In the end, we decided to let Kiara stay on the third floor of the treehouse for the night.
After we moved the things we bought in town that we planned to use in the future to the underground warehouse, it was time to sleep. As with yesterday, I asked the Woodmen to secure the area and headed to my room on the first floor.
By the way, the first floor was designed to be somewhat spacious, with a living room and a kitchen.
「Goodnight, both of you.」
「Goodnight, Bale-dono!」 they replied.
「Yawn… Goodnight～」
After exchanging greetings, I turned off all the lamps in the treehouse and drifted off to sleep.
-0-
The next morning.
After a quick breakfast, we prepared to head to the town of Driessen to meet Gregory-san.
At first, we thought we would take the same dungeon route as yesterday, but we decided to go up the stairs to check the upper part of the treehouse as well.
When we opened the door on the sixth floor, we were on the ground.
「So this is where it connects.」
The top floor of the treehouse protruded above the ground, with a room piercing through a hole in the ceiling of the dungeon.
You could call this the rooftop.
The sun was shining brightly, and we could easily reach the forest if we moved a little.
「It seems like it would be better to go this way to get outside.」
「Yeah, I agree. We’d have to solve the puzzle over there. … But it seems like it would be difficult to navigate this deep forest without getting lost.」
「Eh? How did you guys get to that underground lake?」
「From the dungeon.」
「…… There was a route from the dungeon to this underground lake?」
「!! W-well, we found it by chance.」
After all, it was a place that was normally difficult to find.
「More importantly, which way do we go to get to town from here?」
「This way.」
Kiara walked without any hesitation.
Right.
Kiara had come into this forest to look for medicinal herbs.
「You know the way?!」
「I used a magic tool to put marks here and there so I wouldn’t get lost. I think it’s better than moving around inside the dungeon, don’t you think?」
「You’re right. In that case, I’ll leave the directions to you, Kiara.」
「Leave it to me.」
Kiara puffed her chest out.
…Speaking of which, she’s rather small compared to Martina, isn’t she? Or is Martina just abnormally large?
「……You look like you have something to say.」
「!? N-no, it’s nothing!」
…Let’s get back on track.
I thought again about Kiara’s magic tool.
There was certainly an item with that effect in the game as well. It was very useful in the early stages of the game.
-0-
Led by Kiara, we made our way through the forest.
Gradually, the trees began to thin out, and we came to a well-maintained path.
「If we follow this path, we’ll see the town of Driessen.」
Kiara said proudly.
We hadn’t seen a single monster on our way here. Although there were more monsters in the dungeon, it was strange that there were none here at all. It was almost peaceful enough to have a picnic.
…Ah, I’m getting sidetracked.
What lies ahead is a major turning point in my life.
Gregory-san’s crop appraisal.
-0-
After arriving in Driessen, we headed straight to the Rymal Company store.
As soon as we stepped inside,
「Oh! You’re here!」
Gregory-san spotted us right away.
He seemed to be in even higher spirits than when we first met.
「The basket of vegetables in your hand……it’s the fruit of your hard work, isn’t it? 」
「Yes! Please take a look!」
I handed the vegetables I had brought to Gregory-san.
「Mu?」
Gregory-san’s expression changed as soon as he saw them. It seemed that he had seen through to the fact that these vegetables were no ordinary ones.
「Let’s see…」
Gregory-san took a Flame Tomato in his hand and put it in his mouth.
「Whoa!?」
His eyes widened.
Could there be a problem with the taste!?
「W-what’s wrong?」
「N-no, I’m just surprised.」
「S-surprised by what…?」
When I asked cautiously, Gregory-san smiled.
「Vegetables like these, which are used for magic power enhancement, are incredibly effective, but their taste is usually bland and dry — in other words, they’re terribly unpalatable.」
「「「Eh!?」」」
Now it was our turn to be surprised.
Was this all due to the effects of the holy water?
The crop appraisal ended before I could figure out the answer, and the results were—
「You pass. My company would definitely like to handle this.」
It was a perfect pass.
「Well… This is more than I expected, Bale.」
「T-thank you!」
「What are you saying? I’m the one who should be thanking you. You’ve done a great job selling us such delicious vegetables with additional effects.」
「T-that’s…」
「This is the advance payment. Take it.」
With a heavy thud, Gregory-san placed a bag of money on the table. This… is a considerable amount.
「T-this much…」
「It’s a cheap price to pay. Let’s decide on the next steps.」
「Yes!」
Along with Martina and Kiara, I discussed the future shipping schedule with Gregory-san. Then, I was given a contract for an exclusive contract, and after checking the terms, I signed it on the spot and returned it.
According to Gregory-san, we will bring the first shipment here and reconfirm the taste before the contract is officially finalized.
He’s quite cautious… but that’s probably why he’s called the Sage Merchant.
Anyway, I’ve managed to win an exclusive contract with the Rymal Company.
I’ll keep cultivating crops vigorously!
And next… it’s time for Kiara’s assignment.
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