HOT NOVEL UPDATES

By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 15




Hint: To Play after pausing the player, use this button

Chapter 3 Episode 15: Some Changes

I arrived in Gimul around noon the next day, then walked to the store.

“Hello, Boss.”

“Hello to you too, Carme.”

After we greeted each other, he had something to report.

“This has had no effect on business, but there was a little incident the other day.”

“Was there? Tell me more, won’t you?”

“Yes, sir. It’s about that charcoal you left in the kitchen. You said it cleans the air and absorbs moisture and such, didn’t you?”

“It depends on the amount and the material the charcoal is made from, but yes.”

“You see, the others decided that if it can help one room, they may as well put it in other rooms. It didn’t get in the way of anything, so I allowed it. But the following day, some of the charcoal had disappeared. I feared that we were robbed by a charcoal burglar for a moment there.”

“Uh, a charcoal burglar? Well, it sounds like you found out that wasn’t the case.”

“Yes, it turned out that cleaner slimes were the culprits.”

“Cleaners? Did they eat the charcoal?”

“All of the charcoal in the slimes’ standby room, yes. Only a few of the cleaner slimes ate some, but according to Maria, those few have ceased to eat grime off of the laundry. Perhaps they’re sick.”

“Most likely not, but I’d like to take a look at those slimes.”

“Understood.” Carme said and left the office, no doubt to soon return with the slimes. I predicted that they would have evolved into something called a carbon slime or something along those lines.

“I’m back with the slimes, and Maria too.”

“Hello!”

In the brief time that I had spent thinking about slimes, Carme returned. Maria entered behind him, looking a bit uncomfortable. They were each holding a cleaner slime.

“Thanks. Bring them over here.”

I observed the slimes as Maria told me what she knew. She found out that these slimes prefer charcoal at the beginning of a workday, when the slimes were told to eat.

“I was told they’d only eat charcoal.”

“Hm, they do like charcoal the best, and I’m pretty sure they don’t like laundry. But some other slimes cleaned the laundry first.”

“Oh, is that right?” I said. I could have had them continue working anyway, but there was no need to force them to do laundry. “It doesn’t sound like they’re sick. I would guess they’re ready to evolve. Evolution changes their diet and abilities, so leave these two with me. Tell me if any other slimes start to have different preferences. It’s not unthinkable that they would start to damage the laundry in some way, So Carme, I want you to come up with countermeasures for that. Maria, continue to manage the slimes. In the event that some laundry is damaged in the future, we’ll compensate the customer and isolate the slime.”

“I’ll do my best!”

“Thank you. Carme and I will help, so don’t worry about it too much. Personally, I’d actually like to thank you.”

I could sense a new slime was coming, and I looked forward to it immensely. I almost wanted to reward her for a job well done. I was eager to go home and make more charcoal. Anyway, as we kept talking, Maria seemed to calm down. The contracts of the two slimes were transferred to me, settling the issue with the slimes. I had Maria get back to work, then gave my own report.

“The new store in Lenaf has opened for business. They’ll be sending periodic reports our way.”

“I’m glad to hear it worked out.”

“Thanks. That’s all I have to say about the store, but there’s actually a personal matter I’d like to mention.”

I told Carme that I decided to return to my hometown and retrieve my grandparents’ inheritance. That meant that he would have to handle even more administrative duties than he did already.

“So with that in mind, I was thinking that I should gradually take on more adventuring work.”

“I see. Going back to your original plan, then.”

“We still haven’t known each other for that long, but I have faith in your abilities. I’m sorry to ask so much of you, but I hope you accept.”

“Of course, leave the store to me. I’m happy to support you as necessary,” Carme said with an excited smile. Now I didn’t have to worry about the store. “By the way, where is your hometown? I don’t believe you’ve told me its name.”

“Have you heard of the Sea of Trees of Syrus? It’s in that area... uh, why are you looking at me like that?”


The instant I mentioned the location, his normally calm and reserved face changed in a way I had never seen before. “Ahem, excuse me. I’m a bit surprised anyone lived there,” he said with a bit of difficulty.

“So it’s considered dangerous, then?”

“It’s a vast and harsh jungle inhabited by countless monsters. If you traveled far enough inside, you could even encounter A Rank monsters. If not for bases built there long ago, it wouldn’t even be possible to resupply there, from what I hear. Thinking about it rationally, it’s a miracle that you got out of there alive.”

