Hello, ITalkToSky Here.
Holy moly, this chapter has been cooking for more than a year. Sorry that this update is a bit short, but I feel that it is a good breakpoint for this section of the story. It pains me much more than you to say that the next part is going to get quite spicy. Unfortunately, that also means that you guys will probably have to wait.
Now, enjoy this little wrap-up to the bomb shells festival.
Discord invite code: nSMHjar
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Guild Hall, Akihabara
"Now, now, I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here. I will address that issue in due time, but for now, please be patient and start from square one. Hmm?" Lunaire winked to the amusement of no one. "The first priority in my mind is that we should start taking root in this world."
The murmurs spread across the table as each representative either whispered to themselves or their aids. Lunaire cleared his throat and began.
"So, what do I mean by that? Taking root means that we should start laying the foundation for our long-term residence in Theldesia." Lunaire saw a clear look of dread and unwillingness from some guild master. The idea sat poorly with many of them. "As much as I wish to return home like everyone else, there is no telling how long we would be here. It could be a month or two. Possible, but what if the stay is a little longer, a year perhaps? Two years? Or a decade?"
"You don't know that!"
"You are jumping to the conclusion."
"Oh, come one now. As much as I cannot say for certain that we would be here for long. None of you are sure that it will be a short stay either.
No one knew the answer to that question. Even the Gensokyo's denizens, who were sent here on purpose, did not have a single clue about how and why these immortal demi-gods were here anyway.
"Our journey home might just be like a middle school excursion, or it could be an odyssey, measured in years or dare I say, lifetime. Granted that we can die of old age. Regardless, if we are going to be staying here any longer than just the extremely short term, we must build a home for ourselves here." Lunaire stared at the guild masters. "It will not only be our base of operation that support our search for a way home, but also our shelter, and a place of comfort."
Lunaire finished plainly, but his word carried more weight than any other. The implication sank in, and many guild masters flinched. Lunaire pressed on the festering doubt that was gnawing at their bone. When the novelty of fantasy-come-true faded, they came to realize the meaning of a whole new world. A place of escape from their constant grind of real-life became a prison in which they no longer had any say in when it would end.
They would return in no time, or so they kept telling themselves. Without even any assurance, they had to believe. Otherwise, the tenuous balance they created would collapse.
"As for why I term this place as a nation, it all stems from these two goals in mind, supporting our journey home and providing comfort to keep us going in the meantime."
These were the goals thought to have unifying power needed to bind Akiba together. The people needed purpose and direction for them to possess the drive necessary to trump adversity. As much as Adventurers are unpredictable variables, for now, they were on the same boat. Lunaire would at least try to drag them forward.
"The search for a way home will be difficult. Even after so long, we still don't have even a lick of idea on where to start. Therefore, I suspect this endeavor will be much more demanding than any single guild can hope to meet, no matter how vast. Therefore, we must establish an institution that can effectively organize and marshal resources, manpower, and brainpower of all the denizens of Akihabara." Lunaire turned the mercantile guild masters. "In addition to the establishment of the rule of law, we need a solid economy that can keep the necessary goods flowing, a robust information gathering and research apparatus, and many more. These are all the components necessary to ensure unceasing progress is made toward our return."
The murmur spread throughout the room. Most were apprehensive and cautious. Compared to Shiroe's proposal that aimed to establish basic law and order, they clued in that Lunaire hoped to forge a government in this lawless city.
Some would call this endeavor foolish and overly ambitious. Lunaire hardly disagreed. These people were out of their elements and had yet to find their bearings. But he soldiered on.
Lunaire's tone, which was brimming with enthusiasm, quietened down. He allowed some emotion to creep into his tone. "However, this is not a death march. As much as I wish to return home, I also do not wish to look back at this time and see only desperation and despair. I do not wish us to look back and see…however long this episode is…as an empty gap in our lives, devoid of any joy and filled with only feverish desire to go home. For what it is worth, our time here must be fulfilling. An institution that can provide stability and capability to fulfill these goals far into the future can only be a city-state, at least for this amount of people."
The resistance lightened a little. An emotional appeal sometimes worked to help soften the blow.
