New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out (1/3 chapters)

 

 

The Bill

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The next morning arrived.

Today was the day to tally up the sales. I had been hearing rough figures every day during the festival, but everything would be finalized today. The fact that the tourists were satisfied could be seen just by looking at their faces. However, how much we actually sold had to be properly calculated to know for sure.

Then, there was also the matter of how many business negotiations came in. The festival period was something like a trade fair. Merchants who were truly interested left their business cards. Unlike Japan, there wasn’t a culture of exchanging them on the spot, but without contact information, no deals could be made. We needed to verify each one, but there was no doubt that the number and quality of business cards was a measure of success.

I got up from bed and exchanged smiles with Stella.

In the end, we’re still holding hands, huh. Stella might actually really like physical contact. I should remember that.

After breakfast and getting ready, Stella and I headed to Naru. The village was officially resuming operations starting today, though that would be after everything got cleaned up. That said, it didn’t look particularly busy.

Well, New Year’s is just around the corner. If the Winter Solstice Festival is the celebration, then New Year’s is the time for rest. During this period, work stops almost everywhere and people relax at home. Naturally, a lot of work comes to a halt. Maybe it’s the rebound effect from the festival…

At Naru’s office, many Nyaff were already working. They were sorting copper, silver, and gold coins, and compiling statistics on what had been sold. By the way, Anaria was there too, representing the apothecaries. Since the apothecaries didn’t have many products, their tallying was already done. Potions were still valuable and couldn’t be expanded easily.

Most of what they sold must have been materials gathered from the forest.

“Good morning, Naru.” (Elt)

“Good morning…!” (Naru)

All at once, greetings were returned to Stella and me.

“Good morning!” (Nyaff)

“Good morning-nya!” (Nyaff)

“Good morning-nyan!” (Nyaff)

Then, we took our seats.

Somehow, I’m starting to understand the Nyaff a bit. When their tails sway back and forth, it means they’re in a good mood. They were like that when hugging the cockatrice too. Probably not a mistake. In other words, the numbers must not be bad. The results of the festival are likely positive.

“Well then, let’s hear the compiled report.” (Elt)

 

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“First off, during the festival period, around 4,000 people visited, nya.” (Naru)

“That’s more than twenty times the village’s population…” (Elt)

Of course, that number probably included children like Audrey and Clarissa. There were likely people who only stopped by briefly as well. Still, for roughly one week, that was quite impressive.

“There shouldn’t have been any confusion due to lack of lodging, but it was quite the number of people.” (Anaria)

“Even though we could easily increase housing with plant magic… if we want to host more guests than this, we’ll need even more accommodations.” (Elt)

In Healberry Village, vegetables were abundant. And since water could be drawn in large quantities from the lake, we were well-off in that regard.

“Sales are still being tallied, nya, but we’ve brought in about 500 gold coins, nya!” (Naru)

“Even considering Zanzas’ average wage, I’d say that’s a high figure…!” (Anaria)

Naru and Anaria leaned forward eagerly.

Five hundred gold coins… That’s close to 100 million yen in modern terms. For one week, with 200 people involved, that’s an impressive result.

“Our efforts paid off. Everyone really did well.” (Elt)

“Such grateful words, nya!” (Naru)

“Your praise is too much for us…!” (Anaria)

“As for the profits, as we agreed in advance, after setting aside the designated portions, distribute the rest accordingly.” (Elt)

“Yes, nya!” (Naru)

We owed a lot to Zanzas and the Black Dragon Knight Order. We had to send funds to both of them. The distribution rate had already been decided based on each person’s role. Those who used their skills to operate shops had earned considerable income. That would include Iskamina, who sold buttered potatoes.

“But… is it really okay, nya? To distribute even Elt-sama’s share… nya.” (Naru)

“Yes. The partnership with Zanzas and even the accommodations were thanks to Elt-sama. To give away even your rightful share…” (Anaria)

Naru and Anaria voiced their concern, but it was fine. I already had tax revenue regularly, and this festival couldn’t have happened without everyone’s cooperation.

My share might be justified, but I don’t need that much. What’s necessary is future growth and prospects. If we have that, I can share the gold coins in front of me without any problem.

“Don’t worry about it. From now on, I don’t need a share during the Winter Solstice Festival. Instead, I want you all to make it as exciting as possible.” (Elt)

“Nya, thank you so much, nya!” (Naru)

“You are truly generous…!” (Anaria)

Getting praised so straightforwardly is kind of embarrassing.

Incidentally, Stella was nodding with a hm-hm as well. She didn’t put much value on money either.

Swinging her bat seems more fun to her… Maybe we’re similar in that regard.

“There are some merchants who want to base themselves here, nya. I think the population will increase, nya.” (Naru)

“Given the abundant food supply and our ties with Zanzas, it makes sense. Opening a shop in Zanzas is expensive, takes a lot of money.” (Anaria)

“From this village, it’s easy to access Zanzas. If we can bring in that kind of merchant, the profit will be considerable.” (Elt)

After that came sorting through the business cards we’d collected, and the opening of the Adventurer Guild. We also reported Stella’s homecoming. Since her background was to remain secret, we just said she was going to a country in the east.

Lastly, there was the matter with Hold-niisan. It was still undecided, but we needed to prepare for it. When I brought it up, both Naru and Anaria looked surprised.

“Nyanya… Hold-sama’s art salon is quite famous, nya.” (Naru)

“Yes, I used to hear about it from time to time when I lived in Zanzas.” (Anaria)

“Hmm, what kind of place is it?” (Elt)

“With noble backing, it’s operated on a large scale, nya. Especially in the north, it had a lot of momentum, nya.” (Naru)

Come to think of it, Naru is from the north. That’s probably why she came up with the idea of cooperating with the vampire country.

“Among entertainment for commoners, theater makes up a big portion. Actor or scriptwriter transfers often make headlines.” (Anaria)

In this world, those involved in theater are like top stars or famous movie directors in my previous life. There aren’t many other forms of entertainment, after all. People even say, ‘If you want a title but don’t have mana, go into theater’. In this world, where recording media are scarce, great achievements and lessons are passed down through oral tradition, books, or theater. That’s why every country spares no honor or money for skilled theater people.

“Without noble connections, it’s hard to get into the arts, nya.” (Naru)

“Well, in my case, it’s just my brother’s connections.” (Elt)

At those words, Naru leaned forward slightly.

“Nya, nya. The arts rely heavily on reputation. Even parent or sibling connections aren’t enough to get you in easily… nya. This means Hold-sama sees that much potential in Elt-sama, nya.” (Naru)

“I see…” (Elt)

Maybe after seeing Stella’s play or this village, he came to think that way. If so, then this too is a rare opportunity.

“This is because Elt-sama steadily accomplishes each and every task!” (Naru)

“Yes, and this festival gave even more momentum to that!” (Anaria)

“…I see. Thank you. Hearing that makes me happy too.” (Elt)

And so, the post-festival discussion came to a close.

Alright. Looks like things are going to start moving again… There’s a lot to do, but it’s truly enjoyable.

As Stella and I left Naru’s home, we exchanged smiles.

Encouraging words and positive results are more powerful than anything.

“What shall we do next?” (Stella)

“Let’s see… Maybe we should go check on Tetetoka and the others. I’d like to thank them too.” (Elt)

I’d also like to hear their response after we gave them the catalogue. And I want to know how the grass dumplings festival went. After all, this festival was half meant for the Dryads too.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)