Overwhelming Efficiency (2)
Overwhelming Efficiency (2)
Ailiya, the female lead of a romance fantasy novel, has many supporters around her.
Even if she only locked herself in her lab, it's the same.
One of them was her older brother, the young duke of Wintervalt.
"I really hate you, oppa."
"Did you come after so long just to say that?"
"Because no matter how much I say it, it's never enough. I'm telling you in advance that I'm not asking as your little sister."
Arkael Wintervalt, the young duke. His shortened name is Kael.
Even if he's a young duke, it's just a title; he has no respectable territory.
About a hundred years ago, his family was of Northern royalty but was annexed into the Empire.
There's no way they'd let them continue ruling the region that resisted so fiercely until the end.
The entire family was scattered and forcibly relocated to the imperial capital.
All that remained was the duke title thrown at them by the Empire, and the only way for a family that lost its foundation in an instant to survive was through commerce or magitech.
'Both grandfather and oppa were quite good at that side, though.'
Still, the foundation was gone all the same.
And despite that, they kept plenty of the North's stubborn traditions, preventing her, as a woman, from even setting foot in magic since she was young.
There are all justifiable reasons for hating her oppa.
Of course, now she's dominating the Academy with her skills, but that makes her hate him even more.
Tak.
Ailiya set a bundle of documents down on Kael's desk.
Without even glancing that way, Kael asked.
"If the person in front of me isn't my little sister, then whose request should I listen to?"
"As Ailiya, the magitech researcher at the Academy. As the person holding numerous patents that are still feeding the merchant guild, I'm going to ask you to choose one of two options."
"Then I suppose I should step up as the guild head for negotiation."
"No. Isn't that obvious? Are you the kind of person who would even listen to his little sister's request?"
"Of course not."
"So, pick one of the two."
Ailiya crossed her arms and proposed two options.
Her tone was an awkward mixture of respect and informality.
"Use the guild's money to get this paper presented while I go somewhere urgently. Or go on an expedition to the wilderness that takes 15 days by carriage. Choose one."
Without changing his expression at all, Kael decided immediately.
"Where's the destination?"
Clearly the latter.
It was such a laughably fast answer.
She thought he'd hesitate at least a little, but he chose the second one right away.
Ailiya glared at Kael.
"You blocked me from studying magic so much. And now you, who graduated from the Academy all on your own, hate presenting at conferences that much?"
"You were actually planning to take a carriage? I know you can't last a minute in a carriage because of motion sickness. If I had chosen to present, it sounds like you were planning to force yourself onto the carriage anyway."
"Answer my question first."
Kael responded with equally cold eyes.
Seeing her bring a paper out of nowhere, she must have written a shockingly groundbreaking theory, and presenting it would be a chore.
"I don't want to present under your name. The Academy is all geared up to tear apart that unlucky bitch, and the professors aren't going to just let it slide."
"What did you say?"
"Let's stop the pointless talk. So, let me ask why you brought up this unexpected carriage business."
"I'm looking for a mage named Rii. He seems to have gone down to an area that takes a long time even by carriage. If we don't leave immediately, it'll be too late."
Kael fell into thought.
He hadn't expected that—was she looking for a mage who had run away?
He knew his sister harshly treated her assistants, but he didn't think it was this bad.
If she'd go all the way to the wilderness to catch him, then that guy must have incredible talent.
As someone running a merchant guild, he couldn't help but be interested.
'Poor guy.'
So, at first, he planned to brush her off and send her away.
"Is that mage worth it? Finding a mage who's hidden himself deep in the countryside isn't something that can be done with one or two people. We'd need to hire searchers, and all that comes out of the guild's wallet."
Searching costs more than you'd think.
The efficiency just isn't there to readily pursue a runaway assistant.
"I suppose since you acknowledge him, I won't deny his value outright... but mages going missing is common, isn't it? You and I both know that. They're always hiding."
"And there's also the option of just waiting."
"Once a mage, always a mage."
"It's not something you can just give up easily, so if you wait, they all come back."
At that, Ailiya firmly shook her head.
And again, she stated two facts in succession.
"Let me tell you one thing: this paper isn't mine. It was written by the mage Rii."
"What?"
"And second."
Aside from hating him, his sister seemed quite desperate.
And the moment he heard Ailiya's following words.
"That person might die if we don't find him immediately."
"......!"
Kael's cold eyes wavered.
Because it wasn't the first time he'd seen a mage take their own life.
Chwaaak-!
"Got one! One more!"
The fish dangling from the end of the fishing rod flopped resentfully before dropping into the bucket with a plop.
[It's a big catch! (Fishing bonus EXP +20%)]
[You caught a Bass (★).]
[You gain fishing experience.]
Surrounding him was a lake set alone amidst layered mountains.
The terrain was rough and there had been a landslide, making it inaccessible for a while, but now it's a different story.
With Miroa's support, he was able to enter safely.
And right now, I'm going all-in on fishing here.
Chwaaak!
Literally going all-in until I collapse from exhaustion.
From the moment I made my decision, all the fish in this area shared the same fate.
They're all going to have a reunion in my refrigerator.
'I'll wipe them out completely.'
Chwaaak!
[You caught a Bass.]
......
Several days had already passed since arriving at the Solanium Basin.