"Not necessarily," Krusty countered. "A loose coalition council of guilds can also accomplish the same goal. Furthermore, declaring the formation of a city-state might antagonize the local countries."
"Perhaps, it is the stigma of the word 'city state'. But there is really no difference no matter how you phrase it, village council, city council, whatever." Lunaire answered tiredly. "In the end, we are going to run this city our way for our own goals and no one else outside has any right to tell us what to do. This no one else certainly includes other nations of Yamato as well. A city that does its own thing and will not hesitate to resist should anyone try to exert dominance over it…what else is it but an independent city or a city-state?"
"I see...While very confrontative, I cannot fully deny that the point." While his word could be taken as assent, it also implied his misgivings. "This city will eventually progress in that direction as far as we see it. However, don't you think this is a bit hasty?"
"I am merely stating the long-term goal. I believe everyone here deserves to hear it without any sugar coating." Lunaire gave a side-eye look at Shiroe. "Rome is not built in a day. It is not like we are founding a nation and people will happily jump on board. The establishment of central authority takes time. This government – yes, I say government deliberately – must prove its capability to earn the trust of the people. We can start with basics law and enforcement then work our way up to take more responsibility."
"Then what is the scope of authority that the government you envisioned?"
"That will have to be decided in the future as the government evolves. New issues will need to be discussed as they crop up."
"Certainly, but I would like to hear your take on it." Krusty lowered his face enough that Lunaire could barely see his gleaming eyes. "What is the scope of authority that you think this government should have?"
Lunaire blinked in surprise. A measure of respect arose in his heart. Krusty was certainly on to something. Perhaps, it was the connotation behind the word nation that gave it away. The degree of centralization that Lunaire aimed for was rather high. This would be quite unpopular and required a proper justification. All the more convenient, Lunaire thought.
"With some differences, I envision a council that would shoulder the same responsibility as Japanese government does for the Japanese...For those alarmed, this also includes safeguarding freedom and rights to our people."
"So, quite extensive."
"Yes...Some might be curious about the reason for my rather…radical stance." Lunaire slumped in his seat after saying that, half acting and half genuine. This person's job took its toll on him.
"You can say that again."
"There are two organizations or subdivisions of this council that I wish formed as soon as possible, if at all by the end of this week or the next." Lunaire sucked in his breath and straightened his back. The hardest part arrived. "First is the division coordinating education and research efforts between guilds."
"Wait, education and research," Isaac parroted. "What are you on about?"
"The education part is not exactly pressing, but since I already mentioned it...We have many young children around. Since we don't really know how long we are stuck here, it would not be funny at all if they end up spending a few years extra in high school just to relearn what they have forgotten when we eventually find our way back. Or worst yet completely miss their chance for higher education."
Although some pursed their lips, clearly not entertaining the thought of being here on such a time scale, none protested openly. It was the prudent course of action and children would always be a soft topic.
"But more pressingly is addressing the research and development, in light of the new findings about this world. I will hand this part over to Alice. You all probably have grown sick of my voice for now."
With a quick bow, Alice stepped a little closer next to Lunaire, so that all could see her face clearly. "Greetings, my name is Alice Margatroid. I am one of the specialists working for our guild. It is a pleasure to meet all of you on this lovely afternoon. With the brief introduction out of the way, I will disclose an important finding we made about this world."
There were two ways to craft items in this world. One was through the game-like crafting menu, available to those with production sub-class. There, one could use a recipe to transform materials in their inventory into desired items. It was the system that every player was familiar with.
To the denizens of Scarlet Devil Mansion, it was a bizarre process that so far defied all attempts to understand. The ingredients vanished straight from their inventory into the abyss and then replaced by the final product out of nowhere. That was a can of worm for another day. In terms of utility, it was a marginally useful system. While the recipe list was limited and required very specific ingredients, the crafting time was simple and short like a snap of a finger.
The second method was the oh-so-simple one discovered by Sakuya, of actually making the items with their own hands.
"We are no longer limited to just the crafting system in Eldertale. Using our very hands, as you would in real life, we can also make the items that do not exist in the game."
Alice dropped the bombshell with the most neutral tone, completely contrasting with the blank look experienced by most of her audience.
