The carriage ride was rather calm. Few creatures bothered them, the only thing that stopped them was the toll collectors and the Horse's need to rest. At their current rate, they'll be reach Tempest by tomorrow.
There was just one problem.
'LET ME OUT!!!!' Kumoko shouted once more with telepathy. Most of the space in the carriage was taken up by the crate housing her. Every moment she spent awake was spent nagging them as loud as possible with telepathy. Kazuma had too activate his Emotion Surpression skill while Subaru was in a constant fight to surpress the noise in his head.
"We might have too throw her in a lake." Kazuma mumbled out in a dry tone. Subaru wasn't sure if he was joking or not, and he didn't want to know. 'You throw me in a lake, I play jump rope with your guts.' Kumoko threw back. Subaru just turned back to the box. 'Kumoko, I'm going to unlock the box since we're a day away from Tempest. You can go hunt some monsters and set up a teleportation point. We'll set up camp.' he thought, knowing Kumoko would here it.
"Kazuma, let's just set up camp. I'm pretty sure everyone needs to relax or else we might kill each other before we reach Tempest." Subaru offered his friend. "Fine, take this." Kazuma replied, handing his key to Subaru. Subaru nodded as the four horses came to a stop along the trail.
The two of them quickly grabbed onto Kumoko's box and lifted it up. Undead Strength and Invisble Providence making easy work of moving the box and its arachnid occupant. Subaru put the two keys in and turned them opposite ways, listening to the clicking of the locks as he did so. The latch on top of the box loosened and Kumoko sprung out of it like a bat out of hell. 'Freedom!!' She shouted while rasing her arms too the air.
"Just try not to make a scene, we don't want to get kicked out of Tempest before we even get there." Subaru cautioned her. 'I'll be fine, now to go get some food.' Kumoko replied. Subaru just watched as she scuttled away with a strong hunger in her eyes.
"Still don't feel sorry for the local monsters?" Kazuma asked, his tone returning to his usual self. "Ehh, long as they aren't trying to eat me it may be fine?" Subaru replied as he turned back to the carriage. "So let's go over our plan for Tempest again." he said.
Kazuma nodded as he fiddled with a large bag of supplies. "First step is setting up a small shop there with our current wares." Kazuma started. "Second step is getting Kumoko to create a usable teleportation spot to transport supplies easier." Subaro followed. "Third, we use the resources too expand our roster of products." Kazuma listed off. "Fourth is we buy a permanent place here, maybe even live in it." Subaru said, putting a hand to his chin. "Step five, profit." They both said with mischievous smiles on their faces.
Kumoko, having already returned with a large beast being dragged behind her, just sweat dropped at this. 'That's it, only that?' She asked. "Its the basic form of it." Kazuma replied as he started a fire. 'And why wasn't I informed that this was all you guys were planning. I thought we were going to scope them out, or destroy something like with that Cult town?' Kumoko asked. "Nope, despite it being kind of secretive. The reason Wiz had asked us to go was because Tempest was interested in getting their own shop set up here since our stuff is really popular here." Subaru spoke up.
'So... it's only about the money?' Kumoko asked. The two boys nodded. 'And I had to be stuffed into a box, because I'm just a cheap form of delivery service for you guys?' She asked, growing more irritated. "No, you were in a box so that we could take a common ship." Kazuma replied. 'So I am just a cheap delivery service for you guys?' Kumoko repeated, her eyes narrowing. "Now Now, it's not like that. It was just easier this way since Vanir and Wiz still need to watch over the shop. Besides, what if Tempest has people from Japan living in it?" Subaru shot out ideas. Kumoko calmed down, rasing her brow as she began to ponder what Subaru had suggested.
She let out a deep breath. 'You're off the hook this time, but you.' She said, turning to Kazuma. She quickly pulled his head off before he could get a word in, causing Subaru to almost lose his lunch. She began kicking the head like a soccer ball as Kazuma's body just stood stiff. "Kumoko!!" Subaru shouted out, using Invisible Providence to take back Kazuma's head and reattach it. 'I warned him, and I followed through.' She replied smugly.
