Author: Yume Neiji

The day after Emma left, I built a livestock shed next to the vegetable garden. There are two of them: a chicken coop with wire mesh in front and a goat coop surrounded on all sides. Both sheds are surrounded by a fence so the animals can run free. There was also a hut next to the shed where I could store feed.

With them in place, I can now welcome goats and chickens anytime.

“Char, I’m going to Paul-oniisan’s ranch today.”

“Yey! You’re finally going to buy pudding and custard cream!”

“Uhm… it’s goats and hens….…”

“I know. The goats are to be taken care of by Char!”

She must be excited because it is her first experience with animals. Char snorted heavily and began to prepare.

“Oi oi, you are not planning on going alone, are you?”

It was a worried Upa who asked.

“That’s what I’m planning to do.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I can’t let a child walk down the main road alone, you know? I’ll go with you!”

He is as overprotective as ever.

Well, bandits sometimes appear on the main road so Upa’s worries are not unfounded. However, it’s only about a two-hour walk to Paul-oniisan’s ranch, and the town is close, so there aren’t many strange people on the way.

“It’s okay. It will be fine because Char is going with me. Besides, I have prepared a lot of pepper bombs.”

The fight between the Sambabano sisters hasn’t ended yet, and every time they see me, they beg me to sell them the pepper bombs. I didn’t want to get involved in their conflict, so I couldn’t sell it to them. Thus, I had a lot of pepper bombs in stock.

“But….…”

“You’ve got two bookings for the night today, don’t you? I’d like you to focus on that instead of guarding me.”

A traveling merchant who came for lunch yesterday made a booking to stay the night on his way home. The guests are finally gathering. I have to ask the manager to do his best here.

“Understood……”

The Grim Reaper of the battlefield, who was a little frustrated, was kind of funny.

Before crossing the bridge and walking down the main road, I checked the new signage.

I wrote it on a white board with blue and red paint. It is two meters wide and nearly one meter long, so you can see it well from the road. I hope this sign will increase the number of customers.

“Okay, it’s not crooked.”

The sign is the face of Gandalcia Island, so I wanted it to be neat.

“Mmm, it’s straight.”

After checking it with Char, we started walking down the street.

The wind from the sea was completely cold. The meadow that can be seen from the road is completely brown and withered, signaling that winter is near.

By the way, the villages and ranches inherited by Paul-oniisan are located in the inner part of Dantès’ territory. It had been a long time since I had come this way since leaving the mansion.

I was a little out of breath as I climbed the long slope, but Char didn’t look tired at all. As expected from the child of a yellow dragon.

We walked along the road, playing word chains and letting our imaginations run wild with the funny-shaped clouds.

Then we soon found Paul-oniisan’s ranch. It was recognizable as there were large stables as landmarks, and there were many horses running on the vast grounds.

Horses are the main form of transportation here, so they are in demand. Their price ranges from about 1.2 million to 4 million crown coins. In Japan, it’s just like buying a private car.

When it comes to cheaper things, you’ll want donkeys. It’s like a mini car. Peddlers often let donkeys pull small carts. Either way, they are still a big purchase. I’m sure Paul-oniisan’s wealth isn’t bad. Because of his age, he seems to have inherited a much better legacy than I did.

As we walked further, I could see a large mansion beyond the ranch. That must be Paul-oniisan’s house.

In front of the mansion is a wide roundabout with a large horse-drawn carriage next to it.

“Isn’t that the coat of arms of the Dantes family?”

Next to the black-painted carriage are two wolves guarding a crown surmounted with roses. It’s the family crest of my parents’ house that I’ve seen everywhere since I was a child. But the only person who can use that coat of arms is the head of the family, now Alexei-oniisan.

If Paul-oniisan tries to use it, he will be punished. If things went wrong, it will be a big incident that will cause a big uproar in the territory as a house disturbance.

As I walked forward with my heart pounding, I quickly realized the truth. Alexei-oniisan and Paul-oniisan were standing at the front door, talking.

