By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 19

Chapter 7, Episode 19: The Trash Processing Plant and Wist’s First Crush

The next morning, I wanted to check on the operation of the trash plant and the factory, plus the slimes I had placed out there. In particular, I expected to see some of the scavenger slimes ready to split; I’d have to collect and contract the new slimes.

When I arrived at the plant, I was met with a good number of employees bringing in the trash and a familiar face watching the process.

“Good morning, Taylor.”

“Oh, morning, Ryoma.”

“What brings you out here?”

“I had some downtime, so I strolled over here to check on everyone.”

“Right... It was you who introduced us to the drivers, after all.”

In addition to the trash collectors on foot, we were using horse- and monster-drawn carriages to efficiently collect trash from all corners of the expansive city. When we were preparing to open the plant, I had Taylor give me the names of tamers who could handle monster-drawn carriages. Apparently, he was currently in a tight spot because tamers had been flooding the guild, just as the laborers had flooded the streets.

With Gimul’s ample mines, there were always enough jobs to transport miners and mined goods to and from the mines. Still, the large influx of tamers had created an excess of supply, and many of the new tamers were lured into the trade by sweet talk like how the Jamils invented taming magic, so they use plenty of tamers in their land, or how taming magic would help make them qualified for more jobs, and so on. Once they learned the most basic taming magic spell, Contract Familiar, they were practically tossed out of their hometowns with the advice that the Tamer’s Guild would take care of them once they made it to Gimul.

In pithy terms, many of them were just like the day laborers—only having learned taming magic as a means to an end with no experience or aspirations to be tamers. I could only imagine the hassle of having to deal with a huge influx of rookie tamers. In fact, there had been a lot of accidents reported lately where the tamer treated their familiar badly enough that the creature defied orders, or even went on a rampage that would have harmed not only the tamer but those around them, if it hadn’t been for Taylor’s thoughtful preparations. He had managed to minimize the damage of each incident, where the worst of them only left the tamer injured. This was how the incidents had avoided being the topic of the town gossip. But large or small, any accident caused by a member of the guild was their responsibility to mop up afterwards.

I’m not expecting them to have pride and devotion for a career of taming, he had vented to me during our meeting the other day. I just want them to understand how much responsibility is needed when dealing with monsters...

I felt for my dear branch manager. Many of the rookies had been assigned to the mines away from the city, to mitigate the risk of the worst-case scenario where they’d cause an accident that would damage buildings in the city, or even harm passersby. I had swept in and hired the veteran drivers who were left without any work.

When yet another trash collection carriage passed in front of us, the driver gave us a friendly wave. Since Taylor apparently knew the man, he returned a smile back. “I’ve noticed something from standing here,” he noted. “All of that trash doesn’t smell too bad.”

“I paid special attention to that, since we were building the plant in the middle of the city.”

Even though this was formerly the location of the slums, it didn’t hurt to be careful about the smell. Besides, workers who take care of the essential job of picking up and carrying trash were treated with a certain sense of disregard. I had put every idea I had about deodorizing the place to use, in order to make the plant seem as sanitary as possible.

“All carriages are covered to keep the trash out of sight and, as much as possible, out of smell. Every barrel, bag, and cargo hold in the carriages used to transport garbage are thoroughly lathered with the secretion of a deodorant slime. Workers are mandated to wear their issued uniforms, in accordance with a dress code. They are also given the same deodorant we sell at Bamboo Forest, with instructions to use it after their shift before being in contact with anyone outside the plant.”

“You mentioned that before... That’s all it takes to keep the smell in?”

On top of that, the plant before us was an unpretentious rectangular box, the first floor of which was dedicated to gathering and processing trash. Transport carriages drove into the plant through the large loading doors, unloaded their cargo, then drove through the opening on the other side to get right back to collecting more trash. The openings and windows of the plant were fitted with a one-way wind barrier that allowed fresh air in, but prevented the stench from escaping. Venting was done with wind magical items that incorporated a dust and odor-eliminating filter, fashioned from deodorant and filter slimes, to keep our emissions as clean as possible.

“All these magical items, just to eliminate the smell?”

“I know an excellent manufacturer.”

“Glad to hear it. Never take your acquaintances for granted, as they say... Anyway, I should be going. It looks like everything’s going smoothly; everyone’s working hard and the conditions are adequate.”

“I’ll walk you there, then.”

With the addition of the trash plant and the employee’s dorm, visibility and safety had increased in the area, but it still hadn’t been too long since these streets were slum territory. I thought it might have been worth the extra caution for the branch manager, especially at his age.

“Oh, I’ll be fine. I didn’t just fall into my position at the Tamer’s Guild, you know.” He tapped the breast pocket of his jacket, and a minuscule, hamster-like creature poked its head out from it.

