Rei had requested the modification of his Sand Ship as a reward for this latest incident, but in Daskar's estimation, pulling it off would require an enormous number of personnel — and not just ordinary workers, but Alchemists and mages — with no clear idea of how much material would be needed on top of that.
As an individual, Daskar wanted to accept, given how many unreasonable requests Rei had accommodated for him over time. But with much of Gilm's workforce devoted to the expansion, they were physically short on resources. That was simply a fact.
Even if Rei, Marina, and Vihera offered to redirect their expansion-work rewards toward the project, he couldn't just nod and agree.
During the ongoing expansion in Gilm, Rei alone handled the workload of dozens — perhaps even hundreds — of laborers by using his Misty Ring to transport materials. His Tamed Monster, Set, protected Gilm — whose Barrier was currently down — from flying monsters like Harpies. Marina, using her highly versatile Spirit Magic, contributed substantially as well, if not quite on Rei's level. Vihera, while not matching the other two, still patrolled the town and suppressed trouble stirred up by hot-headed adventurers, craftsmen, and day laborers, serving as a kind of deterrent force.
A reward commensurate with what these three had contributed would be substantial — that much was certain. And even if they offered to pour that entire amount into modifying the Sand Ship, Daskar still couldn't easily agree.
"I understand the reward you're asking for, Rei. But... modifying the Sand Ship as a reward is still a bit difficult."
Rei smiled at Daskar's words. "That might be true at first. But if it became possible to build a Sand Ship that runs on the ground right here in Gilm — what then? I'd say that could become one of Gilm's new industries."
"That's... well, you're not wrong. If a ship could run on ordinary ground, it would be a tremendous asset for transporting goods. But do you really think it would be that easy?"
Daskar's expression was difficult as he said it. In truth, even building a Sand Ship from scratch required considerable technical expertise. They could potentially gain technical knowledge by analyzing the one Rei already owned, but actually constructing one themselves — and making it capable of traveling overland — would be an undertaking of extremely high difficulty. That went without saying. And that was precisely why Daskar couldn't bring himself to tell Rei it would be simple.
"I couldn't say. All I can do is make the proposal. But I do know that if it works out, it would bring a major industry to Gilm."
"True," Marina chimed in, supplementing Rei's point. "Even if someone elsewhere tried to imitate it, that Sand Ship — no, ground ship? Land ship? Whatever you'd call it — if they built it using Gilm's location to its advantage and incorporated materials only obtainable on the frontier, that would make copying it far harder."
Those listening nodded in agreement. It was a sound point. Gilm, the only frontier town in the Kingdom of Mireana, stood to gain enormously if things proceeded as Marina described. If another settlement tried to build the same thing, they would inevitably need materials from Gilm, which meant added costs starting with transport fees — that much was certain. And the more materials Gilm sold, the greater its own profits. Under those conditions, competing with Gilm commercially would be all but impossible.
Of course, if they weren't fixated on frontier materials and found a viable substitute, that would be another matter entirely.
"Hmm. So it could work?" Daskar mused. "But as I said earlier, there's nothing I can do right now. We're stretched thin with the expansion. Even getting this basket made pushed the Alchemists to their limits."
"Yes, I understand that. I'm not asking for it to be done immediately. It can wait until things have settled down."
"Hmm... Understood. I can't give you a definitive answer here and now, but I will look into it. This is a matter of considerable scale, and we're already spending heavily on Gilm's expansion, so I can't make the call alone. That said, personally — I'd like to try it if possible."
There was no lie in Daskar's words. He wasn't merely deflecting; his genuine desire to attempt it came through clearly to Rei.
But that was only natural. If Sand Ship modification became feasible in Gilm, it would — exactly as Rei had said — undoubtedly become a major industry for the town.
(Though the Sand Ship itself is an extremely expensive item. Just because we can build one doesn't necessarily mean we can sell it.)
Rei acknowledged this to himself, but his primary objective was simply getting his own Sand Ship modified. Everything else was a bonus. Of course, he hadn't made the proposal without cause. Gilm's Alchemists, while not on the level of those in the Bestia Empire or Magic City Ozos, possessed considerable technical skill — partly because they had ready access to rare frontier materials. In fact, the craftsman who had forged Rei's Twilight Spear was a Gilm Alchemist. Given that, Rei believed building a Sand Ship in Gilm was by no means impossible.
"Now then, let's leave the Sand Ship discussion here for now. I'm willing, but if it truly proves impossible, I'll make up for it with something else, so rest easy."
"I'm not worried about that. I don't think Daskar would do anything like deceive us," Marina said with the casual ease of an old acquaintance.
Daskar's expression turned subtly displeased at her words. He understood all too well that if he were to cheat them out of their reward, something decidedly inconvenient for him would follow. Marina knew things about Daskar that could only be described as his dark history. Considering the possibility of her spreading that around, he couldn't afford to act carelessly.
"Rest assured."