On the first day, since I arrived late in the afternoon, I finished by weeding and cleaning up the mansion.
Having been in a carriage for over 15 days, my stamina was bottomed out, so it was a miracle I managed even this much.
The next day, I removed the burnout debuff by visiting the hot spring, solved the village's problems to raise resident favorability, and even dealt with slimes.
The hunting EXP I gained then was very sweet.
As a bonus, I also planted a bunch of parsnip seeds.
Now, a few more days have passed since then.
Unlike the chaotic second day, what I've been doing since is quite monotonous.
'Because the content hasn't been unlocked yet.'
It takes 4 days for the first crops I planted to grow.
I don't have money to buy new seeds.
And since there's content still locked, there's nothing much to do in the early game.
'It's just like the flow of the original healing game.'
So the most efficient use of my free time was fishing.
Only fishing remains.
Go to the lakeside, cast the line, and when there's a bite, pull and enjoy the feel.
Chwaaak!
One more added.
For reference, Miroa received the fishing rod as a gift.
- One of the territory residents gave it as a gift, saying that since the master came to the countryside to cool his head, it would be useful when visiting the lake later.
That's what she said when she first brought it.
She must have expected me to leisurely fish and heal at a comfortable pace.
But no way.
As soon as I received the rod, I entered an intense hardcore survival fishing mode.
I don't eat, don't rest, don't sleep late, and just fish.
Even Miroa's expression, standing behind me now, is quite different from then.
How should I put it.
It's like the story of a game-addicted son and his heartbroken mother that appeared on TV.
It feels similar to the mother's gaze in that.
"I shouldn't have brought that gift."
"Ah. Why."
"There are fish inside!"
"I can't stop fishing, you know?"
"Watching all along, the master has been sitting in that position all day. Doesn't your back hurt?"
"I trained at the Academy, so I'm fine."
"My job is a mage, so I'm an expert at sitting still."
"If my back was going to hurt this much, my spine would have been shattered long ago."
Still, Miroa is secretly very worried.
It was about time for nagging, so I quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, the oak trees? Did you collect a lot?"
Meanwhile, I had instructed Miroa to do some logging.
She let out a small sigh, then withdrew it and continued with her briefing.
"I've stored the cut timber in the warehouse. I've kept them tilted so the tree sap that flows out collects in buckets. As for the acorns I secured, I've planted them in a row behind the mansion, but I couldn't mark the spots well, so I stuck wooden sticks in. Will that do?"
"That's enough."
Just hearing it made me feel satisfied.
"You did perfectly well."
"Thank you."
From EXP gathering to task execution and follow-up procedures, it's all perfect.
There's no need to go all out collecting a ton of wood already; what I needed more was foraging EXP.
Thanks to Miroa being extremely capable, I've successfully achieved the goal.
[Perfect Logging! (Foraging EXP +20%)]
[Foraging level has increased.]
While Miroa was at the back mountain, the work results also appeared in the status window, and every single one was Perfect Logging.
She seems really good with an axe too.
Thanks to that, I've collected enough timber, tree sap, and foraging EXP for the time being.
"But why are you collecting so much wood in spring? If you could explain that part as well, I will follow your orders more precisely."
"Well. I have a use for it later."
I brushed it off vaguely.
"As I said before, keep it a secret from the villagers."
"Understood."
And the logging work is proceeding in secret.
Since they suffered from the landslide, they wouldn't take kindly to cutting down trees.
Right about then, there was another bite on the rod.
"Got one!"
After that, I skillfully pulled the rod and succeeded in catching another one.
Chwaaak!
[You caught a Bass!]
It was a particularly strong one, flopping on the ground for a long time.
I tried to subdue it, but this time it wasn't easy.
"Aish."
So it wants to live, huh.
But I'm also desperate.
I want to catch a lot of fish, earn money, invest it, and make more money.
How long had I been wrestling with it?
"Master. One moment."
Miroa smoothly stepped in from the side.
She just looked down at the fish with indifferent eyes and let out a slight killing intent.
Chuuuuk....
Just the aura alone made the fish faint.
I placed the secured fish in the refrigerator, a product of magitech.
Question here. Isn't this magic too useful to have been created by those romance fantasy guys?
They say it was made to give a cool fruit gift to a fiancée even in midsummer.
There are a few magics like this that turned out accidentally useful.
Whether it was because the grandfather who bought the mansion took care of it, the thing was working fine.
Thanks to that, I can preserve freshwater fish that spoil quickly for quite a long time.
'Let's see. How many gold was a Bass worth?'
I stared at the still empty refrigerator and fell into thought for a while.
Naturally, I also reviewed my future plans.
When I was calculating for a while, Miroa asked first.
"What are you thinking about again?"
"Huh?"
"These days I feel curious. As a maid, I want to know a little more about what the master is thinking."
"Just. Nothing much."
Checking my plans like that, I thought this was right after all.
"I'm going to sell all that to the shop and send it to the village."
I plan to sell off all the secured food to the shop.
"Then what about meals? Aren't you going to eat?"
"I'll just starve a bit."
It's not like I'm starving completely.
There's that insanely hard stone bread the village gives out, so if I soak it well in water, I won't die.
The plan is simple and clear.
First, maximize efficiency.
Even if I endure immediate hardship.