Chapter 50 of “I, A Commoner, Was Actually Reincarnated Part 2”
The place that was once called the ‘ghost town’ had been beautifully reborn, to the point that it was hard to believe that it was even called that only a short time ago.
Near the entrance were the original shops that used to stand in a row. After passing through the narrow entrance, the atmosphere changed abruptly, and a beautiful park stretching wide and straight up to the canal opened up before of me.
A dividing line of trees between the park and the old town was made so as not to interfere with the view from either side. In front of the canal, a chalk-white temple had been built. The view fascinated more than anything. It might be better to say that it was a piercing view.
In the center of the plaza, there was a wide circular fountain, and the canal extended long and straight from there through the center to the temple. The waterway, made of stone, was filled with clear and beautiful water, and was divided right in front of the temple, separating the park from the temple. When it reached the edge of the park, it broke off vertically and flowed down both sides of the temple, enclosing it.
The water was built to eventually fall into the canal. The sound of flowing water was cool and pleasant to the ears.
Flowers and plants were beautifully arranged around the temple, and the water drawn from the canal was intricately drawn into it. Here and there, small fountains were built, and even the high and low columns created a view of the water falling into the canal. Later on, this place would be called the “Temple of Water”.
In addition, the cobblestone pavement was paved with colored stones starting from the fountain in the center and patterns were drawn on the pavement. The delicate pattern drawn was a magic circle with a motif of a pentagram and a circle. It was a beautiful pattern with intricate runes.
Whenever the water column in the center of the fountain rose up high, it resonated with the water, and a wave of purification spilled out from there and spread to the northern region. Only those with magical sight would notice it. From the five maidens standing in five evenly spaced positions, water was falling from a jar on their shoulders.
The purpose of this trick was not only to purify the northern region, but also to create a suitable environment for the non-humans to live in. The space divided by the boundary stone was not visible, but it was definitely purifying this area by separating it from other people’s dwellings. It was very comfortable for the ancient creatures who did not like the dirty thoughts of people. That is where the temple was set up.
It was now a beautiful and spacious structure that made it hard to believe that it was an annex to the temple. Zak told me that the High Priestess, who came here in secret, had said, ‘This is great. I want to move here…’
Akaino was currently playing in the fountain.
“Does it feel good, Akaino?”
“Gyuu.”
Akaino was in a good mood.
“I like it here.”
“Gyupi gyupi.”
He fluttered to a stop and happily put his feet on both my shoulders, standing up!
He seemed to be moving by magic though, so he wasn’t too heavy which was good.
“Akaino, let me hold you.”
When I say that, he came down to the front, so I could enjoy the mofumofu.
Fluffy~. Oh, he’s so cute. He’s making a gurgling noise in his throat. It’s so warm and soft and irresistible.
“I want to touch him too, just a little…”
Jastille came over to the side, looking very envious, and reached out his hand.
Then, at the speed of light, Akaino was pecking at Jastille’s hand with his beak like a woodpecker.
“…Ow!”
“Gyuu.”
Akaino stuck out his tongue.
“Jeez, that’s kind of annoying.”
“Gyupi!”
That’s what Akaino replied.
“Jastille, no, don’t touch Akaino.”
“Eh.”
He rubbed his pecked hands and looked at Akaino with regret.
“Gyurr!”
Akaino was still threatening Jastille.
Akaino had wanted to come here as soon as Zak had connected this place to Cross Island with a magic circle.. There was now a magic circle on top of a large tree in the farm hut of the living quarters. Akaino now went back and forth whenever he liked. Especially when I was here, he would come right away. Recently, it seems that all of his friends have come to play with me. In the mean time, I had told them not to take on the form of a dragon when here.
I’m sure that anyone who sees them turn into a dragon will definitely be shocked. Selvado-san also seemed to come to this city from time to time in his robes.
I thought that this plaza would be a good place to hold events and markets. Jastille was also a gardener by trade, and he often took care of part of the garden at Shion Castle, so he designed the plaza better than I expected. His skills were solid.
The Marquis Tizar, Margrave Fisaris and Duke Eldin immediately offered their support for the development of the northern region. We also received word from the Adalard Trading Company that they were willing to do something for us.
I heard that the royal family also sent a letter to Zak saying, ‘Due to various reasons, we cannot take part in this project openly, but we would like to support you from behind the scenes,’ but we refused it as it was unnecessary.
