All Poisons Can Become Medicine - 4: Shadows of Despair Over the Colony
"Sniff... h-hic..."
The Joinkind were plunged into despair, sobbing pitifully. Disaster had struck in an instant. With their weak mental fortitude, they had no leisure to chop wood or build shelters leisurely in a situation where there was nothing to eat right away. Empty time dragged on, and night fell. They lay powerlessly on the ground, staring up at the starlight. The feathers they took such pride in were soiled with dirt and ant corpses, but they lacked even the will to brush them off. They had no strength.
"What... what are we supposed to do now?"
"..."
Shatinbelle Silkraise could say nothing. Deep down, she wanted to sob alongside the other Joinkind. Why? Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong? Why!
There was no flow of mana. These ants hadn't been awakened by magic; they had simply swarmed them out of sheer bad luck. It was misfortune. Cruel, irrational misfortune.
Hic... Shatinbelle had known something like this could happen. She knew the countermeasures well, too. After all, she was the top graduate of the Governor's Academy, the finest cadet and prospective governor. But among the solutions to this problem, none could be solved by Joinkind survivors alone. It had been nearly impossible from the start.
I don't want to die... There was no way to solve the problem. No means to procure food. If things continued like this, the settlement's doom was as plain as day. But if the colony's governor wavered amid this chaos, the panic would spread to the others in an instant.
There has to be a way...! Shatinbelle thought of that man.
I never imagined I'd have to rely on him so suddenly... But there was no choice now. The power dynamic had flipped in a heartbeat.
"Wait just a moment, will you?" Shatinbelle forced a smile and rose to her feet. ...To the Trading Post.
Its door was firmly shut, as if refusing entry to anyone who approached.
"Jeong Isu. You're listening, aren't you...? This is Shatinbelle. Shatinbelle Silkraise is here!"
She wondered if he was viewing the whole situation differently. She could picture him savoring her suffering, mocking her with something like, "See? If you'd accepted the deal from the start, it would've been easier for both of us, right?"
Still, she needed his help. There was no way to resolve this on her own.
"I'll meet any demand! Come out, Jeong Isu!"
Shatinbelle shouted confidently, as if certain he hadn't taken his eyes off her for a single moment.
"Come out, I said... Hurry!"
But the building's door didn't open. No light came from within. The man had left his post.
It took a very long time, but Shatinbelle finally accepted the fact. Yet she couldn't leave the spot. She just stood there blankly, waiting for his return.
Silence accompanied the passing night.
"Not bad quality, that's for sure..."
My warehouse was, for better or worse, the perfect embodiment of the word warehouse. Most of the space was empty. The only proper goods were the few pallets and containers stacked in front of me.
"Still, this is the beginning..."
I'd made a killing. Selling Gremlin Pistols—which basically had zero production cost—at a premium meant the money piled up inevitably. Rent, utilities, labor—none of them were even a fraction of my revenue.
But I didn't pop champagne yet. Compared to the potential of my ability, the money I was making now was pocket change.
As I built up trading volume in the Wasteland 2 world, my ability had gradually strengthened. Now I could transport not just large suitcases, but entire containers. I might need diverse supplies, and store them for longer periods too.
So I bought a warehouse. A small one on the outskirts of the capital region. It wasn't as pricey as I'd braced for. With the cash from my recent deals, I could pay with a smile.
"Still not easy, though..."
I sighed and started moving the bottled water stacked in front of me, one by one.
"Fine when it's just a couple, but man..."
This was headed to Lisa. As her base grew, so did the support I had to provide. Buying the water wasn't cheap, but the real hassle was transporting it.
"Hup...!"
Grunting as I hauled the heavy jugs into the container, I could almost understand why delivery drivers hate water runs. It was no joke. For my health's sake, maybe I should hire help.
If only I had someone reliable.
But my business relied on my ability. Nothing had gone wrong yet, but I didn't need to advertise that I was trading with other worlds and importing goods. The fewer people who knew, the better.
