Chapter 45: The Mistress is Calling
After eating my fill and taking a short break, I dedicated myself to grinding the stone mill, making Gold Mash powder.
I powdered all the Gold Mash I had stored in my Medicinal Herb Pouch, which filled three wide-mouthed jars, one Medium Bottle, and a little extra.
The next day, after a breakfast of bread with fillings and soup, I leisurely enjoyed my morning tea.
I pondered what to do next. I had 7,500,000 Dahla in the Commerce Guild and a little over 9,000,000 Dahla on me.
My immediate goal was to save up 20,000,000 Dahla, buy magically enchanted clothes, and improve my safety.
After that, I figured I’d save enough money to live comfortably and perhaps travel the lands.
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After three days of such an idle life, I started to get bored, so I decided to go for a stroll and explore the surroundings.
I had a thought and tried to measure my communication range with Hoo-chan; it seemed to be roughly 100 meters.
It appeared that the telepathic conversation range was about three to four times the distance I could shout. I confirmed this by testing it with Mii-chan, and it was about the same.
I figured there would be at least one or two Bee-chans within a 100-meter radius, so I tried calling out, and a reply came back instantly.
A short time after the reply, I began to hear the buzzing of wings. Mii-chan clung to my chest, so I shrank her and put her in my breast pocket.
Perhaps I should make a carrier bag for Mii-chan eventually and attach it to a backpack frame.
With the Hoo-chans positioned in front and behind me, I strolled around, memorizing the terrain.
I’ve asked them not to bite any Goblins we encounter.
Instead, I hit them with killing intent and King’s Pressure to freeze them, then stab them to death and leave them be.
《Master, it seems to be humanoids.》
Hoo1, who was in the vanguard, informed me of their approach, so I had Mii-chan go confirm.
《It’s the humanoids Master was talking to.》
《Talking to?》
《The ones you gave prey to. There are males and females mixed.》
《Thank you. Mii-chan, Hoo-chans, come on back.》
《Bee-chans, wait up there until I call, okay?》
《Okay~!》
《Call us anytime~!》
Five of them responded to my call. I wonder how far my voice actually reached them. I should measure the communication range with the Bee-chans someday.
I had the Hoo-chans fall back behind me, then returned Mii-chan to her normal size and had her hide in the tall grass.
I could tell they were approaching cautiously, but they didn’t seem hostile.
When I emerged from the tall grass, the man who had introduced himself as Orlc appeared. Next to him was another man with an arrow nocked on his bow, but he quickly un-nocked it.
“I thought it was just the cat, but you have Forest Wolves under your command too?”
“Well, things can get rather dangerous, you know.”
“Taming three beasts of two different species… Is this thanks to your Divine Protection?”
“Hey, where’s Mii-chan?”
“She’s around here somewhere. These two are for protection, but I leave the hunting to Mii-chan.”
“You use a cat for hunting instead of wolves?”
“For things like Chiki-Chiki Birds and Red Chickens. If I leave the treetop hunting to Mii-chan, she earns quite a bit. By the way, is there any prey around here?”
“There are Horn Boars and Orange Sheep, but we heard someone saw Forest Wolves, so we were being cautious.”
“We heard it wasn’t a pack, but to think they were your tamed beasts.”
“Aren’t they registered?”
“I’ve been rather conspicuous with this Divine Protection, and besides, I heard that Tamers can only Tame one beast.”
“You certainly are conspicuous. Hey, can I ask you something?”
“If it’s something I can answer.”
“I also have the Tamer Skill, but how did you Tame them?”
“How, you ask… All I can really say is that if you make the target weaker than yourself, you can Tame it.”
“You said your Ability was 1, right? Were you able to Tame them because of your Divine Protection too?”
“Same ability as me… or rather, I weakened them and then Tamed them. What’s your ability level?”
“Ability 36. I don’t really understand it, and there aren’t many Tamers among Adventurers, you see. Besides, there’s no one I can ask who seems like they’d actually answer me.”
With an Ability of 36, she could probably Tame a Goblin as is, but she likely wouldn’t want to.
I wonder what Fang Cat’s stats were? I forgot, but I don’t think they were higher than 36.
In that case, maybe she could Tame one if she hit it once and made it think she was superior.
“Why don’t you try with a Goblin once? During a Goblin subjugation, pick the weakest-looking one, beat it up so it can’t escape, and then try Taming it.”
“A Goblin, huh… I really don’t want to Tame something like that. A Fang Cat would be nice.”
“Then how about trying with a Horned Rabbit or a Slime?”
“You can Tame a Slime?”
“I managed to.”
“But you don’t have one with you.”
“Could it be that you don’t know the Taming method?”
“That’s right, I had no one to ask. I heard most Tamers Tame things like cattle, horses, or elk, and work as porters or carriage drivers, but I can’t just go up to them and ask them to teach me, you know.”