"Wait…" Karashin shouted and looked incredulously at Shiroe. The other guild leaders watched the outburst curiously, but the accusation was heard loud and clear from the bespectacled mastermind. His assumption proved to be false, however, since the man appeared mildly but genuinely surprised.
"The only requirement is that the individual must possess the appropriate subclass related to the items they are trying to make and high enough level. A high-level cook can just take the ingredient and cook it just like you would in the real world and get actual tasty food."
A chorus of gasps erupted again in the room. The implication was starting to sink in. On the other hand, the merchants, who already knew the whole story, gapped at the off-handed manner that Alice just spat out this very expensive information. For the record, the three guild masters spent 5 million gold coins in total just to purchase this information.
"Someone in our guild with mechanic skill, some metalworking know-how, and a little engineering knowledge, has successfully built a functioning steam engine. As far as I know, those did not exist back in the day." Lunaire puffed with no little amount of pride.
"The rabbit hole does not stop there. This also extends to the more fantastical items in our world. You might have known about the salve that our guild is famous for."
"You are saying that you also made those by hand?" Roderick asked incredulously.
The superlative effect and market success of Marisa's salve did not go unnoticed. The Scarlet Devil Mansion received many offers to collaborate on its production, but everyone was turned away at the door. This forced them on a hunt for the quest that would supposedly give said recipe as a reward. Only at this meeting that they finally realized what a goose chase they went on.
"Why yes, grinding, mixing, and distilling. The salve production line is the culmination of arduous research and development into figuring out the interplay between different ingredients native to Theldesia." Alice clapped her hands crisply. "As you can see, the possibility is limitless. All the potential will remain untapped however if we don't make a concerted effort to learn more about this world."
"The first step in doing that is to publicize this finding. We need people to start thinking and engage their creativity. A wave of innovation is what this city needs to pull it out of the slump in."
"More innovation will be made to drive the demand for better living," Michitaka smirked. "Great minds think alike. We are also thinking of the same thing when we found out. Coincidentally, we are also working on building a prototype steam engine as well."
Both Roderick and Charasin nodded to that. The latter added, "we pulled out of stops to get it up so quickly. Though there are a lot of kinks to work out though. Haha."
Lunaire began to draw the connection between the three merchant guilds and their uncanny connection with Shiroe and the Crescent Moon Alliance, presumably centering around the knowledge of non-system crafting. Though, it was still unclear who reached out to whom.
"May I ask," Charasin gesture snapped Lunaire out of his thought. "Your guild released the medicine a good while ago. Since when has Scarlet Devil Mansion already known of this?"
Lunaire merely shrugged. "Since the very beginning."
"What?" The slack jaw expression adorned more than a few around the table.
"This is not exactly rocket science. All it takes is someone who enjoys cooking as a hobby and having a cook subclass. Not to brag, but our resident maid figured that out on day one." Lunaire blinked as if finally remembering something. He turned awkwardly toward the bubbly blond elf and clasped his hand. "Ah, I am sorry for exposing the secret of your Crescent Burger."
"No, no, it is all good." Marielle, although surprised she was suddenly addressed, beamed back.
"…Hm? Wait…wait, wait, wait. Does that mean?" Isaac gaped at Lunaire.
The silver-haired magician blinked owlishly and turned toward the man in unnecessarily spiky armor. Out of the people to react strongly, Lunaire did not quite expect Isaac. More intricate matters tended to sail right past his head. He replied with a perked eyebrow. "Mean?"
"Bastard, you had it good. You have been eating well all along." Isaac cried out in anguish as if suffering from all the unfairness in the world. He howled, "do you not know what sharing means?"
Lunaire's surprise slowly gave way to an aggravating look of supreme smugness. There was something about his melodramatic manner that tickled him.
"Gah! could have to stop eating those things. Can you imagine how many days…That damn soggy texture." Isaac's body contorted as if to make a point. "We are trade partners, yes? Haven't you heard sharing is caring?"