In other words, this carriage belonged to Alexei-oniisan.

Paul-oniisan immediately saw me and raised his hand slightly.

“Yo.”

Alexei-oniisan also looks at me.

“Oh………Cedie huh.”

It took him a long time to remember my name.

I guess I was a distant memory.

“Are you living properly?”

“Well, somehow……”

“I see. Do it well. I’ll go home now. Paul, I’ll leave the horse to you.”

With that said, Alexei-oniisan got into the carriage. The dusty, black-painted carriage moves away.

“What was Alexei-oniisan here for?”

“He was here to buy a horse.”

“Come to think of it, Oniisan had a thing for fine horses……”

I remember that he used to buy horses a lot even before he inherited the title of Earl. It’s like a rich kid wanting a luxury sports car. He once bought a horse that cost 15 million crown coins. He was even scolded by father for it.

“Did you make a good deal?”

When I asked, Paul-oniisan smiled wryly.

“He bargained for a male that could have been sold for 7 million. I got ripped off for 4.5 million. I did my best, though.”

My open mouth did not close.

“Don’t look like that, Cedie. If you’re going to do business here, you can’t go against Earl Alexei Dantès.”

Paul-oniisan addressed Alexei-oniisan as Earl. By behaving in the manners of others, he may be putting boundaries on his own feelings.

“By the way, what’s up? You came all the way to visit me.”

“I’m here to buy goats and hens because I have saved up money. Rest assured, as the lord of Gandalcia, I won’t haggle.”

I told him a light joke, and he gave me a rare smile.

“Go inside the house first and have something to drink, Charlotte too.”

“Thank you, uncle!”

He was as blunt as ever, but Paul-oniisan was kind. As soon as we entered the house, I paid the bill.

“You’ve prepared a lot of money.”

“The island is running well now. The canteen is thriving, and now we have an auberge. The hot springs have also been renovated so that bathing fees can be obtained, so I think it will develop further in the future. And, who knows, maybe we’ll get a big order.”

I told him about the bottling of fruit and the homemade scents. He listened to me silently and nodded gravely. His appearance somewhat resembled that of our father. Of us three siblings, Paul-oniisan may be the one who resembles father the most.

They said that I resembled my late mother. By the way, my mother is a second lady, and she is a different woman from the mother of Alexei-oniisan and Paul-oniisan.

Maybe the reason they were so distant from me was because we had different mothers.

“I’m glad your living situation has stabilized. Like I said, I was planning to come and see how you were doing soon.”

“You said you were going to come and eat with your friends, right?”

“Mmm……”

Paul-oniisan’s complexion clouded.

“What’s wrong? If it’s not convenient for you—”

“Not really. But you should careful so that Earl Alexie will not hear about the island going well. It’s better not to tell people as much as possible.”

“Why?”

“Big brother might try to steal your island…… On paper, it’s Cedie’s island. I’ve confirmed that as well. But if he finds out that there’s money to be made from it, he might use brute force.”

“That’s….…”

“Well, don’t worry too much.”

“Yes….…”

That said, my anxiety didn’t subside.

We had done so much to make the island a pleasant place to live, and I didn’t want it to be taken away from us.

The goats and chickens will be delivered at a later date. Paul-oniisan served us lunch and after the meal, Char and I head back to Gandalcia.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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After dropping Emma off at the hot springs, I hurried back to the auberge.

Haa- Haa, I’m pretty tired from all that running. Goats and chickens are good, but I’m starting to want a horse.

Come to think of it, donkeys and horses were also used as a means of transportation in Island Maker. Not only that, but as development progressed, I think I could build a small train station to the island.

I wonder what is the condition for that though…

Can I build one once my level and the island’s level rises?

My level has gone up to level 4, but my Island is still at level 2. I guess I need to work a bit harder.

“I’m back!”

When I opened the door, Lynn and Upa were waiting for me.

