「This is bad! Takumi!」
The moment I got up the stairs from the basement of the Sanctuary mansion with the Transfer Gate and went out, Doganbo-san, with his short legs and looking like he was at his wits end, ran up noisily and jolted me.
「Wai- Please wait! What’s wrong? What happened?」
「The distillation machine and building are done, and there’s a surplus of casks made by you. But, but, we forgot the ingredient, barley!」
My body lost its strength when I heard that.
「You didn’t prepare it, did you…………」
「Of course I wouldn’t, I came here with luggage in one hand. The only things I brought were work tools.」
「………… Well, I had thought that would be the case, but the Dwarves had increased by another 3, haven’t they? They’re the same too, aren’t they?」
「Yeah, Gotton and the others. They journeyed over a great distance to come here. Like myself, they had only brought their work tools and camping equipment.」
「Haa, but it would be difficult to have a grain field so soon. Cuz, there’s not enough people. Even Gnome’s assistance has its limits.」
In the first place, to have made distillation machines and constructed an alcohol brewing workshop without ingredients, how careless of us.
Moreover, I don’t have knowledge on whiskey either. Scotch whiskey came from barley, was it? I don’t get it at all.
「It can’t be anything but grain native to the Sanctuary, right?」
「Of course! Gnome-sama and Salamander-sama will drink the alcohol, you know.」
「For starters, we’ll try it to the extent of the number of people here right now, but please don’t expect too much.」
That having been said, the grain field to be used for alcohol brewing requires a considerable size of land. At present, a field was created in a spot from the center to the western side close to the housing where children and the Cat Sith live. The grain being grown is wheat, but there was no surplus for alcohol brewing because it is being used for bread.
「Should we make it up to the mine in the south?」
At present, the most ideal location for fieldwork is the eastern grassland area, but it’s close to the stationed troops of various countries so I’d want to avoid that.
Thanks to the Perception Inhibitor MD and the barrier of the Great Spirits’, I don’t think they’d notice it as long as we don’t make a racket too close to them though.
「Alrighty, would 4 blocks with 100sqm be okay?」
「Ou, we’ll ask Dryas and Sylph for the seeds, so we’ll be starting with these.」
「Then I’ll till the field, the rest will be up to you, Gnome.」
「Umu, leave it to me.」
I put my hand on the ground, poured a large amount of magic power into it and activated Earth magic.
Gogogogoーー The earth rumbled audibly and the ground undulated, tilling it into a soft steaming 100sqm land.
「Uwaaa~! Amazing nya~! Lala will become a mage too~!」
「Sara will be mage too~!」
「Shirona too! Shirona too!」
Seeing the field tilled in an instant, the little girl trio, Lala, Sara, and Shirona, were hopping about in excitement.
Hearing that I would till the fields today, the trio had come to watch.
It’s different for the Human Shirona, but the Catkin Sara is of a race that is bad with magic. Lala is a Cat Sith Fairykin, so she has high affinity with magic and she is even capable of using Spirit Magic. But since Sara would be pitiful in this case, I’ll teach her some simple and day to day life magic she could use. Even as a Beastkin, if she practices from her current age, she’d probably be able to use useful magic ordinarily.
Even when I began moving to a different section to till it, Lala and the girls ran around the already tilled field.
「Is it alright even if I buy the seeds?」
「Dryas and Sylph intend to use their retainers to collect it, but there is no issue with purchasing the seeds themselves. It only becomes a special grain when it’s grown in this Sanctuary.」
While I was tilling the remaining three sections with magic, I asked Gnome about today’s plans. It’s fine even if I leave it to Dryas and Sylph, but buying it is faster, after all. Still, it would be suspicious if I start in agriculture though.
「Can’t we rely on your spirit retainers for the farm work, Gnome?」
「Impossible. We Spirits are fundamentally free, after all. Furthermore, with the Spirit Tree and us Spirits’ powers, the crops and fruits taken from this land become special.」
「Well, you have a point.」
「Manpower is of no concern. The free Dwarves are coming to gather. Granted, the only ones who can pass the Sanctuary Barrier are the upright ones.」
「Rather, why do they come arbitrarily?」
I couldn’t help but wonder how they know to come to this land in the western end of the continent. But the reason for that is but a simple story.
「What are you saying, the Dwarves are Fairykin. Of course they’d hear it from the voices of the Spirits.」
「Ah, right………………」
After which, even the Elves increased before we had realized. Somehow the Fairykin were gathering.
I might have to build housing again. Additional drainages, septic tanks, and purifying magic devices would be needed too. I’m really thankful for the abundance of clean water.
I wonder why, but be it in Volton or in the Sanctuary, my work increases one way or another.
***