Taichi here.
Yes, this is the same Taichi who recently obtained his own territory and is currently working hard together with his group to develop the said territory. His soon-to-be-wives were also helping out, which is great.
For the time being, he's a Hero.
The first night with the 500 year old maiden was over. Well, it was not easy.
Let me tell you the whole story.
[Don't try to wrap me with thread! Calm down! The color of your eyes changes――Ouch!? Don't bite you idiot! Hey, don't tell me you get more excited by the taste of blood!? Don't scratch me!]
It was a messy night battle.
No, it's no longer in the same realm as exchanging sweet words. I tasted something a lot scarier there. In the end, I had to rely on my inflated stats to survive the night.
Kusuha-san turned ghastly pale upon returning back to her sanity and seeing the aftermath. The next morning, the bed and all traces of what we did the previous night were gone. Now that we're more used to each other, our next entanglements were less of a catastrophe than the first time. But she still bit me and tried to wrap me in threads sometimes though.
She's still too dangerous for my other brides to join during our nights.
Well, let's get back to the main story.
It's been three weeks since the beastkin folks were taken to the new site.
Leaving the under construction territory for now, I headed to Oni's territory in the depth of the sea of trees. The goal, of course, to have them join my territory.
As you might imagine when you hear the name "Oni", they are a humanoid race with one or two horns on their head. Strictly speaking, there are two types of Oni; the large one and the small one.
The large Onis were around 2 meter to 2.5 meter tall, with bodies that are either muscular macho (for male) or slim dynamite curves (for female). Their skin color was often red, but some minorities had bluish skin. Their faces were similar to that of humans. Some are beautiful while others are ugly. They aren't good with magic.
The small Onis are 1 meter to 1.5 meter tall on average. Slightly taller than dwarves. Most of them have slim bodies, but they're strong and agile. Many have bluish skin tone, with minorities of reddish skin. The male and female have barely any discerning differences in feature, but most of them were beautiful. Similar to their bigger brethren, they're not good at magic.
[We Onis will not bend down to a human]
An Oni with a body reminiscent of Mt. Iwao spoke up.
Even among the large Onis, this one is particularly huge at 3 meter tall. Any little kid would probably be scared shitless and traumatized if they're in my position with the way he's glaring at me with his scary red face. Does that mean it's a no go?
[Master Enki, sister Kusuha has told us about what this man is intending to do, and we are excited to hear it. We the riverkin will also join in the great leader's endeavour. So would you please relax a little and hear his story?]
The bipedal lizard standing right next to me tried to persuade the Oni with a bitter voice that echoed directly in my brain
This fellow's name is Kayjay=Guy. He's the son of a representative of the riverkin who lives in the area around a fairly large river that flows through the Great Sea of Trees, now acting as his father's proxy. He's also our middleman in this negotiation with the Oni.
He had stayed in the Oni village for several years in the past, so he was able to facilitate a face to face meeting with Enki, the chief of the Onis
We made contact with the riverkin relatively early, and succeeded in eradicating the monsters that threatened them, which built up a friendly relationship between us.
The monsters, although having a crustacean look, had wings that allowed them to fly in the air, as well as pincers and claws that allow them to travel aboveground. Some wielded gun-like weapons that shoot lightning, while the other could spray freezing fog.
I first tried to use punches and kicks, but they were seemingly resistant to it. Not to mention the disgusting bodily fluid that sploshed out. In addition to that, they're also very resistant to elemental magic, so in the end, I had to use the pure magic Maximum Explosion to blow them all up to kingdom come.
I heard that they were really intrusive because they had been kidnapping the Riverkin at night and polluting the river. They cannot be communicated with, so I have no choice but to eliminate them.
――those monsters don't have any relation with any cosmic horrors or the like, right? Right?
Anyways, once I got rid of them, the Riverkin agreed to be incorporated into my territory. We're currently in the middle of figuring out the way to connect my territory with the river where the Riverkins live. Making a huge canal will be the more obvious method, but it's not that easy given the monsters living in the forest.
