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Chapter 517: Busy Days and Disturbing Rumors
My exhausted body sank into the couch, I sighed heavily.
「Haa~ I’m finally done.」
「「「Thank you for your hard work.」」」
「Master, I’ve brought you some tea.」
Sophia, Maria, And Marnie spoke appreciative words, and Mabel, the one responsible for the Sanctuary, made some tea.
I completed building a bike lane for the roads already established and a cycling road that melds with the nature around it, but this was more difficult than I had expected.
Especially the cycling road, because of Undine and the Great Spirits’ detailed instructions, I had to be extra careful so as to not destroy the scenery around the Sanctuary.
「Even with the residents who play soccer, the bikes are an easy and popular way for them to get to the sports grounds.」
「It was wise of you to make a place for storing bikes in the bowling alley. There are always plenty of bikes parked there.」
Sophia and Maria’s appreciative voices were healing.
I just made the dedicated bike lane in my spare time, so I installed bike racks at the soccer field, the bowling alley, the lodge, the church, the concert hall, and the park.
In short, bikes have gotten so popular that there is at least one bike per household in the Sanctuary. That’s why bike parking was necessary.
「It was really hard……」
「All the residents want the bikes, after all.」
「Yup, they keep coming with lots of money on hand. We can’t refuse then.」
Common continental currencies circulate in the Sanctuary.
There were stores that bought and sold produce grown by the residents of the Sanctuary, the Mermaid-run stores that sell seafood and salt, shops that sell daily necessities made by Dwarves and Elves, and even second hand stores and liquor stores.
The price of these products were cheap.
The people living in the Sanctuary all had some form of employment, so it didn’t mean they had no money.
Well, barter was also often practiced in the Sanctuary too, though.
「But aren’t you in a deficit?」
「There’s no material cost because I procured everything myself, but I suppose you could say it’s in the red.」
Marnie asked if the price of the bikes were too cheap, but actually, the bikes used by the residents weren’t made of mithril alloy, but rather chromium molybdenum steel, and as for the monster materials used, they were just materials that had no other use than be fertilizers. If I had to procure it from the Adventurers Guilds in Volton and the Royal Capital, it would have costed quite a bit of money, but that’s how it is.
That was when an exhausted Laeva returned.
「Fuu~ I’m so worn out.」
「Good work. Engraving everyone’s names must have been so tiring.」
「That is so true. However, there are the same type of bikes that have the same color and shape, so it’s definitely a good way to prevent trouble.」
The residents used the mamachari-type, cross mountain type, adult mountain bike, children’s mountain bike, kid mamachari, as well as a beach cruiser type, so it couldn’t be helped that there were several bikes that look exactly the same even when this colors are changed, so it’s to prevent trouble. And so, engraving one’s name into the Sanctuary .
「I’m sorry, for always leaving it for you.」
「It can’t be held. Takama-sama, Charlotte and the others dragged you into doing paperwork.」
While we were doing those engravings, I was caught by Charlotte and was confined to study and surrounded by mountains of paperwork.
Apparently, Papeck-san immediately took an interest in the bikes ridden by the maids in Volton, locked in a patent contract, and even got a sales contract for the parts that they themselves can’t make before I knew it.
As to be expected, the ball bearings were difficult for even the Dwarves of this world.
A skilled alchemist might be able to make identical sized metal balls through transmutation, but Papeck-san lamented that the number of alchemists were so few.
It seems many of the mages in this world have the mindset that was that magic is only magic if it’s a showy attack magic.
I heard that Papeck-san also started training alchemists, but it seems it would take a long time before they’re ready.
As if she had just remembered it, Maria talked about a rumor she heard in Volton.
「By the way, I heard a rumor that’s slightly worrying. Lately, refugees from the former Divine empire of Sydnia have been increasing recently.」
「About time. If I remember correctly, after the Divine Empire of Sydnia collapsed, Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom took the lead in supporting its reconstruction.」
「Yes. It costs a lot of money to maintain public order, supporting with food rations, restoring livelihoods.」
「I suppose it takes less money than war. If former Sydnia doesn’t settle down, its surrounding countries would be in trouble. But, how strange, I heard that the former Sydnia has since somehow managed to settle down as an autonomous cities.」
The former Empire of Sydnia, which wasn’t originally a monarchy, should have started forming autonomous cities in a parliamentary system. I would have understood it if it happened right after the war, but for the refugees to increase after this much time has passed, it leaves me with a bad feeling.
I can’t get rid of this horrible looming feeling.
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