After returning from the Sun Castle, we gathered the race representatives and held a meeting.
The agenda: the formal acceptance of the Sun Castle into our community.
Originally, Kuzuden and his people had hoped that as long as the Sun Castle remained intact, they could get by modestly by trading with the Village of the Great Tree. However, after re-evaluating the castle's current situation with Gou and Bell, we reached the conclusion that it would be nearly impossible for the Sun Castle to be self-sufficient.
The primary hurdle to their independence was simple: they had no money.
Beyond lacking actual currency, they had nothing that could be converted into it. They produced Dungeon Potatoes, but since those weren't particularly palatable, it was difficult to find any market value for them. That left them with only one option: selling off the items and technology stored within the castle.
But items are a finite resource, and a portion had already been bartered away for food. As for selling their technology, that would only jeopardize their own long-term security.
Of course, they could have technically shut themselves away and lived on nothing but Dungeon Potatoes, but that plan relied on the premise that the castle could stay airborne indefinitely. The Sun Castle’s fuel was running dangerously low. If it couldn't be replenished, the castle would be forced to descend. Since it was designed entirely around its flight capabilities, it had virtually no defensive strength on the ground.
Furthermore, a complete loss of fuel would hinder the activities of Gou and Bell. I didn't think Kuzuden and his people were ready to manage without Gou's wisdom. In a sense, they had lived as shut-ins until now.
For these reasons—and several others—Kuzuden reached an agreement with the Devil Race and Dream Demon Race residents, as well as Gou and Bell, to offer their allegiance to the Village of the Great Tree.
The Devils and Dream Demons wanted to prevent Gou, who had looked after them for centuries, from becoming immobilized by the fuel shortage. Gou wanted to protect his people. Bell simply wanted to keep the castle in the sky. All of them had their own motivations, but they all pointed toward the same conclusion.
"By allegiance, do you mean they will become your subordinates?" Frau asked, raising her hand for clarification.
"They used a lot of formal language to say it, but to put it simply: they’re handing over the entire Sun Castle in exchange for us looking after their livelihoods. You can just think of it as an entire village migrating to join us."
"In that case, we can just treat them the same as the previous migrants, right?" Donovan, the elder dwarf, said while peering at a Dungeon Potato. He looked like he was already planning how to turn it into sake.
"True, but... the problem is the Sun Castle itself."
That was the reason I had avoided making an immediate decision. The castle was the sticking point.
"Who currently holds the legal ownership of that fortress?"
According to Gou, there were records of it being sold to the Angel Race, which suggested the ownership might technically belong to them. However, Kuzuden’s ancestors had occupied it during a war later on. Did that mean it belonged to the military those ancestors served?
If we accepted the castle without clearing this up, would it lead to trouble later? If I were the only one who had to take responsibility, I wouldn't mind, but I didn't want to drag the other residents into a legal or political mess. I voiced these doubts honestly.
Silence fell over the room.
I had expected a lively debate, but instead, everyone except me simply looked at one another and nodded wordlessly. Finally, all eyes settled on Lu. She stood up with a sigh, looking as if she had no choice but to be the one to say it.
"You... no, Village Head. You’re overthinking this!"
"What?"
"We occupied that castle. Therefore, we will take care of those who live there. That’s all there is to it."
"But if someone complains later..."
"It’s been sitting there abandoned for ages. Who is going to complain? The Angel Race? That castle belonged to the God-kin, didn't it? And the God-kin are..."
"Extinct," Tia finished. She then added a firm request that the subject of the God-kin not be pursued any further.
I see.
"In the unlikely event that someone does come crawling out of the woodwork to complain," Lu added, cutting through my concerns, "you just tell them this: 'If you have a problem, then come and try to take it from us.'"
With Lu’s decisive stance, the matter was settled. We would accept the Sun Castle.
"The Sun Castle shall be renamed Village Four. However, in light of its history, I grant special permission for it to be referred to as the Sun Castle or Sun Village."
Inside the audience chamber of the Sun Castle, I stood upon the dais and formally accepted Kuzuden’s allegiance. As a symbol of this new beginning, I announced the name change. I had followed Lu and Tia’s advice that this was standard practice, but since Bell had looked utterly despairing when I first mentioned it, I added the clause about the old names. Names are important to those who cherish them.
I handed a set of documents prepared by the Civil Official Girls to Kuzuden, who was kneeling before me. It was essentially a certificate recognizing him as the representative. I wondered if I should have given these to the leaders of Village One, Two, and Three as well. I was told they were already being prepared and I could hand them out later.
Apparently, these kinds of ceremonies are important. The race representatives of our village were all present, and while Gou couldn't move, the Devils, Dream Demons, and Bell watched from behind Kuzuden.
"I humbly accept the position of Village Four Acting Village Head. From this day forward, I pledge my absolute loyalty to Lord Hiraku."
"Ah, no, you don't need to do it for me. Just work for everyone's sake..."
