We began moving the shrimp from the temporary pond in the residential area to the new cultivation pond.
They resisted fiercely, just as I’d expected. However, the Lizardmen captured them one after another with impressive efficiency. They really were experts at this.
I kept my distance, though. Magic still unnerved me. Cowardly? You’re free to think that if you like. Even if it was just beginner-level magic with weak output, I had no desire to get hit by it. I had even told the Lizardmen not to push themselves too hard.
Personally, I’d wanted to handle the relocation without anyone having to do anything dangerous, but I hadn't been able to come up with a better way. It was a bit depressing to realize how helpless I was in this regard.
"Village Head, we have collected all the shrimp. We’re taking them to the cultivation pond now."
I waved to the Lizardmen to signal my acknowledgment. I had guided them to the site several times already, so they didn't need me to accompany them. Instead, I stayed behind to deal with the temporary pond.
"Village Head, are you going to fill the pond in?" a beastman girl asked as she happened to pass by. "Wouldn't it be better to leave it? Something else might come along and want to use it."
I considered her point. It was a shallow pond, so there was no risk of anyone falling in and drowning. But what about the smell?
As if answering my concern, several slimes realized the shrimp were gone and immediately dove into the water. It seemed they would keep it clean. Well, there were no problems then. I decided to leave it as it was for the time being and see how things went.
Later, I consulted with the Lizardmen about the cultivation plan. For now, we would observe the shrimp for a year. We would decide on an annual harvest amount based on how well they bred, and if the population exploded, we’d look into increasing the number of ponds.
It sounded like a proper plan, but in truth, we were leaving everything up to the shrimp. None of us really knew much about their ecology. According to the adventurers who had provided them, they would multiply on their own as long as they were fed.
I had been monitoring their preferences and appetite while they were in the temporary pond.
"They certainly seemed to have a taste for magic beast innards," I noted.
"They reacted much better to those than to meat," a Lizardman agreed. "But because of that, we won't have any trouble finding feed."
Kuro’s children were the primary consumers of magic beast innards, but I only allowed them to eat the parts from the day’s hunt. Anything older was usually disposed of for safety reasons. Now, we could simply let the shrimp handle that disposal. It was a good arrangement. I’d always felt it was a waste to throw the innards away, so I was happy to see them put to effective use.
Regardless, I left the shrimp cultivation entirely in the hands of the Lizardmen. I told them to contact me if anything happened and prayed that the shrimp would thrive.
With the Teleportation Gate nearing completion, I felt it was necessary to visit Village Five to confirm the state of things. However, finding the time for the trip was proving difficult.
Even if I had Hakuren carry us, the journey would take two days each way, plus at least one day for the inspection. That was five days total. That was how long it had taken the last time I went. The whole point of the Teleportation Gate was to eliminate that travel time, but currently, the only part I could shorten was the inspection itself—and cutting that short felt like it would defeat the purpose of going.
It was only five days, and yet, it was five days I couldn't easily spare.
The person who solved my dilemma was Futa, who was slated to manage the gate. At the moment, she was training as an apprentice cook under the High Ogre maids. She was still at the stage of washing and peeling vegetables, though; she hadn't even been allowed to move on to cutting yet. Meanwhile, Miyo, who was training alongside her, had already reached the level where she was entrusted with making the soup.
"Futa is a bit too rough with her hands," the maid supervising them explained. "Look, you’ve left skin on this one."
"Muu..."
"So," I asked, "does this 'rough' Futa have a brilliant idea to solve my problem?"
"I'm not rough; I'm just... not very good at delicate tasks. Anyway! Ahem. It is actually possible to skip the two-day trip there."
"What do you mean?"
"The Teleportation Gate. You remember how I went to install the destination stone? It’s possible to teleport to that coordinate without fully opening the gate."
"Without opening it? How?"
"Opening a gate means establishing a permanent, two-way connection. We haven't done that yet, but the teleportation function itself is already active. It consumes a massive amount of magic power, but if it's just a one-way 'push' to send someone through, it can be done."
I blinked. "Wait, can people come back the same way?"
"Oh, no. It’s impossible from the other side. It can only be done from the main unit where the gate is located."
"I-I see."
For a moment, I’d worried that people might be able to stumble into our village from the other side. I wasn't strictly against visitors, but I wanted to be cautious with the gate's operation. Allowing people to come and go before it was officially opened would have been a headache.
"Is that a common technique?"
"No, it's more of a niche trick known only to specialists."
In that case, given how rare Teleportation Gates were these days, I could probably assume almost no one else knew how to do it.
"Even if they did know the trick," Futa added, "it’s useless unless the gate is already in a near-operational state. And if someone had a gate that far along, they’d usually just open it normally."
That made sense. Since it was a one-way trip, I decided to take the leap.