“Well, isn’t that cute.”

“He’s my familiar, Felnark. Resonance moles like him have acute awareness and perception, and they can communicate with others of the same species even when separated. He’ll let me know, along with the resonance moles back at the guild, if anyone dangerous is coming my way.”

“So he’s not just for show, then. Pretty impressive.”

“He may be small, but he’s a good companion. And if push comes to shove, I have another ace up my sleeve. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be taking the road you built anyway. After all, it’s you who’s here to work, not me, right? If you’re that concerned about me, channel that concern into the project. I’ll reap the rewards in the long run.”

I had paved the roads surrounding the plant to make it easier for carriages to come and go, and they quickly led out to the main roads. Not to mention that those carriages passed by pretty frequently, and I did have slimes on guard...

“Well, if you insist,” I relented. “I’ll get to work. Please be careful.”

“You too. Once things calm down, you can join me in a cup of tea anytime.”

I parted with the branch manager and entered the plant. Inside, the piles of trash were being raked apart by the workers who continuously spread them out on the grated floor. This broke down the trash, and sifted them as they made their way to the scavenger slimes in the basement. Pieces of trash too large for the grates in the floor are sent off to a department that breaks them down and sends them back to the sifting floor. I had designed the plant this way to ensure the safety of the scavenger slimes and the efficiency of their work.

Just like with all slimes, scavenger slimes were most effective when they could completely engulf their target. Additionally, the process was easier when the object they were taking in was softer in texture.

“Looks like smooth sailing all around,” I noted. While I was looking for Zeph and Camil, whom I had left in charge of the plant, I spotted a familiar face working on the floor.

“Wist?”

When I started this venture, I reached out to my fellow adventurer Beck, and Gazelle, who I had met through the training session. After speaking to Nanna Garbage, I decided I wanted people familiar with the lay of the land, at least during our startup phase. They had both told me they were from the slums and had been working as trash collectors until recently. Beck had told me Wist would be joining, but I hadn’t seen him until now... He had grown a year or two’s worth since I last saw him.

“Good morning,” I called quietly, trying to stay out of the way.

“Oh, Ryoma. Good morning,” Wist answered. His voice was a little lower than I recalled.

“It really is you.”

“Y-Yeah. Can’t you tell...?”

“Of course. Just took me a second, since you’ve grown up so fast.”

“I-I only just started getting bigger. Now I have to buy all new armor; everyone else just needs theirs adjusted.”

In spite of that knock on his finances, the way he was growing meant he was closer to adulthood, i.e., it was about time to consider expanding his horizons when it came to work. His position at the plant would provide him with a steady salary, so I was sure he’d put in good work.

“Do you know where Zeph and Camil are?”

“Th-The office upstairs, I think. Grandma Garbage just came in, uh, s-so, they showed her up there.”

“Thanks. Sorry to bother you during work.”

I started heading upstairs.

“R-Ryoma!”

“What’s up?”

“U-Uh, um, well...” Wist struggled to find his words, looking more nervous than usual. My curiosity was piqued, but I let him take a few deep breaths before asking him again.

“Um, you know that...p-pretty maid at your place, Ryoma?”

“Oh.”

If the question didn’t make it obvious enough what he was feeling, his bright-red cheeks certainly did. Wist might have been timid, but he was still going through puberty. He must have seen her during the mass interview the other day, when I had him, Beck, and Gazelle attend as a formality. The maids were in charge of the front of house during the interview.

“I-I was wondering if you could...tell me her n-name...”

Her name? This kid’s way too pure!

Of course, the issue here was that he could have meant any of the three maids; I decided to ask for a physical description.

“W-Well, she’s got a...gorgeous physique.” Wist blushed even harder.

While I didn’t want to embarrass him any further, that didn’t really narrow it down. Both Lilian and Lulunese both had attractive figures... Of course, Lulunese was married, so I only hoped that the poor kid wasn’t talking about her so he wouldn’t end up brokenhearted.

“Sh-She’s the one who’s like, super ripped!”

Ripped?

“Would you be talking about Liviola?”

“Oh, is that her name? You know, the ape beastkin.”

“That’s her. I guess that checks out, since you’re an ape beastkin yourself.”

Ape beastkin were all large and muscular; the term “washboard abs” would probably sell them a bit short. Plus Liviola was more muscular than most men of other species, so I supposed her body could be called gorgeous in the same way you could call a bodybuilder “gorgeous.” I felt a pang of guilt when I realized that I had automatically excluded Liviola from his potential choices; in order to prevent the possibility of really hating myself in the morning, I told Wist a few qualities I admired about Liviola and then exited stage left.