The moment I hired Chenzu, I received a notification from the system.
[Farm animal delivery completed. New farming options available via the MMABS.]
Knowing the spirit coin cost was going to be astronomical, I didn’t bother pulling out the red cube.
Wolverine sniffed around the beastkin a bit before turning to my side, seeming satisfied, because who else was the goodest of boys? Chenzu didn’t mind it one bit, almost as if expecting it. He even bowed to him. Cheetara, on the other hand, stayed on my shoulder.
“His name’s Wolverine,” I said.
“Or you could call him Woofy like everyone else,” Harmony said. “Milia’s names are cuter.”
Beakwing snorted, getting a laugh out of me. My pets might not be able to speak, but I felt their emotions. The griffin was like a giant teddy bear.
“Tomorrow, an hour or two after sunup,” I said, wishing I had a clock. “You’ll see the apprentices making their way here.”
“I prefer to get the job started a little earlier, if you don’t mind,” Chenzu said. “Sunrise. I won’t disturb anyone, of course.”
I nodded, approving his correct answer. I gazed at everything. The cows and the bull grazed a distance away. The pigs remained nearby, under Chenzu’s mystical jitsu. The elicrones seemed okay with living amongst the chickens, but I’d give them their own little house soon.
“It may take a little time, but we really should build a fence for the cows,” Chenzu said. “After they’re done grazing for the day, I’ll lead them back into the barn. Easy smeezy.”
Deciding there was no point in hiding it, I pulled out the cube and checked the new options.
Chenzu gawked at it. “Wanda’s lovely rump, the mana emitting from that thing is…” He looked at Mandi. “Do all humans carry around these… holy relics?”
The redhead giggled. “No. Truthfully, this is my first time seeing it in action too. I’ve only caught a glimpse of it, but Nate never did anything with it.”
“Ah yeah, I forgot to tell the brats about it,” I said, “but not because I’m hiding it. This thing is ridiculously expensive to use.”
Chenzu tilted his head. “I never took the goddess for being a money-lover. What’s gold to a goddess?”
“Not gold, but worse,” I told him.
“Worse?”
“Spirit coins,” I concluded.
I ignored everyone staring at me to check the new options.
[Current options. Buildings. Tools. Garden. Forges. Equipment and Devices. Farm.]
[Farm. Currently unlocked:
1. Basic Enclosed Cow Pasture. Price: 2 spirit coins.
2. Basic Fowl Home. Price: 2 spirit coins.
3. F-ranked Feed and Hay Barn and Pig Housing. Price: 3 spirit coins.
4. F-ranked stable. Price: 3 spirit coins.
5. D-ranked Advanced Farm containing everything needed. Price: 650,000 spirit coins.
6. F-ranked Mana Barn. Price: 700,000 spirit coins.
7. Heavenly Mana Farm. Price: 250,000,000 spirit coins.
8. Gaia’s Farm. Price: 7 heavenly spirit coins.
9. Animal Evolution Array. Price: System error.]
I was honestly surprised that most items that we could simply buy ourselves with gold were only a few spirit coins. But unsurprisingly, the good things were priced high enough to make me wonder if the saying ‘arm and a leg’ needed to be written to include the soul as well. A D-ranked advanced farm would be amazing right now, especially since it contained everything. Not that I was trying to build the fanciest farm on the planet at this moment. Like most people with sense, I planned to start small, then build up. Healthy and happy animals being a priority, of course. Setting a good example for the apprentices kind of meant a lot to me. Otherwise, their families would take the easy road, marrying them off whether they picked up a skill or two or not. I made no illusions to myself when it came to what I dubbed the magical Edo period.
Once again, heavenly spirit coins came up and topping off my sinking feeling was the goddamn system error. The system really thought she was a real comedian, huh?
I decided it was best to make life as easy as possible for us and purchased the Basic Enclosed Cow Pasture, F-ranked Feed and Hay Barn, Basic Fowl Home for the colorful birds, and even the stable, though I didn’t currently own a horse. Maybe the teenagers, Chenzu, or Milia would obtain one in the future.
That left me with a measly thirty-eight spirit coins left. Some people would call it a small fortune. I, on the other hand, deemed it a cosmic joke.
It took a little time to place everything, but the reactions from the others as these objects rapidly constructed themselves felt worth it. Even Milia gawked.
Chenzu pulled out his lute, playing and singing, “All my life I’ve seen some things, not like this, I need a drink. Give my heart some time to think, hey-o hey-o, magic mushrooms. Hey-o, hey-o, magic mushrooms.”
I laughed so hard, I could barely stand. Even the teenagers joined in, this song likely just as vulgar to them. Wolverine actually howled a few times in sync with the music. Absolutely perfect. Honestly, from the time I entered this land to now, my life was basically this tune.
Chenzu and I were going to get along just fine.
Despite being F-ranked, the erected buildings looked fine, though painfully basic. Like the fucking cheapskate system gave us the bare minimum to be classified as a farm. There were a few stacks of hay, like free samples attempting to encourage us to buy more from a money-hungry corporation. At this point, my brain was already working in overdrive, thinking of a way to earn some spirit coins. Kyushu being an F-ranked town basically made this impossible. In fact, Chenzu’s words confirmed it. He slid his strapped lute to his back.
