Chapter 133 - Episode 7: The Flatlands
According to Will, next week Matilda is coming with two people from the workshop to try blasting part of the rocky mountain using gunpowder. A mage skilled in digging is also being dispatched from the Western Plains, so the survey results should be publicized within the month.
"It's near this hole, right?"
Beowulf and Will asked.
"Yeah. Though I say 'near,' it's only been decided that it's 'by the forest' for now, so it might be a bit further away."
"If it's near the forest, that might be a bit better. The soil around here is so sandy that the drainage is too good; it'll be a pain to till."
"I know. I'm thinking of a spot along the southern forest."
"If it's by the forest, won't the sheep be attacked by monsters?"
"It seems there are only foxes and boars. Besides, for the first year, I'm just going to increase the clover, so during that time, I'll have to set up wooden fences and sheds so the sheep don't escape."
"A well, housing for humans and sheep, and fences... that's quite a lot of work."
"Well, yeah. But it's something I'd have to do no matter where I go."
"That's true. First, we must find a candidate site. I'll take a look during my break."
"Please do."
Since Beowulf and Will are the priest's guards, they have to stay with me. We'll be near the hole where the centipede was. In a sense, it's perfect for advance scouting. Since they take breaks in shifts, I decided to have the two of them look alternately.
Now then, time to change my mindset and get to monster extermination.
That said, this area is a patchwork of groves, forests, and weed-choked wasteland. Now that the Orcs have stopped invading, we probably won't find many monsters.
I patrolled the Flatlands riding in the bowl. There isn't much difference from Nakanohara, with only boars, foxes, rabbits, and mountain birds in the forest. If we go toward the northern mountains, there are supposedly bears and wolves, but that's outside my jurisdiction. I scattered bait to gather them and finished them off with magic or arrows.
"I wonder if that snake from the other day is still around?"
While we were landing in a grove seeking shade to eat our lunch, Beatrix said something unsettling, having developed a taste for the good earnings.
"As if a monster like that would just be hanging around everywhere. It's a nightmare to exterminate."
At that time, Paul-san was in the middle of transporting the first squad to the mountain fort in the bowl, so he arrived after it was defeated.
He joined Lewis-san and the others in praising me quite a bit.
Lewis-san and his team, given the situation with the Goblins, showed understanding regarding Flora and promised to keep it a secret.
"Oh? Wouldn't it be easy for Paul-san? He just has to suffocate it."
"It might be fine if it keeps its mouth closed, but if it opens it, it's impossible. Besides, imagine that long thing thrashing around until it suffocates; it would be a disaster for everyone nearby."
That was true. If you got hit by a body slam from something like that, your body would be smashed to pieces.
"Angelica-san's Glaciate would be more certain. You used Beatrix's ice magic to keep the last one in check, didn't you?"
"That's right. I learned about it from Flora via Jeanne. After that, Marcelo-san took Jeanne and Teleported right under the snake's head. I was so surprised!"
"Marcelo said it himself. He said he was dragged out by Jeanne."
"That's not true! I intended to go close and deliver the finishing blow. I just never imagined it would be right under the head."
"That's Marcelo for you. He thinks of nothing but striking the enemy's blind spot. You're lucky he didn't land on top of its head."
Paul-san was laughing as if it were amusing.
Come to think of it, he did get on top of the spider.
He probably stayed underneath because I was with him. If that's the case, the claim that I dragged him out might not be entirely a lie.
"Setting that aside, the Marcelo Company might take a hand in the development here."
"Eh?"
I choked on my bread. I drank the water Bonnie handed to me.
"You don't have to be that surprised, do you?"
"Sorry. It was just so sudden..."
I was just looking for clover, so it startled me. I'm supposed to put several seedlings in a bucket and take them back.
"Why is the Marcelo Company participating?"
It seemed Beatrix didn't know either.
"I've only just been consulted. After all, if Angelica and I are here, we can handle most of the development. He's saying he might as well open a branch office."
"He's going to the trouble of opening a shop?"
"If the Mayor's permission is granted, he could connect it to Nakanohara via Teleport for commuting. Funding is provided to the development participants, but they have to do the development themselves. If we get commissions, there's a profit to be made. In that case, if we don't set up a counter here, people won't go all the way to Nakanohara, will they?"
That was certainly true.
He said one well costs five gold coins. High-level mages are prized everywhere and are worth hiring. It's already been proven that a temporary spring can be created with a magic circle. Felling and uprooting trees with wind magic, tilling with earth magic. During a drought, watering with water magic. Sowing, harvesting, and threshing—having a high-level mage makes a world of difference.
Of course, there are people who specialize in such magical applications. However, the Marcelo Company has been conducting in-depth research into the agricultural use of magic ever since Lyudmila joined.
"But can you participate in development just by setting up a counter?"
"Of course. Even pioneers have to live. Everything from general stores to brothels will line up."
I hadn't thought of that. It's on such a large scale.
"Naturally. Four villages are being built as a national policy. Eventually, the population might exceed a thousand. Every merchant is waiting with bated breath."
"Then, will everyone buy land?"
"They won't buy land. They'll lease it. In the case of development, it's free for three years. You can open a shop with just the funds to build the storefront without having to buy the land. Anyway, they'll probably group those who volunteered into several locations to create temporary towns. We'll occupy a corner of that."
"What happens after three years?"
"It's the same as a normal shop. In the case of state-owned land, you just pay the rent to the country. It's cheaper than the land tax on wasteland. The Marcelo Company's store is the same."
Does that mean... even if I become a landowner, I can't collect rent? No matter how I think about it, renting from the country would be cheaper.
