Chapter 414: Gramps Paulor
Hello, I’m Jean, and I can’t help but be curious whether Orlando-kun here can hear someone going ‘ahng’. Well, I ‘blurted’ those words, but no need to worry, it’s all in my mind.
「Marina has placed an order to Nalluahdid for 12 『Spirit Lanterns』at a time; however, it is advertised to be a once-a-month release so reservations had been made up to three years in advance. 」
Gramps smiled wryly.
「We followed Kiel-sama’s instructions. 」
Orlando-kun also has a complicated smile plastered on his face.
Apparently, they have to request the magic circle used to make the spirit lamps ー or『Spirit Lanterns 』as they call it ーfrom the island’s Bough-sama, and it will only be activated after 30 days of offering prayers. Well, that’s the system, apparently.
When the 『Spirit Lanterns 』were launched, Kiel already told us that ‘we’ll be swamped’. Actually, even though the management already set the release to be once a month, many folks still tried to negotiate and even pressure them to accommodate their requests. If it’s proven that the island can produce more in a shorter period of time, Kiel’s words will really come true. We ーthey’re gonna get swamped with all the incoming orders and demands to hand the spirit lamps over.
By the way, there’s no need to pray to Haniwa, actually. Besides, if they really asked Haniwa to make it, I bet it’s gonna turn into a disco ball instead.
「Never did I imagine that they would truly consider it a genuine secret art. 」
Gramps seemed uncomfortable about it.
「I was told that no one can confirm exactly when or how the rituals are performed and who offers the prayers to Bough-sama. 」
Orlando-kun seemed a bit exasperated.
According to the rumors circulating in society, the occasional weird voiceー uh, the spirits’ commotions that can be heard from midnight to dawn are proof that some sort of secret ritual is being performed. I already said this countless times, but that’s not true at all. If they really did, the lamps would absolutely turn into lazer beams, I tell you.
Gramps is simply doing nothing during the 29 days out of the 30, that’s it. Folks around here just misunderstood that we’re doing something amazing, so they arbitrarily cooked up stories like that.
「Kiel’s gut feeling is amazing, huh. 」
I spinned and played with the magic circle sample that turns the spirit lamps into『Spirit Lanterns』. It gathers light spirits, and is a little bit bigger than a 500 yen coin.
「Ny-sama, Kiel-sama is an exceptionally outstanding person…Although he does exhibit gluttony to a slight extent. 」
「Slight? 」
「…….Considerably. 」
Gramps rephrased it when I asked him back.
There’s a small wolf in the center of a series of patterns that look like a magic circle carved on the surface of the coin. There’s a real magic circle on the reverse side, and it’s a circuit that absorbs mana from manastones. The magic circle that gathers light spirits ーwhich is actually the most crucial feature here ー is actually interposed between two coins, so it’s not visible.
Once the coins are perfectly aligned and joined, any attempts to rip them apart definitely damage the magic circle, and its original form will become unrecognizable ー well, that’s what they tell the public, but actually, the lamp will already break when you open it. Once the parts are joined together, they can’t be opened again.
Well, it’s better for me if the 『Spirit Lantern 』, a product that combines both materials and spirits, spread far and wide, so they can imitate it as much as they want, as far as I’m concerned.
As Auro said, 「Secrecy ignites curiosity 」, and as Soleil said, 「The genuine goods must be circulated or else they won’t be able to tell the difference from the inferior ones 」.
And so, it’s decided that we’re going to keep it a secret for a few years. Soleil’s is all for the profit it’s gonna make during that time, though ー the price of『Spirit Lanterns』is insane.
「Once those three gain a bit more experience, it’s probably they will also be able to draw magic circles similar to the ones that absorb mana from the manastones. 」
Gramps explained the outlook of the trios’ future.
「Seems like you’re doing great nurturing budding talents, I’m glad. How are things going for the two of them? Is Hani…Bough causing any trouble for them? 」
The black and white mistletoes are well-behaved, but we can’t say the same for that rascal in the middle.
「It’s good that the presence of this island’s Bough is felt. 」
Gramps was all smiles, but Orlando-kun grimaced.
Yup, even the sense of its presence is already trouble in itself, huh.
「I do not have the Sight, but this is the first time that I’ve felt the presence of spirits so keenly. 」
Gramps was totally elated. Seems like it’s worth bringing him here.
「Heinz-sama… The Bough-sama absolutely has something going on physically with it… 」
Orlando muttered under his breath, but let’s just pretend we didn’t hear that.
「We do not have any complaints regarding our life here either. I thought that we already enjoyed luxurious meals back in Anoma, even compared to Nalluahdid where various products and goods from different lands gather, thanks to the Enchanted Forest being situated so near, However, this island is truly exceptional. 」
Gramps spoke like a gourmand, but actually, these two usually enjoy plain and simple meals. They just put a show of eating heartily when in public. Oh, maybe it’s also a campaign advertising this island’s veggies?
Well folks have this tendency to try something eaten by bigshots even if the food is something they’ve never seen before. I’m glad that they’re not the type of stubborn folks who declare that ‘we’re gonna stick to a simple diet because we already ate heartily when we first visited this island!’
The regions with abundant food, let alone those that are delicious, are already rare in this world. The Central Plains had been ravaged by war. A slightly earlier winter could spell disaster with many people dying from starvation. As for Es, there’s hardly any people at all once you move away from the river.
「I hope the crops here, such as the potatoes that grow in cold regions and the tomatoes that can withstand droughts will spread quickly. 」
Gramps quietly bowed his head towards me, and Orlando-kun followed suit.
「Ah, I simply want to eat delicious food wherever I go. 」
Please stop being so serious all of a sudden.
It’s hard to broach the topic about ‘Angh’ if you guys are like this.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.