"Well, if that makes you feel any better, we originally planned to reveal it soon. We thought we should let the people go thoroughly sick of the food first so that their enthusiasm would overflow when we presented them a way out." Lunaire felt a strong tug from his side, a quick reminder from Alice to move on. There was much more to be covered and he did not even scratch the heavy topics. "But I digress. The research and development division will be responsible for coordinating and encouraging the research effort of various guilds in Akiba. While this section will not have the authority to mandate which guild does what, it can incentivize certain areas of research and help those with similar interests collaborate.
Meanwhile, the merchant guilds discussed among themselves. After a few promises were tossed about, they seemed resolved on something and Michitaka step up as their representative.
"I support this idea. We already have a collaboration of that sort between us, Roderick Firm, and Shopping District 8 to create a prototype steam engine. We welcome any effort to speed things along."
"That is wonderful."
Lunaire smiled. It was an encouraging development. With the three largest production guilds on board, their infrastructure would prove valuable in the effort. Lunaire smiled satisfyingly. He suggested what they were already doing and implied more support would be on the way. No wonder that the merchants jumped on board very quickly. Lunaire watched as the merchants animatedly discussed ideas among each other. Soon, they tried probing whether Scarlet Devil Mansion would be open for a collaboration project, especially on the steam engine.
Lunaire deliberately kept everything vague. There were too many advantages and disadvantages to weigh out in such a short time. Mostly, it hinged on their reaction to the next part of the talk.
"Now, it is about time we move on to the second point...We will be needing an organized military."
"Military?"
"Military?!" Marielle yelped.
"Yes, military, there is no need to parrot it like that." Lunaire tilted his head.
"Ah, now that I think about it, you were mentioning something about a threat. Finally getting back to it now?" Isaac growled. "Are you talking about the bunch up north? Without the gate, do you think they will have the balls to come all the way here? Not that I would stop them, hehe. If it is the fight they want, I am all game."
Isaac's challenging remark was not echoed by the others. William glanced at every other people around the table. He definitely had something to say but struggled to put into word. On the other hand, Krusty and Shiroe already went deep picking apart every word from the brightness of light reflecting off their glasses. The smaller guilds were straight-up opposing.
"What are you trying to pull here?"
"Why would we need such a thing?"
"If only it is so simple, I would not worry about it. For the most part, it seems that Brigandia is content to revel in their gain and will not pose a threat in the near future. It pains me to say. Though their atrocities need to be stopped at one point, they are not our pressing concern. No, our primary threat comes from the west and..."
Lunaire paused mid-sentence and found his eyes instinctively drawn to a spot on the floor. Hardly because of a sudden appreciation of the aesthetic, however, he caught a brief spike in mana reaction from downstair. The signature was none that he could recognize. Perhaps someone was fighting, Lunaire thought. However, there was no confluence of mana and spatial disturbance, a signature of the Royal Guard, presented. Therefore, Lunaire ruled it as a minor altercation and promptly ignored it.
"Ah, forgive me, I got a little distracted." Lunaire cleared his throat. "Now that you heard what happened in Susukino, what do you think happened in Nakasu?"
"Did the same also happened there?" Soujirou offered, referring to the debacle at Susukino, but quickly held back. "No, if it is the same, you probably wouldn't worry about it. What is it that could affect us all the way here?"
"The threat is not from Nakasu." Lunaire leaned forward while locking eyes with the leaders, hoping to impress upon them the importance of the matter at hand. "In fact, the city is no more. Nakasu has fallen."
The ensuing reaction resembled when Sakuya deployed her signature spellcard. The time stopped, gently and soundlessly. There was no immediate knee-jerk reaction or colorful facial expressions. Everyone simply froze. Then, like a lie, the brief serenity collapse into a furious hushed whispering between the guild masters and their adjutants.
Lunaire sat back in his seat, letting the moment passed. However, a voice interrupted him before he got too comfortable.
"What do you mean Nakasu has fallen? Did something happen to the city?" William asked. A twinkle of excitement gleamed in his eyes. "Monster raid? Event?"
Elder Tale was no stranger to large-scale field events of epic proportion. Eastal had their Return of the Goblin King, while Westelande territory had the Oni Festival. Each could spiral into a literal war that would consume the sector. Yet, the high-level players never heard of any event that could cross all the way over from Nakasu.
