Volume 4 Chapter 59 Indica Rice
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Today, instead of going to that workroom, I was shown to the reception room just left of the entrance. Present were Pamela, Department Head Gida, Section Chief Fredys, and Section Chief Katarina. Two more than yesterday, but the room was plenty spacious. Once we sat down, coffee was served.
Black, yes, but properly filtered—no grounds.
We waited about five minutes before Ms. Rao entered, accompanied by a smaller Ms. Rao.
”Sorry about that. I went to pick up this one.”
With those words, Ms. Rao introduced me to… a girl? I suppose if Rao had children, this was roughly what I’d imagine. Her name was Kio. She’d emerged from her chrysalis and was still only eight years old. Born through asexual reproduction, they said—so a clone body. A reincarnation from another world, and apparently one of this colony’s successors.
Ms. Rao had another reincarnated individual from Earth—twenty-seven years old, born through sexual reproduction. One of them would inherit this colony. The one who didn’t would have to find a dead-end household or a newly sprouted mushroom and establish a new colony around it.
Despite her young face, the girl—or whatever she was—stared at me with sharp eyes.
Right. If someone summoned from Earth could become a successor… Then that meant this girl might be just like me—there was a possibility she had a middle-aged man inside her.
Either oblivious to this or unconcerned, the others nodded along to Rao’s story, making comments like “How cute.”
”So then,” I cut in, “how long am I being lent out?”
I hate long meetings, so I asked directly.
”Three months at minimum.”
Three months—and that was the minimum? The crew was supposed to wait on the ship all that time? That was too much.
”Um… so we’re supposed to wait here for three months?”
Section Chief Fredys finally asked, as expected.
”Regarding that matter, I have a proposal.”
Rao actually thought about it? I wouldn’t have expected that from her.
”Are you folks interested in mining coal?”
Something about this felt very strange. According to her—or it?—there was a coal outcrop, and it was right next to a river.
”That said, it’s not a big enough river for your ship to sail up. But I can lend you transport boats—and people too, if you can pay.”
They were charging us? I almost blurted out a retort, but Department Head Gida beat me to it.
”How much?”
”Let’s see… One river boat—usually used for timber transport—and ten workers. Would ten Schweilitz Gold coins a month be acceptable?”
”Could we see the site first?”
Department Head Gida was right, of course. Just because there was a coal outcrop didn’t guarantee easy mining, and we had no idea how big the boats were. But being able to resupply coal here was extremely appealing. Despite everything, we’d already burned through nearly thirty percent of the coal we’d loaded in Tete.
Whatever route we took from here, Schweilitz was on the other side of the planet. I wanted every last scrap of coal I could get.
”Fine. I’ll accept that, but don’t expect any discounts.”
She’d seen right through us, or something like that. Department Head Gida had come in all eager, but she seemed disappointed. After that, we got a location briefing. There was a river mouth about six hundred kilometers north of here, and we’d have to go another hundred kilometers upstream.
”Is there any town at the river mouth?”
When Section Chief Fredys asked, we learned there was no village or town there. But thirty kilometers further north, there was a shallow bay, and at its innermost point—where it became an isthmus—lay the trading city of Takere. There was a branch office of the Androgynos government there. Most of the residents were various seafaring peoples, along with legitimate Amazoness—not the main branch—and apparently Dwarves as well. Dhows and junk ships came to trade, they said. That explained where Ms. Rao and her people got the fabric for their clothes.
The crew could take a break there, too. Department Head Gida’s mood soured, but I wanted to see it myself.
”Show this at the trading city’s government office. It’s your travel permit and mining permit.”
Something about this felt too well-prepared. Setting aside the trading city, was there really some kind of government office near the coal outcrop?
”If you go near the outcrop, you’ll understand. There’s a colony there similar to this one. Meet with the person in charge—Cisco Ki Kuro the Twelfth—and negotiate payment.”
”Should I show the permits at that colony too?”
”No, that’s already been arranged. In the trading city, you’ll cause trouble if you hurt people or steal things, so make sure you warn anyone who goes there. Also, Schweilitz currency won’t work there, but there’s a money changer, so you should exchange it beforehand. The local currency is Mar.”
That port town sounded like the kind of place you could throw money around, party hard, and have fun with girls. I was a little jealous.
