14xx/8/4
185 days since arrival…
I asked Robo-Pope for permission to enter his royal library to find records. He gave me his blessings, but he told me to be very careful. There are lots of book Monster Girls down there and he don't want any of his priceless tomes down there destroyed in a crossfire.
I went to Papi first to replenish my ammo. It was a good call of mine to teach her how to make my bullets a long time ago. In payment for my rifle and pistol's ammo I gave her more schematics for my bullets as well as some gold. She laughed as she received the paper, her eyes burning with the desire to create.
I reckon that she'll make an excellent pupil.
Latina left the AK back to her quarter, stating that her ears have never been the same ever since she used that back on the island. She asked me to at least reduce the usage of firearms around her as she felt that her hearings are slowly losing its strength despite how much herbs she took. I told her that I cannot fight them bare-handed and refused to do so. And we're gonna explore a library, so the gunshots will be much, much louder.
In the end, I compromised by using the flip-up bayonet that Sophie has. It'll be a good exercise for hand-to-hand combat against Monster Girls. She is now armed with a Mithril sword as the gun she has earlier no longer have ammo.
Scholars roamed the library halls, searching for specific books in their respective genre. I went straight for the business area, except that most of it were outdated. I found one about Mithra Family, and by god what the king and queen said must've been true. According to the text, the entire valley is a large country flourishing with monuments and farms populating the entire region. The book stated that the destruction Ilias inflicted on it was so severe that not even a single evidence of its existence exists anymore save for a single ruin that served as its main capital.
Last I heard, Ilias doesn't even show up anymore and the hated symbiosis relationship between Monsters and humans are getting even bigger than normal. If what the history books here stated was true, I just arrived at the moment of Renaissance. Thankfully the church is much more open on the idea of enlightenment unlike the one back home.
It's logical considering that they can speak directly to gods and can wield fantastic magics.
I found a recent record about business ownership around this place. To my delight, the Ilias Continent has very little competition to deal with. The Ilias Continent is still operating on Middle Age tech and business proposition. While the presence of roaming Monster Girls would make it pretty hard for unrestricted transportation the amount of natural resources I can exploit is astounding!
But of course, all of this fail because of the standard problem every general, businessman and logistic officers have to deal with; Transportation.
Compared to Sentora, the number of roads that existed in Ilias Continent is almost non-existent. One can argue that the multitude of trails that snaked throughout the continent served as roads, but they are more of a local variety created by the nomadic population inside said continents. For this reason, is why certain crime organization can exist.
Roads is the vein of economy, to have none is to suffocate economy itself. Roads provide clear and convenient direction toward a location, thus making transportation and travel very much easier. Roads are a sign of civilization, for only a self-sufficient civilization can create such costly invention.
Sentora have large official roads almost akin to a highway which allows one to travel between each city easily. The size also makes it convenient if one wanted to transport items. This is not the case for Ilias Continent. They lacked the roads that connects different towns with their livelihood. Perhaps they have it before, but now abandoned due to some unknown reason. The fact that each famous mine that supplanted their respective village was abandoned is the proof of the difficulty of starting a business in Ilias Continent.
Pornof for examples, have degraded from being a renowned iron-working village to a village full of perverts, a refuge for the absolute dregs of sexual depravity ever existed. Some may argue that I am overblowing it; but this is a world where semen is the nectar of the gods and sex is widespread and even respected in this world, and I've never went to a village outside of Pornof that reeks of semen.
The economy of Ilias Continent relies heavily on small businesses, family-owned stores and companies that harvest stuff from the forest all by themselves. Before I can take it over, I have to ensure that a proper route of trading existed in that area. I have to build roads and relation with each town if I wanted more equipment.
I also grabbed some books about how to find minerals and precious stones, things that many people lacked. The mines may have been abandoned, but I still need manpower to fully extract the ore inside.
I checked the records of ownership of that area. I was surprised that none of the mines in Ilias Continent was actually owned. It was owned by the respective village themselves, but from what I saw none was willing to actually fix the problem they have inside the mine. Perhaps due to lack of funding and manpower? Maybe lack of protection?
I spent the whole day studying in that place, maybe longer if not for the shouts that came from the entrance of the library dungeon. Curious, I decided to follow the sound to see a young effeminate man in long flowing blue robe arguing vehemently with the guard. The man has dirty brown hair and a pale skin that meant he never went outside. He kept demanding to get into the dungeon, saying that he has a tome that he must recover.
The guy is the librarian of this library, a man named Theodore. His green eyes are sunken in from lack of sleep and I can see the pallor on his pale cheeks as he demanded in the name of the Pope and his duty as a librarian to catalogue every book inside the dungeon.
I offered myself and Latina to be his bodyguard for the excursion. I reckoned free experience points for myself and my rifle sake. Besides, I didn't enter the dungeon before and I wanted to see if they have something of worth down there. Latina however, wanted to escape the monotonous hours of readings.
He told me that he's a magical librarian, so he can fend for himself thank you very much. The paleness of his skin begs to differ, hence why the guard was so hesitant to let him through. In the end, he relented. Theodore's rank exceeds his own by a wide margin.