Next came member selection. Hakuren was a must since she would be our ride back, but I needed to decide on the rest. I wasn't sure if any of my acquaintances would be at the site, so I asked Daga to come along as a guide, since he had been working there recently. As for guards... Yoko requested to join us. As the Village Five representative for our side, I saw no reason to refuse.
So, the team was set: me, Hakuren, Daga, and Yoko.
Or so I thought, until the village residents staged an intervention. They insisted I needed more protection. I pointed out that everyone had their own jobs to do, but they wouldn't hear it. In the end, three Lizardmen and five High Elves were added to the group.
I didn't mind the extra company, but I warned them it wouldn't be a very exciting trip. Then I saw their gear. Did they really need that many weapons? And full armor? We weren't going to war.
I started to wonder if I should have brought equipment too. But when I asked, they told me I didn't need it. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.
We headed to the fourth floor of the Great Tree Dungeon, to the chamber where the Teleportation Gate was being installed. There, Futa began a long, rhythmic incantation. She was apparently funneling magic power into the gate to facilitate our transport.
She continued for about five minutes. I started to get worried, but when I tried to speak, Lu—who had come to see us off—scolded me for whispering. Apparently, I shouldn't disturb her concentration. My apologies.
After another five minutes, Futa gave the signal. A Plate of Light shimmered into existence within the gate's frame, looking just like an active portal.
"It will only stay open for three minutes!"
I tried to step forward at Futa’s shout, but Daga blocked me. Before I could ask why, the other Lizardmen and the High Elves vanished into the light.
"They are clearing the way," Daga explained.
"I really don't think we need that level of caution..."
"Think of them as harbingers, then," he said.
Harbingers? As in messengers sent ahead to announce a visit? I could live with that explanation. Yoko went through next. After a short wait, Daga followed, and finally, Hakuren and I stepped into the light. I waved to the group seeing us off as the world shifted.
We emerged into a spacious cellar. This was presumably the basement of the storehouse for the Village Five Mansion. One of the High Elves was already waiting with a light held high.
I hadn't even thought about the darkness. If I had been the first one through, I probably would have been stumbling around and tripping over my own feet.
At the back of the cellar was a gentle slope instead of stairs. Given its width and height, it was clearly designed to allow carriages to be driven in. We walked up the ramp and emerged into the bright outdoor light, where the rest of our group was waiting.
The view, however, was blocked. We were surrounded by tall pillars with heavy cloth stretched between them, like a massive privacy screen. It was meant to hide the construction of the mansion from prying eyes. Since this was the designated site for the Village Head's Mansion, that made sense.
Still, I couldn't get a feel for the village from behind a curtain. We headed toward what looked like an exit and stepped through.
Beyond the cloth, there was... nothing. It was just the top of the plateau, looking exactly as it had during my last inspection.
Wait, hadn't I heard reports that buildings were going up? The only changes I could see were markings on the ground for the village layout and a wall that had been built around the perimeter of the plateau. It was a sturdy, impressive wall. I was amazed they had managed to surround the entire plateau so quickly.
Finding a set of stairs, I climbed to the top of the wall to get a better look.
The sight that met my eyes was unbelievable.
Built into the very slopes of the plateau was a town—no, a city. The buildings seemed concentrated primarily on the southern side, which was exactly what I was looking at. The air was thick with the energetic shouts of workers; it was clearly still growing.
Then I looked down. At the very base of the plateau, another massive wall was under construction.
Ah. The wall I was standing on wasn't the outer wall—it was the inner wall. But wasn't it normal to build the outer wall first? And were they really planning to encircle the entire base of the mountain?
More importantly... I formed a square frame with my fingers and tried to estimate the number of houses. Then I multiplied that by the total area of the slopes. If four people lived in each house, the population had to be at least four thousand.
"It is currently five thousand, two hundred, and change," Yoko corrected me from beside me.
"Did you know it had gotten this big, Yoko?"
"It is my first time seeing it in person, but I have been receiving the reports and consultations."
"No, but... how?"
"The instructions were that the slopes could be used freely as long as the roads were kept clear. I believe that came from the Village Head himself?"
"Eh?" Had I really said that? I searched my memory. I didn't recall saying it, but...
“Regarding the slopes of the plateau...”
“Ah, you can do whatever you like with them as long as you don't block the roads.”
...I probably said it. I’d likely been thinking of flower beds or roadside decorations at the time.
"Then, why is no one living on top of the plateau yet?"
"You haven't issued official residence permits for the summit yet, have you?"
"Eh? Is that how it works?"
Wait, I was sure I’d heard that the immigrants had already started moving in. I’d received a report saying there were no issues with their arrival. But now that I thought about it, I definitely hadn't signed off on any permits for the plateau itself.
I see. It all made sense now.
I spent the time until the arrival of the two former Four Heavenly Kings—Paluanen and the man with the very long name—standing atop the inner wall, deeply reflecting on my management style.