Katarina was not permitted to accompany me as my attendant. Only Pamela was allowed—”She can help during the summoning,” they said. Apparently, if someone you knew was connected via telepathy during the summoning, it made contacting Henrietta easier.
When I expressed concern about the pregnant women, I was told Takere had medical facilities, so they could stay there until my loan period ended. Maria would definitely give birth by then, and there was also Rafaela—Pole’s childhood friend—who might give birth too.
I asked Section Chief Fredys to serve as acting captain. She handled her subordinates best.
* * *
After the meeting, we were guided to the dining hall across the courtyard. There was a large table set where you could enjoy a meal while admiring a garden with an asymmetrical pond—like a Japanese garden.
The meal consisted of grilled white fish with salt, a stir-fry of onion and sausage, bacon soup—and instead of bread, rice. However, the grains were long and thin—indica rice, dry and crumbly. Still, I was just happy to have rice again.
According to Ms. Rao, they obtained it through trade.
”Aren’t there any dangerous animals? Like beasts or venomous snakes?”
If this place was like New Zealand in my previous life—assuming no humans had introduced anything—there should be no mammals except bats. Reptiles too: just things like lizards.
”There are.”
Wait, really?
”They can’t fly, but there are several species of birds bigger than houses. Some of them are fiercely territorial, so watch out. If one kicks you, you’ll die instantly. Be especially careful when entering the forest. That’s about it, though. No venomous snakes, so at least you can relax about that.”
Big flightless birds? Bigger than houses—that was terrifying.
”Livestock? Goats and sheep, and chickens, I suppose. Here we only have goats.”
Apparently, there were also rats in the trading city, but cats, dogs, and weasels—which would disrupt the ecosystem—hadn’t been introduced yet.
”By the way, you mentioned Ms. Henrietta is one of your wives—how many widows do you have?”
Once the meal was over and all the necessary business was done, for some reason, Ms. Rao brought up a topic that was very difficult for me to answer.
”I mean, it’s fine, isn’t it?”
Besides, it was complicated whether I was actually engaged to Princess Tina. There was some talk that if I became her fiancé, all my other wives would effectively be reset—or maybe they wouldn’t. It was all too complicated, so I tried to escape the conversation—but for some reason, Katarina raised her hand.
She always picked the worst times.
Starting with Alisa, then Monica, Teressa, Marie, Nico, Pamela, Kenze, Louise, Ellie, Manuela Pia, Katri, Bebel… Wait, wasn’t this starting to sound less like a list of wives and more like a complete history of my love life?
She’d remembered everything I’d ever mentioned in passing, and she kept rattling off names one after another. Please, stop. Listening to it made me want to bury my head in my hands.
On top of that, Ms. Rao’s kid was staring at me like I was some kind of filth. What, was she a feminist in her past life or something?
Look, this world has its complications, all right? No condoms. No birth control pills. There were extenuating circumstances, okay? It wasn’t like I’d just given in to lust every time.
The conversation somehow got livelier discussing my relationships, and eventually the meal ended. I saw Katarina and the others off to the stairs in front of the mushroom.
”So once this loan period ends, you’ll receive word from Cisco Ki Kuro the Twelfth?”
Section Chief Fredys confirmed one final time before heading down the stairs.
By the way, Pamela—what’s with that big box you’ve got strapped up with rope?
”That’s a toy you got from the Dwarf King. I thought since we’d be bored anyway, we could play with it—you, me, and Katarina.”
What, did she think this was a vacation or something?
”Oh, by the way—wanna take a look inside the mushroom?”
Rao made that suggestion. I was both curious and not.
”I’d like to see it.”
Pamela answered first, so we decided to go inside. Rao bent over and slipped her hands—pressed together in prayer—into the mushroom’s stalk. Then she slowly spread them apart, creating just enough space to enter, and forced her way inside. The ever-curious Pamela followed. And I—coward that I am—went in last.
Inside was brighter than I expected. The floor had hexagonal holes about sixty centimeters in diameter, arranged like a honeycomb. The edges were only about five centimeters thick, but surprisingly sturdy—they didn’t budge even when I stepped on them.
Looking into the holes, I saw water in every one, with dark shapes floating in places. These were the larvae.
