261 - - Art. 259. Plans of the Spirit's Village

After the little army + Gina had headed to the site where the plaza was to be built, I was wondering what I was going to do when Sylphy asked me to consult with her. It was about the village of spirits.

"So, Sylphy, what's up with the village of spirits?"

Yes, actually, there was an official from the Palace of the Spirits last night. He left the price for Yuta that I told you about before, and he asked me about the village of spirits.

"The consideration ...... Oh, you mean the one you said you didn't want me to accept?"

"Yes. I left it at the brewery and will give it to you later."

"Yes, sir. So you're telling me that this staff member's advice has something to do with me?

"Actually, I heard that there are a lot of requests from other spirits at the Spirit Palace. Most of them are from floating spirits, lower level spirits, and middle level spirits, but there are a lot of things they want to do. ......"

"Belle and her friends, Fuchu and her friends, and spirits as big as Meral have been asking for a lot of things."

"That's right. You can do things in paradise that you can't do in other sanctuaries. I heard that they have been trying their best to explain to the spirits' palace what they wanted to do. So the staff of the palace came to see if there's anything they can do. I told them that I didn't know what would happen because Yuta had his own schedule, but thank God his schedule was free.

I see what you mean. So many kids like Bell and his friends gathered here and tried their best to explain everything. It must be a very funny scene from the outside, but it must be quite difficult to understand their requests and to give them answers.

"So you're asking if we can speed up the building of the village of the spirits?"

No, it's not so much a question of building a village. We can make some buildings with magic just like we did with the brewery. The problem is the request of the spirits.

"Requests?"

Yes, there are many things we can manage, but there are a few things that would be difficult for us to do on our own. The most difficult ones are to eat good food and to go shopping. Aside from alcohol, cooking is something that only the eccentric would touch, and the spirits don't use the currency itself. We don't have anything to sell in the first place.

...... That's a problem. There are too many things missing to fulfill the request.

"So I have to prepare food, things to sell, currency, etc.?　But even if I buy things, I can't take them home with me, can I?"

"Yes, so except for the food, I think it will be in the form of rentals, like I said before."

Then, once we have a certain amount of goods in stock at the beginning, we will be able to bring in new items from time to time. Currency can be made from paper money, but if it's too much trouble, you can just use other people's currency.

We can ask Marie to help us with the stuff. The problem is food. ......There will not be enough food to fill a large order from Torque.

"Why were the lower and middle class spirits interested in food in the first place?　Could it be that I'm the reason?"

"Well, Yuta is a hot topic of conversation among the spirits, and I am sure that our eating together is the trigger.

I knew it. At the age of Belle and her friends, it would be interesting for them to see other children eating delicious looking food.　

"So, would that mean that the food and desserts are the main purpose of the event?"

"Yes, I'm almost certain of that."

I'm sure Mr. Toruku would take it to the limit if I asked him to, but since he says he's still busy, it would be tough to ask him to cook for me endlessly, let alone occasionally. We could ask another restaurant to cook for us, but it would be a hassle to stock it regularly.

"Can you recruit the odd spirit who dabbles in cooking?　Oh, and how good a cook are you?"

"I think they will come if you invite them. As for my cooking skills,...... I think I have the skills to make good food for this continent. I see that you have a lot of ingenuity in your cooking, even though seasonings and ingredients are hard to come by."

I think it's hard for them to cook just because they are spirits and have many restrictions. If that's the case, we can buy a lot of ingredients and have them cook for us. Meat can be easily obtained by hunting in the labyrinth, and unlike cooking, it should not be a problem to purchase ingredients.

"Then let's recruit the spirits and make a cafeteria. I'll stock a large quantity of ingredients in bulk. As for the rental store, I'll ask Marie to get all the goods for us, and we can open the store if you can provide us with a waiter.

"Can I ask you to do that?"

"Yes, it won't be much trouble, no problem at all. What about currency?　We can make a simple currency that is accepted only in the village of spirits, or we can use the currency used on the continent.

"What kind of new currency are you thinking of?"

"Since it will only be used in this village, it could be something as simple as making a stamp and stamping it on a piece of paper."

"Then, with floating spirits, some children might mistake the paper for money, not to mention lower level spirits. They won't have a chance to use it anywhere else, and they'll understand it when they grow up, but I'd rather have a normal currency anyway."

You mistake paper for money. I don't get to use money anywhere but here, but I'd rather use the real thing anyway.

"Okay. We'll just need a copper coin, a large copper coin, and a silver coin, right?"

"Well, I don't think I'll ever have a chance to use the gold coins, so the copper, copper and silver coins should be enough."

"Yes, sir. So, the only stores you're going to build are a diner and a general store?　What about a bar?"

This time it is the request of the younger children, and the bar can be set up on its own without any preparation.

