Chapter 171: While There’s Time
Marlu is quite noisy, and Soleil and Kingin probably have a lot to discuss, so I’ll leave the detailed talk for tomorrow.
“Just let the person making this change know. Also, please add the waterway construction.”
“A waterway, you say?”
“Yeah.”
“It seems like the bell tower is the starting point…”
“Exactly, it has a good height and the location is pretty convenient. Just go ahead with that for now. Make sure it doesn’t leak. Oh, and distribute these.”
I handed a bag of sweets to Auro and called it a day.
He seemed like he had a lot to say, but in the end, he just silently agreed. If he were a butler, I feel like he would have definitely confirmed things, but I guess we’re not close enough for that yet. I should push through while I can.
The castle’s well is usually located inside the main tower, and this one is no exception. From there, I’ll have to work hard to draw water, fill the storage tank high up in the building, and let it flow to various places for use.
Since I was planning to use the well, I consulted Ish about whether there was a way to create a waterway, and he told me about a magic circle that can summon water. I’ll look it up in the library and plan to install it at the bell tower. However, drawing a circle that can pump up a sufficient amount of water seems like it will be quite labor-intensive.
In addition to the castle staff, I also want a doctor and a pharmacy on the island. A bakery too—ah, since I’ve secured water, I should make a waterwheel. Now, where would be the best place for that…?
The Forest House is like a small secret base, while this island feels like a secret lair for an evil organization, which is kind of fun. Maybe I should aim for it to be impregnable?
As I hummed to myself and returned to the pier, I saw a familiar lady talking to an old man. It seems she was asked by Kiel to go shopping for Soleil, but apparently, there were no boats available.
Thinking it might be the same pattern on the way back, I took the lady back to Naruadeid. Since I wouldn’t be crossing to the island again today, I gave her permission to use the return trip and parted ways with the two at the boat house.
Now, it’s time for dinner. Naruadeid is known for its delicious seafood, so I stopped by a promising-looking restaurant to order some fish. —What came out was a large fish, completely charred.
I was a bit taken aback, but the waiter smiled and expertly cut it open with a knife to show me the inside. The outside was burnt to a crisp, but the inside was tender, fluffy white flesh steaming with warmth.
“Squeeze some lemon on it. The lemon season is almost over.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Following the waiter’s advice, I squeezed lemon over a piece and took a bite. It was surprisingly delicious, far beyond what I had expected from its appearance. I wonder if it was seasoned only with salt?
The salt flavor accentuated the fish’s subtle sweetness, and the lemon brightened up the surprisingly rich fat of the white fish.
Some ravioli-like dish also arrived, but the delicious whole fish overshadowed it, and I couldn’t remember its taste. The fact that I didn’t remember probably meant it was just average.
In high spirits, I headed to the port where the large ships dock. I was on the lookout for any foreign spirits that might have snuck in with the cargo. I wanted to explore various places, but I felt uneasy about going somewhere not marked on the map I received. I had gathered enough information from humans, so now it was time to collect from spirits.
As I walked, I observed the spirits around me. The tide spirit was full of energy, but the others seemed a bit lackluster? This area looked like a warehouse for mass-produced carpets and textiles. Do spirits lose their vigor when surrounded by the same items?
Oh, there were spirits buzzing around a cylindrical object being carried with great care, looking quite curious.
That must be a carpet made by someone spirit-possessed.
Speaking of which, the pottery town where I ordered the bath bucket had workshops that, no matter how busy they were, always paid respect to the spirits before starting production, while others focused solely on efficiency and skipped showing respect to the invisible spirits. The number of spirits that gathered around them was noticeably different.
Workshops that followed tradition were meticulous in their craft. However, those that cut corners to produce and sell as much as possible were quite common.
I spotted a spirit near a bag of sugar; surely a sugar spirit would know about distant lands. I waited for a moment when no one was around, but sugar is a precious commodity, so people never seemed to leave!
Talking to the bag would make me look suspicious, and even if I spoke in my mind, staring at the bag would still make me seem odd. I wonder if that bag could be sold to me? Maybe I should try negotiating.
—The ship owner sold me a different bag instead. No, that’s not what I wanted!
I quickly tucked the bag into [Storage] behind some cover and continued my search for other spirits. I pretended to admire a particularly fine ship while chatting with the ship spirit.
I gathered information about several ports where the ship could dock, so I’ll head there first. I have the map I copied from the library, but it had some strange monsters drawn on it, which made me a bit skeptical. However, it seems to be mostly accurate.
In the worst-case scenario, even if I end up in a place full of demon beasts, I’ve learned the magic to create barriers, so if I activate it before going in, I should be able to manage.
With the necessary information in hand, I returned home feeling quite pleased. After naming the spirits, I planned to relax and play with Rishu.