Kazuma just craned his neck and rubbed it to make sure his head wouldn't just fall off. "She has a point." he said. "She took your head off man." Subaru shouted at him, his eye twitching. "Yes, yes she did." Kazuma replied with an unusual calm.
The others raised their brows as Kazuma stood up. He rolled up his sleeve as Kumoko quickly realized what he was about to do. He dashed and shoved his arm down her spider head's throat before she could stop him. "Hows that taste huh." she said as Kumoko began thrashing. 'Get it out, get it out, do you even wash your hands?' Kumoko replied as she started grappling with Kazuma to get his hand out of her spider mouth.
Subaru just watched as Kumoko began a spider death roll to get Kazuma off of her. 'Why do I stick with them again?' he asked himself. By now Kazuma's arm had detached, only getting stuck further in Kumoko's spider mouth. Kumoko's face was turning green as she tried to dislodge it. Kazuma had taken to just sit back as the spider girl got sicker.
"Psychos." he said quietly as Kumoko had gotten Kazuma's arm out of her mouth and was now chasing him with it. He sighed, 'I'll stick with this, over getting tortured or having to forever stick my neck out for others with nothing in return.' he thought as the others were now grumbling from opposite sides of the camp. Kazuma busy reattaching his arm while Kumoko started eating her dinner.
Rimuru looked down at the paper covered desk in front of him. The paper on top was a form he was looking forward too, a request of establishment. He had heard from some merchants in Dwargon about a shop in one of the new worlds to the east, a shop filled with furniture and other such materials from his old world.
Nostalgia and wonder drove him to start buying some of their products. First a board game similar to Monopoly, reflavored to resemble a medieval economy. Then he bought some furniture, a Kotatsu to go with the one he had the dwarves make, several lamps that used actual electricity, and even a bean bag chair.
Now that same shop was asking to set up another one here due to the similar products being made. They had forwarded word that a group was coming for the negotiations, one of their best. He had sent word Benimaru and Rigurd about the upcoming meeting, who had informed Geld that they may need to start building the shop soon.
He was practically brimming with excitement. There was only one way that the Shop of Wonders could have such products, that they had people from Japan with them. Fellow Isekaied folks that he could talk too, hopefully not hostile at least.
Maybe they're neets, or just casual folks? Who knows, he's just looking forward too it.
'Then I befriended this girl who only uses Explosion Magic, then we vowed too create the Ultimate Explosion Spell together.' Kumoko rambled on. "Please don't teach Megumin that." Kazuma pleaded. 'You know her name?' Kumoko asked. "Sometimes she breaks into my house to steal the food I keep there, then I just started leaving it in a box near the property." Kazuma answered.
'Huh, That's why she was asking questions about you.' Kumoko said. "Yep, that and her family likes to buy our stuff, then sell it to the Crimson Demon Village." Kazuma said. 'Oh, so... are they, business partners?' Kumoko asked. "Nah, just a middle ground." Kazuma replied.
"Guys quiet down, we're here." Subaru interrupted their conversation. Kazuma stuck his head out of the carriage and looked around. Tempest was beautiful, lined with buildings reminiscent of Japanese architecture and surrounded by nature. Monsters and humans alike walked the streets, commerce and barter lining the streets of the market place.
"Damn." was all Kazuma could say. Subaru just smiled as he took in the peace and quiet of the place. Kumoko looked the sheet covering of the carriage as her eyes widened. 'This place is a paradise.' They all thought. "Business will be great here." Kazuma whispered to Subaru. Subaru didn't reply, simply taking in the beauty of the city.
"Are you two from the Shop of Wonders?" A voice asked. The two turned to see a man with a two horns on his head and dressed in samurai garb. "Yes, is there a problem?" Kazuma asked. "Nope, Sir Rimuru just wants to meet with you personally about setting up here. I'll guide you to him, my name is Benimaru by the way." Benimaru replied. "Ah thank you." Subaru spoke up.
