.

Well, why don't we all just meet up with the others and go home?

'Wow, this will surprise everyone...'

Hahaha, how can you be surprised by a mere transport ship?

◆

I thought you were going to pick herbs!

When I showed him the airship, he was surprised for some reason.