Chapter 88 – Emmy’s Thoughts and Yoshanka’s Boom
«Hey, Emmy… why did you accept those conditions without any complain?»
Finishing the talk at the adventurer guild branch office, we made our way back toward the barren land where our temporary base was located. And Omake-sama began to talk.
«No matter how you look at it, isn’t it absurd? Three Saiishu grasses for a mere 5,000 Eens? Also they asked you to deliver it not to the guild, but to her home. It’s quite clear they’re planning to exploit us in various ways.»
Omake-sama fumed.
… Well, her anger was certainly justified.
Honestly, even I hadn’t anticipated things would take such a turn!
I thought that being a cursed child was the only reason for the discrimination, but that receptionist was even more corrupt than I had imagined.
That rotten receptionist, even if the other party was a cursed child, it was still unthinkable to brazenly doing thing until that point.
«Let’s accuse that receptionist of fraud, Emmy. Is there any need to entertain such absurd nonsense?»
… Accuse her of fraud? To whom?
Should I report it to the guards?
… Omake-sama, do you think there are people who would listen to a cursed child like me?
«…..uuh»
There aren’t, are there?
… Well, Kamasse might be willing to listen, but he’s also still just a kid.
Even if a couple more noisy children join in, it’s unlikely the world will pay any attention, right?
Besides, I don’t want to involve Kamasse and cause trouble for him.
He’s a good guy.
He even gave me yakitori.
«…Even so, don’t you think you could just ignore that receptionist? There’s no need to be exploited by participating in her schemes, right?»
But you see, Omake-sama,
If, for example, I were to go to another adventurer’s guild outpost, are you sure that they would accept me?
«…………»
Probably not, right?
Baron-sama’s letter of recommendation is gone, and I’m a cursed child. There’s a high chance they’d turn me away.
That means, I might not even be able to enter the town at all…
Well, I can always avoid that problem by not going through the main gate.
Anyway, in that case, enduring exploitation for a month and getting an adventurer’s card might be the better option. Well, that was what I thought.
As for the money, of course 5,000 Eens is a small amount. But in the first place, I don’t really have any use for it.
Even if I try to use it at a shop, I’ll just get kicked out.
So, in essence, the low reward won’t be much of a minus to me.
«Hmm… No, no, your compliance is just too good. What if you endure it for a month and they break their promise? That receptionist might not hesitate, you know?»
I’ll think about it when the time comes.
«Will you tear her apart and use her as monster food, or will you push her off a cliff into the sea?»
Eh, wait, that’s scary.
What? You’re not asking about my plans. You’re asking about how to dispose of that rotten receptionist?
«If it is the angry Emmy, you might do that much, I think.»
What kind of person do you think I am?
◇ ◇ ◇
Then.
Let’s fast forward two weeks since Emmy began to go along with Pilitza, the corrupt receptionist, in her illicit activities.
The money Pilitza earned through her dishonest practices had already exceeded 2.5 million Eens, and she went about her work every day in high spirits.
Naturally, her attitude toward the adventurers improved, and their perception of her started to change for the better.
Thanks to the sales of Saiishu grass, Pilitza’s and Yoshanka branch’s performance was visibly on the rise.
While initially skeptical of the source of the Saiishu grass provided by “anonymous adventurers,” the vice director of the branch office refrained from investigating further, likely because of the substantial profits the outpost was making.
Additionally, he had his own history of falsifying records, and Pilitza, with her keen sense for similar misdeeds, held that leverage over him.
Even though he held the position of vice director, he couldn’t oppose a mere receptionist like Pilitza.
And Emmy’s herb gathering benefited not only the Adventurer Guild of Yoshanka.
Various material purchasing businesses where the guild sold the herbs also benefited greatly.
Anyhow, a herb that was so hard to be gathered, and very rarely appeared in the market—Saiishu grass—was supplied in the same amount every day.
Obviously it was a big profit.
At first, the Drogh Trading Company, which already had a relationship with the Yoshanka Adventurer Guild, monopolized these profits. However, other shrewd merchants soon flocked to this honey pot.
The Sakocchi Trading Company, the Larshan Trading Company, and even the Tenidis Apothecary Guild swiftly took action.
Many merchants began gathering at the Yoshanka outpost to participate in the bidding for materials.
While a bit late, word of those also spread among the adventurers as well.
“It seems you can gather Saiishu grass near Yoshanka.”
“You can easily make a fortune just by gathering herbs for a day.”
“An chance to make it big.”
Merchants looking to increase the supply of Saiishu grass spread these rumors.
Adventurers with quick feet quickly latched onto these rumors and began their journey to Yoshanka.
