Ch.328Geronimo, Geronimo, I’ve come to make a deal.

Three days after exchanging messages.

We met with Director General Geronimo on the second floor of the Pioneer Bureau building at the planned site of the 8th Western City.

During the meeting, no one except Director Geronimo and our six members was allowed to approach the second floor, and magical devices were activated to prevent any sound from leaking outside.

As if that wasn’t enough, Seti volunteered to guard the conference room door.

Unless someone was monitoring us with some extraordinary magic, no one could know what was happening inside.

Even if that meant—

“Imprisoning the Director General of the New Continent Pioneer Bureau inside a toy mansion.”

“Haha… I’ve lived a long life, but this is certainly a new experience.”

Director Geronimo, who had been drawn into the Stone House, sipped the tea Iris had brought and sighed with relief.

He must have realized we didn’t bring him into the Stone House with malicious intent.

“If you were simply retiring as an adventurer and accepting my offer, there would be no need for such a surprise. The ladies who came in with you seem to be preparing something in another room… Does it have to do with these mine cart rails laid around here?”

“You have a keen eye, sir.”

The people who entered the Stone House were Director Geronimo, myself, Jessica, Phyllis, Iris—five in total.

Mina was controlling the Stone House from the conference room, while Seti was guarding outside.

We were sitting in the large banquet hall on the first floor of the Stone House.

Most of the furniture that had been in the Stone House when the mansion dungeon was demolished had vanished, but since then, Mina had been creating and adding new furniture whenever she had time.

However, since we didn’t expect to hold parties inside the Stone House, the room was mostly empty except for one set of a six-person table and chairs.

Moreover, the train tracks extending from outside the door and circling around the edges of the banquet hall would seem out of place to anyone.

“The reason I wanted to meet with you, Director, is to propose a certain ‘deal.'”

“A deal?”

“As I mentioned before, I have no intention of giving up my life as an adventurer yet. But couldn’t I provide technology and knowledge from my world without having to retire as an adventurer?”

“Of course. However, the amount I previously offered was based on a budget that could be mobilized under the pretext of establishing a new department in the Pioneer Bureau. Even as Director General, diverting that much money to an external collaborator…”

So the contract fee of one million gold + monthly salary of 5,000 gold was conditional on becoming a civil servant.

Fair enough. If word got out that a mere C-rank adventurer received a million gold, anyone would suspect corruption.

The fact that Drifters are humans from another world must still be information that can’t be disclosed to the public.

“You needn’t worry about that. What I seek from this deal isn’t money.”

“Then…?”

“Before I explain the specific terms of the deal, let me show you the technology I’m offering.”

‘Chug-chug-chug-chug…’

At the perfect moment, the sound of a steam engine came from outside the banquet hall, causing Director Geronimo to turn his head toward the source.

What his gaze captured was a miniature steam locomotive—sized like an amusement park ride for children—pulling in five freight cars.

The contents of each car were Jessica, Phyllis, Iris, and two cars with six 20-kilogram flour sacks each.

Even with the most conservative estimate of the three women’s weights, the total cargo would exceed 350 kilograms.

“What… what is this? Self-moving mine carts? No, looking closer, the rear cars seem to be just empty boxes with wheels…”

“That’s right. Three adult women and 240 kilograms of flour are being pulled solely by the power of the lead vehicle.”

“This is remarkable! No magical device in Grantis has ever shown this kind of output efficiency relative to its size! What secret is hidden inside that small device? And what’s that white smoke coming from the chimney?”

I answered calmly to Director Geronimo, who was firing questions while captivated by the mini train.

“Water.”

“…Water?”

Have a seat.