[I refuse. We, the Onis, will not bow to anyone. I don't know what that poisonous spider is thinking, but it's not worth considering.]
Having said that, Enki directed his glare from Kayjay to me. How dare he call Kusuha a poisonous spider! Being a virgin for 500 years might make her a bit intense, but once you get over that phase, she's a good hardworking woman who always tries her best.
She bites and tries to wrap me in her threads sometimes, which can lead to a bloody situation. But she's been maturing lately. She still needs to learn to adjust her strength when she's biting my shoulder or digging her nails into my back though.
Anyways, calling Kusuha a poisonous spider is outrageous. I glared back at the bastard Oni with murderous intent.
[Great leader too… we are here to negotiate, not to fight. Don't tell me this foul odor has something to do with the leader?]
[ [ Chi ] ]
We were glaring at each other, and at the same time, we turned our eyes away and stuck out our tongue without caring for Kayjay
There's a reason why Enki and I were not on good terms.
=====
Actually, a while ago, I tried to contact the Oni village by myself prior to contacting the Riverkin. Their place was close by and I thought it would be okay to show my face a little.
However, as soon as the Onis saw me flying by flying magic, they shot arrows at me without any effort to speak with me first. Even though I said arrows, what they shoot were basically polearms shot from hard recurve bows that normal humans won't be able to pull. One arrow actually broke through Windshield-san, which should be impenetrable to normal arrows. Not that the arrow was made of black steel, but it pierced through simply by its sheer mass and speed.
Actually, calling what they used to shoot me as bow and arrows is an understatement. With the size of the large Oni, it might as well be a ballista with spear-sized bolts.
And yes, the bolt hit me. It barely missed the torso, landing around my left shoulder. I didn't die immediately thanks to my enormous HP and VIT. But it still felt like my left arm had been torn off.
Alright, that's the last straw. My fire was ignited.
I thought that dish was bad enough, but at least I'm happy with it.
Eh? What did I do again?
Yeah, actually, when I was flying around Miscronia for Il-san's ruthless death march, I found a food in the southwest where fish was soaked in salt water and fermented
Yes, even in the original world, it is said to be a foul-smelling weapon, a chemical weapon, or even a biological weapon. I never had a taste of that smell in my original world, but when I finally did in this world, I was convinced.
I will never forget the disgusted eyes of Marl and Tina when I said I was going to the southwest. Absolutely. Well, I did get a good revenge on the two. On the bed.
But I digress.
Angrily, I threw a barrel full of food I obtained from the southwest of Miscronia, which weighed nearly 100 kilograms, into the village of shitty Onis.
Get down, something is coming, Dokan, Gwah!? The smell! My eyes are hurting!? Ahh!? Chief! ? I heard funny noises soon after.
I discarded the clothes I wore in haste and repeatedly cast purification of the life magic, then blew a breeze in the direction of the village over a wide area. It seems that it became a hellish picture of many fainting and vomiting. Serve you right, assholes.
[Because of you my grandchildren don't want to get close to me up until now! I can't get rid of the smell!]
[Shadap, idiot. That surströmming for you. Serve you right for trying to kill first then ask questions later.]
Enki groaned in response to my remark. What's wrong? Are you a sengoku warrior or something?
Both of us were locked in a staring battle again. Despite the sparks scattering from our eyes, Kayjay actually went between us and pushed us away from each other. This lizard guy is surprisingly pretty strong.
[Both the Great leader and Master Enki should've been more careful. It's true that master Enki was at fault for attacking without confirming the other party's intention first. But the leader is not innocent either. Many non-combatants were also involved there. So can you two make up already?]
[ [ Chi ] ]
[Ahh… we should've brought sister Marl along for this.]
There's no way I would bring my soon-to-be-wives into a place where people would shoot ballistas at you. Are you kidding me?
Although I was still angry at the fact that I almost got killed there, it seems that Surströmming-san really caused a lot of trouble for them. So I guess I should help them a little.
