A new food stall specializing in zenzai recently opened in Village Five.
The acting manager of the "Kuro and Yuki" sweets shop had come to me with a request from the security team. I, in turn, passed the request to the mountain elves, who built the stall for us. The staff was composed entirely of volunteers recruited from the main shop, so the stall is officially treated as a branch of the parent store.
Its name: "Kuro and Yuki Zenzai."
I’ll thank you to refrain from making any comments regarding the naming sense.
The primary purpose of this stall was to provide warm sweets to members of the security team whose bodies had grown cold during their late-night patrols and guard shifts. Consequently, its hours were strictly late-night, and it was usually positioned near security-related facilities.
We opted for a mobile stall format to allow it to rotate through the various security posts scattered throughout Village Five. If we had established a permanent shop or rented a building, it would have inevitably been convenient for some guards and far too distant for others.
The menu was limited strictly to zenzai. While the portion sizes couldn't be adjusted, customers were allowed to add extra mochi. The stall operated on a simple "until supplies last" basis, packing up as soon as they ran out of either zenzai or mochi.
In the middle of the night, a surge of residents began wandering the streets in search of the stall, which prompted a formal complaint from Yoko. She reported that people were loitering about like the undead in their desperate search for sweets, creating a significant drain on public order.
If a stall intended to support the security team during the harsh winter nights only ended up making their jobs more difficult, it was clearly a case of putting the cart before the horse.
I felt terrible. I was ready to pull the plug on the operation then and there, but Yoko was the one who told me to wait.
"I am not suggesting that you shut down the stall," she said. "You simply need to take measures to ensure the residents do not wander aimlessly."
That made sense. Why were they wandering? Because they didn't know where the stall was on any given night. The solution, then, was simple: we just had to clearly announce its location.
As for the method... I thought flyers would be the most effective, but many people in the village still couldn't read. How could we inform a large number of people about a location without relying on text?
There was no other choice but to have people announce it verbally during the day. I decided to hire workers specifically for that task. Additionally, I instructed the stall staff to leave a "Sold Out" sign at their location whenever they closed for the night.
That should have solved the problem, but clear announcements meant more customers. I told the "Kuro and Yuki Zenzai" staff to increase the amount of food they prepared.
The plan seemed to work. The issues were resolved, sales were excellent, and I made sure to give the staff a little extra in their pay as a reward.
I tried to remind them that the stall was only intended for the winter season, but they already seemed to understand that perfectly well. Perhaps that was why they felt comfortable sharing a new observation with me. They mentioned that it wasn't just the security team out at night; there were quite a few people working through the darkness, and those people wanted proper meals, not just sweets.
A food stall serving proper meals, huh? The staff told me they weren't strictly fixated on sweets and offered to help. Well, I suppose I should start thinking about a different kind of stall.
When I visited the workshop to find the mountain elves, I was greeted by three new machines.
The first was clearly a shredder, designed to turn small pieces of wood into fine pulp. The second appeared to be a stirrer, likely for mixing the materials. I didn't recognize the third one at first—it had a strange, rhythmic motion—but then it clicked. I had seen that movement somewhere before.
In Village One! That was the exact motion used for sieving paper.
"Are these...?"
"They’re paper-making machines," one of the mountain elves confirmed.
Apparently, after observing the papermaking process in Village One, they wondered if it could be automated. True to form, as soon as a mountain elf has a thought, they move straight to execution.
I was conflicted. I hadn't expected the mechanization of papermaking to happen so soon. I wondered if this would disrupt the existing parchment industry, but then again, mechanization wasn't inherently bad. It improved efficiency, saved time, and reduced the need for manual labor. The key was simply to avoid overextending the technology.
"Do you plan on mass-producing these?" I asked.
"Not at all. We just made them as a change of pace between our other projects."
"I see. In that case, hide them before Yoko finds out."
"We understand, but... um, Village Head? Lady Yoko is standing right behind you."
"Eh?"
"Village Head," Yoko said, her voice trailing with mock hurt. "It makes me quite sad that you would try to keep secrets from me."
"Er, well..."
Yoko immediately placed an order for the machines. I tried to tell them not to overdo it, but the mountain elves were already pushing back.
"Even if we wanted to overdo it, our hands are full producing those slider-style coin calculators. We won't be able to make much progress on these for a while."
It seemed the mountain elves themselves would be the ones to apply the brakes. I was happy to leave it in their hands.
That left me to figure out the new food stall for Village Five on my own.
"Since a food stall is a completely different kind of project, please don't hesitate to give us the order," they added. "We’d much rather make something new than mass-produce the same thing. If it's a new invention, we’re all for it!"
I could certainly appreciate that sentiment.
After helping the mountain elves with their work, I returned to the living room to find a crowd. The Demon King, Beezel, Gratz, Randan, and Hou were all there. Tiselle and Malbit had joined them, and the group was deep in what looked like a serious meeting.
The agenda centered on the short-distance teleportation gates. They were discussing the lack of coordination with the Adventurer Guild and negotiating the compensation for the Dalfon and Goroun companies in exchange for their support.
What caught me off guard was seeing Malbit, of all people, arguing for the protection of the Village of the Great Tree's interests. Meanwhile, Tiselle was advocating for the interests of the merchant guilds.
I decided not to poke my nose in. If I meddled, I’d likely be dragged into the meeting myself. My best move was to retreat quietly.
Just as I was about to slip away, I ran into Miyo, who was supposed to have returned to Shashato City after her vacation.
"It’s been a while. What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I was summoned to participate in that meeting," she replied, gesturing toward the group. She was cradling several large rolls of parchment in her arms. Judging by the size, they were regional maps of the villages and towns along the proposed gate route.
"Are you not joining them, Village Head? Lady Lu and Lady Yoko are expected to attend as well."
"I think I’ll pass. Besides, is that even the official meeting? I thought it was just preliminary coordination."
"It seems so. I was told I was called in because they are finalizing the revised plans today."
I see. To be honest, while the teleportation gate route would be incredibly convenient, it was ultimately a matter for the Demon Kingdom. It wasn't something I needed to actively direct. My stance was to cooperate if asked, but otherwise, I needed to be careful not to get too deeply involved.
"I’m afraid it’s a bit late for that," Miyo said with a wry smile. "I’ll come to give you a report later."
With Miyo's words ringing in my ears, I made my exit from the living room.
Wait, why was she coming to report to me?
As it turned out, when evening rolled around, it wasn't Miyo who came to give me the report. It was the Demon King himself.
"Rather than doing the same jigsaw puzzle over and over, we just want to try a puzzle with a different picture."