Chapter 579: The Book of Naming
The library is complete!
It turned out just as I envisioned! The shelves are still quite empty, and the only things filling them are the Spirit Notes that I’ve turned into books.
I’ve also set up a desk for binding. If it’s just weak Spirits, the notebook will handle the binding itself, but if stronger Spirits are involved, then it’s up to me to do it.
Some strong Spirits dislike having their names written in the same notebook as others—though there are some weak ones who feel the same but reluctantly allow their names to be written. If I leave it as is, it won’t take the form of a book.
I don’t want to make a book with a thicker cover, so I write a brief description about the Spirit and have them draw a symbolic picture related to themselves, or I let them choose from existing images to pad out the page count. I’ve also reserved plenty of blank pages.
Recently, I bound books for Es’s Gods, Seikai, Ufu, and the White Goddess.
Es’s Spirits are all in the same book, starting with Es, followed by Asas, Wanwan, Neneto, Skos—along with other minor Spirits. After Es wrote names in a new notebook, the Spirits of Es lined up their names.
The names of Es’s Spirits that were written in other notebooks have somehow migrated to the notebook where Es wrote names. This is also why I’ve reserved so many blank pages.
The book for Mother River Es and her Spirits, the book for Sea God Seikai and the Sea Spirits, and the book for Ufu, the Atmosphere Spirit, along with her Spirits. If I place notebooks in the corresponding regions, the number of books will likely increase.
When transformed into a book, the Spirit Note is born. Even if more Spirits add their names, from then on, the notebook assigned to this book will take care of it.
So, in this room, several notebooks have already started working at the desk, creating a rather surreal scene.
Is something off? It was supposed to look ideal. But I’m grateful for the work they always do. I’ll boost their magic power a bit.
The books become Spirit Notes. Each one is a unique Spirit Note, yet they all form one Spirit Note. —I hope there won’t be any Spirit Notes for the shelves or for this room appearing?
I feel a bit anxious, but I’ll leave the rest to them and read a regular book while enjoying a snack. Chocolate cake and orange gelato.
The chocolate cake is rich and moist. Yeah, it’s delicious. The orange gelato turned out well too; I made the chocolate cake a bit sweeter this time and added a little bitterness by mixing in some zest.
I sip coffee while reading. I’ve tried buying some novels, but here, picture books are recommended. The price skyrockets when they come with illustrations, though.
I want to grow coffee beans, but I wonder if there’s any good land available?
◇ ◆ ◇
The scheduled events are a banquet with the Earth Folk, followed by a banquet in Karn’s Country. I’ve arranged various supplies, and I’ve also baked some pound cake that keeps well. I ground the flour for that.
In the meantime, I’ll work on transforming Amijin’s land. I want to make the fortress comfortable to use, so I’ll enlarge the windows—no, that might make it too hot? Let’s keep it moderate.
What should I cultivate in Amijin’s land? The inland area that belongs to the Amijin is quite cold, but the part I received is hot. It’s warm even in winter. However, there are some highland areas, so it’s a bit cooler there.
Maybe grapes or olives? Growing feed corn and raising cows and pigs sounds appealing too. Demon Beast meat is tastier, but there aren’t any Demon Beasts around Naruadeid. The Demon Beast meat that comes into Naruadeid is mostly dried meat.
I also need to consider the products from surrounding countries, so I should consult with Soleil first. I want to confirm what was being produced in abundance before the drought affected things.
Soleil is busy with requests from Haulon, so it might be better to wait until things settle down.
For now, I’ll prepare rooms in the fortress so that workers can stay. I need to ensure that proper residences are built above ground as well.
—I want to delegate some work to Captain Cat, and it’s better to procure furniture normally from Naruadeid. Recently, furniture in the style of Blue Spirit Island has started to circulate.
It’s difficult to establish a mass production system on the island, so I welcome the creation and distribution of imitated goods from elsewhere.
Even if the quality is on par with the island’s products, the ones from Blue Spirit Island, which have the name recognition, hold more value, creating a different competitive state. The quality is indeed good, though.
Thanks to Soleil’s efforts, the brand of “Blue Spirit Island” has been firmly established. Normally, earlier products are stronger, but even when the island releases products later, they still fetch high prices.
Many items are created and then handed off to Soleil, who manages to satisfy his merchant desires while also fulfilling my hope of spreading goods.
I thought it was a somewhat conflicting desire, but he balances it remarkably well.
He’s an incredibly valuable presence for me. Even while he’s screaming, he manages to sell various items. I should send him a gift as thanks.
Speaking of which, most of the things I’ve gifted him are used for business, right, Soleil?