Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Fully Prepared! (1)
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A week in Oakwood flew by like an arrow. It took time to maintain our gear and plan our journey ahead.
First up was sketching out our travel plans.
Our party bought a proper traveler's map at the inn, then huddled together over it, deep in thought.
"To the capital Dunholm, it'll be at least ten days by carriage at best—up to half a month if we're delayed. The train tracks are still under construction, so we have to take the long way around."
Sena said, tapping the map.
The roads in the Winster Kingdom were well-paved, but for short girls like us, the distances were still a real burden.
"Then we should buy a carriage and some horses. We've got plenty of money, so let's get sturdy ones..."
"But we don't know the first thing about horses."
Sena's point hit home, and I realized she was right.
"So what do we do?"
Mani piped up with her idea.
"Reti! Let's buy some mine goats! I know how to handle 'em! Dwarf mine goats are big enough to ride, and they've got the strength of donkeys!"
"Goats? We checked the market earlier. There weren't any in the livestock section."
"Eek!"
Mani's suggestion got shot down too.
From what she said, they sounded like these special goats the dwarves ride around on.
Seemed pretty useful, but Oakwood was a bit far from dwarf autonomous territory. Probably tough to find.
Suddenly, a good idea struck me.
"How about asking the guild master grandpa?"
"That sounds perfect."
A guild master like him would surely know some horse traders in the area.
So we headed to the guild and let him know we wanted help buying a horse and carriage. The old guild master practically leaped out of his chair.
"What kind of nonsense is that! Buying a horse and carriage?!"
"...Sorry to bother you when you're busy."
"No, no, I'm not refusing. Hear me out to the end."
The guild master made an unexpected offer.
"Save that reward money you got for something more useful later. I've got just the thing to hand over."
He chuckled heartily and led us to the stables behind the guild.
There waited a lightweight carriage topped with a sturdy waterproof canopy, along with two gentle-eyed ponies. They were the perfect size for our builds.
"Take 'em. Truth is, we confiscated these from the black mages—their carriage and horses. Before the auction, I pulled the best ones aside... ahem, secured 'em in advance."
"For free? You sure that's okay?"
"Of course! You're the heroes who saved this city. And... take these too."
What the guild master handed over were two magic slates. The screens had some cracks, and they showed signs of use, but they were in good shape overall.
"Where'd these come from?"
"From those black mages. Investigation's done, and there's nothing suspicious, so use 'em without worry. Slates are a must-have for adventurers these days, right?"
It was an unexpected windfall.
Now every member of our party had their own magic slate—no more borrowing Sena's.
"Thank you so much, Guild Master! We'll put 'em to good use!"
We were thrilled with the free carriage and slates.
With the free carriage secured through an unexpected channel, our biggest hurdle was cleared.
Next came stocking up on supplies.
For a trip of ten to fifteen days, we'd need food for the road.
"We don't need to buy a ton! There are relay inns for carriages at regular intervals. We can eat dinner and breakfast there, right?"
"Nah, those places are pricey. Better to stock up here and eat it all. If we get stuff with good preservation, we can save some for dungeons too!"
We wandered the markets debating this and that, and we noticed some merchants giving us very different looks.
Not bad looks, though.
"Hey, aren't those the ratkin kids... the ones Mace was talking about?"
"Yeah, the ones who raided the den with him all night..."
It wasn't open cheering, but the rumors were spreading quietly. Probably word of mouth from the adventurers.
We first felt the ripple effect when we stopped at a shop for provisions.
We were just buying some jerky, but the owner auntie piled on heaps of ham and cheese for free.
"Auntie? We only need this much..."
"Oh, forget the money! I heard all about what you did! So brave! Take this too—smoked sausage."
"But we have money..."
"Just take it! You can't go hungry on the road, can you? Gotta eat to keep your strength up! Yeah? You're like my own kids..."
It was like that everywhere. At the general store, trying to buy some canned goods—didn't even know they had those here—the owner uncle threw in a big tin of condensed milk. And once, while passing by, some grandma shoved an armful of apples at us, calling them fresh fruit.
By the time we left the market, we were hugging so many supplies it was hard to carry them all.
"...Ow! So heavy! How much did all this cost?"
"Not even half what we budgeted!"
The food loaded into the carriage was a mountain: ham, sausages, cheese, hardtack, plus all sorts of little fruits and potatoes!
No way we'd starve out in the wilds now.
But the hottest reaction was something else entirely.
"Hey... Reti, was it?"
While we were popping in and out of the guild for paperwork, adventurers kept sidling up to chat.
Because of my fame?
I was only half right.
"That... it's the rapid-fire crossbow, right?"
The adventurers' eyes were glued to the Rapid Bowgun slung on my back.
"Heard about it. Power's about the same as a regular crossbow, but it unleashes a volley of bolts! Any idea where I can get one?"
"This? I made it myself."
"What?! You did?!"
The adventurers stared at the Rapid Bowgun with eyes full of surprise and greed. Before long...
