Characters and Races:
Prada: An Ancient Devil. Also known as the Devil Who Collects Artworks.
Meleocarn: A chameleon-type monster. Commonly known as Meleo.
Net Turtle: A Land Turtle Magic Beast that lives in symbiosis at the Meleo Breeding Ground.
The Village Five New Road.
While Village Five and Shashato City were connected by a Teleportation Gate, that gate often became a bottleneck due to heavy traffic. The new road was designed specifically to address that congestion. The project had been underway for quite some time, and while most of it was finished, the route for one specific section had remained undecided until very recently.
Personally, I tended to think we should just draw the path in a straight line, but the world—or rather, the terrain—rarely cooperated. Perfectly flat ground was a rarity. Furthermore, since horse-drawn wagons would be the primary users, we had to be meticulous about road width and gradients. As a result, the path ended up winding and meandering. I suppose such a serpentine route was unavoidable if we wanted to maintain a consistent width while avoiding steep inclines.
"Is that all?" I asked.
Apparently not. It turned out we also needed adequate watering holes. Since wagons were pulled by horses, horse watering holes were a necessity. Beyond that, rest areas were even more vital. Even with the new bypass completed, the distance was significant enough that travelers would likely need to spend a night or two on the road. Lodgings were one thing, but if there weren't places where people could rest with peace of mind, they simply wouldn't use the road.
I see. To effectively alleviate the congestion at the Teleportation Gate, we had to build a road that people actually wanted to travel. However, that raised the issue of staffing those rest areas. I was told that the secretaries had already reached out to a nearby Elf Village and made the necessary arrangements.
As expected, Yoko’s secretaries were truly excellent.
The reason the route for the Village Five New Road had remained in limbo was that it involved a particularly difficult stretch of terrain. The planners had been torn between taking a long detour or attempting to force a path through. I was the one who made the call to push through, which finally finalized the route. For the sections where construction was deemed impossible for normal laborers, I put the Universal Farming Tool to work.
I eventually made my way to the auction venue prepared in the Demon Kingdom Royal Capital to inspect the items. Usually, the catalog was finalized before the caravan set out to visit various regions. The caravan’s primary purpose was to advertise the featured items and gather interested participants. However, as the caravan traveled...
"Actually, I'm in a bit of a financial bind. Since there’s an auction coming up, I have something I’d desperately like to put up for sale..."
Apparently, nobles and merchants from various regions frequently approached the caravan with such requests. And when I say frequently, I mean it happened constantly. By the time they returned, the number of items had doubled since the caravan’s departure. It was a daunting task just to look at everything.
This was why Prada had summoned me. Her claim was that among these new additions, there were things she wanted me to buy. While the majority were pieces she sought for her personal collection and hobbies, she insisted there were also items she was recommending because they would be beneficial to me.
I was just relieved it wasn't some kind of trouble. I couldn't afford to be wasteful, but if an item promised to be useful, I was prepared to win the bid.
"I don't know if they will be helpful in the immediate sense, but I believe they will be beneficial," Prada explained.
"Aren't those the same thing?" I asked.
"The nuance is slightly different."
Nuance, huh? Well, I didn't mind. The arrangement for Prada’s reward was that I would bid on the items she personally wanted for her collection.
"As expected of the Village Head! You’re loaded!"
I laughed. "I can't win everything, so make sure you choose carefully."
"I'll narrow it down to twenty!"
"Up to three."
"No way! After how hard I’ve worked this past year?"
"You’ve been properly compensated for that work, haven't you?"
"I'll pick things that will be useful for the village, so make it ten. Please?"
"It’s no use trying to act cute."
"Then let’s set a cap on the total amount instead of the quantity! I’ll handle the bidding myself."
I considered it. Since it was an auction, I didn't know exactly how high the prices would climb. It might be better to set a maximum budget.
"Alright. How much will you give me?"
I looked around. Among the items already listed, some sellers had provided their desired starting prices or minimum bids. The figures were one or even two digits higher than the items at previous auctions. Perhaps because this was a major, well-prepared event, they were able to handle high-value goods.
Using those as a reference, I asked, "Would about a hundred gold coins be enough?"
"That’s plenty! I’ll definitely win the bids!" Prada practically did a jig of joy.
