Kays Translations

Chapter 174: Snake People Traits and Brewing

423rd Day in the Other World – 151,151pt

The festival celebrating the founding of Nanasia had reached its third and final day.

While the term “founding” was being grandly proclaimed, there were neither castles nor kings here. Only a few individuals were making a fuss. However, I allowed them to enjoy themselves as it would be unsophisticated to dampen the festival spirit.

The snake people who had become villagers this time were also proactive in interacting with the predecessors. Despite showing confusion about interacting with other races for the first time in their lives, they were eager to quickly adapt.

For them, who had lived underground for so long, this scene was truly like another world. Swinging between anxiety and curiosity, they seemed to be enjoying the festival.

As the snake people themselves had mentioned, they were indeed a race that loved alcohol. They were getting along well with the alcohol enthusiasts, comparing the drinks they bought in Keimos and the ones they made themselves. Since they possessed brewing techniques, it would be great to incorporate it as a new industry in the city.

“Hey, Snapenir, are you enjoying yourself?”

“What is it, Village Chief? And please call me Nail, close acquaintances call me that.”

“My apologies. So, Nail, how’s the tribe doing?”

“Very well. The curse has been lifted, and we have achieved our return to the surface. If anyone still complains, they’ll incur the goddess’s punishment.”

“I see. If there are any racial requests, let me know as soon as possible. There’s no need to endure.”

“Indeed… then, about alcohol. We want to make brewing our job. With the grains here, we should be able to make excellent liquor.”

“Oh, that sounds great. I’m delighted that skilled artisans have come. We’ve been looking for someone who can brew for a long time.”

“That’s good to hear. Our clan will definitely live up to expectations.”

They were enthusiastically advocating the use of the highest-quality grains in the village, especially those yams, which would result in an excellent final product. I’m not very familiar with it, but would it be like sweet potato shochu? Well, in any case, I’m looking forward to the day when it’s finished.

“By the way, do snake people have any special abilities? Like heat sensing or poison attacks?”

“Poison? We don’t have that, but we can sense heat sources and to some extent, read the emotions of the target.”

(I see. It’s like a pit organ. But emotions… can they read minds?)

According to Nail’s explanation, they can sense heat within a radius of about 30 meters and roughly understand emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. According to legend, their ancestors could communicate with each other even when they were far apart. It’s probably something similar to telepathy.

“It’s useful for detecting lies or expressing mutual affection. I used it when I first met the Village Chief.”

“I see… But isn’t it a bit much? It seems like infidelity would be quickly discovered. Will you be okay in such situations, Nail?”

“A snake person has only one lifelong partner. We don’t have the concept of infidelity.”

“That’s wonderful. I’ll let everyone in the city know about it next time. There might be someone who carelessly messes up.”

“I hope it’s not the Village Chief, haha.”

While exchanging such jokes, we discussed our future life and work, as well as guarding the bottom floor of the dungeon.

The bottom layer has become an empty shell, and unless something happens, no one will be able to reach that level. Even so, I decided to put him in charge of daily patrols just in case. From now on, it has been decided that he will mainly be responsible for sake brewing, but will also be in charge of agriculture and various other industries, and will join Nanashi’s army for combat duties.

With the addition of the snake people to the village, the number of villagers increased dramatically, and an increase in faith points from monster subjugation was expected. Furthermore, it was recently discovered that there was a bonus for offering to the goddess. Tsubaki calculated that we would earn over 10,000 points in a day, so the time until the goddess’s descent would be greatly shortened.

Finally, our fantasy in the other world is approaching its final stage. Of course, there will be more to come after that… It’s like reaching a destination, or in terms of a story, it’s like reaching the ending.

◇◇◇

Evening came on that day—

The three-day festival, which had been a great success, was coming to a close, and now we were in the midst of something like an after-party with the city’s representatives. We had moved to a cafeteria in the village, so there were hardly any other villagers here.

Along with the major Japanese members, Rado, Melinard, Lord Drago, and Nail from the snake people were gathered around one table. Each person was essential to what had been and what would be.

