Once the Universal Ship had finished unloading its entire cargo, it slipped out of its private dock and tipped itself over in the nearby forest.
What exactly was it doing?
I knew the answer. The Universal Ship was sulking. It was making a point: if I wanted a model for a sailing ship, it was right there.
In my defense, the Universal Ship was a heavily modified vessel; it wasn't a "normal" sailing ship. Even if they looked the same on the outside, their internal structures were worlds apart. I wasn't entirely convinced when they told me it could float on water just for the sake of its disguise, but regardless...
"I get it. I’m sorry. It was my fault."
I promised to let it show off before I went to look at the other sailing ships in Shashato City.
"You don't want me to look at you reluctantly? No, not at all. Please, let me see. I’m asking you."
My total surrender did the trick. The Universal Ship's mood improved, and it returned to its dedicated dock. Thank goodness for that.
Even Tou, the captain, gave me a talking-to. He insisted that when anyone thought of a ship, the Universal Ship should be the first thing that came to mind. I could only apologize.
Wait, what was this? Tou agreed that the Universal Ship was the gold standard, but he mentioned that if we were going to build a new sailing ship anyway, he had a proposal.
I didn't actually plan on building one, and I doubted the Mountain Elves were looking to construct a full-scale vessel either. Still, I looked at the blueprints he handed me. They were incredibly detailed.
Had Tou drawn these himself? It was a three-masted ship, massive in scale—a sixty-meter Galleon. Then I noticed some equipment I didn't recognize.
"Is this for flight?"
"Unfortunately, the dragons get noisy when things take to the air, so this ship cannot fly," Tou explained. "However, I’ve designed it with empty space so that buoyancy devices can be installed at any time."
So that explained the unnatural empty rooms in the center. Then what about this other equipment?
"Those are defense installations."
"I see. How are they used?"
"Well, you essentially fire them at anyone trying to destroy the ship."
"That’s just armament, isn't it?"
"By design, they are listed as defense installations, so they are defense installations."
"Is this some kind of wordplay?"
"It’s a technique for getting a budget approved. It’s also important for diplomacy."
I see. Tou was quite the strategist. For now, I decided to hand the blueprints over to the Mountain Elves. Even if a real ship was out of the question, they might want to build a model.
"That would be perfectly fine," Tou said. "Having a model nearby will increase interest in ships."
So that was his real goal.
"Yes. If we had a second Universal Ship, we could use it for sightseeing and promotion..."
He had a point. The Village of the Great Tree was far from the sea; the only ship the residents ever interacted with was the Universal Ship. No wonder it had sulked when I didn't use it as the template for the experiment. I’d have to be more careful in the future.
Some time ago, I had built a machine where you inserted medals to make other medals fall. Since we didn't have actual medals at the time, we had used medium copper coins to play. That was the game Yoko and Michael had become obsessed with. I’d sensed it might start producing degenerates, so I’d mothballed it, but the Mountain Elves had continued to improve the design in secret.
They’d added features for single players and groups, medal tower functions, slot mechanics, and jackpots. They’d even incorporated magic tools for automatic music to stir up the players' excitement, and lighting tools that flashed gaudily. One machine was even equipped with a magic tool that spat fire.
I didn't have a problem with them improving things on their own for personal enjoyment. Even when a room in the mansion became filled with these machines, I just banned the children from entering and left them to it. However, it’s only natural for a creator to want others to see and use their work.
The Mountain Elves eventually came to me, reward medals in hand, asking if they could install the machines somewhere. Specifically, they wanted to set them up in Village Five.
I didn't mind the installation itself. What I couldn't allow was the use of actual currency—the circulating coins—in place of medals. We needed to solve that first.
Thus, we decided to create dedicated medals for the machines. Fortunately, Village Five had plenty of iron.
"Iron is cheaper than a medium copper coin, but wouldn't it still be treated as having value?" I mused.
"If you're going to make medals, I recommend brass," someone suggested. Brass was an alloy of copper and zinc.
"We can get both from the Goroun Company."
I see. As for the manufacturing...
"Leave it to us. We can mass-produce them in the Village Five workshop. We have a pressing machine."
Right. Of course.
"We just need the Village Head to decide on the size and the design."
"Understood. I’ll also handle the explanation to Yoko."
To ensure they wouldn't be confused with medium copper coins, I made the medals slightly larger. For the design, I chose a stylized fox on one side and a stylized Inferno Wolf on the other. I handed a wooden sample to the Mountain Elves, and mass production began the very next day. They turned out quite nice.
As for Yoko, she had been so addicted to the game herself that she initially balked at the idea. She claimed it was "dangerous." However, I didn't miss the way her tail was wagging.
