Volume 6 Chapter 31-2 The Little Fish, Delicious In The River
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Ms. Fieme said she wanted to repay her debt to me, so she’s been helping out. Mr. Escalion, on the other hand, just tagged along for the fun of it, calling it a “bodyguard mission.”
Bribes are just a tiny part of the overall economy. But when a nation’s involved—even a small one—the revenue and expenses add up to something massive. For now, Shea-Shea is in charge of accounting, with help from the former tax collectors who once served under Mr. Mauro. They used to be the most hated folks in Toyata Village, but when it comes to handling money, they’re surprisingly trustworthy.
Every day, tough-looking men lug around heavy coin bags, wheezing as they haul them in and out of the vault. I never realized that money-counting could be this exhausting.
Compared to that, the online payment system used by the guild is super convenient. When I looked into implementing it, I found some shady stuff hidden in the code. This world’s tech—like computers and terminals—is basically monopolized by the Great Temple and the Merchant Guild, but the actual manufacturing is done by a mysterious group called the Sages’ Council. Just hearing the name gives off major sketchy vibes.
Sure enough, when I used my Editor Skill to peek inside, I found suspicious communication settings. Apparently, if you have admin privileges, you can spy on the system remotely. We can assume the Sages’ Council has full access to everything.
Still, many merchants only trust physical currency. Heavy and inconvenient as it is, the Larse Empire’s common gold coin is still the most reliable.
So I came up with the idea of issuing a new coin worth a million gold. I used recycled mithril to craft something like Earth’s gold bullion bars.
When Mr. Zenom tried making a prototype, the result was way better than expected. It was a rectangular plate with rounded edges, embossed with a portrait of Goddess Keras on the front. The back featured the crest of the Holy Kingdom of Sabroa and the words “One Million Gold.”
I decided to make the real ones myself. Using my Editor Skill, I based the design on the prototype and locked it into place with a magic field to create a mold. Recycled mithril melted by salamander fire is incredibly tough and doesn’t wear down like regular coins.
Once I got the hang of it, they were easier to make than taiyaki. I mass-produced a bunch while visiting Uno, then stored them in a magic bag. Of course, printing too much money would cause inflation, so I’ve decided to issue them slowly, keeping an eye on the market.
The portrait of God Keras turned out so well that one of the cardinals was overjoyed. I gave him about ten as a gift.
Whenever people see them, they all want one. I’ve used them as advance payments for the dwarves, and also as cashback rewards for the Merchant Guild’s senior members.
The cost is practically zero, so it feels like easy money… except, thanks to my humble nature, I keep issuing IOUs instead of just enjoying the profits. Honestly, it’s kind of unsettling.
Even with all this gold flying around behind the walls, the original residents of Toyata Village are still living their lives as usual. I made sure of that. I want them to grow and find happiness with their own hands, even as the village develops.
I’ve prepared massive storage for the wall barley, so we plan to harvest the next crop all at once with everyone in the village.
Until then, I’ve been trying a few things out in the wetlands.
You can catch all kinds of freshwater fish around here, but the villagers especially love a large silver one that looks like a big carp. They call it the “Delicious Carp.” The professor has been researching it and nearly perfected a method for breeding them. Since they’re basically carp, it’s not that difficult.
Spring is the spawning season, so we’ve been catching adult fish with the help of the children. In the fishpond supervised by the professor, we’ve placed aquatic plants and willow branches to encourage spawning, and released the parent fish. One female can lay hundreds of eggs at a time. The kids are really hoping they’ll get to eat fish every day—but will it go that smoothly?
”Sir Hero! Is this the feed?”
The kids are super into the Mijinko pond, where tiny shrimp are raised as fish food. The water’s orange because of the Mijinko bloom, and honestly, I never get tired of watching it.
We followed the professor’s instructions, and the results were amazing. It was truly pro-level work. Once you know how to do it, it’s not that hard—but it’s definitely not something an amateur could figure out on their own.
”Carp eat anything, but when they’re little, feeding them Mijinko helps them grow faster.”
”I wanna feed the babies!”
Maybe I should leave fish farming to the kids. The pond isn’t even 50 centimeters deep, so it’s much safer than playing in the river.
The Great Temple seems to want to regulate livestock breeding, but their rules only apply based on leg count. Fish have no legs, so you can raise as many as you want without breaking any rules. Even when the professor bred salmon, no one objected.
