Volume 7, Chapter 4 – Realizing Water is a Luxury

“Ahem, Tiffany, could I ask you to do something for me? I’m a little worried about letting Pepe and Refina wander around a human city by themselves. Could you keep an eye on them for me? If Pepe does anything too outrageous, crush this immediately. It’s a magic crystal for communication. Let’s plan to meet at the temple gate at noon.”

“Okay. Mary, it’s up to you.”

Taking the crystal from Yisi, Tiffany leaped gracefully from the carriage.

Yisi turned her head to look at Mary.

“Mary, go straight down this road and turn left at the second intersection. That should take us to the residence of the mining city’s lord.”

“Yes~”

Because of the order Yisi had given, Camilla subtly waved her hand, dispelling the ice she had been using to bully Mary. The thought that Camilla might be bullying Mary like a pet made Yisi sigh softly.

“Camilla, my shoulders feel a little sore. Could you rub them for me? I think it’s from sitting in the same position for too long.”

“Of course, Onee-sama.”

The displeased expression vanished from Camilla’s face in an instant, as if it had never been there. A cheerful atmosphere radiated from her as she willingly moved behind Yisi. Since there wasn’t enough space on the driver’s seat, Camilla knelt directly behind her.

It reminded one of a puppy wagging its tail, but if one had to say, Camilla was more like a kitty.

Her slender, fair fingers roamed over Yisi’s shoulders and back, each time massaging just the right spot with just the right amount of pressure. Even with Yisi’s self-control, she couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.

“Nn…”

“Onee-sama is making a very feminine sound—is this pressure alright? It might be a little painful, but if I don’t use enough force, you’ll end up with neck problems like those civil officials, Onee-sama.”

“Ah, it’s fine. But feminine, you say… I don’t recall ever intentionally speaking in a masculine way.”

“How should I put it… Onee-sama, you always seem so reliable. There are very few times when you need our help.”

“So that’s what you meant,” Yisi couldn’t help but give a wry smile. “Should I try to act a little weaker then?”

Camilla’s hands paused on the back of Yisi’s neck for a moment before she continued to apply pressure.

“As long as you are fine with it, Onee-sama, I am too. You are always Onee-sama, no matter what.”

“I see…”

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I really am a sinful person. Getting a massage while sitting in the passenger seat of a carriage felt like a public execution, but if she suddenly changed her mind, Camilla would be unhappy. Yisi could only pretend not to notice the gazes of the passersby and search for random topics of conversation.

“The houses here are generally quite low.”

Unlike other non-capital cities, all the streets in the mining city were paved with stone slabs and were very wide. There were no particularly tall buildings on either side. Looking along the way, there were very few buildings with more than three floors. The exterior walls were all the earthy yellow of sand, lacking the reliefs and decorations that could be seen everywhere in the city of Mitters Bayer.

“Everyone’s clothes are so revealing…”

Mary’s gaze fell on a woman with an eight-pack of abs—this was an exception. Due to the hot weather and lack of rain, the men in the mining city generally wore only shorts that didn’t even reach their knees. Even the women wore only very revealing tops that resembled underwear. Of course, since this wasn’t a true desert, not many people wore veils or headscarves, unlike the Western-region style Yisi had imagined.

Additionally, the streets were abnormally crowded, to the point where Yisi felt like she was sweating just from looking at them. The carriage moved very slowly, forced to creep along with the crowd.

Her gaze was drawn to a patch of green in her field of vision, and Camilla’s hands slowed their movements.

“What is that? Why is there a tree of that scale in the middle of a wasteland?”

Camilla was talking about a towering tree at the very edge of their vision, extremely far from their group. At a rough glance, it was at least as tall as ten of Gota’s city walls stacked together. And in stark contrast to the earthy yellow land, the giant desert tree had a green canopy that covered a diameter of at least one kilometer. If its appearance were more extravagant and its size magnified tenfold, Yisi might have mistaken it for the World Tree from ‘Ragnarøk’.

But even without the grandeur of the World Tree, Yisi felt a strong visual impact. This was not a tropical rainforest, but a wasteland without a single tall tree. Perhaps only in a world of magic could such an absurd and fantastical sight exist.

Before Yisi could open the [Omniscient Map] to search, a bare-chested, dark-skinned man waved at the three of them.

“Yo, you’re from out of town, aren’t you? Want to know what that is?”

“Yes.”

Yisi nodded.

I hope it’s not a mirage.

“Just about every outsider stares in amazement like this young lady here,” the man pointed at Mary, whose mouth was slightly agape, and puffed out his chest with great pride. “That’s called the Water Tree. It’s been there since before my grandfather’s grandfather was born. Water flows endlessly from its crown, which is why it’s called the Water Tree. Most of the people here depend on the Water Tree to survive.”

“But isn’t it quite far from the Water Tree? Why not build the city closer to it?”