“What did the guest say?”

“She seems to like the room and the hot spring.”

“Was she scared by me?”

Upa asks anxiously.

“You’re fine. She was actually fascinated by you. You are doing a great job as a manager.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that!”

It seemed Upa was nervous as Emma was the first guest to stay the night.

“So, have you asked her about her food preferences?”

Lynn asked.

“She said she is not picky about food. She likes meat and fish. She said she especially loves crabs. And sweet things too.”

Lynn had given me strict orders to find out Emma’s preferences in order to decide on the menu for tonight’s dinner.

“Since she likes crabs, we can use the blue crabs that Lulu had brought. I think I’ll make cream croquettes out of them.”

“Then let’s match it with the sauce américaine you made the other day.”

“That’s a good idea! I think it would be a perfect fit.”

Sauce américaine is literally an American-style sauce. The broth, which is made after stir-frying lobster shells and vegetables, is rich and has a strong flavor. It also has unique orange color.

Though it is a superstate, Lynn doesn’t know anything about the United States. Of course, I was the one who taught her how to make the sauce. However, I don’t remember the detailed recipe.

I only explained the basics: the stock is made by frying lobster and vegetables, to which is added with stock made from the bones of a fish like sea bass, simmered down, and then diluted with cream. But she is such a genius chef. That’s all it took for Lynn to perfectly recreate sauce américaine.

“That’s it for the main dish, but what about dessert? I want to use something seasonal.”

“Oh yes, I bought the sugar you asked for.”

“Then I’m going to make Marron Chantilly as planned.”

At this point, Upa gives his opinion.

“Maybe we should have some alcohol after all? I think it would be more impressive if we had some wine. Our precious basement is crying.”

That’s a fair point.

“I’m going to buy some bottles of red and white wine for now!”

Upa tried to rush outside, but Lynn held him back.

“Then buy me some brandy too. I’ll use it for Marron Chantilly.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll run to Lebon and buy some. Despite what I look like, I’m picky about alcohol. I’ll pick out something cheap and tasty.”

“Is your knee alright?”

“Thanks to the hot springs, it doesn’t hurt at all!”

When Lynn gave him the money for buying the goods, Upa immediately ran away.

That’s what was decided.

✲✲✲

Emma moved to the sofa and was in a good mood while drinking the after dinner drink that Upa had bought.

“Ufufu, let’s have another drink. This auberge is very convenient because I can rest in my own room even if I have a lot of alcohol.”

Upa immediately pours her a refill. An amber liquid filled the glass, softly reflecting the candlelight.

The autumn evening gently drew to a close.

“The food was very delicious. I was very satisfied. I would like to stay for three nights next time. No, I would even like to live here.”

Emma said so, but she didn’t open my status screen. If Emma is destined to become a resident of the island, there should be some kind of reaction. Maybe it’s still too early, or maybe she’s not going to be a resident of the island after all.

In any case, there was no sign that a new facility would be built. It’s a bit of a pity because Emma seems to be a nice person, but it’s not a good idea to expect too much.

As a regular at the auberge, I feel that if they love Gandalcia, that’s enough. If the number of guests increase like this, my future will be safe.

I’ve been putting off buying goats and chickens, but I can take it easy on my plans. That’s what I thought.

✲✲✲

The next day, Emma checked out with a satisfied but slightly lonely smile.

“The good times go by so fast.”

“Please come again. I’ll show you around more places then.”

“Yes, I definitely will.”

“Here, a souvenir.”

I gave her a jar of apple and pear compote that Lynn had made.

“Thank you, I love this!”

“If you store it in a dark place and don’t open the lid, it will last for about half a year. But please eat it as soon as possible.”

“What!? This lasts half a year!?”

Emma was taken aback.

Yes, bottling is not yet common in this world. Of course, there is no such thing as canned food. In the first place, no one even knows that bacteria spoil food. This was the case even for intellectuals like Nowald-sensei, he could not properly explain the reasons for the food decay.