The second floor of the library is much more presentable than the one before. I was surprised by that. For a dungeon infested with Monster Girls it is quite pretty looking, as if nobody has disturbed the area before. Unlike the cold hard marble floor of the library above the green carpet under my boot crinkled satisfyingly as I slowly followed Theodore from behind.
The library above appears to be more of an archive instead of an actual studying location opposed to the library below. The above has books after books cramming every single walls and shelves that inhabit the room above, making it claustrophobic in return. The underground library has none of that problem. The shelves are noticeably smaller with more room in-between each shelfs making it much roomier than the one above. Hell, they even have the presence of mind to decorate the walls with some beautiful picture that reminds me of Da Vinci's artwork. Need to find out if Da Vinci existed in this world or not.
I asked Theodore why this area is much homelier than the one above and why the archive was placed above instead of under here. He replied that the archive above was simply made first before the studying area which is the underground library area 2. The father of King of San Ilia was worried of the constant battle between Monster Girls and humans. He was afraid that all of his subject's knowledge and culture will disappear overnight if a disaster happened. For this reason, he built an archive with the idea of storing as much information as they can before it's too late.
Due to this action, many priceless tomes were saved during the war before. It was his son's idea to build an actual studying area when he first came to the throne.
I asked him how the monsters came to be. he told me that the monsters didn't came from nowhere, it came from the library itself. Some of the books that resides in the library has potent innate energy and being in cluster of same type of books only amplify said powers. Back then they didn't fully grasp how a Monster Girl was created, and their ignorance was paid in full.
The books slowly accumulate magical energy, absorbing the natural aura that came from the scholars that perused the books. Then they develop into Monster Girls from the load of magic they received.
He told me that the monsters here are weak to flame due to their paper structure. I asked them if they are weak to water as well. He nodded and told me that unless I can wield water, I better not do anything rash. I asked him if stabbing them with fire-infused blade would be better.
To be fair, I asked Sophie if she can enhance her little bayonet with elemental power. She tried to, and it worked. She told me that it was significantly weaker than the damage imbued bullets have, but it still does the job right. The blade which was previously white stainless steel is now tinged with orange glow from its spine and its tang.
Theodore told us that as long as we didn't open any book, we will be safe. Then one of the books suddenly floats, opens up to reveal a girl in blue pyjamas grinning at us as her massive fist appeared from the pages itself and clocked Theodore right out. Not wanting to risk damaging the remaining books in the shelves I opted to spear that woman like a fish. Took me a couple of stabs to get her down, but it got the jobs done.
Then they came.
Theodore manages to wake up as I and Latina fend off the waves of books coming to whoop our ass physically. I was actually disappointed that the design is just basically a normal top half of a woman attached to page of a book or so. I was expecting a lady entirely made out of paper or something.
I gotta admit, the guy can carry his own weight. In fact, he finished the fight by ripping up a page from a book and casting a spell of tsunami from said book. So much for not destroying the remaining non-hostile books. Better water than fire I supposed.
He told me that it was unnatural for book-type monsters to physically move toward their opponent and actively fights them. They usually wait in dormant laying ambush in the shelves, waiting for an unfortunate soul to come and be raped. They're like Venus Flytrap, sitting dormant until their victim flies into their maw. This makes him much more agitated, muttering under his breath as he slowly appraises each shelf there is of their volume.
I was still reeling from the magic power Theodore displayed. Not because of how awesome it was, but because how it worked. He ripped up a page from a book and then chanted a spell to which the paper burns up and then discharges their respective spells. It worked like a primitive version of Spellcards back home.
Each grimoire page contains set written instruction for specific spells as well as the magic that was required to run that spell. When a user utters the incantation, the magic inside the paper will carry out the instruction written upon the paper which will create the desired phenomenon.
It worked so much like Spellcards that I was actually scared that I might end up finding a card belonging to my boss. Thankfully, most of the grimoire page is just that, pages from a book. Unlike our smooth, sleek and hard card the paper's only discerning trait is its magic content. I made a mental note to try and see if I can interrupt the spell if I shoot the paper before the casting ends.
We found the book later on. Finding a book in a library is usually not that hard, especially if you have a record with you. However, ambush at every corner and the danger posed by unknown books equivalent to a hidden mine makes the excursion much slower. The book is just another area, this one has rattan carpeting instead of the green cushy one below. Unfortunately, it has evolved into a Monster Girl so we have no choice but to put it down.
We manage to return from the dungeon safe and sound. Theodore thanked me for my work and paid me handsomely. We talked a little bit about the world, especially about the war on Grangold. He told me that most of San Ilia's troop were deployed there, leaving very little men in this place. For this reason, is why Monster Girls banditry are on the rise. Before the war, the soldiers of San Ilia kept the road from Port Natalia to San Ilia clear and clean, hence making businesses flourish back then.
Now that their soldiers are gone there are almost nobody left to protect the road, let alone go on a daily raid. Monster Girls can now attack anywhere they want outside of the city and hide away in their hideout without the fear of retaliation. For this reason, many businesses are now investing heavily on outside protection, mostly mercenaries work. Even then, many crime organizations still exist in the fields, just waiting to snatch any unsuspecting victim from the road.