He repeated the same words from seconds before, but the weight of earnestness behind them was unmistakably different this time.
Marina smiled faintly at his reaction, apparently deciding to end the teasing there. She spoke again.
"Let's set this aside for now. First, could you show us the basket we'll be using? We have preparations to make on our end as well."
"...Right. Unfortunately, I need to get back to work. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about Magic Items, either. I've called the Alchemist who made it — he can explain the details."
Daskar rose from the sofa and returned to his desk, where paperwork still stood in a towering pile. It was clear he intended to get through it.
A knock came at the door.
"Excuse me. Lord Daskar, I heard you were calling for me."
"Ah. You know Rei, of course. He's the one who'll be using the Magic Item you made. Explain it to him."
"Ah, understood."
The Alchemist who responded looked visibly exhausted. Rei and the others exchanged glances — was he going to be all right?
"Rei, this is Amaros. Amaros, I'm counting on you." With that, Daskar turned back to his work in earnest.
"Understood. This way, please. The basket is in the warehouse."
Rei and the others followed Amaros out of the Office. Byune stuffed every last baked snack into her mouth as they left, but no one noticed.
They walked through the Lord's Manor, stepped outside briefly, then entered one of the outbuildings on the grounds. Rei had wondered whether Set might be nearby, but neither Set nor Ielo showed any sign of appearing.
The building was of considerable size. True to its function as a warehouse, it was filled with various goods. But they weren't simply sitting in storage — workers came and went constantly, carrying items out or bringing new ones in.
"Quite a lot of foot traffic," Rei remarked.
"Yes, as you know, the expansion work keeps everyone busy right now. This warehouse holds quite a lot of materials related to that as well," Amaros replied, having apparently caught what Rei meant as an idle mutter.
"I see. So, where's the basket?"
"This way."
Looking weary, Amaros pointed toward a basket placed in the far corner of the warehouse. It was, quite literally, an object best described as a basket — though not a woven one. This was a basket made of leather.
...And in this case, the section crafted from Murder Chameleon leather was the most critical component of all.
"So this is Murder Chameleon leather."
Amaros nodded at Rei's murmur. "Yes. However, it was a rush job in many respects... so, um, I can't say the performance is satisfactory. It can't be activated with direct magic power, so you have to use Magic Stones, and it takes about a minute to change color to match the surroundings."
"The Magic Stone situation I heard from Lord Daskar, but this is the first I've heard about the color change taking that long."
Rei looked somewhat displeased, but not enough to call it anger. One glance at Amaros made it plain the man had been pushed to his absolute limit. Beyond that, Rei understood that if they were flying through the sky, a one-minute delay in color change wasn't a particularly significant drawback.
If they were moving through a forest or similar terrain, a one-minute color shift would be a serious disadvantage — enough to render the thing practically unusable. But unlike on the ground, the colors of the sky didn't change all that drastically. Someone observing with careful, deliberate focus might notice something, but the question of whether anyone would watch the sky that intently had an answer: the possibility wasn't zero, but it was vanishingly small.
That was why Rei didn't seem particularly bothered by the delay. However...
"Do you know this basket is slated for modifications once Gilm's expansion is finished?"
"Yes, of course. Honestly, I was pressed for time on this job, and I can't say the result satisfies me at all."
Amaros spoke with a hint of frustration — no, factoring in what didn't show on his face, he likely felt far more. Rei nodded.
"I see. As long as you know. For now, just treat using this basket as a test run. If anything concerns you, tell us later and it'll be reworked. That should work, don't you think?"
"You're right. Thinking of it that way does ease my mind a little."
Amaros must have felt somewhat relieved by Rei's words. A small smile surfaced on his exhausted face. In his position, if someone had demanded he modify the basket on the spot, he couldn't have simply complied. But Rei's standing carried enough weight to make even that possible. He had consistently demonstrated that level of power and achievement, and he was currently part of a party — meaning his influence would only grow, never diminish.
That someone like Rei had backed down far more readily than expected clearly came as a relief to Amaros. His sheer physical lack of stamina was probably a major factor as well.
"Will Set... um, grip the top of the basket?"
"Yes, that's correct. The entrance is on this side, by the way."
Amaros lightly pressed a section of the basket's sidewall, and a door swung inward.
"Oh... so that's the door."
"Yes. Well, having people climb in from the top would be rather difficult."
Following Amaros's guidance, Rei and the others stepped inside. The interior lived up to the name "basket" — there was enough room for four or five people to sit, but not enough to lie down. A box for inserting Magic Stones sat to one side, with several stones already stacked beside it.
(About two tatami mats... no, maybe slightly less than three? It's supposedly made from Murder Chameleon leather, but I wonder how many went into it.)
"So," Rei asked Amaros, "what's this basket called?"
"Ah... unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury to give it a clever name. Right now it's just 'the basket.' If possible, I'd appreciate it if your party could come up with something fitting."
So saying, he managed a smile on his tired face and scratched his head sheepishly.