"I would not be so worried if that is the case. Rather…Plant Hwyaden happened to it." Lunaire breathed deeply, taking in the look of confusion from the entire circle. "Plant Hwyaden is a linguistic butchery that is the name of the guild in Minami, the only guild in Minami."
"What do you mean the only guild in Minami?" Isaac looked as if Lunaire grew another head, which then proceeded to breathe fire.
"In the most literal sense. There is only one guild in Minami right now. I do not have to tell you that this is a highly unnatural situation. It is one thing for them to organize themselves into a functional provisional government. It is another for them to integrate all the myriad guilds, which like yours are highly independent and individualistic."
"Our investigation did not bear much fruit to explain how this arrangement came to be. Most information is second-hand and came from Landers, who did not completely grasp the intricacy of our society. There seemed to be some form of information control policy enacted at the Westelande Empire's border as well. Much fewer merchants were able to cross over to this side." Alice stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Most sources we managed to get our hands on all agreed on the suddenness in which it happened, however. So, we speculate that something along the line of what Shiroe-san attempted occurred."
"You believe that they also bought out the guild hall? That would make sense, tentatively." Soujirou tapped his finger on the table. "But why is this concerning? While it might seem more heavy-handed than Shiroe-senpai, with them abolishing all the guilds entirely, it does not mean that they are a…"
The word threat died in Soujirou's thought. While he was a bit blunted and often entrusted the intricate strategy and maneuvering of the villain-in-glasses, it did not mean that he lacked two brain cells to rub together. After such obvious leading, he caught on and pondered the implication.
Even without sensitive hearing, Lunaire heard sharp inhales from all rounds as the various guild masters sat a bit straighter. They looked at each other, hoping that the other could somehow elucidate their doubt, to no avail.
"We are not sure about the exact sequence of events, only the final result. That, we are certain. Following the unification of Minami, they went ahead and wrecked Nakasu a few weeks after."
"By 'wreck,' you mean?"
"Based on the testimony of the merchants from Ninetail Dominion that managed to slip through the border into Eastal, the dormant transport gate in Nakasu activated."
The mute silence reflected the state of the occupants that already ran out of capacity to express their overwhelming surprise. It was common knowledge that the gate connecting the various Adventurer City remained inert since their arrival. Many tried looking into the cause, but nothing ever came out of their effort.
"We don't know how they managed it, but from there, the Plant Hwyaden launched a surprise attack, killing every single member of Kunie clan member based in the city." Lunaire made a cutting gesture across his throat. "As some of you may have known, the Kunie were the special Landers family assigned to each Adventurer City. They are responsible for the various functions of Guild Hall and their death meant there is no one capable of operating the black box that is Alven banking technology. The city has already irreparably lost one of its main functions."
"Why would they do such a thing?!" Even Eins roared out his question.
Lunaire snorted loudly. "Why else? The people in Nakasu will either have to join Plant Hwyaden and use the facilities in Minami. Or they will have to migrate all the way over to this side of the island. Now, you can understand my misgiving with the stunt Shiroe tried to pull a few minutes ago. I want no repeat of Minami."
"How reliable is this intel?"
"Did the gate really…"
Lunaire held his hand up and waited for the room to quiet down. "The jury is still out on the matter about the gate. It might just be a misunderstanding. But on the matter of Nakasu being no more, we are confident enough to warrant action. While the Landers might not understand us very well, there is really no way they can misinterpret something like the Kunie clan being dead."
Alice threw in her support. "The story is well substantiated. All the merchants from the south said the same thing and it seems that the higher up is Eastal are reacting to that information as if it was genuine...It is highly unlikely that something on this scale was a ploy orchestrated to pit us against Minami."
"How was Eastal reacting?"
"Well…haven't you wondered why you haven't heard a peep about this development? Even we have to put in the effort to piece together various slipups and even eavesdrop on conversations?"
"You are saying that they also restricting the flow of information into this city. How? Can they even do that?" Michitaka boomed.
"Oh, they can, but in a slightly different way than what you are probably thinking." Lunaire took another sip. "Are you familiar with Maihama Firm?"