[Alright. I'll be more precise the next time someone tries to kill me. Let's get rid of the odor now. Are you fine with that?]
[Fuhn…. Very well.]
[Then show me around. I'll purify the air along the way.]
So we decided to stop the unconstructive interaction for the time being. Honestly I want to make him grovel on the ground for that poisonous spider remark. But let's put up with it today. I'll definitely kick his ass one of these days.
We were guided by Enki to purify the village. Yes, it is the purification of life magic. Since it became annoying in the middle, I expanded the range and purified the entire village at once. Perhaps because I forcibly expanded the range of effect, the magic consumed about the same amount of magical power as two Maximum Explosions, which baffled me. Well, it will recover so quickly.
[Uーn, I see]
It's a rich village.
That's my honest impression after looking around the village while purifying the fish stench.
Their farmyard was nothing short of amazing; it was wonderfully cultivated. I'm not exactly an expert on this, but even a commoner like me can see how good it is.
Agricultural products were fairly diverse, but their staple food seemed to be like potatoes. Many were planted, and I witnessed some people harvesting the potatoes. By the way, the farm tools were also made of high quality metal. Blacksmithing technology seems to be quite advanced.
The other thing that caught my attention was that there were more than one pottery jars everywhere. The contents seemed to be water. Do they have to store rainwater because water resources are scarce? No, I've seen some wells so that shouldn't be the case. It doesn't seem to be water reserved for agricultural stuff either. So what is it?
[Those are water basins for fire prevention. There was a huge fire accident in the past, so those basins have been prepared in various spots around the village to prevent similar accidents since then.]
[Right, the Onis aren't good at magic.]
Nobody among the Onis was capable of casting the water magic. No matter how strong their physical strength, the amount of water they can extract from a well is still limited. That's why they prepared excess water for when an accident happens.
In a human city, mages who can use water magic would be hired by the city to immediately put out the fire. In my original world, firefighters are working in the place of mages who can use water magic.
Other mages also take various professions where they can make use of their magic. Thinking back, those who chose to become adventurers can be considered weirdos.
Well, that's enough about mages' employment.
[This place is wonderful. Un.]
Enki didn't respond to my remark, but he seemed satisfied hearing it.
But it felt silly somehow. It's like he's trying to show off his kinds' superiority over the others who live in the great sea trees.
Although the Arachnean village was strong by itself, they'll run into a deadlock in the long run due to the limited number of strong individuals. The Antillians are weak individually, so they couldn't develop beyond their current state. The riverkin would eventually be annihilated by the monsters, not to mention that their line of supply would also gradually taper off.
The fairies… I feel that they'll survive just fine even if the world is destroyed, so let's forget about them for now.
Anyway, the Onis have enough strength to keep themselves safe from foreign threats, enough productivity to feed all of their people, and the technical abilities that allow them to live a civilized life. There might be some minor problem, but it's nothing fatal.
Their tech, agriculture and pottery in particular, was fairly advanced. I'd want to learn from them if I can be blunt. I can do blacksmithing, and Peron-san will also join the territory soon, so maybe I can do something about it.
[You guys don't need my help at all. It saddens me.]
[Hmmph, now you know. Yes, we don't need your help. And we don't have to rely on anyone. That's why I don't feel the need to hear your story.]
[No, I mean, I came here today for a different matter though?]
It's true that they can stand on their own and don't need my help whatsoever. But what about becoming business partners?
Since they are quite self sufficient, they can become the best customer for my territory. Not that I'm trying to conquer them through economy. No, not at all hahahaha.
[It seems that your kind is living affluently here. But no matter how strong and indomitable you guys are, there are things that are missing or not available, right? For example――medicine that is effective against illness and injury. Luxury items such as salt, sugar and alcohol. Grains such as wheat and rice. How about foods such as marine products that are difficult to obtain in the forest?]
Enki stared at me without raising his brows. This means that I've piqued his interest and can continue.
