LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 94
Fungusbee.
“Then be careful not to get hurt.”
“Don’t worry, Chief! Now, adventurers, please do your best!”
The chief of Fungusbee sent off the village men and workers, ax in hand, as they headed into the forest, accompanied by the adventurers.
The sudden problems that had hit Fungusbee were resolved.
However, cleaning up after the problems left behind takes even more time and effort than resolving the original issues.
Catherine, who was returning to Coldon, promised to assist in restoring the village, but honestly, the chief of Fungusbee was at a loss for where to start.
The issues of human casualties and property damage were minor.
Some adventurers and vigilantes were injured while protecting the village.
Injuries for adventurers are a daily occurrence, and aside from the villagers who got hurt while following the subjugation team, there weren’t any left unharmed.
Truly, the chief sighed deeply, believing that the gods had helped Fungusbee.
While repairing the damaged palisade and restoring the dismantled buildings would require wood and labor, it was a known fact that wood was always plentiful in Iceland.
Even if the growth rate of the nearby forest was below Iceland’s average, restoration would be possible within a few years.
Moreover, the newly appointed Catherine had made promises for various supports in writing.
If he let this opportunity slip by, the chief would have no right to his position.
As time passed, repairs and expansions to the aging well.
Complete replacement of the logs making up the palisade.
It was the golden opportunity to finally finish all the tasks he had postponed, including the introduction of modern methods.
Each of these undertakings would consume an enormous amount of money.
Even if he received support, it was nonsensical to think that Fungusbee, originally a wealthy village, could complete all those works at once without any savings.
Yet, seeing that the village was continuously frequented by wagons, carts, workers, and adventurers, the chief’s face was filled with worry.
And others gathered in the chief’s house felt the same.
The reason was simple.
“We need to find new sources of income. That forest is no longer a goldmine producing Akusare Mushrooms but a monster’s nest.”
It was evening.
The people summoned by the chief were deep in thought.
“First of all, it’s certain that the village has been throwing money into the forest. I heard the golem has oil; can’t we sell that?”
“They say the oil from the Akusare Mushroom Golem has no marketability as magical materials.”
“Thinking that all the resources we wasted were cash gets me riled up.”
“I heard the core of the golem can be worth something; what about establishing a trade?”
“It’d be too troublesome to compete with the big shots in the city for that as the main business.”
“Then, selling to adventurers might be the way to go.”
“Hospitality? Food services? What do you mean?”
“How about cultivating a ton of Fire Witch Fingers?”
“Oh, wasn’t it said that it’s currently trending in the fortress city of Coldon?”
As discussions flowed, the chief’s daughter, Isette, who was sitting beside him, uttered a single line.
“Though, whatever we do, it probably won’t earn as much as the Akusare Mushrooms.”
And a silence fell over the living room that had been noisy enough to quiet a market square.
Honestly, she wasn’t wrong.
Noble extravagance was not simply for luxury.
It was a way to indirectly show other nobles that they, their family, and their territory were doing well—a kind of hedgehog defense mechanism signaling that pestering them wouldn’t bring any good.
Expensive clothes, gourmet dishes, and uniquely decorated furniture were the swords and shields of nobles, always testing each other.
Thanks to that, since harvesting and selling Akusare Mushrooms, Fungusbee never faced a downturn.
It truly was a lucrative business compared to hospitality, food service, or farming.
But that ended this spring.
Thanks to the trustees who saved money remembering the famine decades ago, although time was sufficient, being lazy wouldn’t do any good.
So, while exchanging opinions, creating trouble in the atmosphere…
“Say, do you have a good plan? You’ve been quiet all this time.”
Of course, sarcastic remarks arose.
“Yes! Of course!”
But, contrary to expectations, Isette boldly shouted.
The person who had mocked her was left in bewilderment.
“Huh? What are you so confident about?”
“Well, it’s because I can show you a plan right now!”
Finishing her words, Isette immediately jumped up and rushed to the kitchen.
Soon after, they could see a large pot filled with golden oil.
“What? Oil from the Akusare Mushrooms? Isn’t that poisonous?”
“What are you talking about? Are we going to sell poison or something?”
Years of throwing it away as trash didn’t just vanish from memory.
The village’s youth grimaced.
It was a natural reaction.
“The mage said it’s not poison.”
“Sir Atanitas’s servant, or rather, the chef made snacks out of it!”
“It was quite nutty, almost like munching on a heap of nuts.”
But in this moment, there were those who had seen and tasted it.
The young children and elderly who had taken shelter in the temple.
In particular, they couldn’t help but rethink their opinions of Isette under the encouragement of the elders of the village.
Most importantly…
Bubbling, bubbling…
Frying various meats and vegetables coated in a yellow batter, fiercely bubbling in the golden oil.
Even the people of Fungusbee, who regularly used oil generously, were left spellbound by such an utterly luxurious cooking method they had never seen before.
One by one, the fried delicacies, rescued by Isette’s hands, made their way into the mouths of those gathered.
The reactions were swift.
“I never imagined I could enjoy such extravagance in my youth.”
“That one’s too small. I need to try one more!”
