Chapter 145: Funds
“By the way, is Kadal your retainer?”
Considering how things went during the Oath Document, if anyone knew, it would likely be Kin. Gin was just trembling, but he could still move.
“You can call me by my name, you know.”
Kin said with a smug tone.
“The name should be on the Oath Document, right?”
Gin seemed to be mocking my memory a bit.
“Is it really okay to call you by your name? Kin, and even Gin?”
Kin’s name is Auro, and Gin’s name is Kiel. It’s not that I forgot; I just decided to drop the honorifics!
I suspect that Kiel’s lack of taste comes from Auro having absorbed his human traits, leaving behind a part that turned into a Spirit.
One reason I said Auro is a Fairy is that he talks a lot, but if he were a Spirit from the start, he probably wouldn’t care about taste. So, I assume Kiel used to have a sense of taste.
Kiel seems to understand that they were swapped, but what kind of relationship do they have? And just how much Spirit essence does it take to lose the ability to taste?
“…No way.”
“What is it?”
Auro looked shocked as if he had just realized something, and Kiel frowned at him.
“The reason Kadal appeared at that time wasn’t for the Oath Document, but…”
“Do you want to be called by your name?”
I asked Auro, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion as me.
“No, please just call us Kin and Gin.”
“Hey!”
Kiel was lost.
“So, you really are Kadal’s retainers.”
“Yes.”
This time, I got a proper response.
“What the heck? Stop moving forward without me!”
Kiel pouted!
“Auro, the reason Kadal appeared at that time was not for the Oath Document, but for the contract between me, or rather, us—Spirits and Soleil.”
“Based on what was written in the Oath Document, right? If I call your name, the contract will be complete, probably.”
Contracts with Spirits can vary in how they start and proceed, but they always end with a name being given, or if the Spirit already has a name that’s hard to part with, calling that name will bind the connection.
“For now, I’ll leave things to you until the House is built.”
Ignoring the two deep in thought, I opened the shutters to let in the light.
After that, we discussed work matters. I talked about the well nearing completion, explained the blueprints, mentioned that this Island is under my management, and that the islanders are being paid properly instead of being forced into labor.
“Oh, right. This is the temporary fund for you two to set up your place, and some snacks.”
I pulled out a bag filled with gold and another with cookies, and Kiel quickly snatched the cookie bag.
“Are you the one who knows where the cookies came from, not the Shadow Wolf?”
While I was a bit surprised, Auro carefully took the bag of gold.
“I’m the producer. But I’ll keep that to myself for now.”
I introduced them to the islanders, checked the well and the overall condition of the island, and then returned to the main island of Naruadeid.
Auro and Kiel would likely be commuting between the main island and here for a while, hiring carpenters and ordering building materials. To facilitate that, I stopped by the Merchant Guild to arrange for my representative to manage the deposits, and that wrapped up the day.
Still, the bottleneck is the ships for transporting materials. Large ships can’t dock here, so the shipping costs are inevitably high. It looks like it’ll cost significantly more than initially planned, so I need to work a bit harder to earn some funds.
For now, I’ll sell lamps in Naruadeid, but what else should I do? I could get rid of the large number of White Goose feather pillows and cushions… No, I’ll need those once the House is built.
I returned home, stroking Rishu while pondering various thoughts. Is there a quick way to make a lot of money?
If I don’t soak the potatoes first, other vegetables will likely be underpriced. I should wait to sell tomatoes and cucumbers until I have a good track record with the potatoes. Strawberries should be ready for harvest soon; maybe I can manage that? But Ash loves them and uses them quite a bit in sweets.
I fell asleep while worrying about the timing for selling and the effort involved in growing them.
“Hey, I sold the sword to Amedeo!”
The next day, an absurd amount of money rolled into my pocket. Is that how much a Spirit Sword is worth? And just how much has Kin been hoarding?
“Rosa looked pale, so it seems they’re dipping into the party’s activity funds instead of personal ones. Serves them right! Ah—! I feel so refreshed!”
Dinoss had a bright smile, as if he had been carrying a heavy burden.
It seems Rosa’s party has given up on Dinoss and decided to focus seriously on their Adventurer work for a while to raise funds.
They moved to the Fortress City where the rewards are better, so peace should follow!
I raised a toast with Dinoss early in the morning, feeling joyful. Mine was sparkling water with lime, though.
Two worries have been resolved, and I feel so much lighter!