So when I boiled and sterilized the jars and made them for the first time, Nowald-sensei was very surprised. When I told him about bacteria, he was happy that he even shed tears.

“It’s a little hard to believe that it won’t rot for six months, but I’m grateful for it.”

Emma happily put the jar in her bag. Then, after thinking for a moment, she placed 100,000 crown coins on the counter.

“Oh, the total amount you’ll settle is only 15,000 crown coins. I don’t think I have 85,000 crown coins change……”

“I don’t need the change. But more than that, listen to what I’m about to say. Thirty days from today, I’m going to open this jar. If the compote had not spoiled at that time, and it still tastes good, I would order a hundred of the same things…… no, I’ll order three hundred.”

“Three hundred jars……?”

“Yes. The change is like my deposit. Even if you get an order from someone else, I want you to give me priority.”

Buying a large amount of bottled goods that can be stored for a long time…

“Are you going to sell this to a sailor, Emma?”

“That’s right. In fact, I told you yesterday at the bridge that business was not going well, right?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“Well, there were a lot of sick sailors on my ship.”

“Is it scurvy or beriberi?”

“That’s exactly what it is. It was probably because they have run out of fresh fruits and vegetables.”

“Vitamin deficiency huh……”

“Eh, vitamin?”

It is empirically known that vegetables and fruits are good for scurvy and beriberi. However, in this world, the existence of vitamins is not recognized.

“Nothing.”

“Anyway, with this jar, we might be able to keep the sailors from getting scurvy.”

“I see…… Understood. I’ll give priority to selling them to Emma. The question is how to procure 300 glass bottles.”

In this world, glass bottles are precious and are not widely circulated. The ten glass jars that we have now were bought in Sambabano.

“If that’s the case, I’ll get the glass bottles for you, but you’ll have to give me a discount for that. I think we’re going to be good business partners.”

Emma shook my hand, a little excited.

I feel like I’m going to be busy, but it’s a pleasant kind of excitement.

It would be great if the products made in Gandalcia sold well and were useful to people.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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I took Emma to the auberge. First of all, she has to put down her luggage and relax her muscles.

“Upa, we have a guest!”

As I led Emma inside, Upa straightened his back and bowed gracefully.

“Welcome”

He’s kind of cool……

He’s a manly man by nature, so there’s no flaw in his actions. Emma is also a little stunned seeing him.

“You can take her to room 201. That room has the best view.”

Room 201 consumed points and is furnished with good things. Here, it is treated as a suite.

“Understood. Dear guest, let me send your luggage there.”

Upa does a good job of playing the role of manager.

“Emma, get some rest for a while. I’ll take you to the hot springs when you’re ready. If you want a drink, go to the restaurant. You can take it with you to your room.”

Leaving Upa to take care of her, I ran to the hot springs.

I wanted to upgrade the facility before I had Emma use the hot springs. What we have now is just an open-air bath with no walls. Emma would be embarrassed to enter it for sure.

I have to rebuild it into a proper hot spring facility before it can be used.

I have 42 points and just 100,200 crown coins of money. If I use it here, I wouldn’t be able to buy goats and chickens from Paul-oniisan. But for now, I wanted to heal Emma.

“Alright, let’s get started!”

The new hot spring bath was soon completed. From an open bath, it turned into a one-story wooden building painted with light brown paint. As soon as you enter through the entrance, it becomes a separate entrance for men and women.

Red and blue curtains were hung at the entrance, and on each of the entrance, the words “Female” and “Male” were written in Kanji brush writing. By the way, the language of this country was also written in small writing. The kanji I saw for the first time in a long time made me feel nostalgic.

This is the world of Island Maker after all……

On the other side of the curtain was a dressing room, with a small indoor bath decorated with mosaic tiles, a washing area, and an open-air bath outside.

“This…… It’s Mt. Fuji……”

The mosaic on the wall was a picture of Mt. Fuji, which is a standard in public baths. The scene, brought back to life across time and space, struck a chord with me as a person who was Japanese in my past life.

