Ch.57Paerus Veil (4)

The Next Day.

I received a request to investigate a farm within the walls of Veil where the water source had become strange, and they needed help. When I arrived, I was greeted by a high fence and a gate that prevented unauthorized entry.

Knock knock!

I knocked on the farm’s gate, and soon a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat opened the fence to welcome me.

“Are you from the guild?”

His tone was filled with suspicion.

It was a tone closer to that of a villager than a city dweller, wary of outsiders.

“Yes. I heard there’s something wrong with the water.”

“Oh my. Please come in. This isn’t something we should discuss outside.”

Led by his hand, I entered the farm.

The farm was incredibly large and spacious; exaggerating a bit, it seemed like it could easily fit an entire small village.

“This farm is quite vast.”

“It’s considered small in Veil. Corporate farmers even build buildings to grow crops inside them.”

“Then how do they get sunlight?”

“They compensate with lighting. It’s a method only possible for those who can afford the electricity bills. For ordinary folks like me, working directly under the scorching sun is the only option.”

“I see.”

I just accepted it without much thought.

The distinction between corporate farmers and independent farmers was irrelevant to me, as I wasn’t a farmer.

I entered the farmhouse and saw numerous guests gathered inside.

“That’s… quite a lot of guests?”

“Ah. Those people aren’t guests but my workers. Because the water has changed strangely, they can’t work.”

“Wait, how exactly has the water changed?”

What could possibly have happened to the water that would cause all these workers to awkwardly gather inside the house?

While I was pondering this, one of the workers brought a cup of water.

“This is the problematic water.”

“It doesn’t look any different at first glance…”

The water appeared normal. There were no floating particles, nor had the color changed.

However, when the worker placed a rice stalk in it with his other hand, something astonishing happened.

Sizzle…

“Huh?”

The stalk… dissolved.

Seeing the water evaporate the stalk without leaving a trace, like some acidic solution, I understood why they had hired an adventurer.

What was even more bewildering was that despite dissolving the stalk, the water caused no harm when the worker dipped his finger in it.

“So it’s water that only dissolves plants?”

“Yes. It’s an absurd situation.”

“Well, I’ll be…”

I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

Water that only dissolves plants? Isn’t this something beyond my capabilities?

“I’m sorry, but this seems like a problem I can’t solve.”

“Ah… well, there’s actually something I need to tell you.”

“?”

“The truth is…”

*

Here’s what had happened.

This farm had been receiving water from the city’s water management company through a contract, but the farm owner and employees thought it was too expensive. They brought in an undine to supply water, and that worked fine initially.

The undine just had to spout water, the farm owner raised the workers’ wages with the saved money, and the workers no longer had to manage the water supply while getting higher wages—a win-win-win situation.

But the undine, who had to spout water all day, began to complain one day.

The complaint was that spouting water all day was tiring and boring.

This was a problem that neither the farm owner nor the workers could solve, and eventually, the undine, unable to bear the pressure, puffed up her cheeks and retreated deep into the well, supplying water that only dissolved plants throughout the entire farm.

“Well, that’s…”

“It’s a difficult situation for us. If this gets out, organizations like the Elemental Spirit Association might start boycotts, accusing us of abusing spirits.”

“Hmm… I understand. So basically, the workload is too heavy and too boring?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m curious about one thing. You didn’t kidnap the undine, did you? What did you offer in exchange for the contract?”

“Nothing in particular. When we said we were looking for an undine to help us, she just came on her own.”

“I see. I should meet her first. Where is she?”

“She’s stuck inside an unused well. Follow me.”

An undine stuck inside a well.

It might be cute in a way, but honestly, I was starting to feel annoyed.

Since she’s a spirit, not a human, it’s uncertain whether my attempt to negotiate using human values would succeed, but it’s do or die.

It’s a hundred times better to try than to do nothing.

So I followed the worker to the unused well (now occupied by the undine), and soon I was face to face with the very disgruntled undine.

*

-You’re a new face?-

“I’m Victor.”

-Nice to meet you, Victor.-

“Yeah. Nice to meet you too.”

The undine was a small spirit made of water.

Her tiny body, about half my size, was made of water, making it difficult to discern her form, but I could clearly see her puffed cheeks full of discontent.

…Hmm. Since she’s filled with water, not fire, should I call it “watercontent” instead of “discontent”?

-Are you here to persuade me too?-

“Yes.”

-I won’t do it.-

Bloob.

The undine’s water sac grew even larger.

“Why don’t you want to do it?”

-Spouting water all day is tiring. It’s boring.-

“So if it wasn’t tiring and boring, would you continue to spout water?”

-Yes.-

“What do you want to do?”

-I want to play with friends.-

“With other undines?”

-Yes.-

“Then what about the tiredness?”

-If I play and have fun, I can forget about being tired.-

“Really?”

-Yes.-

Hmm.

This might be easier than I thought.

After thinking for a moment, I shared my idea with the undine.

“How about we bring two more undine friends and build a water playground for you all to play in?”

-Really? Can you really do that?-

“If you agree, I’ll try my best.”

-I like it!-

“Great.”

I stood up and returned with the bewildered worker.

*

“Are you insane? The cost alone would be measured in gold bars. This isn’t your farm, how can you make such irresponsible suggestions…!”

“Calm down and listen to me first.”

“Sigh… Fine. I assume you have some kind of plan?”

Naturally, the first resistance came from the farm owner.

After all, he was the one suffering losses due to the undine’s complaints.

“You might think it’s excessive, but think about it long-term. You’re not planning to tend just this small farm forever, right? As you expand your land and livestock, you’ll need more water. With three undines, you could easily handle business expansion.”

“I understand about the undines, but what about this water playground?”

“It’s simple. Who says only undines can use a water playground? Think of it as building an attraction where children can splash around and play. The children will be happy to have a water park, the undines will be happy to have playmates, and you can charge admission fees. Isn’t that good for everyone?”

“A water park…?”

As I displayed my business acumen, the farm owner quickly began calculating in his head with an expression that suggested he hadn’t considered this possibility.

“And naturally, people get hungry after playing in water, so you set up food stalls nearby. Since you grow rice and wheat, you could sell things with good turnover like rice noodles or sandwiches. Add a sign saying it’s organic, eco-friendly coffee and tea made with undine water, and sell it to the adults who bring their children. That would be quite profitable. And if you invite a couple of skilled craftsmen to make undine figurines and sell them as merchandise, you could make a fortune.”

“Food stalls… merchandise…”

“And remember when you mentioned the Elemental Spirit Association and boycotts? That concern would disappear with the water park. Elemental spirit practitioners consider spirits to be the superior beings, so they can’t complain about spirits having fun. You won’t have to worry about conflicts with the association or boycotts, and your image will improve. Except for the initial investment costs, it’s all profit!”

“…”

The farm owner’s expression turned to astonishment after hearing my explanation.

In a good way, of course.

“I see now that I hired a consultant, not an adventurer! You’re right. Let’s put this into action immediately. At worst, we’ll break even, and at best, we could become wealthy!”

“That’s exactly it.”

“I’ll mark your request as completed. This is quite an insight you’ve provided. In the future, if you visit my farm, please let me know in advance so I can welcome you properly.”

“Haha. I’ll gratefully accept that.”

And so, the complicated story involving a farm in Paerus Veil concluded with the decision to invest even more money.

I left the farm with my spotted companion, carrying the request form stamped with completion, hoping that the undine’s puffed cheeks had deflated.