"That's why most people withdraw after three years. If you buy it, you can't sell it for six years, but if you rent it, it's on a yearly basis. For those thinking of operating as landlords, the real battle starts from there. In a thriving location, people will rent even at ridiculously high prices."
"Is it like that on the main street of the Royal Capital too?"
"That place is special. It's basically state-owned land, but to open a shop, you have to buy it on a one-year contract. When you sell, you sell it back to the country. If there are many people who want to buy, it goes to auction. The result of that bidding war is what you see. You saw it when you went to the Royal Capital, didn't you? It's crowded with elegant shops. Even so, just saying you have a main store there causes the sales of branches in the capital and provinces to jump several times over. It's like adding prestige."
I heard that the turnover of shops on the main street is rapid. If the sales of a branch don't grow as expected, they probably withdraw quickly. Thinking about it that way, the Highway Cookies are doing quite well despite their low unit price. Surely, they are supported by many enthusiasts.
"Master. If I buy land here, will it thrive?"
"This place will probably only ever be farmland. Most likely, it'll be grazing land at first. Once the development settles down, the shops might vanish like the ebbing tide."
It's good that I won't be competing with others, but what does he mean by 'vanishing like the ebbing tide'? I don't know because I've never seen the sea, but surely it won't become deserted.
"What about the niter?"
"I don't think the vein spreads across the entire Flatlands; it'll probably just be an increase in miners and glassworkers. I think it'll be no different from a village with a post station."
In that case, the population would be three to five hundred. There would be fewer than ten shops in the central square.
"You girls are running a shop too, aren't you? You seem to be investigating the area around the hole where the centipede was; are you thinking of something? If so, why don't you talk to Marcelo once?"
He saw right through me.
When I looked at Beatrix and Bonnie, they nodded. It seemed okay to talk.
Actually... I told him about the sheep and the bees.
"I thought so. Since I had Flora looking into it, I figured you were up to something. But sheep grazing and beekeeping... you've really thought this through."
Wool spun into thread and dyed, and honey, can be sold for a good price. Sheep fetch an even better price if sold for meat. There will be buyers in the villages built in the wasteland and in Nakanohara.
"But do you intend to make a living with just that?"
As far as earning enough for taxes and one person's living expenses, we could probably manage. The priest who came to survey the mine also guaranteed that. However, making a real profit would be quite difficult.
"I intend to keep doing the shop and monster extermination at the same time."
"Will you have enough manpower?"
This is the biggest problem. Everyone has jobs. Only Bonnie and I can live on-site in the Flatlands. The two of us couldn't possibly handle everything. We might have our hands full just being self-sufficient.
"For now, I'm thinking of trying it for six years. If it doesn't work out by then, I'll let it go."
It was the priest who said it wasn't a bad idea. They aren't thinking about making a profit. It's probably just right for living quietly like a priest.
"Hmm."
Paul-san crossed his arms and began to think.
What should I do if he tells me to stop?
Bonnie watched with bated breath, while Beatrix looked away. It's probably because she knows this isn't the main goal.
After thinking for a while, Paul-san showed a grin.
"This calls for a business alliance."
"A business alliance?"
The three of us reflexively looked at each other.
According to Paul-san, we should build a large shed on the land we bought and use it as the Marcelo Company's counter.
"We'll have the rent be free. You'll handle the counter work for free. Of course, you'll also provide meals when we stay over. You will bear all responsibility for the land and the shed."
"Then isn't that a loss for us?"
"Magic is the substitute for rent. Felling and uprooting trees. Turning and tilling the soil. Spraying water, sowing seeds. If Angelica and I did all that, how much money do you think it would take? For us high-level mages, the market rate is four silver coins per operation."
I looked at Beatrix, who was calculating on her fingers.
"Um, sixteen silver coins?"
That's an outrageous amount. It might be efficient if there were many fields, but we only have three. There's a lot of waste and little yield. Moreover, tilling isn't a one-time thing, and we have to plant turnips in winter. Four gold coins a year would vanish. The earnings from grazing and honey could be entirely wiped out.
Apparently, the hourly rate for a mid-level mage is half, but since it takes more time, it ends up being the same.
"That is the rent. In exchange, you'll handle the schedule adjustments. If Teleport can be used, you can commute. Of course, staying over is fine too. It's dangerous during development, so it might be better to have someone house-sitting."
If we buy the land, it becomes private property, so development funds won't be provided. We'd have to do it by hand or hire a mage. He's saying they will take care of that part.
Since we're mainly grazing and just increasing clover, as long as they build the shed, dig the well, and till the land to some extent, we can manage.
We could also run a shop in the shed.
"Is that okay? It'll be a loss for you."
"We won't know if it's a loss until we try. High-level mages in the Royal Army or the Church can't participate. Of course, Mayor Adolf can't participate either. I wonder how many high-level mages other than us are in Nakanohara who can participate in development?"
There probably aren't any in Nakanohara. There might be mid-level mages, but development takes time. If we finish the development quickly without waiting for the three years of funding, we can keep the difference for ourselves.
"If you call a high-level mage from elsewhere, you have to pay for their lodging and meals too. Every day. For us, even if we can't use Teleport, we can fly anywhere in the bowl. As long as we have a base on your land, it only costs the magic part. Development funds are fixed at a certain amount per household. It's at most enough to hire a high-level mage once a month. The price of magic is just a market rate; nothing is fixed except for Holy Magic. If we feel like it, we can make it a little cheaper than the market rate and be flexible. You don't even have to think to know which will be more popular. You'll be doing the adjustments for that, you know?"
This might be a great deal.
The three of us nodded to each other.
"Please, let us talk with Marcelo-san."