Chapter 520: The Birth of the Legendary Hero’s Statue
Haulon and Retze look at my face.
“That’s about the gist of it.”
It’s not wrong, though there are differences in our perspectives.
“Polite speech without making eye contact…”
Haulon mutters while looking at Retze, as if confirming something.
Please stop asking Retze for confirmation.
“Um… This is what Chris received from the Lava Dome Spirit, and this is what he got from Seikai. And over here, some sweets.”
I place the Spirit Gold, Tide Draining Pearl, and Karianto Manju on the table.
The Karianto Manju has cracks on the top, but I want to make those cracks a bit larger and extend them to the sides.
“What is it? Is that the macaroon thing you had before?”
Retze asks, looking at the Karianto Manju.
“It’s different from a macaron.”
“Oh! The Lonely Maiden of the Deep Sea, is she the model?”
Chris…
Now that I think about it, back when we first met, she used to call me and Ash something like “my lord.” Yeah, I apologize for being a bit distant back then.
“The Lava Dome…”
Haulon makes a face that’s hard to describe.
Well, aside from the others, Haulon seems like he might have seen the Lava Dome before. I mean, if he muttered that after seeing the Karianto Manju, he must have seen it. It’s probably much rougher in reality, though. No, if it were here, it would likely swell into a nice half-sphere.
“Wait. Is that Spirit Gold?”
Oh, Karn just interrupted. What are we waiting for, though?!
“Yes.”
“Eh?!”
When I answered honestly, a surprised voice came from Chris.
“Seriously? That’s amazing! It’s huge!”
Dean’s eyes widen as he gazes at the chunk of Spirit Gold.
“This size… A magnificent castle could be built with such extravagance.”
Retze seems to be beyond surprise and is now in disbelief.
“The Lonely Maiden of the Deep Sea must be quite the powerful Spirit. This amount will become legendary. In fact, it’s said that she took a liking to the miners, and the gold they had turned into Spirit Gold—it’s a tale from the dawn of the Fire Spirit era, yet it remains famous around Es and Naruadeid.”
Haulon… It’s not wrong that the Karianto Manju is a large Spirit, but that Spirit Gold was probably just a find.
“…The king heading to the Land of Ruin touched the Spirit’s Wrath. The sea near Es and Naruadeid sank.”
“Speaking of which, you did say it was a find!”
Wait! I didn’t say anything, but Karn and Chris are starting to confirm each other?! Karn is frowning with his hand on his forehead, and Haulon is grimacing!
“Gold is one thing, but receiving too much Spirit Gold is excessive! Even gold is a hefty price for a night’s tale, but I accepted it considering the place and the recipient!”
Chris is urgently appealing to me.
“That’s a problem for you, not me. It’s what you received, so I think you should feel free to do as you like with it.”
“If you say I can do as I like, then Jean, I’ll pass it on to you!”
The moment he realized what he received, he seemed to panic. He was calm when I suddenly took him to the Deep Sea.
“No, I already have some.”
“If you already have some, then having a bit more shouldn’t be a problem, right? I can’t think of a use for it, and excess can lead to ruin!”
As expected of a man who spends his rewards at a brothel. His spending isn’t as bad as Dean’s, though.
“Chris did solve the problem, so that reward—ah, how about we use this Spirit Gold to create a statue of Chris in Marina, the town suffering from the drought? If it turns out we need gold, just let me know, and I’ll return it to Chris.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
Haulon agrees while stroking his taut cheek.
“My statue?”
“Yes, ‘Could you capture Chris’s likeness in this Spirit Gold? Is that possible?'”
As I say this, the surrounding Spirits and Chris’s jaw Spirit come over to touch the Spirit Gold. I act quickly before Chris can refuse.
“My Spirit again…”
Haulon slumps in disappointment.
Spirit Gold and Spirit Silver are easy for Spirits to work with. The lattice of my tower was shaped by Spirits using Spirit Iron, and the roof of Kanum is covered with thin Spirit Copper, preventing water from seeping through the tiles.
Haulon’s Fandor is curious and the type to try various things. This time, he joined in at my call, and along with other small Spirits and Chris’s jaw Spirit, they quickly crafted Chris’s likeness.
“Wow, that’s incredibly detailed.”
Dean looks at it with an indescribable expression.
A statue of Chris, looking utterly perplexed, has been created. It perfectly resembles his current form.
“Sorry. Chris, strike a pose.”
“Like this?”
Chris stands up and places one hand on his hip.
“Let’s give you a sword and a cape, a cape!”
Dean laughs as he picks up Chris’s sword, which was leaning against the table.
I pull out something that looks like a cape from [Storage] and drape it over Chris’s shoulders.
“Use this.”
Haulon also brings out a large brooch—a cape clasp. His voice sounds a bit disgruntled, though.
“Oh, that looks good.”
Retze sips his ale.
“‘Can you do it again, please?’”
Once more, the Spirits excitedly touch the Spirit Gold.
“‘Thank you.’ It’s complete.”
“Wow! The bracelet for Ash was amazing, but this is incredible too!”
Dean is moved by the process of creation, not just the finished product.
“I never imagined I would become a statue like this… It’s amazing!”
“It really is amazing. To casually capture a Spirit’s likeness…”
Chris dramatically expresses his amazement, while Haulon wipes away tears.
“We’ll display this in the town, or rather, the village.”
“Setting aside my statue, what about the Spirit Gold? Won’t it get stolen?”
“It’ll be fine.”
I’ll have Spirit guards set up.
“So? What about this?”
Retze points at the Tide Draining Pearl.
“It’s a pearl. To be honest, I’ve discovered various unsatisfactory things, so please ask Chris.”
I’ll protect the rights of my cheeks!