I eventually secured her permission, and it was decided that an Amusement Hall would be built. We chose a spot in a newly cleared area at the base of the mountain, a short walk from the Western Confectionery Shop Fairy Fairy.
The building went up instantly. It was a bit too fast, honestly. Apparently, the High Elves had worked themselves to the bone because they refused to let the Mountain Elves take all the credit. I knew they were hard workers, but this was impressive. As long as it was sturdy, I had no complaints—plus, hiring Village Five residents to help provided a boost to local employment.
The hall was massive, about fifty by one hundred meters, with a partial second story. The first floor was for general customers, while the second was reserved for nobles. The walls were thick and double-layered to prevent noise from leaking into the surrounding area. An office was attached to the side, complete with break rooms and changing areas for the staff.
Before I knew it, they’d even started building a dining hall and an inn nearby for the customers. The scale was ballooning, but Yoko’s secretaries told me to leave it to them.
The Civil Official Girls took charge of recruitment. They, too, were determined not to be outdone by the Mountain Elves. I didn't think I was playing favorites, but I wasn't about to argue with them.
They gathered maintenance staff, floor staff, security, and... mages?
"Mages? Why?"
"To prevent cheating. We need to stop people from using magic to manipulate the medals or the machines. We also have to watch out for animal and monster tamers."
I hadn't even considered those possibilities. I told them I’d leave the staffing in their capable hands. I had plenty of my own work to do, after all.
In the Amusement Hall, customers would rent medals to play. We planned a rate of thirty medals for one medium copper coin. Crucially, medals could not be exchanged back for cash. If they could, the medals would effectively become a new currency. Taking medals out of the hall was also forbidden. Customers could either store their medals at the hall for later use or trade them for items on an exchange list.
I was initially asked to handle the exchange list, but then they changed their minds. If I chose the items, the list would just be full of crops from the Village of the Great Tree. To avoid that kind of economic chaos, Yoko’s secretaries and the Civil Official Girls would handle the inventory.
My job was just to set the exchange rate. We were renting thirty medals for one medium copper coin, so I used that as the baseline.
"Wouldn't it be simplest if one hundred medals equaled the value of one medium copper coin?" I suggested. "The math is easy that way."
We decided to start there and adjust later if needed. We could always change the number of medals rented out for a copper coin to balance things out.
Yoko gave her approval, and the list was announced. It featured small trinkets and vouchers for products at affiliated shops. There was nothing too flashy.
"If a wealthy person rents a massive amount of medals, they could just buy out the entire list," Yoko noted. "That might be profitable for the hall, but it’s not the goal. Even if we limit daily rentals, they could just hire people to rent them on their behalf. For now, we won't offer any high-profile prizes."
I couldn't argue with her logic.
Yoko set a date for a pre-opening event for invited guests. The guests were mostly village councilors and high-ranking merchants. To get them started, we gave each of them five hundred medals for free.
At first, they were hesitant and bewildered.
"You put the medal in here... ah, I see." "So, if a medal falls there, that’s an opportunity?" "The numbers move... and if they match, you win big?" "I see. And the medals are traded for things on this list at the end."
They started out showing a calm, dignified interest. But as time passed, things became a lot more serious.
"Give me three hundred more!" "Me too!" "Quantity is power! Continuous insertion!" "You there, shall we cooperate and aim for that spot?" "Dammit... that tower just won't fall!" "The numbers... they won't match! Why?!"
By the time we closed, they were back to having calm faces, though they were brimming with suggestions for improvement.
"Closing times are unacceptable." "We need to be able to play longer." "There needs to be a way to reserve a seat. It will prevent fights." "I’d like to be able to trade for medals without leaving my seat." "I think these kinds of items would be good for the exchange list..." "The music should be a bit more upbeat." "Is the inn finished yet?" "We need more finger foods available for the players." "I’d like my company’s products to be on the list. Who do I talk to?" "Children should be restricted. People with children, too." "Can I take one medal home as a souvenir?"
The feedback was extensive. Some requests were absurd, but many were valuable. We’d take them into account. As for the medals, since it was just a trial run, we allowed them to take one each as a souvenir—but only for that day.
"Yes! The tower fell! Now’s my chance!"
"Michael, Michael-san... we’re closed. Please follow the employees' instructions and head out."
Tou: "I wish there was a ship like this, it would be so nice..." Universal Ship: "...(Lies down dramatically)" Yoko: "What? You're installing that? It's just going to be more trouble." (Tail wagging furiously) Michael: "What is this tower... a triple helix? Special medals? I... I must topple it." Village Councilor: "Excuse me, I don't see Yoko-sama’s autographs or handshake tickets on the list?" (Checking the list for the fifth time)