I asked him if this is why the Monster Girls are so damned hostile in this place. He said that they are naturally hostile to humans as we are their natural prey. In fact, he stated that it was safer now than before Ilias's disappearance. How so? It's because the society now welcomes Monster Girls in their fold, and this encourages many other to work alongside humans without attacking in regard. He stated that it was the father of the king decision that allows Monster Girls to visit towns as long as they behave. Due to this rule, it made it much easier for Monster Girls to assimilate with humans safely and positively.
Again, it doesn't mean that they suddenly became friends to all. They are still predators, and some girls cannot restraint their more beastly appetite, hence why some people still get devoured even in this day. The difference between the past and now is that Monster Girls are less of a threat now. the threat is the war itself.
After that, me and my crew decided to return to Castle Mithra again to see what they're up to.
Gotta admit, they really know their stuff. The rubbles are largely gone. The larger rubbles now pile outside the gatehouse in a quasi-defensive barricade. The large inner courtyard has been cleared of both rubbles and the overgrown vegetation in the royal garden. They discovered a patch full of Pitcher Plant Girls that has made this place their home. The royal garden has actual springs that kept the garden green and safe for millennia despite the acrid environment this world has. The Mithra family kept them around as they're the one who kept the water running as well.
The Pitcher Plant Girls are the size of a small hot tub. The body resembles the Pitcher Plant as they were called. The difference is that the lid of said plant is replaced by a woman's top half that is sentient. Her skin is green and her body has the texture of said plants. Her eyes however, was bright yellow akin to a frog.
True to what I deducted, they have regenerating pool of stomach acid inside its cauldron where the girl can control its acidity chemically. I grabbed a jar full of them for personal testing. It should be something that Sophie can imbue herself with, if she can.
I gave the Royal couple my notes, hoping that they know what they can do with it. Told them that I'll be in touch tomorrow as I plan to make more of the walkie-talkies. Makes it much easier for me to dispense advice on their behalf.
We discussed about what we have to do until midnight. We outlined our business plan, figuring out where we shall strike and what our expansion strategies are.
From what I heard from Luka and the people around me, war is almost inevitable. Either from Grangold or some overpowered dumb fucks wanting to bone every walking male in this world. I saw the war not as a hindrance, but as an opportunity. An opportunity to make the Mithra Family recognized again.
So far, we already have an established reputation with Monster Girls (Mithra was historically known for being one of the first Monster Girl's sanctuary in the world) so support from local MGs should be easy to get. This place is a barren wasteland, no good on agriculture, but a good place for factories. I just need the materials.
I need to gather data on what the society wants and the problems they faced if I want to make a product that I can sell. I have been travelling the entire continent, but I figured that maybe another look wouldn't hurt.
I also need to find manpower. Zombies are great at unskilled labour, doesn't even need payment. But what about skilled labour? Scientist, architects, engineers, blacksmith, people that can do specialised work that requires extra knowledge zombies clearly lack. Where can I find one in medieval Europe/Japan?
Our capital is almost worthless here. We need some serious cheddar to fund the first month of our organization. Problem is, where can we find loaners that are guaranteed to not fuck us over? This is medieval era intermittent with renaissance era, modern banking hasn't been invented yet! Plus, I noticed that the economic system of this continent is still mostly on feudalism. This raise another problem.
Location. The castle is a good defensive location. Too bad it's a shitty company location. It's cut off from civilization and the nearest form of said civilization is a village of thieves. We need to build our company at the middle of the continent to ensure that we can properly organize and coordinate our workers on the field. Problem is, this is a feudalism era. There's probably a shit-ton of land in this continent that actually belongs to some obscure lord or barons probably crusading in Grangold or having anal sex with the local MGs. They probably demand some kind of compensation or outright submission if we even dare to start a small shack in their supposed-land.
We also need to find a way to market the goods to the consumer base without the use of internet or modern transportation. Thankfully, majority are literate enough to read and write so we are not truly handicapped yet. Even then, the logistical hurdle that we gotta face to market our stuff and sell it would be herculean in difficulty.
In the end, we came to the conclusion that trying to start a company or even a legal organization alone would be too much trouble. So, what's our last decision?
Fuck it, let's fucking go.
That nihilistic complaining nature is what stopped many potential Einstein, Planck or Marie Curie' from standing up and taking risks. I'm not letting some minor inconveniences gets in the way of making a new branch for the SDM to operate.
We decided that our crazy ventures gonna need more time set up before we do anything solid for now. The king and queen asked me to try and find their old allies, or their next of kin considering how long they have been dead. They also asked me to help doing networking for their kingdom.
They cannot leave their zombies out for long or else they rot and we will lose our only source of free manual labour that has no despicable union rights to make things harder for us corporates. Finding a good necromancer to take care of them would be on my first priority list. Unless I found a way to extend radio range I cannot just walk to any kings and expect them to believe that I am an envoy from a dead state.
Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day….