But Sar-Sar chickens are more complicated. Nobles are required to keep a certain number of horses based on their rank, so that doesn’t leave many slots for chickens.
Some younger folks think that superstition about leg count causing disasters is outdated. A lot of them have started copying Hero Farm’s techniques.
Even so, I’d prefer to stay on the Great Temple’s good side. Superstition or not, I’ll follow their rules.
Besides fish, I’ve also been testing rice paddies. The swamp has peat soil, so I’m not sure it’s ideal for rice, but at least the wall barley won’t get in the way underwater.
Honestly, I don’t need to grow rice when the wall barley keeps yielding so much without effort. This one’s just for fun. I didn’t want to bother the villagers, so I left the work to the Antfolk. Ms. Ant and her crew actually enjoy cooked rice too.
I’m thinking of having villagers with free time grow vegetables. Things like watercress, mitsuba, and parsley grow really well in wetlands and make for tasty, reliable crops. If we want to sell them in the capital, I’ll need to talk to the Merchant Guild. But I doubt they’ll object to something profitable—fresh vegetables are always in short supply there.
As for dry fields, it’ll be a battle with wall barley, but asparagus and garlic should grow well if we give them enough attention.
The grapevine growing on the hedge got teleported along with the house, and Ms. Erin’s herb garden came with its soil intact. We should be able to harvest like usual this year.
People like Mr. Laken, who stayed in Toyata Village, had been hoping to take over the houses left behind by those who left. Things didn’t go the way they planned, and they may be disappointed, but I hope they’ll do their best to rebuild the village.
After all, I’m the Toyata Baron’s advisor. He seems serious about running the territory now. He even stopped overeating and has slimmed down a little.
His plan is to specialize in high-end ingredients and make money that way. It sounds promising, but I’d rather he focus on products that won’t compete directly with ours.
Notes:
• Escalion – Male. An old swordsman who claims to be the ‘true Hero.’ He is Mia’s lover and appears to be a human from the same world. Despite his shabby appearance, he is incredibly strong and has a frightening presence. He dislikes humans and has a complicated history with them, including an experiment involving a fox.
• Fieme – The ‘Beast God’ who was abducted by Schulz long ago. She is a member of a clan with no fixed lifespan, making it possible for her to reunite with her family. She is described as a fox-like beastkin with kemomimi (animal ears) and a tail, and is a captive in Saburou’s magical bag.
• Shea-Shea – Mauro’s daughter. Hurt by Alexander. Became an eager fiancée after advice from protagonist.
• Holy Kingdom – Located on the east of the continent.
• Mr. Zenom – Tough dwarf blacksmith from Toyoata Village. Repairs weapons, improves accuracy. Charges 100 gold/arrow. Becomes protagonist’s strict master. Assigns hard tasks like pre-dawn cleaning, firewood, water pumping. Owns well-equipped forge. Challenges protagonist to prove ideas.
• Keras – God of Purification in this world. While not directly involved in the narrative, Keras is referenced through the High Slime, a noble being that serves as a servant of the god. The High Slime is summoned by the protagonist due to their connection with the earth spirits and their status as a spirit vessel. A figure who purified the cursed old Toyata Village, making it a viable relocation site.
• Ms. Ant – Level 20 ant soldier, over 2 meters tall in armor. Named by the protagonist due to lack of a previous name. Wields a huge battle axe, large round shield, and throwing axes. Seasoned warrior capable of taking down sub-dragons. Ms. Hóa’s prized secret treasure. Borrowed by the protagonist as a trial during his time in the royal capital
• Ms. Erin – A timeless elf living in a quiet cabin surrounded by bees, Ms. Erin is over 100 years old and once the wife of a wealthy villager. After her husband’s death, she gave up luxury to live simply, sharing rare honey with select villagers—mostly children. Graceful yet intimidating, she’s known for her mysterious beauty, ageless presence, and surprising fondness for meat. She occasionally grants small blessings to the MC—subtle enchantments or quiet words that linger with unexpected power.
• Erin – A timeless elf living in a quiet cabin surrounded by bees, Ms. Erin is over 100 years old and once the wife of a wealthy villager. After her husband’s death, she gave up luxury to live simply, sharing rare honey with select villagers—mostly children. Graceful yet intimidating, she’s known for her mysterious beauty, ageless presence, and surprising fondness for meat. She occasionally grants small blessings to the MC—subtle enchantments or quiet words that linger with unexpected power.
• Mr. Laken – The Toyata village head and guild branch manager
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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