I’m about to tell you an incredible story.

~~~ About 2 hours later ~~~

After concluding our meeting with Director Geronimo, we returned to our lodgings with light hearts.

The result of the meeting could only be described as a great success.

We handed over the blueprints and a working model of the steam locomotive, along with a draft proposal for a national railway project, and in return, we secured a promise to install a barrier tower in the Willow Sanctuary.

The specific negotiations with the sanctuary residents would be led by the New Continent Pioneer Bureau, and the future of the Willow Sanctuary would be determined by the outcome of those negotiations.

Whether they would use the barrier tower as a temporary measure until Iris’s return, or begin walking a new path of coexistence between elves and pioneers, like Cotton Tail Trading Post.

“Surely the Willow Sanctuary won’t refuse to accept the barrier tower, right?”

“That won’t happen. If Elder Shurain’s life ended without recovering Sister Iris, they would have had to relocate with the pioneers’ help anyway, so having the barrier tower as insurance is already a blessing.”

“No one would be stubborn when they’ve been given an option to not abandon their homeland.”

If both Phyllis and Iris say so, I can rest assured.

Oh, by the way, while waiting for Director Geronimo, a letter arrived from the Willow Sanctuary.

It was a reply from Roberta reporting that there had been no significant change in the current Elder Shurain’s health condition, along with prayers that Iris could be returned to her elven form as soon as possible.

Sorry, Roberta… We’ve already found that method, but we have no plans to return your princess home anytime soon.

“Hey, Will.”

“Yeah?”

“Even if it was to resolve the Willow Sanctuary issue, don’t you regret giving away all the rights related to the railway?”

“Ah, you mean what Director Geronimo proposed? Well… it was certainly an impressive offer.”

Toward the end of the meeting, Director Geronimo tried to make a certain contract with me.

He asked me to act as a kind of advisor, receiving reports about the railway business and submitting improvement proposals in between my adventurer work.

If I did that, my name would be registered as a rights holder for the national railway project, and I would receive a portion of future railway revenues, but…

“My knowledge about steam locomotives and railways was completely exhausted with this deal.”

I’m just a Western movie enthusiast, not an expert on steam engines or railways.

I just happened to dig a little deeper into steam locomotives while consuming Western content.

In other words, this is the extent of my contribution to Grantis regarding railways.

That’s why I declined Director Geronimo’s offer and stated that I would transfer all rights and profits related to the railway to the New Continent Pioneer Bureau.

Instead, when the railway project is officially announced, all of us will receive Frontier License merits as the original technology providers and planners.

“Getting the right to access the Forbidden Grimoire without the Academy work condition is much more beneficial.”

“That’s true. Honestly, the reason I wasn’t interested in the Forbidden Grimoire before was because of that condition.”

“So you were interested in the forbidden spells themselves.”

“That’s natural for any mage.”

I requested that Jessica be allowed to view the Forbidden Grimoire—magical spells that normally require a 10-year commitment to the Academy—once without any conditions.

Or more precisely, I asked him to convince the highest authority at the Academy.

After all, the New Continent Pioneer Bureau and the Grantis Magic Academy are clearly separate institutions.

But Director General Geronimo’s original plan—researching otherworld technology led by Drifters—was a project conducted in collaboration with high-ranking officials at the Academy from the beginning.

This makes sense, as they needed to consider the possibility that magic or magical devices might be the only way to reproduce Earth’s technology in Grantis.

This means the Academy side already has some information about my identity, and they’ve received a message saying, “If you want to maintain our cooperative relationship, how about showing our leader the Forbidden Grimoire?”

Could the Academy possibly refuse that request?

I doubt it.

“Anyway, for now we’ll continue our adventurer activities as usual while waiting for contact from the Academy. Even if Will’s request is accepted, it will take a considerable amount of time.”

“So what’s our schedule after tomorrow? The usual adventurer guild quests?”

“That would be fine, but how about going somewhere farther this time? Somewhere only we can reach.”

Jessica’s meaning was clear.

A place that only we, with the Ancestor, camping wagon, and Purifier, could reach.

She was suggesting we go on an adventure to places where no one had set foot since the barrier tower was established here.

“That sounds fun.”

Naturally, no one objected to the proposal.