That too. So for the time being, we just need a cafeteria, a general rental store, and currency.

"Okay. And where will the spirits stay?　Even if Sylphy and his team provide the building, what about the furniture?　If we're going to stay here, we should at least have a bed, right?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. If they are materializing, they will want to sleep in beds, and that's necessary.

I think they'll be happy to have a bed."

The Belles are happy to have their own room, and even when they are not materializing, they sometimes sleep in the nursery. Since they have materialized, they use their beds more often, and I think the spirits who come to visit them would enjoy using their beds more.

"That's right. That would be ...... ah, just fine. The staff brought a fundraising proposal along with the price. I'll be right back."

Sylphy flew away. But, so many requests from lower and middle class spirits ...... that they are looking forward to the spirit village so much. I'd be more than happy if they enjoyed themselves.

Yuta! Sorry to keep you waiting.

"No, I'm not waiting for you at all.

In fact, you came back while I was thinking about it for a minute.

"Yeah?　Well, okay. This is the price for renting the land to Yuta, and this is how we're going to raise the money.

"Uh, jewelry?"

The price is six jewels the size of ping-pong balls, each a different color. The fund-raising method is a lot of gems like pachinko balls lying around.

"No, these are spirit stones made by the spirit kings.

"Spirit stone?　The genie king made it?"

That's scary. Are you sure you want to take something like that?

"Yes. Yuta has a contract with us, so it doesn't mean much, but it's effective enough to double the corresponding attribute's magic ....... I'm assuming you'll sell it off, so I've kept the price to about double, but it should be worth a fair price if you sell it.

......Twice as much, it would be a great thing if a top-notch magician used it.

If you sell it, it will be used in a war.

"There are many labyrinthine magical tools on the market that are even more effective than that. They are more expensive at twice the price, but they are not impossible to find.

Oh, there's the labyrinth. There are some pretty unreasonable tools in there, so there are some magical tools of that caliber, too.

"I've said it many times. You don't have to give me these things. But it's not good for you, is it?"

I know, but I have to ask. It's a little scary that the price is something made by the king of spirits. If possible, I'd like you to quietly pretend it never happened.

"Yes, if it's between contractors, it's just a matter of mutual feelings. As for the sanctuary, it's a matter that concerns all the spirits, so there should be a price to pay.

......I'll keep it in my magic bag to sell when I'm in need of money.

"Okay, I'll take it. So what's this fundraiser over here?　It's small, but is this a spirit stone too?"

That's not much of a gemstone. A stone a little tougher than glass, with little effect. But it's beautiful and can be used to make floating spirits, so the staff thought it would make a good commercial product.

It looks like a clear, colored gemstone, and the grains are uniform. There could be a demand for jewelry for the general public or for use as stained glass.

"If this becomes a commercial product, do you mean you can mass-produce it and make money?"

"Yes, it's easy to make, and it's a good way to earn some money for the kids who come here to play. It would be great if you could buy them in large quantities.

I see... So you distribute money to the spirits in exchange for the missing spirit stones. The money is then spent in the village of the spirits. I don't know if this is a proper economy, but I think it will work.

If this stone becomes a commodity, it might be better to set a daily or per capita limit on the purchase of this stone.

"Okay, I'll talk to Marie about it next time I go to the labyrinth city."

"Yes, please."

"If you want to go to the labyrinth city tomorrow, the sooner the better.　It's only about four hours one way for just me and Sylphy, so we can go for a short trip and come back.

A little while ago, I would have been afraid to leave Sarah and the others in the land of the dead, but now that Gina was with us, and we were in the sanctuary and could see the spirits, I felt much more secure.

"It's good that you're moving early, but are you sure?"

"Yes, the staff seems to be in trouble, so it would be better to find out how to make money as soon as possible. I'll do my best to make some money."

It's Sylphy that flies. ...... I'd like to get the house ordered as well if I could, but I just talked to Sylphy this morning. It would be too much to ask.

"Okay, I'll take care of it then. Thank you, Yuta.

You're welcome. Oh, I'd like to have a little bit of the missing spirit stone you were talking about when I check to see if it can be used as a commercial product, so can you make some of it for me?

"That one is easy to make, so getting the numbers together won't be a problem. How much are you taking with you?"

"If you can hold enough of each color with both hands, it will be easier to visualize how to use them."

"Okay. I'll let everyone know."

"Yeah."

Unexpectedly, we ended up returning to the labyrinth city quite early. It's a day trip, but I think I'll have time to visit Mel.

...... Oh, and he's really hyped up about finishing the Fire Dragon Fang Dagger before we get here next. I have a feeling he's going to be disappointed if I visit him so soon. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring them to the sanctuary and stage a meeting between Mel and Meraru, but I'd rather not show my face this time. We can talk about it when the dagger is finished. Let's start with the village of the spirits.