Merchant Noble is out (3/3 chapters for today)
Mayor Guselb’s Daily Life
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“I want entertainment.” (Guselb)
Mayor Guselb of the Second Town sat alone, deep in thought.
“Thanks to the Warden Household’s efforts, taxes have been lowered, and now people have more room in their lives. Naturally, once people have some free time, they start seeking entertainment. It’s just human nature.” (Guselb)
The Second Town, once an agricultural hub, had become far wealthier than before. With taxes reduced, the people had thrown themselves into clearing land and expanding farms.
Recently, the Third Town, now fully industrialized, had sent a large supply of high-purity iron tools, making farming easier and more efficient. This boost had led to a significant increase in both the quantity and quality of the crops. While this was a good thing, it had also brought a new problem, and that was boredom. People had so much free time after work that the days began to feel endless.
As the mayor, Guselb knew that if things continued this way, the people might start becoming lazy. He needed to find a way to offer them some form of entertainment, but it had to be something that wouldn’t lead to idleness.
“And the Second Town’s population is growing rapidly. Outsiders are coming in from all over, and the locals are starting to feel uneasy about it. I need to find a way to bring them all together before tensions start to rise.” (Guselb)
With the Third Town’s success in industry, many farmers had moved from there to the Second Town. Now, word had spread of the city’s newfound prosperity, and farmers from all parts of the kingdom were arriving. The population, once a few thousand, was now approaching 10,000, with the newcomers almost outnumbering the original residents. While the locals had initially welcomed the newcomers, the rapid increase in population was now causing unease. It was clear that Guselb had to do something to prevent any divisions from forming.
“Entertainment like alcohol and gambling will only make people stop working. But hunting is too selective…” (Guselb)
“What’s all this moping about, Grandpa? The bath’s getting cold, hurry up and get in!” (??)
His granddaughter, flushed from her bath, called out impatiently.
Guselb sighed. She was growing up and no longer looked up to him the way she used to. According to his son and daughter-in-law, she had fallen in love with a new adventurer, and though he was happy for her, it left him feeling a little lonely. With his granddaughter continuing to nag, Guselb decided to take a bath and think things over. But their bath was small. It was understandable, considering they had to fetch water from the nearby well.
A bath in the river would be more spacious, but that wasn’t an option. If only they had a bigger bath…
Wait! That’s it!
—
“A Giant Pool!? Like one of those irrigation ponds?” (??)
The staff members were confused when they heard Guselbu’s proposal. They looked at him with eyes that said, “What is this old man saying all of a sudden?”.
“Yes, exactly! A man-made sea! It would provide entertainment, promote good health, and encourage people to socialize. What do you think? A great idea, right?” (Guselb)
“I see. Given that we have plenty of water, it might work.” (??)
“Yes! Can you make this happen?” (Guselb)
“Me!? Are you asking me to do it?” (Staff member)
The staff member, who had been nodding along absent-mindedly, now looked frustrated when he realized the responsibility had been given to him. It was clear he didn’t want another job piled onto his already full plate. Guselb decided to look for someone else.
At that moment, another staff member entered the office.
“Mayor, Minerva-sama and her companions have arrived.” (Staff member)
“Hmm? What’s this about… Oh! The adventurer school exam!” (Guselb)
It turned out that the students from the first city’s adventurer school were coming to take their exams in the Second Town, which was why Minerva had arrived. When Guselb went to the plaza, he found Minerva and the Tadont couple waiting for him.
“Minerva-sama, welcome to the Second Town.” (Guselb)
“It’s been a while, Mayor. Thank you for the wonderful food at my brother’s wedding. It was truly delicious.” (Minerva)
“Not at all, it was nothing. The success of our crops here in the Second Town is thanks to Arc-sama’s wise governance and the hard work of the people.” (Guselb)
It had been a while since Guselb had seen Minerva, the last time being at Arc and Marie’s wedding. He didn’t meet the ruling class often, unlike the Third or Forth Towns, which were more industrialized. The Second Town, being agricultural, didn’t usually require the attention of the lord.
“Thank you for your help with the exams. It means a lot.” (Minerva)
“It’s no trouble at all. Feel free to use the plaza as you need, and we’ve already arranged accommodation for everyone.” (Guselb)
“Thank you. We expect all the students to arrive by the end of the week, so we’ll be staying in your care until then.” (Minerva)
With some time to spare before the students arrived, Minerva and the Tadont couple agreed to discuss the pool idea. Since they were experts in surveying and map-making, Guselb was sure they would have useful advice.
“I’ve been thinking about building a pool, but I’m not sure how to go about it. What do you think?” (Guselb)
Since the couple had nothing else to do, they listened to him attentively.
“A pool, you say? Given the abundance of underground water, if we dig deep enough to reach the water veins, we should be able to supply enough water. Of course, this depends on how deep we need to go, but from what I’ve seen of the town’s shallow wells, we might not need to dig too deep.” (Tadont)
“That’s an interesting idea. With the population growing so quickly, this would definitely help prevent any tensions. I’ll have the Warden Household provide the funds and the manpower.” (Minerva)
After hearing this, Guselb was grateful. He had planned to ask Arc for assistance, but it was much more convenient that Minerva had offered.
“Thank you. I really appreciate you saying that.” (Guselb)
—
A few weeks later.
Adventurers been dispatched with the vague task of locating water veins. The woman who was the leader of the adventurers greeted Guselb, who shook his hand vigorously in greeting.