Perhaps that budget was a bit too generous. However, Michael-san from the Goroun Company and the village’s Civil Official Girls had specifically requested that I spend about a thousand gold coins at this auction. We needed to circulate some of the village's excessive treasury surplus back into the world. Still, even if I could create wealth with the Universal Farming Tool, that treasury consisted of money earned through legitimate trade. I wanted to buy things that were as meaningful as possible.
Then again, even if I said so myself, I didn't have much in the way of material desires. I generally preferred to make what I needed. Spending a thousand gold coins seemed like a tall order.
I turned to Daga, Galf, and Reginleiv, who were accompanying me as my personal escorts, and told them to speak up without hesitation if they saw anything they wanted.
"Thank you very much," Daga said.
"But we must remain focused on our escort duties," Galf added.
"The sentiment alone is enough, Great Master," Reginleiv finished.
They politely declined. I suppose I would have to place my hopes on Prada’s professional recommendations.
"The first item I want to recommend to you is this," Prada said, leading me to a large Crystal Pillar that stood twice my height. It was impressive and beautiful, but I was at a loss.
"What is this exactly? Am I supposed to use it as a garden decoration?"
"That would be an option, certainly... but there is an Artificial Lifeform inside this Crystal Pillar."
"An Artificial Lifeform? Is it a Mercury Race like Bell or Gou?" I recalled that Gou had also been encased in crystal when we first found him.
"I don't know the exact details, but I believe so. However, the one inside here isn't a Royal Guardian—a Mercury. It's a Kingdom Warrior—a Jupiter."
"Jupiter? You mean there's a Jupiter Race? Are they relatives of the Mercury Race? More importantly, is it alive?"
"Likely. It’s currently in a state of deep dormancy."
In that case, I decided I would win the bid and show it to Bell and the others. They might even be old acquaintances.
"However, you won't be able to activate it just as it is," Prada cautioned.
That might be true, but I figured Bell and her crew would find a way. "They'll manage, right?"
"I couldn't say. But please, look at the item over there."
Prada pointed toward what looked like a broken grandfather clock. It lacked a face, and it was filled with an irregular arrangement of gears that seemed to serve no discernable purpose.
"That is a Jupiter-related item."
"Which means...?"
"With that device, it should be possible to wake the entity and communicate with it."
That was remarkably convenient.
"And the convenience continues," Prada added. "Look at the item just beyond that."
I recognized this one immediately. It was a human-sized doll. I couldn't tell what it was made of, but judging by the level of grime and wear, it was clearly ancient. The face was, unfortunately, in tatters. I couldn't distinguish its gender by body shape alone, but based on the tattered clothing it wore, I assumed it was female. It had four arms, though three of them were broken off halfway. Its legs were long, but one was badly distorted.
"An old doll. So, is this intended to be the body for the Jupiter inside the Crystal Pillar?"
"I don't know if it originally belonged to that specific individual, but it should serve."
I see. I understood now. I would put these three items on the list of candidates for bidding. The requested prices weren't unreasonable; in fact, they were surprisingly cheap. As long as I didn't find myself in a bidding war with an incredibly wealthy collector, I should be able to secure them.
"By the way, as you mentioned earlier, is there a chance this Jupiter won't be useful? Even if it isn't quite at Miyo's level, I think it would be a huge help if it could handle administrative work."
"We won't know its personality or capabilities until it wakes up," Prada admitted. "But as a master who already leads the Mercury Race, I'm sure you'll be able to make use of it."
"Which is why you called it beneficial."
"Exactly. Oh, and I have more recommendations. Though I suspect those might also be a bit questionable in terms of immediate utility."
So there was a chance they would be beneficial too. I gestured for her to continue. "Lead the way."
"With pleasure!"
As a side note, I noticed a Meleocarn egg among the items. I almost made a move to bid on it, but I remembered just in time that Meleocarn eggs look exactly like Net Turtle eggs. I had seen them both at the breeding ground. Indeed, the egg at the auction was a perfect match for the ones I had seen. I couldn't tell the difference at all.
Still, I decided to put it on the list of candidates anyway. Regardless of which creature hatched from it, I could simply take it to the Meleo Breeding Ground.
The actual auction was still a short while away.