In reality, to challenge the treacherous Kaise Forest, preparation was required to deal with creatures like the venomous snake Yasago. Moreover, despite being on the outskirts, the forest was vast, so there was no adventurers who made it to the location Emmy had discovered.
The merchants’ plans did not bear fruit, but there were still occasional reports of finding small number of Saiishu grass in different locations, and adventurers were thrilled each time.
Furthermore, although adventurers who had come to Yoshanka were not strong enough to take on the Kaise Forest, they were not left without work.
The increase in merchants and adventurers led to an increase in requests for hunting to procure food.
Many monsters suitable for meat lived in the wilderness around Yoshanka, and on the cliffs in the northern part of town, giant birds called Togord produced new eggs daily.
And so these low-level adventurers’ job was to hunt and collect eggs.
And just like that, merchants, apothecaries, adventurers, and various other people began flocking to Yoshanka.
The once quiet town regained its vitality, with establishments like the yakitori stall that had drove Emmy away, experiencing record-breaking sales every day, much to their delight.
The most popular inn in Yoshanka, “Sea Breeze Inn,” even began their renovations and expansion.
Other members of the Yoshanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry also seized the opportunity presented by this sudden boom and began exploring ways to expand their businesses.
However, who was behind this wave of prosperity?
Nobody knew who the real driving force behind this prosperity was, except for Pilitza.
To conceal her corrupt behavior, she kept Emmy’s presence concealed to the utmost.
As mentioned earlier, the daily Saiishu grass submissions were attributed to ‘anonymous adventurers’.
Concealing the names of gatherers was a common practice to avoid jealousy and interference from other adventurers, so no one questioned this aspect.
Therefore, the Yoshanka Chamber of Commerce, along with the incoming merchants and adventurers, had no understanding of who had triggered this Yoshanka boom.
Furthermore, Pilitza, engrossed in counting the money flowing into her own pockets, paid no attention to Yoshanka’s current situation.
To add, Emmy, who was mostly active in the wilderness and forests, was indifferent to Yoshanka’s wave to prosperity.
No one understood a thing about this economic boom, the Yoshanka Boom.
And without anyone comprehending it, the situation continued to evolve.
◇ ◇ ◇
Author Note:
… Somehow, it is getting a bit strange, isn’t it?
Chapter 88 – Emmy’s Thoughts and Yoshanka’s Boom
«Hey, Emmy… why did you accept those conditions without any complain?»
Finishing the talk at the adventurer guild branch office, we made our way back toward the barren land where our temporary base was located. And Omake-sama began to talk.
«No matter how you look at it, isn’t it absurd? Three Saiishu grasses for a mere 5,000 Eens? Also they asked you to deliver it not to the guild, but to her home. It’s quite clear they’re planning to exploit us in various ways.»
Omake-sama fumed.
… Well, her anger was certainly justified.
Honestly, even I hadn’t anticipated things would take such a turn!
I thought that being a cursed child was the only reason for the discrimination, but that receptionist was even more corrupt than I had imagined.
That rotten receptionist, even if the other party was a cursed child, it was still unthinkable to brazenly doing thing until that point.
«Let’s accuse that receptionist of fraud, Emmy. Is there any need to entertain such absurd nonsense?»
… Accuse her of fraud? To whom?
Should I report it to the guards?
… Omake-sama, do you think there are people who would listen to a cursed child like me?
«…..uuh»
There aren’t, are there?
… Well, Kamasse might be willing to listen, but he’s also still just a kid.
Even if a couple more noisy children join in, it’s unlikely the world will pay any attention, right?
Besides, I don’t want to involve Kamasse and cause trouble for him.
He’s a good guy.
He even gave me yakitori.
«…Even so, don’t you think you could just ignore that receptionist? There’s no need to be exploited by participating in her schemes, right?»
But you see, Omake-sama,
If, for example, I were to go to another adventurer’s guild outpost, are you sure that they would accept me?
«…………»
Probably not, right?
Baron-sama’s letter of recommendation is gone, and I’m a cursed child. There’s a high chance they’d turn me away.
That means, I might not even be able to enter the town at all…
Well, I can always avoid that problem by not going through the main gate.
Anyway, in that case, enduring exploitation for a month and getting an adventurer’s card might be the better option. Well, that was what I thought.
As for the money, of course 5,000 Eens is a small amount. But in the first place, I don’t really have any use for it.
Even if I try to use it at a shop, I’ll just get kicked out.
So, in essence, the low reward won’t be much of a minus to me.
«Hmm… No, no, your compliance is just too good. What if you endure it for a month and they break their promise? That receptionist might not hesitate, you know?»