"I have seen them mentioned in the lore. If I recall correctly, they are a big NPC firm that ran quite a few auction houses around Eastal." Marielle craned her neck. "Am I getting this right?"
"They also operate the caravans that are the lifeblood of Eastal, ensuring that critical goods get where they are needed," Roderick added succinctly.
"You forgot to mention being a spy ring." Lunaire's comment earned a double-take from the merchant. "Outwardly, Maihama Firm is a for-profit yet neutral organization. This allowed it to permeate into many facets of Eastal. It tends to be quite convenient when money is all the language needed to talk with them, so they had an easier time with the nobilities."
"I don't recall that bit of the lore…"
"Yeah, I don't either."
"Suppose if we somehow have access to the various connection and means of this firm, would it not be quite convenient?"
"You are saying that they are working for someone." Roderick rubbed his chin. "That does not sound farfetched when I actually put it to words. It is quite common in various fiction for merchant firms to be an intelligence-gathering under someone's employ. But for whom?"
"Perhaps the top people of Eastal? One of the higher-ranking nobles or perhaps…Duke of Maihama himself."
"We are unsure. The branch manager seemed very defensive about the interest of Eastal, so your speculation is probably on point."
"Wait, you talked to the branch manager?"
"Yes." For the first time,
"Ignoring the fact that you just given away the fact that we became aware of their supposed scheme, how do you know that they are defensive about it?" Krusty pressed.
"In my defense, our investigation involves coercing a few of our contacts to talk. Since we did not go to the length of silencing them, the information will eventually trickle back to the people at Maihama Firm. They are going to know, sooner or later." Lunaire averted his gaze. His lips pursed in mortification.
Another main reason Lunaire forgot to mention was the sheer panic. It was only a reasonable reaction from suddenly finding themselves sandwiched on all sides by enemies. Worst still was the fact that they only survived peacefully so far only by the luck that Plant Hwyaden targeted Nakasu before Akiba.
"Enlighten us how exactly did you manage to threaten a large firm, which may or may not have the backing of one of the most powerful figures behind a nation? Hm?" Krusty inquired with interest.
"We merely hinted that the shelf-life of our salve is by design, meaning that we can make it as long or as short as we wish." Lunaire bared his smile.
"Y-you, you can?" The sparkle in Isaac's eyes was blinding.
Lunaire answered implicitly. "How inconvenient would it be if we were to sell non-perishable version to Westelande Army."
"Uwa," Charasin cowered from the saccharine smile plastered on Lunaire's face. It could have been the devil right in front of him and it would make no difference in his reaction.
The secretary in purple, standing inconspicuously behind Marielle, watched the proceeding with wide eyes. Shiroe met his match, she thought. This was getting out of hand. There were two of the devils. And most worryingly, one of them was most likely not on her side.
"Hahaha, that ought to scare them." Isaac laughed uproariously. "That potion would be utterly broken at the level the Landers are fighting. They might as well be partially immortal. Serve those damn NPC right!"
Hearing such, Lunaire's hardened gaze snapped to the spiky guild master. He was not the only one by a long shot. Other than Alice, members of other more emphatic guilds like Marielle and Shiroe leveled Isaac a pointed look. The bespectacled man opened his mouth, raring to speak.
Alice raised her hand. "If I may, Isaac-san…"
"Yes?"
"May you not refer to the Landers as NPCs. It is quite a bit too ironic for my taste." Alice's thinly veiled jab caused Lunaire to wince a little.
Alice learned of the meaning of the term en-pee-cee that the Adventurers used for the People of the Land from Lunaire. To say that it displeased her was an understatement. She understood that this stemmed from the time when all this was the game to these people. It would be unreasonable to ask the people reading a choose-your-own-adventure book to treat the characters within like real life. Yet, it was another matter for them to treat this world they currently lived in as a game and disregard the humanity that the Landers blatantly displayed.
"What do you mean?" Isaac frowned.
"Before the May Incident, or what we called Catastrophe or Apocalypse, you are to them an NPC just as much as they are to you."
"What?" Isaac shook his head. "Say that again?"
"Us, NPCs?" The same sentiment was echoed by William.
