My business in Village Four was complete, but the Universal Ship was still being prepped for departure. According to Tou, it would take about two more hours, so I spent the time wandering around the village.
I found the Fenrirs playing on a floating disc about ten meters in diameter that Gou had prepared. Even the ones who had been paralyzed with fear during the voyage on the Universal Ship were jumping all over it. Apparently, because it stayed close to the ground, it didn't trigger their acrophobia. Of course, the "ground" in this case was the floating Sun Castle itself, meaning they were actually at a staggering altitude, but as long as they didn't perceive the height, they were fine. I could certainly sympathize with that logic.
"Hey, if you rampage like that, won't it break?" I called out.
"It’s sturdy enough to handle that much," Bell explained. She had stayed behind to talk with me while Gou and Kuzuden returned to the castle to finalize the residential improvement plans. "It sinks a little when they jump on and floats back up when they hop off, but it returns to its designated height almost immediately."
Indeed, the disc bobbed slightly under the weight of the massive wolves, but it always stabilized.
"If a significant weight moves, the platform inevitably reacts," Bell continued. Since even a single Fenrir was quite heavy, that was only natural.
"Will it behave the same way even if the disc is larger?" I asked.
"No, as the size increases, its tolerance for weight fluctuations grows. Once it reaches a certain scale, people getting on and off won't cause it to budge an inch."
That was impressive. "By the way, I assume this disc is floating on its own power, but how is it fixed to this location? Won't it be left behind when Village Four moves?"
"Village Four is surrounded by a powerful force field. If it weren't, the air pressure and wind speed would make living here impossible."
That made sense.
"But Gou is planning to have these floating around the perimeter, right? Is the field okay with that?"
"We've found a way to strengthen those specific areas, which is why we're making this proposal now."
It seemed that Village Four’s secondary functions, aside from its weapons systems, were finally nearing their peak performance from the ancient era.
"However, there is one concern," Bell added. "The Dragon Race."
"The dragons?"
"Yes. I heard that when the Universal Ship was built, it triggered an audit by the Dragon Race. These discs—formally known as Floating Gardens—possess functions quite similar to the ship."
"Similar functions? You mean... the arms?"
Bell blinked. "Eh? Would it be better if they had arms?"
"No, no! If they don't have them, that's perfectly fine."
"I’ll tell Gou to consider adding them," she teased with a mischievous smile.
"He’ll probably hate the idea," I countered.
"Oh, he certainly will. Hehehe."
Knowing that, I probably shouldn't have brought it up. I steered the conversation back to the main point. When Lu built the Universal Ship, she had spent a long time negotiating with Dos about future production. Dos wasn't being obstructive out of spite; the dragons simply monitored the pace of magical tool evolution to prevent the world from destabilizing.
"But these aren't capable of free flight like the ship, right?" I asked.
"Actually, they are," Bell replied. "They're essentially miniature versions of the Sun Castle. With a Floating Garden, you could even travel back and forth to the ground."
"Wait, so it's a lift?"
"Exactly. It functions as an elevator. Landing Village Four itself is a monumental task, but a small Floating Garden can land with minimal impact. In the era I was born in, single-seater models were used inside buildings. Of course, they were priced so high that only royalty or the wealthiest merchants could afford them."
So, the disc the Fenrirs were currently playing on could actually descend all the way to the earth.
"The descent is kept at a safe speed, so there's very little danger," Bell explained.
Even so, I suspected the Fenrirs would be trembling in terror if they actually tried it. As if they had overheard our conversation, the wolves slowly hopped off the disc and began to keep their distance. I laughed and assured them I wouldn't force them to ride it.
"I’ve gone off track again," Bell said apologetically. "My point is, there's a chance the Dragon Race might prohibit the use of these Floating Gardens."
"If that were the case, Gou wouldn't be moving forward with the plan, would he? I assumed he would have consulted Dos or the others before talking to me."
"We did consult with Lord Draim."
"I see."
