119-109 What is a famous tree?

"I think I'll head deeper into the forest today, what do you think?

Haruka said as she ate her breakfast after her daily routine of early morning training.

This policy was shared by all of them, and no one in particular spoke out against it.

"The basic policy is to cut down a famous tree from the northern forest, right?

"Yes. That's the best way to make money in this town, right?

As the head of the guild I met the other day said, the city is basically peaceful, so the adventurer's guild doesn't post many requests with good rewards.

We could have gone after some random demon, boar, or other beast, but that would have been the same as before.

So we decided to go after a famous tree deep in the northern forest.

Diora was against it out of concern for our safety, but it wouldn't be a bad idea if we didn't force ourselves to go and cut it down and make it our future goal.

But do you know what kind of tree would sell well?　I can at least tell you what kind of tree it is with my appraisal.

I think you should go ask Simon about that.　He's a carpenter, he knows what he's talking about.

Right. Well, let's stop by Simon's place before we go to the forest. I don't think we'll have to cut it today.

We agreed to Yuki's suggestion, and after breakfast, we headed for Simon's workshop.

On the way, we went to Gantz's store and bought an axe, a saw, a machete, and some hacksaw, which he said we would need in order to chop down the tree.

It would be nice if I could use a sword to cut down the tree, or magic to do it, but that's impossible. --No, we could use wind magic to chip away at it, but it would probably be faster to use the axe.

We've gotten a little stronger, but we're still far from masters.

Looking forward to the future. ......?

The first time I visited Simon's workshop.

Simon's workshop, which we visited for the first time, was quite a big workshop.

It has a workshop as big as three ordinary houses, and a lumber yard as big as two houses next to it.

I thought it was just a small craftsman's house, but the way it looked, it must have a number of apprentices.　In fact, he might be a very powerful man.

I was a little surprised at the appearance of the workshop, but Yuki, who has been here several times, didn't seem to mind as she opened the door and walked in.

Hello~. Simon-san, are you there?

Inside the workshop, there were many pieces of furniture that were still being made, making it difficult to see what was going on. The workshop is crammed with furniture under construction, and visibility is poor.

Yuki's voice rang out, and there was a reply from afar.

Oh, I'm here. I'm here. Give me a minute.

"Yes.

I hadn't had a chance to see the workshop before. I waited for a while at the entrance, observing it with interest, until Simon approached, weaving between the furniture.

It's Yuki and the others, isn't it? What's wrong with the house?

Haruka shook her head in denial as Simon asked with a slightly sullen expression.

No, there's nothing wrong with the house. The house is fine, I'm quite happy with it. Thank you very much.

"Heh!　That's good. It wasn't a bad job either. What is it then?　You want to order some furniture?

We looked at each other, and then Yuki spoke up on behalf of us.

Actually, I'm thinking of going to the north forest to cut some trees. Actually, I'm thinking of going to the north woods to cut a tree, but I don't know what kind of tree would be best, so I was hoping you could give me some advice.

"The North Woods?　I'm sure you've got a lot of money, and I know you're good at what you do, but it's not safe.　It's not like we're going anywhere soon.

It's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon.　It's not like we're going anywhere soon, but if we don't find a tree that will pay for itself when we get there, it'll be a waste.

I know what you mean, but some of the higher ranking guys have been there before.

For more than ten years now, trees have not been cut down in the northern forests, and the price of the best trees has only gone up.

So, if you can get it, you're sure to make a lot of money, and there have been times when high rank adventurers who don't normally come to this town - though it seems they were at most rank 6 - have gone to cut it. But they didn't go so far as to cut it down.

However, even if they had no problem cutting down the logs, it was very difficult to bring them back.

It takes a lot of people to drag a log through the forest, where there is no proper path, and dragging such a thing around naturally attracts demons.

The number of adventurers and haulers needed to deal with this would be quite large, and if they had to distribute the wood among them, it would not be a good deal for the high-ranked adventurers, no matter how much the wood sold for.

Inevitably, this would be done only a few times, and the high-ranked adventurers would soon leave the town.

So, the main problem is the transportation method.

And we have the means to solve that: magic bags.

If we could just cut down the trees and put them in the magic bag, it would be much easier, if not easier, to return home than dragging the logs.

When I explained this to Simon, he nodded his head in agreement. He nodded his head in agreement. The reason he nodded is because even if there is no problem in carrying the logs, there is still the problem of how to deal with other monsters.

