Chapter 350: The Truth
The day after I finished tidying up the House, I found myself lounging around in the Forest House with Rishu. It had been a while since I had come close to Magic Power Depletion, and I felt like I had worked hard afterward.
For our meal, we had a hearty soup curry with bone-in chicken thighs. I arranged roasted bell peppers, asparagus, and eggplant in larger pieces to make it visually appealing. A sprinkle of fried lotus root slices completed the dish.
The soup curry was spiced just right, with a bit of heat. The chicken thighs were so tender that I could break them apart with a spoon.
The salad consisted of boiled eggs and avocado, mixed with a pinch of salt, a splash of lemon juice, and mayonnaise—perfectly gentle on my tongue, which was still tingling from the spice. I heard that round avocados, rather than the pear-shaped ones, are grown in areas with temperature variations and have a sweeter taste.
As I enjoyed the soup curry, beads of sweat forming on my forehead, I opened the bedroom window to let in a bit of the cool air and wrapped myself in the sheets, rolling around lazily. Rishu was next to me, gnawing on the Ex-Staff.
Yesterday was all about lounging, and today I had come to check on the Island Tower.
The Cold Plate that Rudil had set up in the center of the living room facing the terrace was something I planned to move eventually. Since Rishu seemed to like it, I felt reluctant to remove it, so I needed to find a spot indoors where I wouldn’t feel cold.
—It feels like it would be impossible no matter where I set it. Rishu spends more time indoors than I do, so it’s better for him to be comfortable.
What should I do? Fortunately, the cold air rises, so maybe I could create a structure like a fireplace and place it there?
No, before that, I want to turn off the blowing function and just let it cool. Rishu looks adorable, sitting on top of the humidifier or air purifier, enjoying the breeze from below.
As I entered the first-floor storage room of the tower, a strong smell of alcohol hit me. Since everyone was already busy working on other floors, the place was empty, but this storage room served as a sleeping area for the Earth Folk.
I opened the door wide to let the Wind Spirit come and go freely for ventilation. I collected the empty barrels and set up new ones.
The floor was laid with boards, a custom of the Earth Folk. It seems they have a habit of spilling food and drink, and this culture extends to their homes, where they replace the flooring once or twice a year.
It’s strange that they take such care to change their shoes when entering a place they’re working on, yet they have this peculiar culture. Not just the Earth Folk, but people here tend to throw trash on the floor. When they eat nuts, they just drop the shells right there. Cleaning the house often means just dumping the trash into the alley.
That’s prohibited on this island. I’ve set up trash bins, and littering incurs a fine.
The Earth Folk eat twice a day, in the morning and at night. At night, they wash down their meat with plenty of alcohol. In the morning, they have something made from flour and salt kneaded with lard, baked, along with some bean stew and a bit of cheese, and it seems they don’t eat much else.
I want to tell them to eat more vegetables, but their nutritional needs might differ by ethnicity or race, so I leave it be. In fact, they seem to be more robust and live longer than most people around here.
After tidying up a bit and replenishing what seemed to be lacking, I finished my inspection of the tower.
The entrance hall had a luxurious feel. It wasn’t flashy, but the stairs had been improved to let in sunlight, giving a bright and dazzling first impression.
The dining room was heavy yet cleverly designed for usability. It seemed they hadn’t made significant changes to the waterworks, as there were no major alterations. It looked like the work was done here, as there were no people around. I could hear singing from above, so it wasn’t quiet.
There were improved versions of the pots, pans, and skillets I had ordered lined up. I wonder if they could make aluminum foil too?
I held back from getting too close since they were working with a precision that allowed no room for error! They were cheerfully singing, calling for encouragement, and it didn’t seem like they were engaged in such delicate work.
Washiku, the cold-sensitive Earth Folk here, didn’t want to join in. Apparently, he was tone-deaf. The Earth Folk often start singing rounds, but he couldn’t help but disrupt them, making him feel uncomfortable.
Even the spirits who came to help would get annoyed and disappear, but it turned out that during a shouting match with the goldsmith Auro, the spirits would flock to them. Suddenly, they could create forms that had previously eluded them.
With that in mind, I thought I’d ask them to try making a zipper, even though I didn’t expect much. They were probably shouting and experimenting together again today.
Well, I shouldn’t wander around too much and become a nuisance. I should ask Soleil about the finances and what items we might be lacking.
“My lord,” I finally felt motivated to head to the main building when I spotted Auro at the entrance.
“Is there a problem on the island?”
“A few days ago, there was an earthquake believed to be caused by the Spirit Realm, but it hasn’t had a significant impact on the island. Soleil almost fainted, and the innkeeper who was coming to handle the paperwork screamed and clung to Kiel.”
The innkeeper was a muscular, bearded man with a fierce-looking face, wasn’t he? Well, whatever. I decided not to dwell on it.
“Ah, I’m glad to hear there was no impact. I don’t know which spirit caused it, but it’s quite a nuisance.”
“It seems the tremors were widespread, making it difficult to pinpoint the location, but there’s a possibility that multiple God-class Spirits were involved. Depending on which spirits were involved, I’m concerned about their potential impact on the climate moving forward.”
The epicenter is the Talia Peninsula, where the House is located, right? For Auro, who seems to be quite capable for a newly born spirit, to pinpoint something he doesn’t know is impressive. Is it because he looks just like the butler, or is it that Auro, being a Changeling, is less familiar with the Spirit Realm?
No, wait. Multiple gods…? The epicenter?
“Is something the matter?”
“No, it’s just… what a troublesome spirit…” I felt like I understood why the gods hadn’t met my gaze, and I averted my eyes from Auro.