“You mentioned needing spirit coins to perform these miracles,” he said, “but I cannot help but be both confused and concerned, Sir Nate. My skills of the mystical arts may not be on your level, but even I can tell Kyushu is an F-ranked town.”
Harmony frowned, almost wilting. “We were better with festivals, more people, fair prices. Nate believes there’s some kind of foul play happening in the background… but…”
“That would bring questions to your father and his involvement,” Lucas finished for the blue-haired girl.
Harmony could only nod. As much as she loved her father, if an investigation brought him to the front as an accomplice to the terrible money-making scheme, he’d be fired, likely imprisoned or worse. However, I couldn’t bring myself to jump to conclusions.
“I’m stumped on that,” I said, which made the blue-haired teen look at me. “Why would he encourage me to start a shop? I was an outsider. What if I figured out the scheme, pointed fingers at him and summoned the kingdom guard with these accusations? Also, he even mentioned the lands were free, after offering me things in town. Even warned me about the Axem.”
Chenzu shook his head. “The frightening power of that serpent of despair still protects this forest. Yet, no one has seen it since the first sighting, no?”
I shook my head. “Probably for the best.” I gazed at the faces of my apprentices for a bit before continuing. “We’ve got a potion shop and a farm, but if you want pay raises, we’ll need a way to increase the value of this town.” I eyed Harmony. “Is there any way to talk your father into building anything new, perhaps for entertainment?”
“Even if we were to build something for entertainment, with the prices still high, people would prioritize saving their silver and gold for the necessities,” Harmony said.
“It is a good thing that teacher’s here,” Chenzu said. “But sooner or later, she will tire out or retire. Or worse, invaders may cause an accident. I’m no lord or expert, but even my village had a small school dedicated to teaching us everything we needed to know to survive, especially in human kingdoms.”
“We’d either have to take funding everything into our own hands or…” I paused. “We still have about a dozen or so minor nobles. I have a feeling I know the answer to this already, but did the mayor ever reach out to them for some help?”
“He has, but the nobles refused, most stating the town simply isn’t worth the expenses,” Harmony said.
After a moment of silence, I simply stated, “For now, let’s just focus on building up our farm. I’ll try to come up with something to help upgrade the town.”
If the mayor or the nobles didn’t give a damn, then I’d have to do everything myself. Somehow, I just fucking knew it’d come to that.
System, is there any way I can increase this town’s ranking? I finally asked mentally.
[System notice, glad you asked. The easiest way to do so is to gain access to the Lord System. You are currently on the path of being forced… asked into the position someday by the people of Kyushu after they denounce the mayor for doing such a terrible job. Mayors are appointed by a king or sometimes elected by the people. Lords are appointed by themselves, the people, or powerful families. You may upgrade your lord status over time, in addition to your town.]
System, you know I’m not interested in politics. Give me another option, I thought.
[System warning. What you’re interested in does not matter to the law of fate. To attract individuals or adventurers wealthy enough to possess spirit coins, it is imperative to rank up the town or it will forever be known as a backwater existence. At the very least, it needs to get to an E-rank to slightly be less embarrassing. You could become the town’s benefactor, providing 1 million gold per week to skyrocket the funding. You’d quickly jump to C, if the money manifested new venues, pulling in new residents.]
I almost lost my footing as I walked around to observe the new farm additions. One million gold is impossible, System, I thought. I was sure not even the minor nobles could front a weekly bill like that.
[These are the two main paths for Kyushu to increase its ranking. Rule it or fund it yourself. That is the reality of this place. Even ranking up your shop cannot break it.]
One million fucking gold per week. Nope, that was simply not happening, even if I could find a way to convert my remaining spirit coins.
The only way to break the harsh reality that the system proposed as a way to corner me into its biddings was to kick the mayor into gear. I could call a meeting, but the nobles wouldn’t give a damn, being owners of the market.
My eyes widened. What if I took control of the market? Sold everything at the cheaper prices of Wingston. But that also ran the risk of running innocent people out of business. No, it’d force them to provide competitive prices or get fucked.
This plan had too much of a glaring, naïve major flaw, the first being the obvious. Where would I get the material to sell?
Fuck, there had to be a way to not get pushed into politics. I’d ruin this town, not knowing the first thing about them or really, this world. The system had no fucks to give about whom it pushed into a high position, qualified or not. How long did I have to fight it?
We ended up inviting Chenzu to lunch. He accepted but had to leave early to get his inn room and housing situation processed.
“Are you okay, Nate?” Milia asked. “You’ve been spaced out for the past hour. What’s on your mind?”
I gazed at Milia and the apprentices. “This is one of those problems that you can’t solve by punching something or selling a fixed number of potions. We suspect market manipulation, but without proof, there isn’t much we can do about it. I can’t be the only one who’s figured this shit out.” I shook my head. “The people aware believe they’re too powerless to stop it.”
Harmony seemed to wilt. “What do you suppose everyone should do?”
“Honestly, that’s beyond me,” I said. “Rather than forming an angry mob to protest, people opted to go someplace else. Likely to Wingston.”