I see. It would be nice to have a tree from that forest, but ...... I'll show you. Come on!

Simon took us to the wood yard next to the workshop.

In a corner, in a locked, sturdy shed, there it was.

Many pieces of wood were placed against the wall. At first glance, they look like ordinary logs, but on closer inspection, ...... they are still ordinary logs.

Are these expensive?　Really?

We're still one of the biggest workshops in town, but this is all we have left. There's almost no market for it, so there's no plan to increase it.

"Well, Simon, I don't really understand what you're looking at.

I asked him hesitantly, and he smiled and nodded.

I asked him hesitantly, and he smiled and nodded, "Maybe it's hard for a layman to tell. But it's definitely different. The wood around here is unique, hard, with fine wood grain. It's great for furniture.

It is beautiful in its solid state and suitable for carving.

On the other hand, it is too good to be used for building materials that can hardly be seen from the outside, and even in the days when it was usually cut from the northern forests, it was only used for floorboards in the residences of aristocrats.

This is what I made into a board, do you understand?

While saying this, Simon picked up a plank from his side and held it out.

The size is about 50 x 100 cm. If you were to use it as is, it would probably be a small table or something like that.

It's beautiful, you know?　And it feels good to the touch.

Yuki stroked it and made subtle comments, but as a man who can't tell the difference, I felt the same way.

I can tell by the way it taps that it's hard.

The blackish, fuzzy grain of the wood seems to have a certain flavor, but is it ...... expensive?

I'm not sure what to make of it.

Yes, you guessed it, Natsuki.

Being born into a rich family is no mean feat.

This is pretty amazing. Isn't it pretty expensive ......?

"Oh, you know what, girl? It's a beautiful piece of wood, so I thought I'd use it for the top. It's not often that you find a piece with a pattern like this.

Perhaps happy that someone understood, Simon grinned and pointed at the board, but no one but Natsuki had any idea what he was talking about.

No, of course, I understand that it's totally different from a piece of wood you can find anywhere.

As we twisted our heads, Simon smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I can't blame a layman for not knowing. I've never had any luck with it.

I'm sorry. Can a craftsman tell me which trees will sell for a good price?

"No, even a craftsman can't tell by looking at the trees that grow. The only thing you can tell for sure is the species.

I see. It's natural that you can't tell the wood's principle until you cut it. It has an epidermis.

And if it's just the type of tree, we have Toya's [appraisal], so we don't have a problem.

The most popular tree is walnut, but any kind of tree in that area will sell well. The thicker the trunk and the further into the forest you cut it, the better the price, but the tougher the demon will be.

"You don't have to be so choosy. But why are the trees around there of such high quality?

I don't know. I don't know. But I heard there's a lot of magic around there. I'm thinking it's because of that.

Magic, huh? ......

Well, maybe that's why we couldn't cut down the trees because there were too many strong demons. It's not going to work.

You'll be able to get a lot more than that.

But that's to be expected.

Even in the natural world, there is a difference between places where magic is strong and places where it is weak, and in general, it is in places where magic is strong that many demons appear.

In this case, it was thought that the magic power affected the growth of the tree, but the effect could not have been limited to the tree, and the number of demons must have increased as well.

I understand. Also, where do you think is the best place to sell the wood you cut down?

I'm not sure what to do with it.

Haruka asked, and Simon pondered a bit.

In the first place, the lumber market is run by a union of woodworkers and carpenters and a union of lumberjacks, and there is also the reason that they don't want adventurers cutting down trees without permission in the southern forest where they are systematically logging.

If they cut down the trees without thinking, the forest might disappear, so it is unavoidable considering the protection of forest resources.

One way out is to have the adventurer's guild buy the wood and sell it to the lumber market, but this is a system almost exclusively for adventurers who have cut down trees in the northern forest.

However, this system is only for adventurers who have cut down trees in the North Woods. Because of the fees paid to the guild, cutting down trees in the South Woods will not make you much money.

If you trust me, I'll buy it from you.　If you don't trust me, I'll buy it from you. It'll be better than going through the Adventurer's Guild.

"Well, yes. If it works out, I'd appreciate it.

Oh, I'm counting on you... but don't overdo it.　It's no fun to see young men die.

Yes, thank you.

We thanked Simon for his concern for us in a rather clumsy way, and left the workshop with some more advice on choosing a tree.