"Before the May Incident, all of the Adventurers were merely combat golems to the Landers." Alice dropped another bombshell among many on the budding council. "The only thing you cared about was killing monsters and accepting errands for suitable rewards. While looking just like them, you all lack emotion and kept saying unnaturally repetitive words. It is not so dissimilar with the concept of non-player-characters now, is it? If you don't believe me, you can go ask any Landers on the street."
Krusty chuckled wryly. He was among the earlier people who noticed the uncanny animateness of the Landers. If it quaked like a duck and looked like a duck, who was he to deny that it was a duck. Yet, he did not quite expect the reverse UNO card.
The surprise lasts briefly for the merchant, especially so for Roderick. His expression quickly turned calculating, perhaps thinking of the new business opportunity. He was not oblivious to the Landers. He merely had some reservations regarding the new environment. After hearing that they were more or less human, just stuck in medieval fantasy mindset, it would not be long before he started stretching out his tendril in earnest.
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, both Isaac and William just scratched their heads. The full ramification of this realization just did not sink in yet. Though, Lunaire wished that their dismissive attitude would change in time.
Strangely, however, Shiroe seemed ambivalent. While inwardly pleased that Lunaire shared his stance on the humanity of the Landers, a nagging feeling in his gut warned him of the incoming but.
"It is dangerous to treat anyone as less of a human as you are. That line of thought had led to many atrocities across the history of mankind." Lunaire added. "Those NPCs are no different from us, sentient human beings with their hope, dreams, and agenda. We should treat them as such."
"Okay, okay, it was just a slip of tongue. You don't have to harp about it."
"As fellow human beings, they are afforded the basic respect and rights as one." Hearing that Lunaire did not stop, Isaac rolled his eyes. "However, they also must be dealt with caution as their agenda might run contrary to ours. They may be weak, but they are no less smart than we are. Like in this case that they kept us in the dark for their benefit. Underestimate them and we will have our rug pulled from under us."
A few days afterward
"We are broke…" Lunaire tugged at his hair, slumping weakly in his chair. lips pursed while his eyes twitched at the spread of account books before him. No matter how hard he glared, the number on the sheet did not change. The glaring red entry on the book stared back at him, mockingly.
Lunaire liked to think of himself as a person with reasonable degree of foresight. After accounting for the food and consumable expenditure, wages, and plaza renovation cost, a considerably large fund remained from Alice's earning. These were carefully budgeted in the way that they could easily jump on any opportunity that presented itself or react to any unexpected disaster. Unfortunately, Shiroe threw a giant wrench into the plan. The cathedral costed way more than an arm and a leg for them.
On the good side, their day-to-day operation fund was thankfully untouched, just barely. On the flip side, only a handful of coins were left in their coffer, none after considering the cost needed to complete their plaza renovation.
"I suppose our tea planation will have to wait." Sakuya chuckled softly from her seat. Without a specialized steward employed in the mansion, the responsibility of managing funds of the estate also fell to the maid chief, hence her presence at the table instead of waiting on them.
"It is a shame. But our current stock should last for a few more months, shouldn't it?" Alice inquired.
"Of course."
The preparation was certainly thorough. Expecting no support of any kind from Gensokyo during their mission, the mansion was stocked to the brim with supplies, requiring quite extensive subterranean warehouse to fit everything. These naturally included even the comfort items like tea leaves and spices.
"Does it mean we have to delay our steel purchase? Again?" Nitori whined and hammered her fist weakly on the table. "We are already holding back like crazy, but it is going to run out soon. If only we did not have to deal with the plaza..."
"Plaza is..." Sakuya paused and quickly corrected herself. "…Was necessary."
Initially, it was planned to be used as a venue festival. The attendees would be treated for the first time something tasty and then the discovery about inventions would be publicized to much fanfare. It was one step in a bid to revitalize the city while seizing the initiative in the development of the city. Until certain villain-in-glass stole the march.
"Yeah, was...What a waste."
"But procurement of steel is now our number one priority." Lunaire drummed his fingers on the table. "No matter what, we have to get it sorted out."
Nitori visibly beamed, causing Lunaire's temple to throb. While she drooled at his reassurance, unlike Alice and Sakuya, she completely forgot that they had no funding on that front to speak off.
