Adriana racked her brains, desperate to find a way to initiate trade while allowing the clan to maintain its pride.
"What is there that the other continent doesn't have, or at least lacks...?"
The discussion had drifted on immediately after their meal, so they eventually decided to take a break, let everyone cool their heads, and resume once they had time to think. Adriana had been shown to a guest room, where she now lay sprawled on the bed, deep in thought.
"I really just blurted that out in the heat of the moment, didn't I?"
In truth, Adriana was unfamiliar with the daily lives of commoners. Her life with her father, the Magus Shuuki Tsetse, had naturally involved frequent contact with the upper class. This had inevitably narrowed her perspective on how the rest of the world functioned.
"At this rate, 'magic tools that help people' will remain nothing more than a pipe dream."
As her thoughts spiraled into a negative loop, Adriana felt her spirits start to sag.
"Argh, enough! I'm done for the night!"
Extinguishing the Light in her room and pulling the blanket over her head, Adriana quickly fell into a deep sleep, aided by the exhaustion of her travels.
"...Hmm, what should I do?"
She woke the next morning, but no brilliant ideas had surfaced.
"Are you awake?"
Turning toward the voice, she saw a Golem standing nearby.
Guided by the Golem, she washed her face in the washroom and headed to the dining hall. Harkiller and Bashako had just arrived as well.
Breakfast consisted of barley porridge mixed with herbs and chopped vegetables. As Adriana scooped up a mouthful with a large spoon, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her.
After the meal, they were served tea with a slightly unusual flavor. It tasted like herbal tea, though she couldn't identify the leaves. She quite liked its refreshing aroma and subtle sweetness.
"Um, I've organized my thoughts."
In reality, she had only just pieced it together a moment ago, but that was beside the point.
"You have light silver here, don't you?"
"Yes, we have it in abundance," Harkiller replied.
"For some reason, there is very little light silver in the coastal regions of the southern continent. So..."
"I see. You are suggesting we sell the light silver," Harkiller said, cutting her off. However, Adriana shook her head.
"No. We add one more step to the process."
"One more step?" Bashako asked.
"Exactly. We make tableware out of the light silver and sell that."
Light silver—or titanium—had low thermal conductivity, meaning the handle wouldn't get hot even when eating warm food. It was also lighter than iron, copper, or silver, making it much easier to handle.
As far as Adriana had seen, light silver wasn't used in the northern regions. Recalling this, she realized they could trade it as a raw material, but then decided to propose processing it into tableware as a way to add value.
"I see. Tableware..."
"Anything related to food has a massive impact. From royalty to commoners, no human can survive without eating."
In short, the market was enormous. Her argument was highly persuasive.
"Hmm. It is certainly an idea worth considering."
Harkiller seemed genuinely intrigued by the proposal.
"In any case, Adriana-dono, you have given me a clear and meaningful answer to my suggestion. Therefore, I shall provide you with my cooperation."
It seemed that half of the proposal Harkiller had made yesterday had been a test to gauge her character. Having seen her approach the problem with sincerity and provide a viable solution, he had decided she was someone he could trust.
"Thank you very much."
After breakfast, Adriana and Bashako followed Harkiller to a warehouse located in another section of the cave.
"This is one of the warehouses where we keep the magic tools passed down through our clan. Please, take a look."
The room was roughly the size of twenty tatami mats and was filled with magic tools of all shapes and sizes.
"Adriana-dono, it seems the items kept here are in relatively good condition. I imagine he intends this as a test of your skill," Bashako whispered.
Despite the warning, Adriana’s eyes sparkled at the sight of so many unfamiliar magic tools. She immediately set to work analyzing them.
"...Hmm, hmm. The magi-formula here could still use some improvement... but this one over here is incredibly well-finished..."
"To think there was a way to use it like this... That was a total blind spot."
"This is an older model. The one I saw at All-Creation was much more advanced."
Bashako was used to her muttering during her work, but as he watched her, a young man approached.
"Who might you be?" Bashako asked quietly, careful not to disturb Adriana.
"I am Bell. I am Harkiller’s grandson."
The young man explained that he was also a researcher of magi-engineering.
"My grandfather told me to come and see just how capable this engineer from the south really is."
While they spoke, Adriana continued her analysis.
"I see. This magi-formula handles the control for these components..."
"Hmm... No matter how I look at it, this design is wrong. It's too wasteful."
"Ah, wait, is that it? If I look at it like this... I see, the phase is being inverted between the front and the back..."
Watching Adriana work with such focus—all while muttering to herself—Bell’s eyes widened in surprise.
"She is incredible....Since she is from the south, she must be between twenty and forty years old, right? To think she possesses such a depth of knowledge..."
Because he hadn't lowered his voice, his comment reached Adriana’s ears just as she reached a stopping point.
"...How rude! I'm only eighteen!"
"Ah—my apologies!" Bell stammered, recoiling from her sudden intensity.
The inhabitants of the Gondoa Continent lived long lives—roughly five times longer than those on the Lauren Continent. Their rate of growth and aging was proportional to that lifespan.
It was no wonder Bell couldn't accurately guess her age. Adriana, for her part, couldn't tell the ages of Harkiller or Bashako either.
After Bell offered his explanation and apologies, Adriana bowed her head in return.
"I'm sorry. To be honest, I can't tell how old any of you are, either. Chief Harkiller looks like he's about sixty, and Bashako-san looks around thirty-five....And you were Bell-san, right? You look like you're about twenty."
"Yes, that's a fair comparison. In reality, my grandfather is three hundred and I am a hundred. Given the fivefold difference in our lifespans, we would indeed be sixty and twenty by your standards."
"I am one hundred and seventy, so I suppose that makes me about thirty-four," Bashako added.
"Whaaat...?"
Adriana looked absolutely stunned.
"How do you all live so long?"
She couldn't help but ask.
Even if it was all in the past now.
For Adriana, who had wished her father, Shuuki Tsetse, could have lived just a little bit longer.