"Should we leave the carriage?" Subaru asked. "No, it's coming to." Benimaru answered. "Don't cause any trouble." Kazuma whispered to Kumoko in the back. 'Hey, I'm well behaved.' Kumoko shot back. "Is there another one in there?" Benimaru asked. "Yep, she's just a bit of a trouble maker." Subaru replied. "Ah, well come on." Benimaru waved them along. Subaru quickly redirecting the carriage to follow after him.
"So, you guys are with the Shop of Wonders?" Rimuru asked. He honestly wasn't sure how they would look. For one of them to be fairly scarred, even missing an eye, and the other to reek of undeath was definitely not on his list. "My name is Satou Kazuma/Natsuki Subaru." The two answered at the same time. 'I knew it.' Rimuru shouted in his mind. He couldn't see a third one, though Benimaru told him that their other member was staying in the carriage.
"Ah, it's nice to meet you two, I'm Rimuru Tempest And I'm not a bad slime." Rimuru said his preferred line. The other two stopped, quickly realizing what he had said. "Dragon Quest?" Subaru muttered out as Kazuma started chuckling. "Nice too meet a fellow Other Worlder." Kazuma said. "The feeling's mutual." Rimuru replied as he took on his slime form.
"Is the third member also an Other Worlder?" he asked the two. "Yep, though she's... a little different." Subaru said. "She's a spider." Kazuma stated. "A spider?" Rimuru raised his "brow".
'Indeed.' A female voice spoke in his head as the doors burst open. 'I am Kumoko, the one who shall become The Ultimate Magical Girl.' Kumoko stated as she posed dramatically. "I see." Rimuru stated as Subaru covered his face and Kazuma shook his head. "Too much time with the chunnis." Kazuma muttered. "So, you're a telepathic Spider Girl?" Rimuru said as he looked her over.
'More than that.' Kumoko replied before she scuttled to one of the couches and laid down on it. "We each got isekaied differently. Kumoko was reincarnated, Subaru was transported, and I died and was transported." Kazuma trailed off a quick explanation. "Ah, I was reincarnated as a Slime." Rimuru replied. Kumoko seemed to laugh at that.
"Anyway, we were talking about you guys setting up a Shop here filled with items from Japan?" Rimuru lead the conversation back on track. "Yes, I was also wondering about buying a house here." Subaru chimed in. "Oh, we can build a house into the shop if you'd like." Rinuru offered. "We also need to set up a teleportation point." Kazuma pointed out.
"A teleportation point?' Rimuru asked. "Kumoko can set up points that she can teleport to, we were planning on setting up a two way spot so that we don't have to ship materials over land and sea." Kazuma said while pointing to the Arachne. "Ah, that makes sense. I can think of a spot for that" Rimuru replied. "So how much will it cost?" Kazuma asked.
Rimuru paused for a second, trying to calculate the amount required. 'Great Sage, help me out.' he pleaded. 'Discounts on all products, possibilities of Tax exemptions, and a free pass to the Hotsprings if you are desperate.' Great Sage rattled out some options. 'Not offers, how much will they need to pay Tempest?' Rimuru clarified. 'Difficult to consider due to the issues of currency equivalents.' Great Sage replied.
Rimuru breathed in deeply. "Ok, how much gold do you guys have. It's still difficult to convert money due to arguments of value, but we can just use Gold and Silver as a middle ground." Rimuru answered. "About three thousand kilograms of it back home." Kazuma answered. "We won't need that much. just fifty or so." Rimuru replied.
"So, we get the point set up, we can send in the gold." Kazuma said. "We already have a spot picked out where the construction can start on the shop. It won't be too difficult to get a home built into it as well." Rimuru said. "Sweet, how long until construction is done?" Kazuma asked. "A few days." Rimuru replied. Kazuma and Subaru give five each other as Kumoko just smiled.
"Rimuru, you got yourself a deal." Kazuma said as he held his hand out. Rimuru took it, the two eagerly shaking to cement it further. "I fell that this will be the start of a wonderful partnership." Rimuru said. "I couldn't agree more." Kazuma replied.