“For example, when Taming a Goblin, you hurt it and make it weaker than yourself. Next, you mutter ‘Tame’ twice to it. I think you’ll know if it works. Also, to release a Tamed beast, you can say ‘Tame’ and then ‘Release’ consecutively. Though it’s safer to just kill it instead of releasing it.”
“Is that all?”
“In my case, yes. It’s the result of asking an unhelpful person and practicing, and I don’t know how much of it is due to my Divine Protection.”
“Thank you. I’ll try practicing with something for now.”
She and her companions, who had listened with interest, said they would continue hunting, so we parted ways. I’ll have to ask her for the results next time we meet.
I have absolutely no idea how well ordinary Tamers can handle their tamed beasts, or to what extent they can communicate with them.
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I left the hunting to Mii-chan and spent about twenty days relaxing before returning to Emden and heading straight for the Guild.
I told the old guy at the purchase counter that I had brought the requested items and was allowed into the dismantling area.
“Did you catch any Chiki-Chiki Birds?”
“Ask Mii-chan. Where should I put them?”
I lined up the items, starting with those requested by the dismantling chief, in the designated spot.
Chiki-Chiki Bird: 12
Red Chicken: 9
Sprint Bird: 9
Hedgehog: 7
Orange Sheep: 1
Fang Dog: 8
Carrion: 4
“Your cat’s a hard worker, eh?”
“She’s been told to work hard at catching mice, though.”
He quickly appraised them and handed me a filled-out form, so I thanked him and left the dismantling area.
Chiki-Chiki Bird: 12, 60,000 Dahla x 12 = 720,000 Dahla
Red Chicken: 9, 20,000 Dahla x 9 = 180,000 Dahla
Sprint Bird: 9, 35,000 Dahla x 9 = 315,000 Dahla
Hedgehog: 7, 24,000 Dahla x 7 = 168,000 Dahla
Orange Sheep: 1, 65,000 Dahla
Fang Dog: 8, 22,000 Dahla x 8 = 176,000 Dahla
Carrion: 4, 60,000 Dahla x 4 = 240,000 Dahla
Total: 1,864,000 Dahla
Birds earn more than large prey, so there’s no need to go deep into the forest.
Combined with the money I have deposited at the Commerce Guild, I’ll soon have 20,000,000 Dahla.
To avoid going broke after having the clothes made, I decided to earn a bit more in this town and headed to the market to buy food.
After stocking up on plenty of food, I was waiting in line at the town’s entrance/exit when a carriage entered the noble-exclusive passage.
It was a luxurious carriage escorted by ten Adventurers and six escort knights. Following it was a simpler carriage for attendants, also escorted by six knights and ten Adventurers.
It felt more like a wealthy merchant than a noble. As I was idly watching, the carriage that had just passed by stopped.
The line moved, so I took my eyes off the carriage and was moving forward when I heard someone shout, “Hey, you!”
In situations like this, I think leaving the scene is the best option, so I quickened my pace, but the way ahead was congested.
“Hey, I’m calling you! You’re Shinya, aren’t you?”
“Eh, me? I don’t recall doing anything to be stopped by a noble-sama, but what can I do for you?”
“The Mistress is calling for you!”
“Mistress? Excuse me, but I don’t know any noble mistresses. You must have the wrong person.”
“Damn you! I was told to be gentle, so I was being nice, and you take advantage of it. You bastard!”
“Stop! Shinya, Mistress Milene of the Moran Trading Company wishes to see you, so could you please come?”
“Milene-sama?”
“She apparently has an urgent request, so could you come?”
I glanced up and saw three Bee-chans descending. I hurriedly signaled them to stop.
The man who had approached later followed my gaze, looked up, broke into a cold sweat, and then reprimanded the man who was about to shout at me.
“You idiot! Did you forget you were told to be polite? Look up! If you don’t want to get stung and die, don’t mess with him!”
He was scolding him in a low voice, all the while keeping an eye on the Bee-chans.
Well, well, that guy seems to know about me.
In that case, that must be the Moran Trading Company’s carriage, no doubt about it.
The people in front of and behind us in line were watching our exchange with blatant curiosity, so, partly to escape this situation, I decided to try meeting the Okusama.
“Alright. I’ll at least hear what you want.”
“Oh, much obliged.”
Led by the man, we went to the carriage, and the coachman opened the door.
As I hesitated, the Okusama’s voice called out from inside the carriage, “Shinya, we cannot speak here, so please get in.”
Since getting in was the only way to escape this situation, I reluctantly boarded the carriage. Inside, the Okusama, Mina, and that damn old man were also aboard.
“Well now, there doesn’t seem to be any place to kneel, so you’ll have to forgive me,” I stated sarcastically.
Now then, where am I supposed to sit? That damn old man was sitting right in the middle with his legs spread, and opposite him were the Okusama and Mina, who was leaning against her, asleep.
“Father, would you mind shifting over a little?”
“Ah… ah.”
At her cold voice, the damn old man paused for a moment, his attitude screaming that he was reluctantly going to let me sit.
So, he still can’t stand up to his daughter, huh?
The moment I sat down, the carriage began to move.