The atmosphere was far too formal and charged for me to say that out loud. Perhaps everyone had been more anxious than they let on.
In the excitement of the moment, the ceremony transitioned directly into a banquet. The High Ogre Maids who had accompanied us prepared the food. Hakuren and Rusty also worked hard, helping with the transport of ingredients and people. I was truly grateful to them.
Kuzuden was now the Acting Village Head of Village Four, with Gou and Bell as his assistants. Race-wise, Gou and Bell were known as Mercury. While Bell looked human, she was fundamentally closer to Gou, who existed as a crystal stone. They didn't need to eat because they drew energy directly from the Sun Castle. Once the fuel problem was solved, Gou would apparently be able to manifest in a human form as well. There were supposedly fourteen others like them.
I wanted to solve that fuel crisis as soon as possible. Currently, the castle was slowly drifting toward the Hot Spring Area so we could mine Heat Retention Stones, but it was taking a long time. The movement speed was much slower than I had anticipated. I thought it was due to the low fuel, but that wasn't it. The castle was originally built as a floating villa; being stationary and airborne was its priority, while travel speed was an afterthought.
Village Four... Though I named it myself, "Sun Village" felt more natural to say. However, since saying that made Bell look sad, I decided to stick with "Sun Castle."
First on the agenda: things the Sun Castle needed. The answer was "everything." No proper housing, no stable food supply, and no local products. All they had were Dungeon Potatoes. They weren't bad, exactly, but we needed to find a better way to cook them.
As promised, we began hauling in food in exchange for the potatoes and magic items. Their diet was about to get a lot better.
The temperature inside the Sun Castle was like a perpetual spring, making it easy to forget it was winter. It really was a perfect villa. I briefly considered that it might be nice to retreat here during the cold months, but as the Village Head of the Village of the Great Tree, I immediately scrapped the idea.
Even though it was winter, there was plenty of work to do. While some Mountain Elves and High Elves stayed behind to study the castle's technology, most of our people returned home. I stayed behind to help with the village planning.
First up: housing. The Devils and Dream Demons had been living inside the castle itself, but since there were fields in the middle of the interior, there was zero privacy. I wanted to build them proper homes in the Urban District. Since the area was currently a ruin, I had to clear it out first.
The Universal Farming Tool was a lifesaver. Clearing the entire district at once was too much, so I started by prepping the space for the houses. As for building materials... even with Hakuren and Rusty's help, moving that much lumber would be a pain. I considered having the residents lower the castle's altitude so we could fly materials up, but doing that in the middle of winter was a bad idea. The wind was too harsh and cold once you left the castle's protection. Maybe it would be faster to just grow the trees we needed right here?
I put the house construction on hold for a moment and turned to the fields. Bell had mentioned wanting to move the fields from the interior to the outside. It was a fair point. It was a bit bizarre to enter a grand castle only to find yourself standing in a vegetable patch. Having to walk along a dirt ridge just to get to the audience chamber felt wrong.
I could help them set up fields outside, but I assumed nothing could be done about the interior being a farm until the fuel was replenished. Apparently, once the power was back, they could fix the landscape and even seal that massive hole in the Northwest Forest District. Impressive.
I consulted with Kuzuden and mapped out the new fields. Since the houses would be in the South Urban District, we decided to put the fields to the left and right—the Southwest and Southeast Urban Districts. I used the Universal Farming Tool to till the ruins, debris, and everything else into rich soil.
"Are you a god?" Bell asked me while I was working. I simply told her I was a farmer.
Mistaking me for a god is quite disrespectful to the actual gods. On that note, I asked if I could set up statues of the Creator God and the God of Agriculture here. As long as there were no religious conflicts, it seemed like a good idea.
There were no issues at all. In fact, they offered to put the statues in the finest room in the castle. I worried that might be the Castle Lord’s personal quarters, but Kuzuden didn't seem to mind. I was just happy they would be well-cared for.
In the withered Forest Area, I left the surviving trees alone and planted new fruit trees. It would take some time before the first harvest, but once they matured, the variety of their diet would improve drastically. Kuzuden seemed to have a real fondness for pineapples. Gou and Bell didn't technically need food, but they could eat when in human form. Bell had been moved to tears when she tried our curry. I should probably start growing some spices here too.
As I was working, Bell informed me that we had finally arrived at the Hot Spring Area. Looking down, I could see the familiar landscape. I could even see the Death Knight looking up at us. I wasn't sure how he could see us so clearly from that distance, but he was definitely watching.
Now, about getting down... Hakuren and Rusty had already gone back to the village, so I was stuck. The Devils and Dream Demons weren't strong enough to carry me all that way. I really needed to figure out a better way to communicate.
Actually, I realized I already had a way. I contacted the Village of the Great Tree and asked for someone to come pick me up.
I wondered who would show up. It turned out to be Granmaria. I offered my silent thanks to her for flying all this way in the cold.