episode_0446

There was no reason for our upper echelon to be left out on the new land secured by Lady Mona Hwang.

Erin Tina had already prepared the construction of a branch there, not to mention the flag.

They were probably well into the construction by now.

“How’s the situation on the recently purified land? Wasn’t it a bit unsafe before?”

“It was. But now it’s much better. Lady Hwang prioritizes safety the most.”

“She’s wise.”

“Yeah. And she also dispatched soldiers to the front lines, so there haven’t been any issues.”

It seemed that they had developed an attachment to the land, as it was a reward obtained from a mission that determined the next successor.

Lady Mona Hwang spared no expense in investing in the newly purified land.

Thanks to her, the land was being rapidly developed, and our upper echelon, tasked with assisting her, had no choice but to move quickly.

“It was a good idea to prepare in advance at the front lines. If there were no branch there, it would have taken much longer to establish one.”

“That’s why we prepared in advance.”

The efforts they had made so far were starting to show results.

The most challenging part was actively securing support and cooperation from the Empire, and having achieved that this time, it was not an exaggeration to say they had crossed a significant hurdle.

“The surrounding conditions are well set up, but we’re lacking in filling the most important part.”

The core.

It refers to raising SSR characters.

“We need to raise these new recruits as quickly as possible and send them to the direct unit… ”

Having to fight against the contaminated zones in the game with less than ten SSR characters without any game adjustments was a heavy burden that the Talia direct unit was carrying.

They knew that these were not just any recruits who would fail due to their small numbers.

But skill was skill, and the weight that these young recruits, who were not even twenty years old yet, had to bear seemed too heavy.

“If they have reliable comrades to support them, they can alleviate the heavy burden they’re feeling.”

Although they had done a lot to purify the contaminated zones, raising SSR characters was still a top priority, as having them in the direct unit would increase stability and reduce the pressure of attacking the contaminated zones.

The recruits were currently focused on strengthening themselves, but that alone was not enough for them to be considered fully grown.

They still had a long way to go.

“When are we planning to start accepting commoners on the purified land?”

It was difficult for nobles to visit the land that was once contaminated and now purified.

Nobles were not eager to visit a place where monsters could appear at any moment.

So, the plan was to first accept commoners as applicants, help them settle in, and adapt.

To progress, they needed people, and commoners could be very useful in that regard.

It was not a bad deal for the commoners either.

They could receive many benefits in exchange for taking on the risk.

“It will take time since no buildings have been constructed yet. We need to have a place for them to stay. And there’s also the question of whether there will be any applicants. If there are not enough applicants in the first migration request, we may have to forcibly select and bring them.”

“We need to help the commoners adapt well. The purified land will continue to expand in the future, and we can’t forcibly bring people every time.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll make sure that even those who didn’t apply for migration can live comfortably enough to not regret it.”

High risk, high return.

They were willing to provide rewards equal to the risks taken by those who applied.

“If we show that the vanguard is thriving, everyone will rush to migrate, right?”

“Exactly!”

Since Erin Tina was handling things well, they decided not to worry about the purified land.

“What are we aiming for this year?”

Last year was eventful, so it would be good to set goals and move forward this year as well.

“This year? Well, I think I’ll be busier than last year.”

“Can you really get busier than this? Did you forget what you were doing last year?”

I told Mona Hwangtae to take care of the abnormal phenomena, but there were other things happening next year.

The world was still chaotic, and I had to be busy running around to deal with the chaos caused by the movement of pollution zones.

“There’s a lot to do, so it can’t be helped.”

“What’s keeping you so busy? Tell me. Don’t try to solve everything on your own.”

“If I have to do something right now….”

It seems like reinforcing the students’ unique equipment is the most urgent task.

“I can’t leave my post because of reinforcement.”

When I mentioned that I might not be able to reinforce for a while to go meet Mona Hwangtae this time, there was a huge backlash among the students.

It was only after I promised to reinforce for the additional days I would be away that the protests subsided.

So, the most urgent task right now was to go reinforce to appease the disgruntled students.

“They’ll probably send someone from Mona Hwangtae when the reinforcement is done.”

I had conveyed many other things besides confessing my request that day.

For example, I consistently advised that it would be good if Mona Hwangtae knew about the existence of the abnormal phenomena and that it would be helpful to get Gabriel’s help in resolving the matter.