I didn’t like the fact that they were now saying they wanted to cooperate with us just because Zak had made a move. They simply didn’t do what they were supposed to do in the first place. It was just that simple, wasn’t it?
Rather than that, first of all, the three territories and the Adalard Trading Company who offered to help me decided to set up a shop on the main street that catered to the common people, just like the general store I was currently preparing. Both sides of the square that ran through to the canal would be the main street with wide straight lines. Between the two squares there was a wide street where carriages could come and go.
There would be a shopping district across those two main streets. Once the shops were built, things would get very busy.
The old buildings that could be left behind would be renovated and those that could not be left behind would be cleaned up. We were going to open up territories or stores in any vacant stores or lots that were willing to do so. However, as this was still a town for the common people, I set a restriction that the shops must be geared towards the common people.
Firstly, I was currently in the process of preparing the general store that I wanted to open, and next to it, a product shop that would sell goods from the northern region. II was going to set up a little cafe inside the grocery store where one could have a little tea. I wanted to provide a little bit of baked goods and pastries for everyone to enjoy.
The shops would be separate from each other from the outside, but they would be connected inside by doors. We would be selling farm produce, meat, dairy and other products from the farm.
I wanted to be able to offer some simple snacks using local products from this area as well. After all, if you taste it and it’s good, you would definitely want to buy it, right?
The farm also had an increasing number of goats and sheep sent from Duke Eldin’s territory, so there were a variety of goods. We could also make cheese and butter, which were difficult for the average person to eat, along with fresh cream. The meat could also be used to make smoked meats, so a dwarf uncle was now making some samples at a factory of a large farm. The dwarves also loved new things, so they took turns coming and going from there.
Not only the dwarves, but also quite a few of the non-humans of the cross island wanted to come here, so the number of people who visited each day was determined by order. Mandrake was the one who decided on the order. Selvado-san said he was troubled by the fact that they wanted to partition it right away.
And we also had ‘shade bees’ coming to the farm. Thanks to the magical power of purification, The shade bees were in a very good mood.
This would make it easier for us to make sweets and other delicious things.
We also built a flower garden and a small forest on the farm. The Elf Village had donated their services as well. I was going to educate the general store so that they could work in the shop and then I’d have a few people from the farm come to the store.
The grocery store would have a wider depth and a staff rest area. The farthest part of the store was made to look like a glass greenhouse. The floor was covered with unglazed bricks like terra cotta, and wooden benches and tables were placed on the floor.
It looked like a botanical garden, which was very nice. The outside was filled with tall plants, and inside were lots of tropical big leaf potted plants along with vanilla trees. It had a bit of a jungle feel to it. I also wanted to show off some sweets made with vanilla.
In the general store, we would be selling cute, inexpensive accessories and household items that never existed here before. The prices would be set so that anyone could buy them and enjoy them at retail. One of the more unusual items I was thinking about at the moment was daily necessities made from the dried leaves of the date palm. The sunshade hats and shopping bags could be used in everyday life without any worries, and they were so cute and colorful that when I gave them out to all the farm workers, they were very happy.
It’s a product made from date palms that the elves came up with for me. It was a wonderful idea to think about using the leaves and not just the fruit. Also, since the elves were so stylish, the color dyeing and design was very tasteful and cute. It was light and easy to use, and if one went out of use, it could just be replaced with another one without hesitation. It was perfect for farm work.
In the northern part of the country, people were allowed to come and go as they pleased, so many people came to see the farm area and other location where they had heard about it. However, the farm was magically constructed so that only certain parties were allowed to enter the farm. One couldn’t see it, but there was a magical marking, stamped on the backs of the employees’ hands. Those who didn’t have it were noted and couldn’t get in.
Everyone who came from elsewhere could only watch the strange sight from afar. It looked like they wanted to see the mame pigs up close, but it was a shame. The workers on the farm were well informed that the farm had a lot of magic and that they were not allowed to take any of the farm’s valuable resources outside of the farm. If someone did take them out, they would be handed over to the authorities.
Some people still had bad ideas. There were people who wanted to seduce those who worked on the farm and kidnap the mame pigs. They were reported to the police and caught right away.
These people who only cared about making money from other people just didn’t understand. As long as one worked diligently, they could have a clean place to live and wouldn’t have to worry about eating, as long as they did their jobs as promised.