“Keisuke-san, this festival was a great success, wasn’t it? Not just with the snake people, but the interaction with the pioneers went well too.”

“I’ve been appraising them occasionally, and everyone’s loyalty has increased. The certification ceremony next time might be amazing!”

As we all basked in the afterglow of the festival, Sakura and Haruka brought up such things.

“It’s different when a lot of people gather, isn’t it? I hope we can have occasional social events like this in the future. Of course, there’s no pressure.”

“In the future, we’ll have regular days off, right? We also need to think about interesting events.”

“I’m thinking about whether we can recreate Japanese entertainment. That part is entrusted to the master Natsuki.”

“Yeah. I’m also thinking of making hand-play games and playground equipment that are typical in otherworldly settings. Well, whether the people in this world will like it is questionable.”

Based on everyone’s suggestions, we planned to switch the work cycle to a three-day weekend system. By increasing the number of full days off, we aimed to deepen the interaction between people and hold events with entertainment elements regularly.

“Hey, Village Chief, entertainment is all well and good, but what about dealing with other countries?”

Touya also began to speak as the topic changed. Perhaps there was something bothering him.

“Are you talking about defense?”

“We have a barrier here, so I don’t think it’s a problem to ignore them. Do you not plan to take the initiative?”

“Hmm, for now, invasion or war is out of the question. I intend to continue watching quietly. Ah, but there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“Is that about Ryuunosuke?”

“No, he’s done for already. He’ll probably escape or be expelled soon. I don’t think he has a place in the Beastman Country.”

“Then, is it about the Empire? The Kingdom is quite far away… Is there anything else that’s bothering you?”

I had been thinking about it for a while… it seemed like a good opportunity to share my thoughts with everyone present.

“I’m curious about the other Village Chief. The one who’s at the northernmost tip of the kingdom. I’d like to meet him if possible, or at least appraise him.”

Even though they’re isolated in the orc territory, I think they can escape anytime using the barrier. Besides, they possess abilities different from mine, and there’s a fair chance they’ve undergone their own evolution. I considered turning a blind eye to them, but I felt it would be unwise to leave them as an unknown presence.

The only existence that could threaten Nanasia, such as the counter-annihilation of the barrier and interference with the villagers, might already be becoming a reality. I explain such matters calmly.

“I see, when the Village Chief says it, it carries weight.”

“The occasional inspiration from the Village Chief tends to be quite accurate.”

“Indeed, when you put it that way, it’s concerning. But how do you plan to investigate? It’s the exact opposite direction from here, isn’t it?”

After answering Touya and Natsuki, I address Sakura’s question.

“Ah, I’m thinking of going through the snake people’s village. I was planning to confirm that today.”

As I say this while looking at Nail, everyone’s gaze also turns to him.

“Of course, it’s possible. Although we don’t know the exact location of the so-called kingdom’s territory… Now that we can come to the surface, we can conduct the investigation. Leave the activation of the teleportation circle and the investigation to us, the snake people.”

“In that case, I’ll accompany you. If we come to the surface, reconnaissance from the sky will be possible. Until we pinpoint the location, the dragon people and snake people will take charge.”

The ruler of the underworld and the king of the sky, this combination leaves nothing to be desired. They are sure to produce results.

“That would be appreciated. So first, let’s identify the location, and then we’ll confront them with our best forces. In the meantime, I’ll gather information from the Imperial Saint.”

“Touya-kun, let’s focus on strengthening and reorganizing the Nanashi army. Let’s prepare to send them into action at any time.”

“Understood, Sakura-san. Let’s create a comprehensive system in preparation for the final battle.”

Thus, the Village Chief’s investigation plan for the other existence was decided.

“Hey, hey… this time, the purpose is strictly for investigation and interaction, okay? Preparation is important, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

A showdown between “Village Chiefs” is out of the question, but depending on the other party’s intentions, it’s a story that could very well happen. It’s fine if they’re just a carefree person, but… let’s avoid any conflicts, especially anything related to final boss-level matters.

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