"Lady Hakuren and Lady Rusty seemed far too busy with the children," she noted. "As it happened, Lord Draim was passing by while dancing and holding a radish..."
That sounded exactly like Draim. But if they had consulted him, shouldn't it be fine?
"Well, about that... He told us the problem is that the Floating Garden is an independent craft. To solve this, he advised us to tie the Floating Garden to Village Four with a rope and then simply claim it’s 'part of the village' instead of a separate machine."
I stared at her. "Is that... is that allowed?"
"Exactly! That was my reaction too! But since those were Lord Draim's instructions, Gou took them to heart and started aggressively pushing the project forward. To be honest, I’m quite anxious."
I felt for her. Bell certainly had her hands full dealing with the eccentricities of the dragons and Gou's enthusiasm. I promised her I would talk to Dos myself about the Floating Gardens.
"Thank you, Village Head. That would be a huge weight off our shoulders."
"Also, a personal request," I added. "If there are no issues with the plan, could you install suspension bridges alongside the ropes? That way, those who can't fly can still move between the platforms."
"Ah, that makes perfect sense. Understood."
Immediately after returning to the village, I sought out Dos and gave him the report.
"The expansion of Village Four, right? I already heard from Draim," Dos said. "If they're connected by ropes, I don't see any issue."
Draim had actually reported it properly. I felt a little bad for doubting him.
"So the Floating Gardens are really okay?" I asked.
"Umu. However, I want the elevator function to be used strictly within the forest. Essentially, I want them treated with the same restrictions as the Universal Ship."
"Understood. I'll pass that along to Gou."
"Is there a cost involved?" Dos asked.
"No, it's fine. The price seems astronomical anyway, so I don't think they'll be becoming common anytime soon. If everyone had one, we’d have accidents every day."
According to Bell, wizards using Flying Carpets were common in her era, but in the current age, such things were rare. These platforms seemed best suited as resting spots for the Angels.
"Oh, so the Floating Garden proposal went through," Lu said when I saw her later.
"You knew about it?"
"Of course. I’m the one who built the Universal Ship. If they wanted to build something similar, they were obviously going to come to me for advice."
It seemed Gou had covered all his bases by consulting Lu as well.
"But those things are incredibly expensive," Lu continued. "Can Village Four actually afford them?"
"I decided to pay for them from the central budget. It's for the improvement of their living conditions, and it'll help increase our spice production in the long run."
Lu gave me a very strange look.
"What?" I asked.
"Well... the reason they’re so expensive is because of the magical materials required. And I’m the one who provides those materials."
"Right. And?"
"Almost all of those materials are herbs and ores gathered right here in this village, near the fields and the hot springs. I set a market price for the items I can prepare here... so if you're the one paying for them, the money is literally just going from one of your pockets to the other."
I went silent for a moment. "What if we bought the materials from outside?"
"We could ask the Goroun Company or the Dalfon Company, but they’d just end up buying them from us anyway. We’re the only ones who can supply that kind of volume."
"...Should we just move the numbers around on the ledger?"
"I don't want to make extra work for the Civil Official Girls. Let's do it the easiest way."
"Then we’ll skip the payment," Lu decided. "We'll record it as the Great Tree Village providing material support to Village Four."
"Let's go with that."
But if Gou had consulted her from the beginning, I wondered why they hadn't framed it that way earlier.
"Village Head, you're the one who is always insisting that each village should be financially independent. That's why we didn't suggest it."
I couldn't argue with that. I didn't want the other villages to become entirely dependent on me for everything. Lu’s stance was technically correct. However, this was about improving basic living conditions, which I considered an urgent priority. Plus, I was confident we would recoup the investment once the spice harvest increased.
Still, I didn't want to show favoritism toward Village Four. I decided I would make the rounds to Village One, Two, and Three to see if they were facing any difficulties. As for Village Five, I knew Yoko would be the first to complain if there was a problem, so I wasn't too worried—though I’d make sure to check in with her later anyway.
Dos later remarked, "I don't mind you building them. I’ll only step in if you try to distribute them to the rest of the world without thinking it through."