People could also get medical treatment for their injuries and illnesses in the temple, and could now give their children a basic education that was previously unavailable. They didn’t have to live a hidden life in fear of not having a family register.
They couldn’t even try to think about how happy it made them, or about what kind of life they had been living until now.
The idea of arranging date palm syrup cakes and caramels at the grocery store in large glass-lidded jars, like the Japanese candy shops from my previous life, was quite a novel one. The glass itself was expensive, but I asked some dwarf men to make the jars for me. It would look so cute on the counter of a cafe in a general store.
Just by looking at it, one could see the cute, delicious looking candy inside. This glass lidded container had magic for keeping everything in its original state.
Jastille and the other Cross Islanders who came to help us were eager to sample every pastry. They used small tongs to divide them up into small plates and ate each one and marveled at them. It was made by the head chef of Shion Castle.
I put together a recipe so that it could be made in the café here, so the employees were trained to be able to make them.
I asked a dwarf uncle to make me an elegantly shaped iron birdcage I admired. Inside was a little silver bird. It hung inside the shop, and when customers came in, it would move and chirp as if it was alive. This kind of fine workmanship was only possible because it was my dwarf uncle. He was also an alchemist, so he could incorporate magic into his works.
Most of the common blacksmiths were those who made farm tools and other objects of daily use, and there were only a few blacksmiths who made weapons and armor. Such blacksmiths were the servants of the nobility who had large blacksmithing workshops or who had shops in the royal capital.
When raising chickens, the common people used baskets crafted from bambumb wood, which resembled bamboo. Incidentally, the plant that resembles a bamboo sapling was called a bambu. That was just confusing.
By the way, I think the whisk, strainer and peeler that I had a dwarf uncle make for me were definitely great. What was amazing about them was that the common people could use them, and I’m sure that aristocrats would also like to have their cooks use them. I’m sure that cooks would love to use them too. If people knew, I think it would be very popular. I wondered if I could make this and sell it. That’s all I was thinking about.
If we could have a workshop in the northern part of the country to make these kind of things, it could become one of the main products here.
I was thinking about that too. If I was going to do anything here, it had to be something that didn’t cover the rest of the territory. This was important.
If we did something that interfered with the specialties of other territories, we could get into trouble. It was important to create something that other territories would also want to buy.
A lot of things had been moving at once, but it was something I had been thinking about for a while now, so a lot was to be expected.
The Duke of Valmonter had already paid the taxes of the people of the northern region for three years. The problem of the family register had also been solved.
But the House of Lords and other influential citizens who wanted to get rid of the northerners did not pass. So there would be people who were unhappy about that. In the first place, those two major forces were probably connected behind the scenes. I wondered what they had in mind when they did that.
“Fii, what’s wrong? You have such a troubled look on your face.”
“Oh, welcome home, Zak. Did I really look like that?”
He seemed to be sitting on the sofa in the remote area, staring at a map of the northern region.
“Yeah, there were some wrinkles between your eyebrows.”
“Well, that’s no good.”
I involuntarily held down my eyebrows with my index finger.
“You must be tired. Let’s just take everything slowly.”
Zak said with a worried look on his face as I rushed to respond.
“No, Zak, I’m not tired. I was just thinking about something.”
“I’m just wondering these thoughts are, that they would take Fii’s mind off of things like this.”
Zak handed me a small cute little package as he said such things in a smooth manner.
“Wow, a souvenir? Thank you.”
As was my usual habit, I hugged the Zak before thanking him.
“They say that this is the most popular chocolate candy in the Royal Capital right now.”
I looked up and saw his light purple eyes narrowed.
“Really? I wonder if I’ve heard of this place before from my brother! I’m so happy. I’ll go make a cup of tea.”
“Yes, just take your time.”
“Okay.”
In this way, Zak would occasionally buy me little souvenirs. That thoughtfulness always tickled my heart and made me happy. I imagined all sorts of things, like hoow did he always get those sweets and etc.?
Did he ask someone to buy it for him? If so, who did he ask then…?
Or was it possible that he went to the store in person? Thinking about him doing so many things for me made me feel helplessly full of love already.
I hope that I can also be there for you forever and ever… (***T/N: This better not be some sort of dark foreshadowing or I swear–)
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T/N: Oof, sorry this story has been so slow with updates. It’s honestly on the lower priority list of the novels I’m already translating. That said, this chapter was kind of boring, so I’ll try and update again, and I don’t typically like drop series if I can help it.
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