As I stood there in surprise, from a hole near the center—something like a giant mullet head emerged, floating up from the water. Lidless, perfectly round eyes looked at me—then sank back down, disappearing from sight.
Gross.
”She’s hungry.”
Ms. Rao said that, then stripped off her top and lowered her breast into the hole where the mullet-head had retreated. Similar to Kenze’s situation. But thinking about that mullet-thing sucking on her n**ple made my skin crawl.
Then another woman—who looked just like Ms. Rao—entered, and from yet another hole, another mullet-head floated up to show its face. Apparently, it was demanding milk, because she also stripped off her top and began nursing.
About five minutes later, Ms. Rao dressed again and stood up.
”I see. So just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you nurse all the young, does it?”
”That’s right. They stay here for three months, and even after they come out of their pupae, I have to keep nursing them for a whole year.”
Three months, huh? Just like the Amazoness. Come to think of it, they apparently lay eggs at most once a month.
Is that the same as the Amazoness, too?
If so, that seems like a lot of eggs for one person to lay.
”Um, does that beautiful dog who showed us around lay eggs, too?”
”No, the animal maids I summoned are programmed not to lay eggs. If I didn’t do that, there’d be about fifty of them if left to their own devices, so they’d lay fifty eggs a month. That’d be a real hassle, wouldn’t it? But even though they don’t lay eggs, they still produce milk, so I have them breastfeed the babies. If I had to take care of all of them by myself, I’d wither away and die.”
Ms. Rao said this while smoothing her messy hair with her fingers.
Breastfeeding must be tough, too. I’m reminded of the thin Kenze.
”Come to think of it, Ms. Rao. You’re wearing proper clothes today, aren’t you?”
Yesterday she was wearing a yukata that looked like a hotel nightgown, but today she’s wearing something that looks like a proper dress.
Her hair is a mess, though.
”Watch how you phrase that,”
Pamela warned me.
”It’s fine, it’s fine. I usually work half-naked, after all. But since we’re heading to the capital, I thought I should dress up a bit. So, does it look good on me?”
Ms. Rao spun around like a little girl, but she messed up her landing and her foot fell into a hexagonal hole.
Is this person maybe a bit of a space cadet?
Anyway, I went outside to check the wet dress, but since the water was clean, there were no stains or dirt, so I went back home and waited for it to dry in the living room.
”Can I ask you something?”
”What is it? If it’s something I know, I’ll answer.”
She took it calmly.
”Where are you going from here?”
”To the capital, of course.”
”The capital? That’s around Caldera Lake, hundreds of kilometers from here, right? How are you getting there?”
”That’s obvious—through a teleportation gate, of course.”
A teleportation gate?
”Yes, using Spirit Magic to connect one space to another with the help of a servant.”
I didn’t understand what she meant.
”I don’t really understand it myself. But mana ignores the laws of physics in our original world, right?”
Yeah, well…
Spells like ‘Fireball’ or ‘Heal’—at first glance, they seem to follow the laws of physics, but they really don’t.
”According to the professor who taught me, stretching mana inside a servant’s body apparently bends space. I don’t know what happens after that, but the method is to secure the servant between overlapping teleportation gates, then gradually pull her away while feeding her mana. Even though you can’t see the space between the gates, it seems the space stays connected as they separate.”
So, if you enter through one gate, you’ll come out through the other one.
”That’s right. But you have to feed the servant who’s keeping the space connected.”
Huh, is that so?
”Well, if she dies, the mana’s effect will disappear, right?”
Yeah, I guess so.
They say you need at least three servants for a teleportation gate.
”Well then, shall we head out soon?”
Led by Ms. Rao, I went to the room to the right of the entrance, where something that looked like a “Door to Anywhere” was sitting all by itself.
When I opened that door, I could see a shining space.
”Okay, let’s hold hands.”
I held hands with Pamela with my left hand and took Ms. Rao’s hand with my right.
Just as I thought I’d stepped into the shining space, I found myself in a strange place.
It was the third floor of a round building with an open space in the center.
Looking up, it appeared there were about seven floors.
On each floor, there were at least thirty doors like the one I’d just come through, and in several places, people were coming out of doors, going into them, or going up and down the stairs.