I laughed uncomfortably. “Well, I’m planning to get back there through normal methods, so first I’ll have to raise my adventurer rank. I’d like to prepare and limber up in full before I go.”

“Then tell Mr. Morgan. I think he can help with procuring supplies, and the Morgan Trading Company has many branch stores as well, so they should prove convenient.”

I was afraid that Carme might try to stop me, but in the end, he provided some useful information and cheered me on.

■ ■ ■

I visited the Morgan Trading Company before returning home, and they seemed busier than usual. I considered coming back another day, but a clerk who I met before welcomed me, and I was able to get a meeting with Serge. When I told him about my plans, he had a similar reaction to Carme.

“You’re from the Sea of Trees of Syrus? That must have been brutal.”

“Well, I was so frantic about leaving at the time that I don’t remember most of the details.”

“I see. I don’t blame you. I don’t know what to say about that place. I have heard of adventurers who went there and said they witnessed the sheer tenacity of humans from how they could survive in that harsh environment. I could never enter the region myself. But what compels you to return there now?”

“I encountered a monster in Lenaf the other day that was a bit similar to a monster from my homeland, so that reminded me of it. But from what I hear, the village is now deserted.”

“Considering its location, that’s quite possible.”

“Confirming that is another reason I’d like to go there. I think it’s a long shot, but it’s a goal I have as an adventurer.”

“I see. Then I’ll support you from the shadows. If you ever need something, please use my company.”

“Thank you. By the way, is something happening today?”

People seemed to be running about with more fervor than before. Maybe I picked a bad time to stop by.

“No. In fact, today was a good day for you to come. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be spending a week at the magic item market opening in Keleban. We’re preparing for that.”

“A magic item market? That sounds interesting.”

“Oh, are you interested?”

Serge’s eyes lit up. They were the eyes of a fanatic.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to mess with many magic items. Do you like them?”

“I’m something of a collector of them, as my friends know all too well. I’m going to this market half for work, half for fun.”

“Really? It does sound like it’d be fun to check out.”

“It is. Even magic items of the same type may differ depending on the craftsman or the workshop. And this market is unique in that one-of-a-kind items and the work of apprentices is more readily available. When you find truly captivating items and promising talent, it’s that much more interesting. I’ve tried to make some myself, but I’m not cut out to be a craftsman.”

“Serge, can you use enchanting magic?”

“No, I have so little magical energy that I can’t even use much elemental magic. But some varieties of magic items can be made without magical energy. One moment, please,” Serge said and, now totally nerding out, skipped out of the room. He soon returned with a wooden box. “Take a look at this.” He took a gear out of the box. It looked perfectly ordinary at first, but when Serge inserted some energy, it began to slowly spin on the desk. “This gear is enchanted with a non-elemental spell called Spin. As you can see, just adding magical energy will make it spin in a particular direction, so it can be used in a power generator. These are generally used in magimobiles.”

That sounded like the magic version of an automobile, but I had yet to see anything of the sort. I asked Serge about them.

“Unfortunately, they’re not especially practical. Some use magical energy from humans while others use magic crystals, but they don’t have quite enough power to move the passengers, luggage, and the vehicle itself all at once, and the magic crystals are costly. For work purposes, carriages are far superior. But once a year in the capital, they hold a big race with magimobiles. I’m also interested in them personally and own one myself,” Serge said softly, but I detected his incredible passion. “Oh, I suppose I’ve gotten off-topic. There are other types of magic items as well, but by using whatever magic items you acquire, you can create new magic items without using the least bit of magical energy. There are many craftsmen who specialize in this.”

“I see. That’s interesting.”

“You can have this, if you’d like.”

“Oh, I don’t think I can accept this.”

Serge held out the box containing the gear. When I turned down the generous offer, he scratched his head and said, “I bought this at last year’s market, but I have more than I know what to do with.”

He bought a young apprentice’s creations as a prior investment, along with products he cared more for. It sounded like he had absolutely no use for this gear and it only took up space, so I accepted it in the end.

“Thank you. I felt bad about visiting with no prior notice, but you’re even giving me a gift for being here.”

“Don’t worry about it. It helps to have someone who will take the lesser merchandise.”

“If I ever come up with an interesting item to make, I’ll show it to you.”

“Oh! Please do. I look forward to it.”

Serge smiled at me, and we parted ways. I felt just a bit closer to him that day. Now it was time to go home and take care of my slimes.



Share This :


COMMENTS

No Comments Yet

Post a new comment

Register or Login