“We’ve been sent by the Warden House! I’m Mia, a Rank 3 adventurer, and I’ll be leading this excavation team! Last week, I was helping with the adventurer exam in the first city, and then they asked me to take on this task! It’s such an honor to be asked to do these things. I might as well be the Warden family’s personal adventurer by now! I haven’t been to the second city in a while, but it’s buzzing with life now. It’s almost like a completely different town! Mayor Guselb, I met you six years ago when I was guarding merchants here, and it’s nice to see you again!” (Mia)
“Ah, yes…” (Guselb)
Old Guselbu couldn’t keep up with Mia’s machine gun talk. It went in one ear and out the other. He couldn’t hear even 10% of what was being said.
“Anyway, we’ve brought high-purity hoes and picks from the Third Town. They’re made of iron, not copper, and their purity is so high they’re almost like swords. We’ll be able to dig through the ground in no time. So, where should we start digging?” (Mia)
“…” (Guselb)
“Where should we start digging?” (Mia)
Mia spoke too quickly and Guselb noticed that she couldn’t hear what she was saying, so she asked slowly this time.
“Ah, yes. Please look at the map I’ve marked. Start digging at the location here.” (Guselb)
Guselb pointed to a location on the map just outside the Second Town, at the foot of a mountain. The Tadont couple had surveyed the area and picked out several possible sites.
“Got it! We’ll find water within a week!” (Mia)
The adventurers set off with their tools, full of enthusiasm.
Two weeks later.
The adventurers had been taking turns digging, but still hadn’t found any water. During his break from work, Guselb went to check on the adventurers. At the site, there were not only adventurers but also quite a few residents. Some were helping, while others were looking down at the deepening hole with curiosity.
“That’s quite a hole.” (Mia)
The hole was wide enough to fit about ten houses and as deep as a three-story building. They had been working seriously for two weeks, and it was clear they had made a lot of progress.
“Ah, well, if it isn’t Guselb-dono!” (Mia)
Mia came up when she saw Guselbu peering down at her from above. Her clothes were covered in mud, and her face was quite red from sunburn.
“How’s it going? Any progress?” (Guselb)
“We still haven’t found any water.” (Mia)
Mia answered casually, without any real sense of despair.
“The Tadont couple has suggested a few possible locations, so if we still can’t find water here, we might need to move to another site.” (Guselb)
“No, no, there’s no need for concern.” (Mia)
Though Guselb suggested moving to another location, Mia shook her head.
“One of the adventurers I brought has exceptional hearing. He says he can hear the sound of water flowing underground. So, we should be hitting a water vein soon.” (Mia)
“Someone with such good hearing, you say?” (Guselb)
“Yes! He can barely hear it after everyone falls asleep at night, but it’s there. He’s probably been quite stressed, having to do the same work as me. Hahaha.” (Mia)
Mia laughed cheerfully, clearly aware of how loud she could be at times.
“But if there’s no water vein, all the adventurers’ hard work will go to waste.” (Guselb)
“No, it won’t. Either way, we’ll claim a reward from the Warden Household. Hahaha!” (Mia)
Laughing at her own joke, Mia then drew closer to Guselb, her sunburned face more serious as she spoke.
” Guselb-dono, please take a look.” (Mia)
Following Mia’s suggestion, Guselb glanced at the construction site. Adventurers were digging up soil, and the residents were carrying it away.
At this site, there was a spontaneous, large-scale collaboration between the people.
“At first, the residents only watched from a distance, but now they’re all actively helping. The fastest way for strangers to bond is by working together. The old residents and the newcomers are now cooperating. Even if no water is found, the harmony you aimed for among the people will still be achieved.” (Mia)
Mia winked at Guselb, as though she knew what he was trying to do. However, her wink was so awkward it just looked like an exaggerated blink.
The residents, who hadn’t even known each other’s faces at first, were now communicating and building relationships by working together on the construction. This was exactly what Guselb had hoped for when he had proposed building the pool. Ironically, even before the pool was completed, the communication among the residents was already improving.
Watching the newcomers and original residents working together, Guselb felt deeply moved. Then…
“Mia! Water’s about to burst out!!” (Adventurer)
The adventurers’ words caused a great stir among the people.
“Guselb-dono, come quickly!!” (Mia)
Meer tied a safety rope around Guselv, led him to the bottom of the pit, and gave him a pickaxe.
“Hit it right here!” (Mia)
Pointing to a spot, Mia showed him where the water had started to slowly seep out. It was clear that they had finally hit the water vein.
Guselb swung the pickaxe with all his might.
Whooshhhhhh!
To his surprise, the water burst out with much more force than expected, spraying violently as if it were about to pour over the edge of the hole. Someone must have informed the residents. As soon as they heard the water was coming, people from all over the town crowded around the hole to see.
“Alright, everyone! Grab your tools and get climbing. Don’t just stand around or you might drown!” (Mia)
Mia hurriedly instructed the workers to evacuate. As the adventurers and helping residents emerged from the hole, they were greeted with warm applause. Of course, Guselb was too.
“Mayor! Water’s come through, but what do we do with it?” (Resident)
“Everyone, the Second Town’s population has grown. The original residents and the newcomers—more and more people who don’t know each other are coming in, and everyone’s worried. So, I’ve decided to create a pool here. It’ll be a place for people to wash off the dirt from farming, cool off, and communicate with each other.” (Guselb)
“…Huh?” (Resident)
The residents looked at him with confused expressions. It was hard to understand how they were supposed to just start communicating all of a sudden.
Well, at least I’ve managed to bridge the gap between the two groups before any discrimination starts to show.
As mayor, Guselb felt a sense of loneliness when the relationships among the residents remained shallow. If this pool could be used as a place for people to come together and interact, it would be a success.
Above Guselb’s head, the mist from the water created a beautiful rainbow.
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