Only on the ground floor, at the very bottom, did it look like there were about ten large double doors—more like gates than regular doors.
”Do the doors we see here lead to each colony?”
”That’s right. They all look the same, so make sure to remember the signs.”
Where Ms. Rao pointed, it said “Mount Yue.”
”What about the first floor?”
”Those used to be gates leading to faraway places. We still keep them working, though.”
”Faraway?”
”Yes, there’s even a gate that goes to Schweilitz.”
Huh? What do you mean?
”It’s still working—it’s the only teleportation gate in the Western Regions of the Central Continent. It’s kept running just to buy parchment made from a special kind of goat found only in the Horn Mountains.”
”Where exactly in the Horn Mountains is that?”
”It’s near where there used to be a silver mine. The town was left empty after the mine closed. Now, an elderly dwarf couple guards the gate. There’s a rock salt mine nearby—though it’s about ten kilometers away.”
Could that be the rock salt mine in Salzheim?
”Oh, that’s the one.”
Rao says it calmly.
But from there, the road to Obernbach is called Rock Salt Road, and Strock Village is along the way. In other words, that’s where Larry’s hometown is.
It takes three days to get from Salzheim to Seiren Village, where the lake is.
From the checkpoint there, I can run home in half a day.
What is this uneasy feeling in my heart?
—
Summary:
The protagonist is summoned to a colonial reception room where Rao introduces her child Kio—a clone reincarnated from Earth. Negotiations for coal mining lead to a three-month loan period, and the protagonist expresses jealousy about the trading city’s pleasures, only to be embarrassed when his romantic history is exposed over dinner. The chapter ends with an unsettling tour inside the mushroom colony, where Rao and another woman nurse larvae in a deeply alien process.
—
Trivia:
Kio emerged from a chrysalis and is only eight years old, suggesting the colony uses insect-like metamorphosis for reproduction.
The protagonist suspects Kio might have a middle-aged man’s consciousness inside her, just like he does.
Rao has two reincarnated successors—one born asexually (Kio) and one born sexually (the 27-year-old).
The non-inheriting successor must find a dead-end household or a new mushroom to establish a new colony.
The coal outcrop is located near a river, but it’s not navigable by the protagonist’s ship.
The trading city Takere has a branch of the Androgynos government and serves various seafaring peoples, Amazoness, and Dwarves.
Dhows and junk ships trade at Takere, indicating a multicultural maritime economy.
Schweilitz currency is not accepted in Takere; local currency is Mar.
The protagonist’s loan period is three months minimum, during which the crew can stay at Takere.
Maria and possibly Rafaela are pregnant and may give birth before the loan period ends.
Fredys is appointed acting captain because she handles subordinates best.
The dining hall features a Japanese-style asymmetrical garden pond.
Indica rice is dry and crumbly but still appreciated by the protagonist, who misses rice.
There are no venomous snakes, but giant flightless birds larger than houses exist and are territorial.
The mushroom colony interior has a honeycomb structure with water-filled hexagonal holes containing larvae.
The larvae are fed through breast milk, and the mullet-head creatures are the larvae that float up to nurse.
Kenze has a similar nursing arrangement with larvae, implying multiple individuals in the community serve as wet nurses.
The protagonist is deeply disturbed by the larvae feeding process, calling it “gross.”
The protagonist has a long romantic history listed: Alisa, Monica, Teressa, Marie, Nico, Pamela, Kenze, Louise, Ellie, Manuela Pia, Katri, Bebel.
There is ongoing complexity regarding whether the protagonist is engaged to Princess Tina, which may affect his other marital relationships.
Notes:
• Katarina – A voluptuous 30-year-old Izumo flight squad leader, Section Chief, and volatile telepathic Mage with mission authority. This complex, handful of a woman volunteers for the landing party, handles night watch, and playfully partners with the protagonist, though she often speaks at inopportune moments—even embarrassing Earnest by listing his exes. She pressures subordinates but advocates for Gida.
• Fredys – Izumo’s section chief has a formal military bearing, carrying a clipboard and speaking in clipped tones. A reliable coastal sailor with a past in slavery and social awkwardness, she acts as Earnest’s subordinate but is asked to be acting captain due to her sharp command. This indispensable advisor is related to the Ullmans via Uncle Torge and lives with Roland and a maintenance assistant.