For now, all I could do was move the water.
"Hup..."
After sweating buckets for a while, I loaded it all in.
"And this ain't once a day—three or four times a month..."
Pushing thoughts of solutions aside, I finished loading and activated my ability.
"Are you there right now?"
"Yes, please do."
After a short wait, the familiar blonde woman appeared.
"Good to see you! Everything alright?"
"Yes, I'm always safe. No issues at the settlement?"
"None at all!"
We exchanged brief greetings. Normally we'd chat more, but time was short.
"Sending goods now."
"Thank you as always!"
She bowed deeply. I activated my ability, and the container of water bottles vanished before my eyes.
"From now on, send any goods for me through that."
"Got it!"
"No need to go that far... Anyway, thanks always. Stay safe, see you later."
"Yes!"
The connection cut. I glanced at the suddenly appeared Lumikite ore, then turned away with a deep sigh.
"Haa..."
Next container needed loading too.
"The plan's perfect, anyway."
The colony's governor was Joinkind. And the incident happened shortly after they arrived.
"Considering the combo..."
This game was built around 1 to 4 races cohabiting a settlement. Different races could synergize or cover weaknesses. Which races joined was random, but the governor's race gave clues to the population makeup.
If the governor was human, they might bring dwarves or Joinkind—humans mixed with anyone. But if orc, fewer non-brutes like humans or beastkin followed.
And Joinkind... They were almost always the starting population. The initial pioneer workforce was Joinkind with near-100% certainty.
"All prepped."
I selected what they needed. Some items were pricey, tempting me to crunch numbers, but buying their loyalty and dependence mattered more now.
"Hnnng..."
I diligently moved supplies. The container filled with grains, wheat flour, pistachios, dried fruits, and shrimp. Back and forth—not far, but sweat poured with every box.
"Haa... Finally done."
Decent variety, but plenty of space left in the container.
Starting pop all Joinkind. 90 to 130... This should suffice.
My body and brow were soaked in sweat.
Can't let them underestimate me.
Of course, they'd be facing food shortages. Striking there would secure my influence and "save" them easily.
This might be my last chance.
Deserts always lack water. Giving more didn't eliminate the need. They had to depend on me, couldn't cut ties unilaterally. That let me trust and support them freely.
But Frozenstorm Colony's world was different. Even if starving now, how long would it last? Food shortages were endless when scarce, excessive when abundant. If they only trusted my supply ability, they might slip my control someday.
Wash up first.
I had to become an overwhelming presence to her. One whose orders she couldn't defy, trustworthy yet absolute. No weakness, however minor.
Her realizing my ambitions, remembering I was "human" and trying to negotiate—that wasn't good.
What Shatinbelle needed to see was only herself. Her colony. And that I could solve her problems.
After wiping sweat and changing, I composed myself and activated my ability. The screen appeared.
"Are you there... Huh?"
The Trading Post door, previously shut, swung open. There sat a familiar Joinkind face.
"Hic?"
I eyed the crying Shatinbelle awkwardly. Whatever had happened, it was clear she'd been waiting for me.
C-Calm! Leisurely smile!
Maybe overexerted from loading, my breathing was ragged. But I desperately feigned composure and called to the slumped Shatinbelle.
"Y-You came...! I believed! I trusted you wouldn't abandon me, that the Firefly Empress's blessing hadn't left me yet!"
"...Rough night, I take it?"
"Yes... Yes! Food! We need food. As much as possible, as fast as possible! I'll give anything I have—"
I shook my head.
"What your colony can offer me now is obvious. Meaningless, useless. I want something else."
"What?"
"As I said, I want the Heart of the Storm. And I hope your settlement races toward that goal."
"...And?"
"For that, I'd like to offer some opinions on the colony's development direction. Governor, could you respect my input a little?"
I smiled softly, certain she'd have no choice but to accept.