I also made sure to inform Mona Hwangtae that there are forces targeting Princess Haehwa.

They are probably busy investigating the matter I passed on like a bomb.

As Erin Tina was busy, Mona Hwangtae was even busier, with no time to relax and enjoy.

“Focus on the purified land for now.”

“Is that all I have to do?”

“Yes. Oh, and you’ll probably hear about strange incidents happening nationwide soon.”

“Strange incidents?”

As Erin Tina was operating nationwide, it was necessary to know in advance about the existence of abnormal phenomena.

“Oh, you’ll hear about abnormal phenomena happening here and there nationwide.”

Since Erin Tina already knew that I was aware of the future and acting accordingly, I could comfortably offer advice.

“What exactly do you mean by abnormal phenomena?”

“Do you remember why the Hwangtae Expeditionary Force returned to the capital later than planned?”

“It was because of the fog.”

“Yes. Just like that, abnormal phenomena will occur here and there in the future. It may be just fog like that time, but the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see a step ahead. When it rains, there will be places where it pours like the monsoon, and if it snows, it will pile up like winter.”

“…That’s insane. That’s a huge problem!”

In my past life, natural disasters were a terrifying subject that could not be prevented.

But how terrifying would it be for the people of this world, who are relatively less civilized?

“Why are you telling me this now? Tell me quickly. You should have prepared for it.”

“This is not something you can prepare for in advance.”

“When you move to a different area, having items you can prepare in advance can reduce the damage.”

“Um… I don’t think you quite understand. The places where abnormal phenomena occur are completely inaccessible.”

“??”

To prepare for abnormal phenomena, there is only one thing to do. Stockpile items in the base.

So, until the abnormal phenomena end, support the people in the surrounding villages with supplies and endure.

Moving to do business through the abnormal phenomena?

“Absolutely not. That’s just telling you to go there and die.”

Abnormal phenomena will show a form that exceeds any imagination.

It will make humans realize how insignificant they are compared to nature.

“The only fortunate thing is that the abnormal phenomena won’t last long.”

It won’t be less than 10 days, and it won’t exceed 60 days.

If you wander outside just because you’re curious about the strange phenomenon, you’ll end up in big trouble.

At times like this, it’s safer to stay inside the house and wait it out.

And although I haven’t told anyone yet, there was a way to prevent the strange phenomenon from lasting too long.

I plan to slightly inform Gabriel while watching how Mona Hwang deals with the strange phenomenon.

If Gabriel uses what I tell him to solve the problem his father has been worrying about, it will be resolved quickly.

※ ※ ※

After finishing my conversation with Erin Tina, I returned to the general store.

If Negi wasn’t there, the empty store would have been waiting for me, but the general store I returned to was still bustling with people.

“It seems like there are more customers now than when I left for the capital?”

Especially seeing students as customers frequently was unexpected.

Until now, our general store had mainly been visited by customers in the age group that Negi brought in(?).

“Does it change this much just by cleaning the streets?”

Maybe it’s because we cleaned up the dirty areas while maintaining the streets?

“Welcome.”

Approaching Negi, who was busy with customers, and giving her a signal, she checked me and smiled widely.

“Welcome, boss!”

Swish- swish swish swish-

“?”

The moment Negi called me boss, the eyes of the students who seemed like customers all turned towards me.

Feeling the sudden attention from everyone made me feel uncomfortable.

“What’s going on?”

“Um… You seem surprised, boss.”

“Why is everyone staring at me?”

“While you were away, there was some work to do in the store.”

Before Negi could explain to me, the students spoke first.

“Are you the boss??”

“…Yes.”

“Wow! Finally! I don’t know how many times I’ve come here to see the boss.”

“Why do you want to meet me?”

It was surprising to hear that a student who wasn’t even an SSR character wanted to meet me.

Whether they knew about my confusion or not, the student who spoke to me bluntly stated their purpose.

“I heard you have a lot of good items! I’ll pay whatever price, so please, can you sell me some items?”

Now that I think about it, it seems like they were not customers, but rather bandits.

I was taken aback by the student’s demand to sell items without me ever leaving anything with them.

I didn’t know what was going on, but I was sure that there was definitely some strange rumor circulating about me at the academy.