• Pamela – An elderly dwarf woman with a youthful, flat-chested appearance, this Engine Department leader balances blunt authority with old-fashioned warmth. Earnest’s companion, she uses archaic, ceremonial speech, moving with total confidence and scholarly curiosity. A drowsy mage skilled in telepathy, she is a warm mentor to the protagonist and assists Earnest with colony summoning rituals.
• Gida – The Izumo’s Maintenance Department Chief is an older, disheveled former finance bureaucrat and captain. Pragmatic, formal, and polite yet outwardly insolent, she controls crew logistics, seeks shore supply trips, and negotiates coal mining with Rao. Known for using sesame oil for skincare (once buying out Schweilitz), she clashes with Daran and initially resisted hiring Raphael.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Rao – The Androgynos colony leader, calling herself “the Red of Mount Yue, Fifth Generation,” is a direct, confident woman with an elegant bearing and weary undertones. Unfazed by nudity, this Amazoness-like figure is casual yet refined, often teasing but polite. As a spirit magic programmer, she writes grimoires under tight deadlines. She manages colony operations, coal negotiations, reproduction, and her two reincarnated successors.
• Kio – Rao’s child/clone. Eight years old and emerged from a chrysalis. Born through asexual reproduction and reincarnated from another world. She has sharp eyes and stares at Earnest with apparent disgust.
• Ho – Ho is the family name of Oliver, a 17-year-old deck crew member and comrade of the protagonist. As a member of the military unit that defended Garao Village, the young man was ultimately murdered during a night watch, slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Schweilitz – This kingdom, featuring towering academy spires and a full military arsenal of Royal Army troops, forces the protagonist to return. Ruled by a king involved in a hostage exchange, this political power holds a captive feared for execution. It also ordered the confirmation of Princess Rosa’s corpse, driving a scheme that the Queen has caught onto.
• Cisco – The leader of the colony near the coal outcrop. Earnest must negotiate payment with this person.
• Mar – A battle‑hardened veteran, clad in worn armor, uses door panels as shields and captures enemy crossbows; Larry’s comrade who teases him about his sister‑in‑law’s pampering, known as Martin to his companion Edmond.
• Al – Alberto (Al), a massive red‑haired man recently wed to Mary, lives near the Dish Basin. He’s a companion of Hans, helping intimidate and rally elders as a villager and leader.
• Henrietta – Earnest (Larry)’s perverted fourth wife is a muscular, massive-busted orphan, mage, and Royal Magic Academy researcher. A Bizan graduate, she guarded the protagonist at East Palace until her assassination by the former Principal in the Haritz Rebellion. Now parasitizing Larry’s daughter—recognized by slave Pamela by scent—her telepathic bond has Earnest considering her summoning.
• Rafaela – Pole’s childhood friend and first love from Palermo is a ruling-class intermediary captured by pirates and enslaved. Now a fish preparer and expecting a child, she remains silent and staunchly rejects Pole’s attempts to buy her freedom, viewing his persistent gambling habits as an insurmountable barrier to reconciliation.
• Maria – A heavily pregnant woman serving on the crew. She speaks with practical directness and raises logical concerns about the acting captain’s lending period. A pregnant woman in Earnest’s group. She will give birth before the loan period ends.
• Pole – An orphaned Celt soldier and anxious Izumo sail-handler, this youthful, enthusiastic deck crew member guides Earnest and the protagonist. Proficient in Turku and local terrain, he is a loyal, gossipy aide who rows the landing boat and leads the marlin hunt. Having left a gambling past behind, he seeks his first love’s freedom. Rafaela is his childhood friend.
• Tina – Schweilitz’s 12-year-old Second Princess and heir is a wild-red-haired, sharp-eyed Eastern Palace resident acting as a Celt Kingdom proxy. Cheerful yet arrogantly masking a need for approval, she seeks an Academy suitor to dominate the protagonist. She scorns her perverted alternate-protagonist fiancé, and her potential engagement to Earnest complicates his other relationships.
• Ti – A component of the name of the Port Administrator.