“Ah, there’s a forest under the Water Tree, and the strongest monsters in the entire wasteland live there. The Marquis organized several extermination campaigns hundreds of years ago, but they all ended in failure. So our ancestors could only build the city far away from the tree. Although it’s a long walk to fetch water every time, it’s still better than living right under the monsters’ noses.”

“I see.”

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As if remembering something, the man, who had been about to leave, suddenly turned back.

“By the way, since you’re outsiders, you must have some water stones on you, right? Could you sell me a few?”

“Water stones?”

Yisi blinked, puzzled. It was the first time she had heard of such an ore.

Kneeling behind Yisi, Camilla quietly explained.

“It’s an ore that releases water when you smash it open. It’s very common in the Pescia Territory. Travelers often carry it with them.”

“Do we have any?”

“I have some, but I’m guessing this man is trying to swindle you, Onee-sama.”

“Hmm…” Yisi turned to the man. “How much are you offering?”

“One silver coin for one this size.”

The man gestured with his hands—a volume about the size of a fist.

Camilla’s hand on Yisi’s shoulder tightened slightly. Just as Camilla had said, this man was trying to make a quick profit off her.

Considering he told me about the Water Tree, I’ll give him one. Of course, not one of Camilla’s.

Yisi made a grasping motion in the air.

“[Ice Creation].”

A huge block of ice, about the size of the carriage, appeared in everyone’s sight, occupying most of the street. Yisi waved her hand.

“This is for you. I think the water from this block of ice will definitely be much more than what you’d get from a fist-sized water stone.”

It wasn’t that Yisi wanted to make things difficult for the man. She just didn’t have any water stones on her, and the only ones they had were Camilla’s personal belongings, so she could only give him water in the form of ice. As for how the man would take it back, that was his problem.

However, to Yisi’s surprise, her action caused the entire street to erupt.

The first to react were the people passing by the ice block.

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“What is that! Where did it come from?”

“Such a beautiful color.”

“There’s a chill coming from it, and that’s… water? Dripping from it?”

“I heard that in other parts of the kingdom, something called ‘snow’ appears in winter, and it turns into water when it meets the sun. Could this be snow?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen it.”

“Wait! If it can turn into water, doesn’t that make it incredibly valuable?! So much water, and it’s so clear and transparent. It must not have any strange taste. It should sell for at least several gold coins, right?”

“Only the temple and the city lord ever get to use something like that.”

“How many water stones would it take to make that?”

It seemed she had done something quite outrageous. Yisi awkwardly twirled the end of her hair. The man who had been gifted the ice swallowed hard, a fawning expression spreading across his face as he carefully rubbed his hands together.

“M-My lord, is this really for me?”

“Yes, but how will you take it back? If you leave it here to get a cart, won’t someone steal it?”

As if afraid Yisi’s next words would be to take the ice back, the man quickly interjected.

“I-I can handle this myself, my lord. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were a magic chanter who could use water magic.”

“I’ve just arrived here, so there’s a lot I don’t know. This may be a bit rude, but may I ask, how much would this much water sell for here?”

She had no intention of making money by selling water; she was just curious.

“Probably… o-one gold coin?”

The man’s gaze darted about evasively. The actual value of the ice block must be far more than one gold coin.

As expected, a bystander pointed out that the man was hiding the truth.

“It’s worth at least three gold coins!”

“Even water fetched from under the Water Tree costs several copper coins a bucket, not to mention this is rare ice!”

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“Lord magic chanter, I’ll give you three gold coins for it. Sell it to me!”

“Me too!”

“This was a gift from the lord magic chanter to me! Don’t you dare try to steal it! Hey, kid! No licking! What if you get it dirty!”

“So this is what ice feels like. It’s so cold.”

However, even as the man desperately tried to protect the block of ice, curious people from all around continued to swarm it. By the time Yisi urged Mary to quietly slip away, someone had already brought a hammer and a wooden basin from home and, ignoring the man’s protests, was forcefully chipping off a small piece of ice.

Even with a convenient source like the Water Tree, water was still a luxury here.

Yisi turned her head to look at Camilla.

“Camilla, how much water does a fist-sized water stone produce?”

“If you grind the ore into powder, the water can fill half a wooden basin.”

“Hmm…”

Yisi couldn’t help but glance back at the crowd scrambling for the ice.

…I’ve created something quite extraordinary.

Although she felt a little sorry for the man, since he had originally only wanted half a basin’s worth of clean water, he could still make a huge profit even if some of it was taken. Not to mention, most people were just curious about the existence of ‘ice’ and weren’t trying to steal it for gain.

“Master, you’re amazing! You used this method to get everyone to clear a path.”

Mary clapped her hands in admiration.

No, no, I definitely had no such intention…

But being seen as amazing in Mary’s eyes wasn’t a bad thing; it even felt like a compliment. Yisi didn’t correct her and simply waved her hand forward.

“Mary, let’s go to the city lord’s residence.”

“Yes!”