“And Wingston and Kyushu are comparable to night and day,” Mandi said.
“I haven’t given up,” I said after observing everyone’s expressions. “I’m not trying to kill the mood, this is just one of those problems that isn’t going to be magically solved in a day. It could take years to fully clean out the ick. Some of you may be swept by princes and married for all I know.”
Mandi and Harmony giggled.
“You hear that, Lucas,” Mandi said. “You’ll have yourself a charming prince, sweeping you away.”
That triggered laughter from the other women, while Lucas rolled his eyes, blushing. I grinned, petting the sleeping Wolverine in my lap.
“Tomorrow, we’re training in the E-ranked dungeon, so rest up,” I told them after things calmed back down. “When I feel that you’re ready, we’ll run it together first. Then you’ll run each floor on your own as a team of three. When you’re confident on beating it by yourself, let me know.” I turned to Harmony, stare flat. “And no pretending you’re ready.”
Harmony pouted. “I’d never do such a thing.”
I poked the brat’s cheek. “I’ll be able to sense if you’re ready. For anyone that attempts to put themselves in danger just to one-up your teammate, I’ll make you run fifty laps.”
That made them flinch.
“Anyway, back to work, I can sense customers coming,” I said.
Four members of the hero’s party emerged through the door, Ronica’s cheery greeting pulling me out of my revelry. Okay, I was shining the potion bottles like an old bartender. I stayed behind the cabinet, not really in the mood for the hugs. They weren’t weaklings, which meant an overly excited Ronica could bring on pain if they caught me off guard. Nuwa sometimes sent out the wrong signals, especially to Milia, not that her body type was her fault. I wouldn’t speak on that further, as I wasn’t a pervert. Hey, I was telling the truth. Not for one second did I look at her chest. I did fail to scold Lucas for briefly doing so, however.
Honestly, I often felt bad for the nun-like healer that almost got blown away by the Crimson Sect officer. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have to experience what Maxus described as a portal to hell.
“How can I help the hooligan gang?” I asked, my stare directly on the petite, bubbly woman. Ronica stuck her tongue out at me.
“As hospitable as ever,” she quipped sarcastically.
“I’m here for a few energy potions,” Maxus said. The rogue, dressed in his black cloak, black shirt and trousers, fixed me with a look. Appearing to be in his late thirties and with a runner’s build, perhaps slightly thinner, the man asked me once again. “Why are you selling at these low prices?”
This time, I answered him with a new reply, which actually made his eyes widen.
“This is an F-ranked town and I’m running an E-ranked shop,” I said, then continued, deciding the hero’s party who hadn’t been here that long should know the truth. “I don’t have proof, but it’s possible that the nobles are manipulating the market, skyrocketing prices. As a shopkeeper, one would expect me to not care.”
“But people will keep leaving,” Nuwa said, sitting next to Harmony.
“Exactly,” I said as I accepted Maxus’s payment for the potion.
“Does the mayor know?” Ronica asked, getting right to the point. Harmony fidgeted, clearly worried about her father and his reputation with the hero’s party. Nuwa placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
“He probably knows,” I said, “but isn’t involved. I believe he’s what you’d call stuck between a rock and a hard place. Harmony said her father pleaded for the nobles to help, but well, what do you expect?”
“The nobles here are… assholes,” Iris said. She’d been having a separate conversation with Milia before interjecting. “Even if we could convince them to help, that would just put the mayor in their debt. Just bleh. The mayor’s a retired soldier, not a politician. No offense, Harmony.”
“No offense taken,” Harmony replied. “My father’s… just trying his best, but he’s here due to the Lord Ruler’s orders to retire and govern the eastern town. He never provided any troops, expecting Wingston to handle our needs.”
“Seeing how we’re still waiting for kingdom soldiers to pick up Drew,” I said, shaking my head. “There’s no way we can let things keep going on like this.”
“That’s a huge thought to ponder,” Ronica said. “It’d be much easier if someone experienced with these matters took control of the town. He could just tax the nobles into submission.” She giggled, though Harmony only sighed.
“We’re not antagonizing your father,” I told Harmony. “I like the mayor. He was willing to help me out from the get go, instead of being a dick and throwing me out of town or something.”
“He helped us out too,” Ronica said, standing, almost striking a heroic pose. “It’s time we help him out now. Go ahead and say the plan you’re holding back, Nate.”
My eyes widened. “What plan?”
“Punch the nobles until they cooperate,” she said without missing a beat, though I couldn’t exactly tell if she was joking or not. I still facepalmed though.
“You can’t solve every issue in life with a fist, sword, or magic,” I said, rolling up a piece of paper and bonking the petite girl.
“Why not?” she said, shrugging.
“Because that’s simply not how local economics work,” I said. “And let’s be honest, they’ll find some way to make things worse with their connections.”
“Then we should out-market them,” Ronica said, her smile almost goofy, and now I just knew she was fucking with me.
“Milia, a little help here,” I said, gaining a laugh from my fiancée.
Abruptly, Tom burst into the shop, panting and sweating, his eyes wild. “The mayor! He’s in the clinic! He’s been attacked!”