• Manuela – A long-black-haired former Bizan mage in a linen-silk dress and wool coat. A friend of Marie and acquaintance of Larry, she was once married to a Haritz restorer. Enslaved in Schweilitz, she recently bore the protagonist’s child, counted among his rumored offspring. Still enslaved, she is the wanted, betrothed wife of the Marquess of Haritz, residing there.
• Teressa – A woman from Earnest’s history whose striking figure serves as a benchmark for the twin priestesses’ beauty.
• Louise – A tall, rugged Jutland-born school principal and shipbuilding manager with short red hair and a guard-like build, this former 101st Golem Battalion Mage Lieutenant and Type 95 pilot is one of the women in Earnest’s history. Mother to his son and pregnant with his child, she is a romantic partner whose complex connection to him and rumored past remain subjects of local gossip.
• Monica – One of the women in Earnest’s history, this dark-skinned, sun-tanned, slender 15-year-old with a missing front tooth was his tomboyish, free-born concubine and sister-in-law. Tied to Larry’s countryside home, she was his strong-willed wife at 13, bore twins including Alisa at 14, and wet-nursed niece Maria. Widowed at Vod Fortress, her demise remains a source of concern for him.
• Alisa – Larry’s shy, three-year-old primary wife, chosen to continue the Getys House lineage. The daughter of the former family head and niece of a rock salt merchant, she fears strangers and hides behind her mother. Under a new political arrangement, she faces demotion to concubine status.
• Bebel – Sergeant Major Hagen, a confident Larland War veteran with white teeth, is a high-mana artillery NCO in Earnest’s division and a woman from his history. Blunt and teasing, she uses aggressive, dark humor to motivate her squad. Rescued by Earnest, she knows his past and constantly provokes him with mischievous comments, but acts protectively to save him from danger.
• Ellie – The youngest daughter of Duke Igor of Bryachislavichi and granddaughter of Frontier Count Pugachev, she is one of the women in Earnest’s history. Elegant, composed, and bearing the refined look of a noblewoman, she wields significant political influence in elite circles. Attentive and deeply in love with the protagonist, she shares a child with him.
• Katri – A composed, long-haired Moscow Maid School graduate, depressed and submissive partner to Trabius, and one of the women in Earnest’s history. Clad in a pink maternity dress and crimson gown, she manages the protagonist’s household and serves as Trabius’s interim Village Head. Rumored to have a child with the protagonist, she remains bound to Sanna, Larry, and Earnest after a failed self-sacrifice.
• Kenze – A muscular, brown-skinned Amazoness, former Takshurgan operative, and one of the women in Earnest’s history. This lethal crew member and dragon-tattooed guardian is deeply bonded with the protagonist, now quietly wasting away while nursing her newly laid egg and larva. Despite declining health and a rural background, she shows acceptance and strength, speaking warmly as she worries about the sea.
• Marie – Larry, an authoritative Kiridal professor with a mage’s build, is one of the women in Earnest’s history. Isabella’s niece from Strock Village and Darina’s peer, this former Weasels leader runs a lab and works with the Arsenal Bureau. She manages the protagonist’s home economics in the Capital and, despite warmly loving her husband Kenze, remains a potential romantic partner.
• Nico – A petite, silver-haired Besanburg lady-in-waiting from Strock Village, she is a Kiridal merchant’s granddaughter and part of Earnest’s history. Formerly Teressa’s maid and cousin to the Marquis’s captive, she survived a Marc assassination. She remains Larry’s close confidante, pregnant partner, and mother to their two-year-old daughter, Angelica.
• Pia – A Nurnhügel mage in a hooded robe with a bust rivaling the late Henrietta, this heavily pregnant level-3 healer’s assistant pilots golems and drones. Under military protection while seeking legal emancipation from slavery, she is rumored to have a child with the protagonist. Submissive yet cynical, she speaks with archaic authority but fears arrest for her past Haritz escape.
• Larry – A dark-haired, weary 16-year-old reincarnated Second Lieutenant, this cynical, analytical youth is the Schweilitz Navy cruiser Izumo’s Acting Captain, chief engineer, and Associate Professor. A Mana user and Fee Grand Principality founder, he carries Saba’s letter and Philip IV’s sword. He distrusts superiors and protects Rosa while dealing with trauma from Henrietta’s death and past wives.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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