[My territory will be handling those goods. We are planning to create a new trade route between Miscronia and Karendil through this sea of trees. In the future, it'll become a trading city where goods from both countries come and go. I'd also be able to distribute the goods to this village. For a reasonable price of course.]
[Too confusing. Make it simpler.]
[Yeah, I don't like confusing things either. Here's a suggestion. I want to buy your farming and pottery-making skills. Of course, if you have surplus products, I can buy them at a reasonable price. I can pay you with money as compensation. But if you don't want money, we can also provide you with other products.]
There can be any number of products that can be used as food. Currently, we are relying on imports from Karendil and Miscronia, but we'd like to be able to cover it within our own territory as much as possible.
I'd rather have money circulate more inside the territory instead of outward. Since it'll activate the territory's economy.
[Fuhn… how will this territory work?]
He's interested alright. He still seemed unfazed, but the fact that he's asking proves that he's interested.
[That's the problem here. The Onis don't know about this sea of trees completely, right? Well, neither do we. We can't even draw a territorial line inside this sea of trees. But of course, my territory will have its own rules and your village will be the same. The best I can do is warning the travellers about the location of this village in advance, so that they won't approach carelessly. But I have to ask you to be careful when punishing those who violate this warning. At the very least, I want you to avoid killing them right away without reasonable justification.]
If this proposal is denied, then I have no choice but to get stricter. I can only convince him through the means I excel at, fighting.
[.. Humans are greedy, cunning, and brutal. I hear that our ancestors lived with humans long ago. And they were betrayed. What is your purpose? Why do you even bother? What are you trying to achieve by bringing your territory to such a remote place?]
I have made clear about the answer to that question many times before.
It's just that, for the current me, talking about this is like poking at an old wound. So I've been trying to avoid it.
But I guess, as long as we can solve this peacefully, then so be it.
[I found a dying beastkin village near Karendil Kingdom's territory by chance. I decided to take them under my wing. Why I did so was completely for my own self satisfaction. For the time being, they need a place where they could live peacefully. I've talked to both Karendil and Miscronia, managing to seize this sea of trees that acts as the border between the two kingdoms as my territory. I thought that the sea of trees that is full of monsters would have no other inhabitants. Until I went to investigate and found you guys.]
Enki stared at me as if trying to perceive whether I lied or not, then he turned to Kayjay for confirmation.
[Yes, I understand master Enki's feeling, but this man is telling the truth. I've come to have a look at his territory before this. There were indeed a lot of beastkin, and only a few humans; merchants, the leader himself, and three of his brides. Speaking of brides, he also has four beastkin, one elf, and also sister Kusuha, making a total of nine. It hasn't been made official yet, but I can see that he takes each relationship seriously. I can assure you that he's not like any other humans out there.]
[…..are you sure he's a human, not an incubus?]
[Hahaha. All this started because I wanted to enjoy the beastkin's fluffy furs without being frowned at.]
I laughed at Enki's remark. It's because I actually have "incubus" in my title list. I felt that Kusuha's bites and scratches might've awakened the M inside me, but I guess it's just my imagination. Fuck, all these weird titles are making me crying.
[一I'll think about it. But don't keep your hopes high. However, we don't want futile conflict either. So we'll be more careful from now on.]
[Alright. I'll be back in a week or so. It's a bit late, but here's a souvenir for you. Liquor.]
That said, I took out 20 barrels of liquor from my inventory. Grape wine, ale, whiskey, and sake, it's all there. Most of which are made from crops that did not exist in Oni village.
In the original world, I didn't drink much. To be honest, I hated going to drinking parties. Because I was not the type of person who enjoyed that kind of thing.
But in this world, giving out liquor as a present was very effective in building relationships. In particular, because good quality liquor was very appreciated anywhere in this world. It's basically a luxury item in a world with limited sources of entertainment.
Sugar and salt are the same. It's hard to imagine that those two commodities, which are easy to get and dirt cheap in my original world, are very valuable in this world.
