Ch.60Delivery

Winter of the 8th year of Amurtart.

As if mocking the cold weather, the Steelyard and Boneyard were sending black and white smoke up into the sky. Today, the craftsmen of the Boneyard had finished making the bone china that would go to customers who had placed pre-orders.

Now the pottery was loaded onto carriages, packed with enormous amounts of cushioning material, ready to depart for Fahrenheit and countries even further away.

Although there was a minor incident where one apprentice died from extreme anxiety and respiratory distress during the process, well, that wasn’t something I needed to concern myself with.

“Finally, this day has come. Truly a thrilling day.”

“You’re literally trembling, sir.”

“Hehe…”

Is this how game developers feel when releasing a game for the first time?

In truth, I hadn’t done anything except pour in money, but since this entire Amurtart was mine, everything created by Amurtart’s citizens was simultaneously my property and my invention.

Queen Anne of England, who passed the world’s first copyright law, would grab the back of her neck in disbelief, but what can I say? If she’s upset, she can come to this other world herself.

“Anyway, I can stop worrying about the pottery business now. Boneyard and Steelyard… such wonderful names.”

“Rather obvious names… but at least they roll off the tongue nicely.”

My naming philosophy was to choose names that roll off the tongue rather than complicated Latin or German terms.

Of course, names shouldn’t be too obvious, but for industrial complexes, you couldn’t find more suitable names than Boneyard and Steelyard.

“Now that we’re starting to sell bone china, we’ll have a new source of income. What industry should we develop next?”

“Well… honestly, I wonder if there are any industries left to develop.”

Steel, pottery, and preserved food.

These three pillars supported Amurtart’s economy.

Steel for practicality, pottery for luxury, and preserved food as an essential resource for survival—no country in its right mind would have reason to block the import of these three resources.

So, what else should we do?

“…”

Well, nothing particularly comes to mind.

It’s not like there are countless industries in this medieval world to begin with.

With the Adventurers’ Guild and Alchemists’ Guild already established, even if this trinity economy collapsed, we could at least maintain minimal breathing room.

“Well, let’s wait and see. Who knows? I might come up with another brilliant idea for an amazing business.”

“That would be wonderful indeed, sir.”

The aide said this while looking at the clock tower outside the window.

The clock was approaching 12 o’clock sharp, and soon after the bells rang announcing noon, the long line of delivery carriages stretching to the square began to exit through the city gates all at once.

Clatter! Clatter!

“Ugh… I hope the pottery doesn’t break…”

“Well, we packed plenty of cushioning material. Try not to worry too much.”

“I can’t trust that cushioning material…”

“Then I suppose we’ll have to work while worrying.”

The cushioning materials in this world were limited to straw, sawdust, and cotton.

Of course, these could be called cushioning materials, but with vivid memories of squeaky styrofoam packaging, I couldn’t shake off my anxiety.

*

Elisia.

More precisely, what used to be Elisia now displayed only a horrific scene.

How long do you think it would take for 100,000 people to die?

When the barrier disappeared, demons rushed into Elisia in an instant, and it took just 43 minutes to slaughter all 100,000 people who remained inside.

Not 43 days, not 43 hours, but in the brief span of 43 minutes, the disabled people who had been waiting for death without any means of self-defense, along with those who cared for them, met an excruciating end at the hands of hell’s army.

Angels might guide their souls, but their remains were defiled by the powers of hell.

Kilometer-sized archdemons and tens of thousands of hellhounds stayed for days, feasting on the pain, despair, and regret of 100,000 people as if tearing off flesh. Afterward, what was once called a “city” was destroyed to the point where it could only be described as “ruins.”

Muddy water gathered into swamp-like puddles shaped like footprints, bone fragments scattered everywhere, skulls crushed beyond recognition, and bloodstains splattered all around…

It wasn’t difficult to deduce the fate of the 100,000 who remained here from these signs alone.

A place that even adventurers from nearby Fahrenheit or Amurtart feared to tread.

This was the ruins of Elisia, proof that this world was certainly not kind to humans.

And in that land of death, a light began to rise.

Flash!

Light emerged from one corner of the ground, and then brown branches began to grow from where the light had appeared.

Crack! Crackle!

Like a world tree growing, thick branches began to sprout from the ground with brilliant light, at the spot where the dead Lady Monarch Francesca had been cremated and buried.

A fragment of the Earth’s Core was now complete and leaking to the surface.

Eventually, the branches curled around and wrapped themselves in layers as if encasing something, and the brilliant light was entwined with the branches until it was firmly sealed.

In a city where everyone had died, new life was born upon the remains of the dead, but who would celebrate the birth of a fragment of the Earth’s Core?

A fragment is just a fragment. It is evidence and proof of irreversible destruction, completed through failure and death.

A city of people who suffered under oppression and misrule until they lost their own limbs.

And the foolish ruler who reigned over them, ignorant of the ways of the world.

And the criminalized authorities who manipulated that ruler for their own gain.

The fragment of the Earth’s Core bloomed desolately from the remains of one who was the sum total of despair, anger, and hatred.

In a land full of fragments, remains, and dried blood, even the most brilliant light would inevitably fade.

For a very long time to come, the Earth’s Core of this land would heal its wounds, and no one would be able to settle here.

Like sand castles returning to sand when washed away by waves, fallen trees being gnawed into pieces by ants, and parched earth moistening its throat with rain again.

As time passes, moss will grow on the traces of destruction, bone fragments will turn to sand, and bloodstains will be washed away by rainwater.

And until all the events that occurred in Elisia and the buildings that were erected are covered and erased by sand and soil, this land will remain without an owner.

Francesca, Lady Monarch of Mercy.

By this, your name shall be forever erased from under this sky.

*

Clop! Clop!

And several days later, those bearing the flag of Fahrenheit set foot in the ruins of Elisia.

They were envoys from Fahrenheit, who had come to extract the fragment of the Earth’s Core after confirming the light it emitted.

“There it is.”

“Is that… the fragment of the Earth’s Core?”

“The fragment is inside that. Draw your swords. We need to cut those branches.”

“Understood.”

These men were on a mission, ordered by Grand Monarch Marcus, to extract the fragment of the Earth’s Core and deliver it to the ruler of Amurtart. As if to prove this, an extraordinary aura flowed from their bodies.

At minimum, they were Sword Experts, and their leader had reached the realm of Sword Master. Only those of such caliber would be qualified to meet a nation’s monarch.

“By the way, do fragments of the Earth’s Core normally emerge like trees? I was certain it would be buried in the ground.”

“It varies slightly with each monarch. For ordinary monarchs, they’re simply buried underground, but for some with unusual personalities, they emerge above ground encased in something tree-like.”

“Unusual personality…”

Since Francesca’s personality was certainly not ordinary, whether in a good or bad sense, it wasn’t strange that her remains had risen above the ground.

Or perhaps the land she had contracted with refused to embrace her in its bosom.

Well, interpretation was a matter of personal freedom.

Chop! Chop! Chop!

As the aura-infused blades touched the branches, they were cut off chunk by chunk like vegetables under a heated knife. Eventually, the Fahrenheit envoys extracted the brilliantly shining fragment of the Earth’s Core from within the branches.

“Fragment of the Earth’s Core secured. Now we head to Amurtart.”

“Understood.”

With the brightly glowing fragment tucked away, the envoys moved toward the carriage bound for Amurtart.

Now it was time for Fahrenheit to pay the price for the transaction.