Daga the Lizardman, Galf of the Beastman Race, and Gatto finally returned from their investigation of the Sun Castle’s fallen foundation.
The mission was a success. They had discovered three rare minerals: Starshine Stone, Magic Iron Powder, and Black Dust.
The foundation itself wasn’t part of the castle’s original structure; it had been created during the Devil Race’s assault. They had launched a massive amount of highly adhesive soil at the castle's underside, intending to use the sludge to smuggle in monster eggs. Although the timing hadn't gone according to their plan, the soil that delivered the monsters eventually petrified against the hull, forming a secondary foundation.
The Starshine Stones were likely natural inclusions within that adhesive soil. While they were beautiful, they were only about half the size of a grain of rice and were notorious for being tedious to collect. Aside from being used in jewelry, they were essential components for magic items.
Magic Iron Powder and Black Dust were actually petrified monster molts that had aged over centuries. As the names suggested, they were fine powders, but because they originated from shed skins, they tended to be found in concentrated clusters. Still, their consistency made them a chore to harvest.
Mixing a small amount of Magic Iron Powder during the forging process could imbue armaments with special properties, while Black Dust served as a catalyst for spellcasting. Both were also frequently used in the construction of magic items.
These three minerals were exceptionally rare and seldom appeared on the open market. When they did, they were valued at a hundred to a thousand times the price of gold. The team had brought back about ten kilograms in total.
"We gathered this much after only a brief search," Gatto reported. "There’s plenty more left... but honestly, if we dump all of this onto the market, I’m worried the price will crash."
"We aren't selling any of it!" Lu declared, her face alight with joy. "It’s all mine!"
From my perspective, the Starshine Stones were pretty enough, but the rest just looked like dirty powder. It was hard for me to grasp their true value. However, Lu rarely showed such blatant material greed, so they had to be something special.
"Please?" she asked.
"Well, considering what they're used for, I doubt anyone but you could make use of them anyway..."
A hand reached out from the side. I looked up to see Progenitor-san standing there. He had quickly scribbled something on a piece of Village One paper and thrust it toward me. It was a formal manifest of the treasures.
I looked at him, and he met my gaze with a perfectly straight face.
"One kilogram of Starshine Stone, four kilograms of Magic Iron Powder, and two kilograms of Black Dust. Please."
He was being incredibly serious. Honestly, he didn't even need to offer an exchange; I would have shared them with him anyway.
"Did you find any other minerals?" I asked.
"From the fallen foundation, just those three," Gatto replied. "However, we found deposits of iron and copper ore along the way."
"Iron and copper... how were the reserves?"
"We’d need a full-scale survey to be sure. But looking at the terrain, I wouldn't expect much."
"Is that so?"
"In terms of refined ingots... maybe two tons of each."
I wondered if two tons was considered a small amount. Apparently, at Howlin Village where Gatto used to live, they could harvest far more than that. Regardless, we weren't in any rush. If we needed iron or copper, we could always buy it.
That left the question of the Sun Castle foundation. When I consulted Lu and Progenitor-san, they said the current haul would last them a while, but they both hoped the mining would continue.
Continuing the operation would require Gatto’s expertise, and the man himself was more than willing. His only request was permission to use the Magic Iron Powder to forge new equipment. I granted it immediately.
Still, I felt bad about making them mine indefinitely, so I decided we would organize formal mining teams for periodic expeditions, just like this one. I did wonder if we’d end up in a territorial dispute with other prospectors, but Gatto had already seen to that. He had set up signposts claiming ownership of the site.
He was quite thorough. I was impressed.
Since they had discovered such precious resources, I presented Reward Medals to everyone who had participated in the expedition. The reason I was being so proactive with the medals was due to a recent warning from the Civil Official Girls.
That spring, as I did every year, I had distributed Reward Medals to each village, the racial representatives, and the residents of the Village of the Great Tree. That part had gone smoothly. We’d had a minor disagreement over the allotment for Village Four and the updated exchange list, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.