[I'll accept this gift.]
[I bet you'll like it. Especially the sake.]
[We'll see about that]
For the first time I saw Enki actually smiled, even just a little.
Un, it's a smile for sure, but it's scary.
=====
[Welcome back. How did it go?]
[Well一 I don't want to get ahead of myself here. But I think the negotiation had not met a dead end yet. I was able to convince them to lower their『Kill every intruders and human』down a notch and for them to be more careful next time.]
[Great! That is already a step forward.]
Tina and Marl praised me after hearing my report.
By the way, we're in the lord's office now.
Eh? How did we already have the lord's office built within only 3 weeks? I bought a suitable property in Alfen, isolated it with space magic, put it inside my inventory, and relocated it here just like that.
Well, I wasn't sure that it'll work at first, but when it actually fit inside the inventory, I could only laugh.
Name: House
Quality: Normal
That's what is shown on the UI.
Well, I didn't think it would work from the beginning, so I bought some used houses that were worn out and did my experiment on them first. The foundation was distorted when I first tried to do it with earth magic, and it collapsed when I moved to the territory. I was about to give up after going through three more failed methods, until I succeeded in hollowing out and storing the entire building along with its base by combining space magic's space cutting and barriers together.
The relocation was finally successful by replacing the ground on the spot where the building will be relocated to, and then re-solidifying the base with earth magic.
The stones and woods from the collapsed buildings will be reused to make other buildings, and the houses that only partially collapse will be repaired and used. Being eco-friendly is also important, isn't it?
Back to the topic, this lord's office was actually a reasonably good-looking palace that was for sale in the wall section of the royal capital Alfen.
Originally it was a villa for the local lords to spend time when they came to the royal capital.
Our private mansion was a different building altogether. I believe it was originally considered a defective building――a haunted house when we found it on the Miscronia capital Crown. But I mercilessly used light magic to purify the building. I don't care if it's a former duke or his younger brother, I don't want ghosts to interfere with my comfortable life.
There were quite a number of rooms inside and there is also a large bath, so it was a very satisfying property. There was a basement, or more like a dungeon. But since I had no plans to use it, I crushed it and did some ventilation-related work before turning it into a smithy and alchemy workshop.
[How is the development progressing?]
[The land readjustment of the territory is almost finished. Now we are in the process of improving the water and sewage system.]
[Thanks to the Antillians, the civil engineering work is going well. On the contrary, the progress of the construction is not good enough.]
[Ahー, now that I think about it, Arachnean and Oni require larger buildings. Of course.]
The difference in the physique of the race to be a resident is a problem, and progress is not good in terms of architecture. After all, if you make it in human or beastkin size, the entrance will be too small for the two I mentioned to enter the building itself.
Besides, moving around the building will be harder because they'll bump themselves here and there.
[The houses in the Oni village I visited today looked good. The doorway was wide.]
[I see. There is no choice but to go through various trial and errors I guessー.]
[I wish we could hire some Oni carpenters.]
I could only hope for that now. We can only wait and see.
[Dear, is there anything else?]
[I came home earlier than expected. So how about I help you while we take a look around the territory?]
[Uーn, then can you inspect the outer wall? There is a petition saying that the stone quality is unacceptable.]
Marl checked some of the documents at hand and gave me an instruction. Well, I'm happy to have such an excellent bride. But I can't just let her work all the time. Have to find someone who can be entrusted with her work as early as possible.
Otherwise when will we get ourselves a baby?
Babymaking… no no no, that'll only make my mind filled with perverted stuff. Calm down, calm down me. Okay.
[Roger that, I'll replace the stones with better one soon. You two, don't overwork yourself, alright?]
[Got it! Please be careful on your way!]
[Take care]
[Nera-sama is in sage mode…]
[She'll be relegated to unknown character if this goes on]
[Actually, she's in a bad spot, hit by perverse acts nearly everyday…]
[Wha, isn't that bad!?]
[I lied]
[Damn you, you double-faced expressionless liar!]