"How vexing," Lunaire muttered.
The method that they used to acquire their initial fund was off the table. There was only so much demand for high end dress, so diminishing return was expected. That was if Eastal even had any intention of continuing business with them. In hindsight, Lunaire thought pressing Maihama Firm hard for information had consequences. But there was no crying over spilt milk. Perhaps, selling it incognito in Westerlande Empire would be possible.
"Just how much income stream do we have left?"
"We still have the salve, but even that is unsecure." Lunaire sighed ruefully. "While the Round Table Council agreed to tax the use of critical building to offset the maintenance cost, the current rate hardly covered everything."
Every building, apart from the estate of Scarlet Devil Mansion, required a maintenance fee. Calculated from a fraction of the original purchasing cost, the sum was hardly small when dealing with Guild Hall and Cathedral.
In addition to the maintenance fee enforced by the system, the Round Table Council also needed to pay for the 24-hour security around the Guild Hall foyer. Since Minami could launch a surprise attack through the Intercity Transport Gate or just plain simple infiltration, at least a few max level guardians were stationed around the bank. Any assailant aiming for the Kunei bankers would be shutdown by aggro-managing skills, like Anchor Howl, allowing precious moment for the Landers to escape.
All this did not come cheap. Two coins per Guild Hall visit and thirty per each revival would hardly cover it even in the most optimistic projection. The gap was being plugged by the startup fund contributed from every founding guild other than Log Horizon and Scarlet Devil Mansion. While functional, the council was losing money from the beginning.
If worst came to worst, the Scarlet Devil Mansion would be expected to upkeep the Cathedral on its own.
Sakuya turned to Alice and asked. "I remember you went to the Landers bank to request for a loan. What became of that?"
"It goes against the ancient treaty."
"…Ancient treaty? Did they ever mention what it is about?"
"No, they never elaborate even if I pressed them." Alice looked like she bit on a bug. "They are not interested in any incentive we could give them all due to that strange treaty."
"A treaty with whom?"
"Unknown, they are not saying anything about that either. It is almost as if they assume us…by that I mean the Adventurers, to know about it."
"So, they won't even invest and loan out the money." Lunaire ground his teeth. "Can you believe it. All that capital is sitting around doing nothing. The person writing that treaty is dumb beyond compare. What they created is not a bank, just a safe."
"So, we are still on borrowed time." Sakuya mused.
"Ahhhh, how to make money quick when you have no startup fund, if only such convenient thing could exist." Lunaire clutched his stomach. The more he thought about it, the more pain he felt. "Or we could go grind for metal ores ourselves."
"That will only work in the short term. We cannot afford to tie down our personnel in a mid-level dungeon for too long."
Alice pointed out the fundamental problem of their guild, the lack of personnel. There were so many things to do compared with the people who could do them. Earning money, reconnaissance, intelligence gather, farming EXP, and establishing contact with Landers were just the beginning of the long and bloated list.
"Maybe we should push up the schedule for our southern strategy." Alice proposed.
"We will need a naval route."
"That can come later. We can first secure the cooperation and ascertain the material need of the merchant houses in Ninetail Dominion."
Lunaire shook his head. "I highly doubt that we are going to get anywhere without the credibility in delivering the supplies they need."
"We have the Fairy Rings."
"…Hmm, that is possible. Since it is the same as long-range teleportation, it is fast and immune to attacks by monsters or PK-ers. Though the Fairy Rings are hardly conducive to regular travel. There may be a way to the south but connection to return until the next month."
"Your mana should be adequate at your level."
"Ah! Right!" Lunaire exclaimed. "How could I forget? It seems that I got used to not having enough mana for just about anything. Yes, yes, that could work. We should bring that up in the upcoming meeting."
00000
And there it is.
If you are wondering whether the Round Table Alliance will be established, yes it will. I did not cover it in this chapter because it would be way to drab to just say, here is the result using just narration alone.
However, the RTA is definitely more colored by Scarlet ideals, compared to the canon version. In this version, you can probably guess that the disingenuous action by Eastal started off the relationship on the wrong.
The long awaited buildup of the Scarlet Devil Mansion toward Thalassocracy begins in the next arc.