Tears welled up in my eyes with nostalgia.

By spending 1 more point, I could change the painting on the wall in various ways. There are 32 types in total.

“Oh, I can even paint one myself!”

On the dedicated page of the status screen, I can also create it like a pixel art. Come to think of it, I think Island Maker had a similar function.

For the time being, it is fine to leave Mt. Fuji as it is, but it seems interesting to replace it every season in the future.

The only tools available now are clothes baskets, but I can also put fans and vending machines by spending points. There is a coffee milk vending machine, so I would like to put it there. The price is 150 crown coins.

There’s café au lait in this world, but there’s no fruit milk anywhere. I don’t think Lynn can make that, no matter how genius a chef she is. I really wanted to make small improvements, but I don’t want to make Emma wait too long.

For the time being, I installed a fan only in the women’s bath, and then I went back to the auberge.

✲✲✲

Back at the auberge, Emma is drinking tea at the counter in the restaurant.

“Emma, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. The hot springs are ready, please follow me.”

“Thank you. This is indeed a good place. It’s like coming to a country villa. The room was so cute that I like it very much.”

“That’s good to hear. Please make yourself comfortable.”

“By the way, the room you showed me smelled so good, what is that scent?”

“Oh, that’s my handmade aroma.”

Based on the magic potion taught by Nowald-sensei, I made an aroma stick with my own improvements. When I stayed at a hotel in my previous life, I felt like I saw something similar. It contains oil taken from lavender that blooms on the island, so it has a high relaxing effect and smooths the circulation of magic in the body.

In this world, scented oils, potpourri, and perfumes are used on a daily basis. But I’ve never seen a scent bottle with a reed diffuser (stick). The scent is not too strong and it is unique so Emma seems to like it.

“I wonder if you could sell me some? I really like it.”

“Sure. I have two extra bottles.”

“Well, if I could, could I have both? I’ll pay for them.”

“Okay, but I don’t really care about the money.”

“No. You should pay a fair price for such a good product. That is a natural courtesy for a merchant.”

Emma gave me a silver coin worth 5,000 crown coins as a payment for the scent bottle.

“This much?”

“It’s worth that much. Maybe you can sell it for a higher price. It depends on the demand.”

Popular perfumes in the city are quite expensive. Even in this world, there are many noble ladies who line up to buy them on its release date. There are many such perfumes that cost more than 30,000 crown coins each.

“If this aroma is also packaged in a cute bottle and sold, the product value will increase even more.”

Now it’s just a regular glass bottle. But I’ve heard good things about my aroma sticks. Developing a perfume with magical effects could be a good business. I’ll talk to Nowald-sensei about it later.

“Then let’s go.”

I took Emma to the hot springs that had just been built.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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In the morning, I explored the cave with Sensei, so I got a good number of materials. Lynn also asked me to buy some sugar. Well, I am curious about the evaluation of the pepper bomb samples I left at Sambabano, so I decided to go to Lebon.

“Char, I’m going to Sambabano……”

Charlotte was in the middle of a nap in bed. She is always treated to sweets, so Char loves to go to Sambabano. But now she’s completely asleep. She must have been tired from exploring the caves.

“I’m going then.”

I couldn’t bear to wake up Char who’s sleeping with an innocent look on her face, so I went to Lebon alone.

✲✲✲

In the dimly lit room, the three witches sat side by side as usual. However, Midoma, who is usually the grumpiest, stood up as soon as she saw me.

“Cedie, sell me your pepper bombs!”

Uh-, what’s wrong with her jumping excitedly in front of me all of a sudden!?

I mean, she can move so fast!

“Are you buying my pepper bombs?”

“Yes! I’ll buy them for whatever asking price you want. Give me all your inventory!”

Seeing Midoma approaching me as if to snatch my luggage, Bigma raised her voice.

