Now, August 16th.

After spending five days in the town of Krossus, Special Investigator 99, who had made some acquaintances there and whose local alias was <>, was convinced that he had gathered enough information, finally decided to go to the town of Hamsus and directly contact <

"Well then, thank you very much for your help.

Please stop by again on your way back.

After saying goodbye to Escher Sehn from the Duchy of Jags, who had helped him for five days, Alt-Elbein loaded his horse and departed.

Half of the cargo is pepper, and the other half is goods purchased in the town of Krossus. The other half was dried fish and salt.

Escher had told us that these products would be more appreciated in Hamsus since it was further inland.

Of course, Golem had his luggage with him, and Alto was on his way to Hamsus on foot.

On the way, he realizes that it would be easier to take the road by the canal, so he changes his route.

"...... is not so easy."

The road itself is easy to walk on because there are no minor bumps.

And the path is along a waterway, so the visibility is good. It was also more or less cool.

The distance was less than 20 kilometers, so even with our luggage on our backs, we reached the village of Saich in the early afternoon.

"It was a good decision to take this road."

If we had taken the road to Hamsus, it would have taken a little longer.

"Oh, are you a peddler?"

Ike Nibiki, the village head of Saichi, spotted Alto and called out to him.

"Yes. My name is Alto Elbein, and I am from Crosus. I have heard that this village is being developed, and I have come here to do business.

"I see. My name is Ike Nibiki, the mayor of the village.

The mayor does not know Alto Elbein, but he greets him. However, Artoo knew that the mayor had been implicated.

"I have heard that there is a man called <> staying in the village.

Walking toward the center of the village, Alto asked the chief various questions.

"What is that?"

"Oh, it's a public bathhouse.

"There is a bath?

"Yes, it is. We dug a well deep underground and boiled the water from the spring.

I'm sure it must be hard to find fuel for it.

No, they use some kind of technology called , so once it's built, the maintenance costs are negligible.

"......How?"

Hiding his surprise, Alto Elbein looked at something else.

"Well, that's a reservoir, isn't it?　How did you find the water?"

"Yes. Yes. They dug a much deeper well for that one, so it's a natural source of water.

...... is amazing.

Isn't it?　I still can't believe it. I'm seeing it with my own eyes."

"I can see that."

After such conversation, they arrived at the village headman's house.

"So, where is this Mr. Magecraft Meister?"

"Oh, he's out for a while now. He's going to build a bridge over the drainage canal that connects to the ocean.

"Ha-ha-ha."

In fact, Jin D. was building the bridge from the side near the sea, using lumber purchased in the Principality of Mercana.

Alto Elbein was a case of mistaken identity.

Nevertheless,

"He said he would be back this evening, so I think it will be all right if you wait for him.

"I see. Well, do you have an inn here?

No, it is a small village and we don't have such a place yet. So please stay at my house.

"Thank you very much."

Alt-Elbein is invited into the village headman's house.

"This house, too, was repaired by Master Jin.

"Oh..."

The house used to be a little tilted.

Now the floor is flat and the pillars are vertical.

A while ago, water spilled on the floor used to run down to the hole in the wall.

Now it doesn't flow, it just sits there and there are no holes in the walls, the chief said.

"They have also installed a sewage system for sanitation and other reasons."

The wastewater is collected in a reservoir and allowed to settle before the clear water is discharged into the sea, but the sewage pipes are inscribed with a magic circle that is effective in < in the first place, so the water will be cleaned as it flows.

"Ha, ha ......"

Alto Ervine's brain was confused by the information that was beyond his comprehension.

The village chief, who seemed to have sensed this by the look on his face, said,

"Well, please come in. Oh, please tie your horses in the stables next to the house. We have some fodder for the horses.

"Thank you very much. I'll have the golem take care of the horses.

"Well, you have an excellent golem.

After this exchange, Alto was given a room in the village chief's house.

There are about four guest rooms to receive visitors from outside the village, and the innermost room is reserved for Alto Elbein.

"Are there other guests?"

Alto saw that the guest room in front of the first one seemed to be blocked.

"Yes. The technical vice minister is here to see you.

Where is he now?

Alt-Elbein asked, "He's with Mr. Jin,

"He is with Master Jin at the site of the bridge construction.

He answered, "He is with Mr. Jin at the bridge-building site.

"Then we will have to wait for their return, won't we?

Yes, that's right.

Then, may we talk about business?

Oh, yes, of course.

And so, Arto Elbein and Ike Nibiki, the mayor of the village, had a meeting.

"Tomorrow, I would like to open a stall in the square.

"Oh, that's a good idea. Oh, that's a good idea. By the way, what kind of goods are you planning to sell?

It was an obvious question.

The main products are pepper (spices), salt (seasonings), and dried fish. In addition, dried meat, dried fruits, nuts, and a little tea.

"I see. Salt and dried food are appreciated.

Because Saich village is located a little inland, salt and fish are rather hard to come by. Therefore, the chief said, the villagers would want those two things.

"But I am not familiar with pepper ......," he said.

"But, salt and pepper are good for grilled meat," said the chief.

"I have heard of salt and pepper ......."

Unlike in the towns, in the small villages, the variety of dishes was limited.

People lived only in the village, its surroundings and farmland, and did not see or hear much about anything outside of it.

"Well, then, why don't you try some of our grilled meat?

Alto suggested,

"Oh, that sounds great. I would like that very much.

The village head was also enthusiastic.

Seeing this, Alto said

"As a thank you for letting me stay here, I will give you some pepper and tea, and you can use them tonight.

He suggested.

"That would be very kind of you.

But Alt-Elbein also thought that if the village head understood the usefulness of the pepper, he would be able to offer his help in the next day's sales.

Just then.

"I'm back!"

came the voice of Nahams Marrow, the Undersecretary of Technology.

This meant that the Magecraft Meister had returned as well.

Alt-Elbein's body tensed up, unknowingly.