“Huh, vegetables have never tasted this good before?!”
With the crunchy sounds and the praises echoing around.
Feeling uplifted, Isette looked around at the people gathered in the living room.
“I think oil selling sounds great!”
“….!”
“With just one leather pouch, we can fill a whole pot! Considering the size of the golems, how much oil do you think we could get?”
Akusare Mushrooms.
On average, the size of an adult fist.
Akusare Mushroom Golems.
Even at their smallest, they were larger than an adult male figure.
It didn’t take long for the living room atmosphere to heat up.
“If we just extract the oil from those huge things….!”
“Wait, we can’t use leather bags for this. We should buy barrels or better, hire a craftsman entirely.”
“You can’t steal, huh? But even as a woman, being the chief’s child makes you different, huh?”
“I get it, just give me one more of those fried snacks!”
Even the few villagers who had mocked Isette had no choice but to acknowledge it.
In Iceland, no matter how abundant, oil was still lacking, and edible oil was even more precious.
Above all, Isette was confident.
The oil from Akusare Mushrooms still maintained its brilliant, transparent golden hue.
After several uses and days had passed, it still carried its unique nutty fragrance.
“So, Isette.”
The chief of Fungusbee, while slowly chewing the fried food and observing the oil, turned his gaze to his only child.
“Have you experimented with the oil from the Mushroom Golems?”
“….Ah!”
“Right, that’s our first order of business.”
Akusare Mushrooms and Akusare Mushroom Golems.
Immediately, the oil from the Mushroom Golems was deemed almost worthless in comparison to that of the Akusare Mushrooms as magical materials.
Catherine had confidently stated.
Gathering the remains of the Mushroom Golem wouldn’t be difficult at all.
There were plenty of remains that had been left outside the palisade, not yet cleaned up.
The village folk quickly prepared under the chief’s orders.
As they sprinkled salt over the remains of the Golem in the pot, everyone’s gazes turned sharp.
“Hmm, the color seems awfully light, doesn’t it?”
“And the smell isn’t very strong, right?”
“The taste feels a bit lacking too.”
“Let’s do a direct comparison.”
Placing the pot of Akusare Mushroom oil beside it, the differences became clear.
The oil from Akusare Mushrooms had a mystical color, almost as if it was gold melted and turned transparent, with a rich nutty aroma that enveloped the entire room.
However, the Golem’s oil was a transparent yellow, with a scent that was weak as well.
The only saving grace, as everyone acknowledged, was that despite the differences in quality, the quantity of oil from the Golem was overwhelmingly greater than that from the Akusare Mushrooms.
“The quality is distinct.”
“No, rather, even at this level, it’s more than sufficient.”
The chief denied Isette’s disheartened words and stroked his chin.
“Even if the quality has dropped, it’s still much superior compared to easily accessible animal fats or pig fats.”
“What? Father. Then—”
“Exactly. The issues lie with the guild folks in the city.”
Guilds.
Big players covering meat, bread, vegetables, distribution, wood, carpenters, blacksmiths, and more in the urban economy.
It was a presence that couldn’t be ignored, causing everyone to murmur.
“But there’s no oil guild in Coldon.”
“What? Elder, there’s really no oil guild?”
“The only thing Coldon doesn’t produce is oil. Even when I went there last year, among the many guilds, there wasn’t any oil guild.”
At the elder’s words, Isette’s eyes changed.
“Hmm, I’m worried about initial costs—”
“But the village still has plenty of money saved up, doesn’t it? If we can throw in some oil with the daily wages, won’t plenty of people show up?”
“Ah.”
In Iceland, what was most lacking was calories.
It was only natural that people would flock from all over Iceland.
Perhaps even from other countries.
“Sir Atanitas said the forest is a dungeon that continually spits out Golems. Think of it the other way.”
“That means it’s all oil, right? But transportation?”
“For that, we’d have to rely on the transport guild and the Adventurer Guild in Coldon. Fortunately, it’s only half a day away. Does anyone know someone in the transport guild?”
“Don’t worry, the deputy guild master is my friend. My only concern is the turf battles with other guilds.”
“The Akusare Mushrooms we presented must be worth something. Considering the circumstances, the powers and nobles of Coldon should look after us.”
“And, above all, the person we are now serving is the chief magic consultant to Duke Your Grace, right?”
“So then—”
The elders of the village.
Having experienced famine in their youth and amassed experiences throughout the village’s expansion, they had grown old, helping the chief manage the village as a living repository of knowledge.
While the younger ones were rolling their eyes.
“Father, we should take this oil business for ourselves.”
Isette looked back at Chief Fungusbee with passionate eyes.
“Chief, there isn’t a better business to maintain the village or even expand it.”
“Where else would we have such an opportunity to utilize the connections we’ve built over generations?”
Leading the charge was Isette, the chief’s daughter.
The elders of the village.
Even the villagers convinced by her.
“…Distance to the city, connections, capital, land, and the village’s condition.”
The chief of Fungusbee, having been deep in thought, broke into a smile.
“Alright, Isette. Just as you said, let’s take on this business together.”
The atmosphere in the chief’s house suddenly soared.