“Midoma, get away from him. Boy, don’t give Midoma your pepper bombs!”

Just what on earth happened?

When I looked at Sumoma, who was the calmest to ask for an explanation, she just shrugged her shoulders and told me the situation nonchalantly.

“Bigma-oneesan tried the sample that Cedie left behind while aiming for Midoma-neesan.”

It seems that it happened when the two of them were fighting over a side dish for dinner. Bigma, who snapped after being cursed at, fired a pepper bomb at Midoma.

“Uh-…… Fighting over a side dish for dinner is a bit—”

“Are you trying to say I’m immature? That just goes to show how young I am!”

Midoma roared, her eyes burning with anger.

It was said that the power of the pepper bomb was so great that Midoma couldn’t stop crying with running nose at that time.

“My throat hurts so much because of the pepper and I can’t chant a spell. I couldn’t even cast a healing spell!”

I see, so it’s a nice surprise that it even interferes with chanting. It would also be effective against bandits and monsters that use magic then.

“Anyway, I can’t get be at ease like this! I need to let Bigma-oneesan taste the pepper bomb too!”

“Hmph! He is going to sell the pepper bomb to me! Come on, boy, sell me all your items. I’ll buy it for you at a high price like usual.”

If I bargain between the two of them, the price can be raised as much as I want. But even if I make a lot of money from this, I will be like an unscrupulous merchant and it will be too bad.

“I’m sorry, I’m going home now!”

It was a waste of time, but I decided to run out of Sambabano as if to escape.

After that, I bought the sugar that Lynn had asked me to buy and head home.

Autumn is deepening and the wind is getting a little colder. But the island is in the midst of a harvest season. As a result of exploring the island, we found chestnut, apple and pear trees.

The apples and pears are delicious on their own, but the compote that Lynn made was also great. It kind of tastes like high-end canned food. I don’t think people in this world know about canned goods yet though. They don’t even sell can here.

By the way, Lynn will be using the sugar I bought with chestnuts to make a sweet called Marron Chantilly. It’s a snack made with chestnut paste and fresh cream. I’m sure Char would be delighted.

I can’t help but look forward to it.

When I came back to the bridge in an excited mood, I saw a woman looking down at the sea on the bridge. The horse nearby must have been ridden by this older sister.

She has a serious face. I wonder if something happened……?

“Dad, Mom, I’m sorry ….…”

No way, a suicide!?

“Sister, don’t be hasty!”

I rushed over and hugged her from behind.

“Kyaah! Eh? What? What’s wrong?”

“I’ll give you some advice with your problem, so don’t think about dying!”

“Ah? What do you mean dying?”

“Eh……?”

She wasn’t planning on dying. Apparently, I jumped into conclusion early.

“I’m sorry for causing confusion.”

“Well, you are apologizing to your parents while looking at the sea sadly, so I thought you are trying to kill yourself.”

“I don’t have intention of committing suicide. Sigh, it’s just that my business isn’t going well……”

The older sister’s name is Emma Londo. Apparently, she took over the business from his elderly father, but she said that the business was not going well at the moment.

“Everything I do seems to always go wrong, and I was so exhausted.”

Perhaps she was feeling mentally cornered, as her temples would occasionally twitch. I don’t know much about medicine, but this shouldn’t be a good thing.

“Emma, would you like to go and take a dip in a hot spring?”

“Hot spring is just warm water, right?”

“There’s a nice hot spring on Gandalcia Island. It’s very relaxing. There’s also an auberge that serves good food there. You can even eat a delicious sweet called Marron Chantilly.”

Emma was a little surprised when I told her that.

“I often come to Lebon on business, but this is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing.”

“It just opened recently. I’m sure you’ll love it so please come and stop by.”

I want as many people as possible to enjoy Gandalcia.

“Well, you’re right. I have always wanted to relax myself. I might as well go then.”

“Then I’ll take you to Gandalcia.”

We pulled the reins of the horse and crossed the long bridge.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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