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Chapter 296: Fee

「Please compose yourself, Soleil-sama. 」
Faramir soothed Soleil. At any rate, please do something about the shoulder straps of your dress.

「Yes, yes. I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities if I can. 」
「Then what are you going to do with the entrance fee!? 」
Soleil, who had been trembling while staring at the ground, suddenly raised her head. So you’re starting with the entrance fees, huh.

She immediately becomes pragmatic, or should I say she abruptly calms down when the conversation involves money, but still, the way she switches is unbelievably fast!

「It’s basically free, and we’ll set up a donation box. Ah, I also want to install something similar to bamboo blinds, perhaps a curtain made of thin light fabric in front of the pedestal, so only the silhouette is visible. 」
「Well, you have a point, hiding that mystical figure will probably be more faith promoting. 」
…Mystical?

Auro, do you see that thing as something mystical? Or are you just avoiding describing it directly? Which is it? I don’t know how to take it if it’s the former.

「What about the holy water? 」
「Put a fee on it? Charge more for non-islanders, but make it cheap if it’s going to be used for making medicines within the island. 」
Is it even different from the water flowing here and there…!?

「Got it. I’ll have Pamela check the efficacy first before comparing the fees with that of Nalluahdid’s 『Fae’s Bough』. 」
Pamela, the woman Soleil mentioned, is a Changeling pharmacist.

Soleil’s attitude had changed, but here I am answering her casually.

Nalluahdid’s Spirit Boughs are genuine, so it’s good to use their 『Fae’s Bough』 as basis for comparison. It’s just that the efficacy of water depends on how many spirits gathered and their affinity with said water.

Many of the spirits in Nalluahdid either possess the exported and imported goods, or they come following those goods. Because of that, the holy water in that place is famous for being highly effective but not set in stone. On some days, the effect of the healing potion that used it as an ingredient becomes stronger, other days the sword that had been groomed using holy water became sharper, and so on. Apparently, a priest can determine which attribute the holy water leans towards for a fee.
What about the water on the island, I wonder? Maybe drinking it will make you drunk, or make you burst in laughter, or make you dance — ah, no, that shouldn’t happen, I think.

「If in case we do receive offerings or donations, use that to fund maintenance, repair and flower expenses , and if there’s excess, use it to fund the planting of flowers and trees within town. Of course, there will also be separate funding for those greenery; I’m counting on you to make the environment a place the spirits would want to settle in. 」
The last part was directed to Charles.

We then discuss the fundamental treatment for Haniwa and the Black and White Boughs.

「Bathing might be difficult, not to mention laundry and changing clothes. It’s great that the water here is abundant, but all of the firewood is imported. Overcrowding of the public saunas and steam baths which use the heat from the bakery’s oven is actually a problem now, and many of the people simply don’t use them because of the hassle. Ah, but that ‘hassle’ part might be addressed if we told them that it’s a requirement of the Boughs… 」

「Two public bathhouses have been constructed in the town. How much will the maintenance costs take if we’re going to use one piece of fire magic stone per day? 」
「Size of the area? 」
Soleil turned her gaze not at me but to Kiel.

「I’ll call Cain and Teof, no, I’ll just summon everyone. To the conference room. 」
「Please. 」
Kiel left the office, while the rest of us headed towards the conference room.

Cain and Abel are the changelings aiding Auro and Kiel. Cain is in charge of the construction blueprints and management of resources for the town while Abel mainly handles the management of the workers and residents. Teof is the magic stone specialist.

「Why did it have to be that shape, huh!? The black and white boughs are so dainty and exquisite, so why!? They have this, you know, presence, and seem to speak to you— but why did the other one that seemed like it’s staring at you have to be in the middle, huh!? 」
Soleil was close to tears again as soon as we stopped talking about business.

Oy, the way you switch back and forth is really intense and so fast! So, are we in agreement that no matter which Bough it is, you can’t deny that it has its presence?

「They are the Bough of Strength and Boughs of Nobility. They must be constantly watching over the islanders to ensure there would be no injustice. 」
Auro said with a smile. Yup, Haniwa does look strong, although if it’s terracotta then it might be brittle, but it’s made of wood, so yeah.

「But there’s three of them, THREE! What are we going to do with the contract conditions!? No way will we be able to keep up with that many ideals!! That’s unheard of! 」
「Oh, don’t worry, there’s no strict conditions that we have to follow to a tee, but in exchange, it doesn’t ward off black spirits and monsters. 」
Well, it’s true that it’s unprecedented for Haniwa to be a Bough. Ah, no, the Bough didn’t claim to be Haniwa, it’s just the shape.

Faramir brewed the tea. Its aroma is nice, maybe they bought it from Nalluahdid.

Regular households rarely drink tea; they usually have plain boiled water instead. Herb tea if they have extra budget or if they have access to places where herbs grow. Black tea is expensive, and such tea enjoyed in distant regions such as Canum will often undergo flavor changes during transportation, mostly becoming earthy afterward.

「Huh? No way that’s true! Where on earth did you get them in the first place!? Just what country will we become tied to, huh!? 」
「There won’t be any sort of interference or demands coming from anywhere, so chill. I got the boughs from deep within the territory of Es, where the ruins of the ancient kingdom from the Fire Era have been long buried in the desert sand. As long as the King is alive there shouldn’t be any problems. 」
「What does that even mean!! 」

The bell suddenly rang while I was talking to Soleil.

「Don’t ring the bell at weird times. 」
「It signals everyone to gather, for MiLord has arrived. 」
Auro explained with a grin.

So it’s because of me, because I come here on a whim!?

「Several Changelings have also expressed their desire to be employed here, so please deal with the contracts first. 」
「Yeah, yeah. 」
Hoh, must be the rumored baker or the suspicious innkeeper, huh.