"Hey, if it's not too much trouble, could you take a commission...?"
"Sell the blueprints or something? I'll pay top coin!"
Orders came flooding in out of nowhere. I said I'd consult and stepped away to discuss with the party.
This wasn't something I could decide alone. I'd handled the design and wooden parts, but Mani did the metalwork and upgrades.
"When did this even happen?"
The bowgun getting recognition made me inwardly pleased.
But we weren't blacksmiths. We had a long trip ahead—we couldn't just pivot to being weapon artisans.
I explained my thinking to Sena and Mani and asked for their opinions.
"What do you think, Mani?"
"Me? Making bowguns is fun and all, but we've got somewhere to be, right? The holy city of Hieros. Where the Pantheon Temple is!"
Sena chimed in.
"Rodentia-sama gave us a mission. No reason to stick around here, right? What about you, Rodentia-sama?"
Rodentia put the final stamp on it.
[Hmm... Apostle Reti! Time is of the essence. We must hurry and gain the power to crush evil!]
The conclusion was unanimous.
Besides, I hadn't even invented the weapon myself to begin with.
'It's just a rip-off of that nutuber artisan's design from my past life. Claiming it as mine feels... kinda shady.'
A sudden idea flashed through my mind. What if I used it as an indirect way to spread the faith?
"My Lord. Actually, I..."
Rodentia heard my plan and thumped her tail against the floor happily, giving her ready approval.
[Oh ho! To grasp the link between divine power and faith without being taught! Truly the wisdom befitting my chosen apostle!]
Her reaction was even hotter than I'd expected.
With permission granted, I headed to a prominent smithy on Oakwood's artisan street and gathered the folks there.
"Everyone! Listen up! I'm releasing the blueprints for this rapid-fire crossbow for free. Make as many as you want and sell 'em!"
"R-really? This for free?"
The smiths and adventurers' eyes went wide as saucers.
"Just one condition."
I pointed to the bottom corner of the blueprint.
"First, the weapon's name has to be 'Rapid Bowgun.' And you must engrave this mark on the handle."
What I'd indicated was a logo: a cute rat face and footprints inside a round hamster wheel.
"Rat drawing? Is that... a hamster wheel?"
"Yes. It's the symbol of my goddess, Rodentia-sama. I can't enforce it, but... there's such a thing as business ethics, right? Pretty please?"
"A rat god? Never heard of it... Some kind of spirit?"
The smiths tilted their heads, but they snapped up the too-good-to-be-true offer.
"Got it! Free tech like this, we'd have no shame otherwise. Of course we'll do that much. Rapid Bowgun and the hamster wheel mark! Promise."
And with that, the invention that would soon spread across the entire Winster Kingdom would bear my Lord's symbol.
[A fine idea! A most wise means of raising my renown! The Rapid Bowgun shall be the righteous right arm of the rats!]
Rodentia hummed a tune as she elaborated.
[Faith begets symbols! Symbols grant power! Just as a rat nibbles a great tree into a hole bit by bit! As droplets gather into a river! These tiny meanings accumulate into faith, and faith into divine power! Ding!]
The logic was that every time users marveled at the weapon's overwhelming performance, the image of ratkin would imprint unconsciously, and awareness of the rat goddess would rise.
A memory from my past life surfaced.
The Soviets and Middle Eastern terrorists always had that Kalashnikov rifle image stuck to them.
In this world from now on, the image of ratkin—and rats—might subtly gain the 'Rapid Bowgun' as a symbol.
On the other hand, I had some worries.
"But Rodentia-sama, what if villains or demon worshippers use it? Not all ratkin are good, after all. If this bowgun goes around killing innocents, it'll just build infamy."
Rodentia snorted and squeaked at my concern.
[Worried for me? How touching, Apostle Reti! But what's the problem? Gods have always had their dual natures!]
"Dual natures?"
[Behold the Hearth Goddess, that old spinster! Her symbol? Warm fire! But she's got a nasty temper and will burn a house to the ground when she gets mad!]
Rodentia's blasphemous analogy was merciless.
[What of the god of order and warriors? He preaches peace and restraint, but he's a stuffy stick-in-the-mud swinging his mace every damn day!]
Sena shook her head with a look that said, here we go again. Rodentia's monologue rolled on.
[The goddess of wisdom is smart enough to lead her followers, but she's a picky shut-in bookworm. That witch sister of hers couldn't care less about rules—she's a total menace. Even the farmer and merchant gods have their dirty little secrets. But that infamy becomes power when a god needs it!]
Rodentia shrugged and crossed her arms.
[All the more so for the cutest, most praiseworthy Lord of the Hamster Wheel in the Pantheon—shouldn't she have a bit of infamy too? Even cute rats have sharp incisors hidden away!]
In the end, Rodentia's long-winded speech circled back to self-praise.
I got the general gist of what she meant, but it was strangely convincing anyway.
She's got the big picture in mind, huh.
"S-such profound meaning..."
Only Sena, listening from the side, looked like she'd gained some great revelation, nodding reverently.
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