The meeting continued.
"Consolidating the nightlife district on the North Slope has improved public safety to some degree. The reputation among the residents is excellent as well."
By "nightlife," she meant the adult entertainment shops. Apparently, they had been gathered on the North Slope under Yoko’s instructions. I thought it was a sensible move.
"However, the shopkeepers are starting to grumble about the ban on solicitation."
I hummed to myself. The ban had been my idea. I didn’t mind them calling out to passersby, but the reality was that about half of them were practically dragging customers into their shops by force. I had suggested that such behavior was unacceptable, but it seemed my decision had caused some friction.
"They say that without solicitors, customers can't tell what kind of establishment they’re looking at."
That made sense. I was convinced. Now that I thought about it, since they were nightlife spots, there weren't any specific rules regarding their exterior appearance. It was difficult to judge just by looking whether a shop was a place where you could spend time with girls. Furthermore, literacy was low among the general population. That was why they relied on solicitors.
I felt a bit guilty for proposing something that had made things so difficult for them.
Wait a second. Signs aren't just for text, are they? We could have signs with pictures or carvings. Or even three-dimensional signs made of worked metal.
"The painters, sculptors, and blacksmiths are all swamped. Production simply isn't keeping up with the demand for new signs."
Right. My apologies.
For the time being, we decided to distribute shop category signs prepared by Village Five. But if the local craftsmen were too busy to make signs, who was going to make these temporary ones?
Me. I see. Understood.
- Tavern
- Adult Entertainment
- Tavern & Adult Entertainment
- Casino
I didn't need to get fancy with the designs. With my current skill level and the Universal Farming Tool, it wouldn't even take five minutes to carve a single board. I figured twenty of each type would suffice.
However, once I asked, they told me they wanted a hundred of each just to be safe. As for the adult entertainment signs, they claimed two hundred wouldn't be a problem. I couldn't help but wonder if the demographics of Village Five were a bit skewed. Well, I suppose this city was an easy place for people in those professions to migrate to.
Regardless, I decided against making the signs directly. I would ask Gatto to forge some branding irons instead. My job would be to prepare the wooden boards to be branded. That way, my part of the work wouldn't even take an hour.
I made sure to emphasize that these were not official business permits, but merely temporary substitutes until their proper signs were finished. I wanted that point strictly enforced.
Speaking of the North Slope, that reminded me of Logabo. When Yoko introduced him, she described him as the man who managed the nightlife district, but he looked like nothing more than a typical shopkeeper to me. Then again, I had been mistaken for a regular person and scouted myself, so I suppose we were in the same boat.
That had been quite an ordeal. While I was in Village Five for a delivery, I had been lured toward the North Slope by the sound of a cat meowing. I wasn't there to dote on it; I had simply wondered if it would be a good mate for the kittens back in the village. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a female.
Afterward, the High Elves acting as my escorts gave me a stern warning, all while maintaining their polite tone and pleasant smiles. It was terrifying. Come to think of it, for some reason, wearing cat ears became a massive trend back in the Village of the Great Tree starting that very day. The Beastman Race looked very conflicted about it.
"A shopping district has formed on the South Slope, and it’s quite bustling."
The main issue there was that prices were beginning to skyrocket. Supply simply wasn't meeting the massive demand. Since the Goroun Company was taking the lead on countermeasures, they expected things to stabilize by around summertime.
"Also, Five-kun is a huge hit. Shops have started selling unauthorized merchandise."
Five-kun. He was the Village Five mascot I had proposed. Since "cool" designs are a matter of personal taste and can be divisive, I suggested a "yuru-chara"—a soft, cuddly mascot that everyone could love.
Explaining the concept to Zabuton had been a challenge. It was a long road from Prototype No. 1, which was essentially just someone wearing a bear pelt, to his current form. While the functionality of the mascot costume was fine, the design itself caused quite a stir. The High Elves, the Beastman Race, and the High Ogre Race all jumped into the fray, turning it into a massive design dispute. It was truly exhausting.
Even the name caused an argument, though we eventually settled on Five-kun. Personally, I didn't think there was much difference between Five-kun and Five-san. When he first debuted in Village Five, people were wary, thinking he was some new species of monster, but he was eventually accepted over time.
Performing a hero show to raise awareness for Five-kun probably helped. He gained popularity not just with children, but with adults as well. During the Village Five Festival performance, Urza, Gral, and Alfred were absolutely thrilled. I was satisfied that it was a success, but I never expected people to start developing their own merchandise. I suppose that was only natural in a world without the concept of copyright.
"Shall we crack down on them?" Yoko asked.
No, let them be. It’s proof of his popularity. However, I told her to give verbal warnings to any shops selling clearly inferior goods or charging extortionate prices.
"Understood. Also, several merchant guilds have requested that we increase the number of Five-kuns."
Currently, there were three Five-kun costumes, but only one was ever active at a time. It was a rule I had established—there is only one Five-kun. I rejected the proposal to increase the count.
"They even offered to provide the 'person inside' from their own shops..."
There is no person inside! Furthermore, I wouldn't tolerate Five-kun imposters. I told Yoko to crack down on any fakes that appeared.
"Village Head, would it be possible to bring Five-kun to Shashato City?" Michael-san asked.
Maybe in the future, but for now, he would remain exclusive to Village Five. I suggested that if Shashato City wanted a mascot, they should just create their own instead of relying on ours.
"Since the Magistrate resides there, we cannot simply create a city mascot without proper authorization."
"It doesn't have to be for the city," I countered. "Why not make a mascot for the Goroun Company? Something like Goro-kun or Goro-chan."
Michael-san and Marlon, who was sitting beside him, traded surprised glances at my suggestion. Had they really not thought of that? Still, mascots are a lot of work until they’re finally accepted by the public. Even the now-beloved Five-kun went through a phase where children treated him quite roughly.
"We shall do our best. Regarding the mascot costume... would you be willing to handle the production? Including the design?"
I agreed to handle the production, but I insisted that the Goroun Company come up with the design themselves. I wanted to avoid another massive design war for a while.
The meeting showed no signs of ending.