I’ll think about it when the time comes.
«Will you tear her apart and use her as monster food, or will you push her off a cliff into the sea?»
Eh, wait, that’s scary.
What? You’re not asking about my plans. You’re asking about how to dispose of that rotten receptionist?
«If it is the angry Emmy, you might do that much, I think.»
What kind of person do you think I am?
◇ ◇ ◇
Then.
Let’s fast forward two weeks since Emmy began to go along with Pilitza, the corrupt receptionist, in her illicit activities.
The money Pilitza earned through her dishonest practices had already exceeded 2.5 million Eens, and she went about her work every day in high spirits.
Naturally, her attitude toward the adventurers improved, and their perception of her started to change for the better.
Thanks to the sales of Saiishu grass, Pilitza’s and Yoshanka branch’s performance was visibly on the rise.
While initially skeptical of the source of the Saiishu grass provided by “anonymous adventurers,” the vice director of the branch office refrained from investigating further, likely because of the substantial profits the outpost was making.
Additionally, he had his own history of falsifying records, and Pilitza, with her keen sense for similar misdeeds, held that leverage over him.
Even though he held the position of vice director, he couldn’t oppose a mere receptionist like Pilitza.
And Emmy’s herb gathering benefited not only the Adventurer Guild of Yoshanka.
Various material purchasing businesses where the guild sold the herbs also benefited greatly.
Anyhow, a herb that was so hard to be gathered, and very rarely appeared in the market—Saiishu grass—was supplied in the same amount every day.
Obviously it was a big profit.
At first, the Drogh Trading Company, which already had a relationship with the Yoshanka Adventurer Guild, monopolized these profits. However, other shrewd merchants soon flocked to this honey pot.
The Sakocchi Trading Company, the Larshan Trading Company, and even the Tenidis Apothecary Guild swiftly took action.
Many merchants began gathering at the Yoshanka outpost to participate in the bidding for materials.
While a bit late, word of those also spread among the adventurers as well.
“It seems you can gather Saiishu grass near Yoshanka.”
“You can easily make a fortune just by gathering herbs for a day.”
“An chance to make it big.”
Merchants looking to increase the supply of Saiishu grass spread these rumors.
Adventurers with quick feet quickly latched onto these rumors and began their journey to Yoshanka.
In reality, to challenge the treacherous Kaise Forest, preparation was required to deal with creatures like the venomous snake Yasago. Moreover, despite being on the outskirts, the forest was vast, so there was no adventurers who made it to the location Emmy had discovered.
The merchants’ plans did not bear fruit, but there were still occasional reports of finding small number of Saiishu grass in different locations, and adventurers were thrilled each time.
Furthermore, although adventurers who had come to Yoshanka were not strong enough to take on the Kaise Forest, they were not left without work.
The increase in merchants and adventurers led to an increase in requests for hunting to procure food.
Many monsters suitable for meat lived in the wilderness around Yoshanka, and on the cliffs in the northern part of town, giant birds called Togord produced new eggs daily.
And so these low-level adventurers’ job was to hunt and collect eggs.
And just like that, merchants, apothecaries, adventurers, and various other people began flocking to Yoshanka.
The once quiet town regained its vitality, with establishments like the yakitori stall that had drove Emmy away, experiencing record-breaking sales every day, much to their delight.
The most popular inn in Yoshanka, “Sea Breeze Inn,” even began their renovations and expansion.
Other members of the Yoshanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry also seized the opportunity presented by this sudden boom and began exploring ways to expand their businesses.
However, who was behind this wave of prosperity?
Nobody knew who the real driving force behind this prosperity was, except for Pilitza.
To conceal her corrupt behavior, she kept Emmy’s presence concealed to the utmost.
As mentioned earlier, the daily Saiishu grass submissions were attributed to ‘anonymous adventurers’.
Concealing the names of gatherers was a common practice to avoid jealousy and interference from other adventurers, so no one questioned this aspect.
Therefore, the Yoshanka Chamber of Commerce, along with the incoming merchants and adventurers, had no understanding of who had triggered this Yoshanka boom.
Furthermore, Pilitza, engrossed in counting the money flowing into her own pockets, paid no attention to Yoshanka’s current situation.
To add, Emmy, who was mostly active in the wilderness and forests, was indifferent to Yoshanka’s wave to prosperity.
No one understood a thing about this economic boom, the Yoshanka Boom.
And without anyone comprehending it, the situation continued to evolve.
◇ ◇ ◇
Author Note:
… Somehow, it is getting a bit strange, isn’t it?