The real issue was my personal reserve. Every year, I kept about a hundred medals to distribute as personal rewards. This was a self-imposed limit to ensure I didn't hand them out indiscriminately. However, the girls pointed out that I mostly gave them out at festivals and martial arts tournaments, and rarely at any other time.
They weren't calling me stingy. Rather, they argued that the medals had become far too valuable. If the only ways to get them were through the annual distribution or major events, people would hoard them as treasures rather than using them as currency. They reminded me that the medals were supposed to be a precursor to a functional money system, and hoarding defeated that purpose.
They were absolutely right.
As a result, from this year onward, the medals for festivals and tournaments would be drawn from a separate pool. The hundred medals in my reserve were strictly for me to give to individuals who showed exceptional effort in their daily lives.
"Correcting and evaluating the hard work of the villagers is also the Village Head's job," they had told me.
"I understand," I replied. "However, I can't be everywhere at once. If any racial representative or Acting Village Head sees someone who deserves a medal, please bring them to me."
I couldn't monitor everything alone, after all. I worried if a hundred medals would be enough, but I decided to cross that bridge when I came to it. In any case, I was determined to be more generous with my praise. I reflected on how I had been a bit too reserved in the past.
"Village Head," one of the girls said.
"Yes?"
"Regarding the Reward Medals... I believe we should make the act of 'praising' a bit more independent."
"How do you mean?"
"They work well as rewards, but if the recipient views them solely as a medal of honor, they won't want to spend them. They’ll want to keep them as a memento of your recognition."
"Ah... I see your point."
"So, you know the trophies we give to the winners of the martial arts tournaments? What if we prepared a smaller version of those?"
And thus, the Mini Trophy was born. I made a prototype and displayed it in the hall of my mansion.
"Is this... Kuro-san?" the villagers asked.
Since this wasn't for a tournament or a festival, I hadn't known what motif to use. A simple cup or a tower might have sufficed, but Kuro happened to be sitting right in front of me, so I used him as the model. It featured a dignified Kuro standing atop a base with a plaque. I planned to engrave the specific achievement onto that plaque.
"Oh! Will the figure change to match the race of the person who receives it?"
It was unexpectedly popular.
The first person to officially receive a Mini Trophy was Zabuton. It was in recognition of her work on the official Flag of the Village of the Great Tree. The flag featured a Great Tree embroidered in gold thread at the center of a green field. It looked quite regal—perhaps a bit too much so—but the villagers were so proud of it that we adopted it on the spot.
After Zabuton received her trophy, she paraded it through the village before placing it in the hall next to the prototype of Kuro. Since she set the precedent, it seemed the hall would become the official display area for future trophies. I made a mental note to add more shelves.
Seeing the prototype, Kuro was now working himself to the bone to "earn" a real version of his own. I appreciated the enthusiasm, but I hoped he wouldn't do anything too reckless.
I also realized that if I wasn't careful, the Mini Trophies would become just as rare and overvalued as the medals. I decided I should hand them out for simpler milestones as well.
If I didn't, the village might vibrate apart from pure intensity. I looked to the side and saw the High Elves already obsessing over a massive remodeling plan for the mansion. I needed to hit the brakes before things spiraled.
For the time being, I decided to award trophies to the Mountain Elves for their hot-air balloon prototype, the High Ogre Maids for their breakthrough in turning dungeon potatoes into konnyaku, and Gatto’s team for their mining efforts. I wanted to make it clear that these could be earned by groups, not just individuals.
The official village flag now hung proudly on the wall of the manor hall. Whenever Zabuton’s children cleaned the room, they took extra care to dust it.
I realized I needed to distribute the flags to the other villages soon. When I checked, I found that Zabuton had already prepared a full set.
She really was one step ahead of everyone. I decided it was time to head out and deliver them.