第１６２５堀：港町の次の段階 (Part1)
**Chapter 1625: The Next Stage for the Port Town**
**Side: Yuki**
I finished reviewing the reports and took another look at the progress of the port town.
Everything was on schedule—or perhaps, moving even more smoothly than anticipated.
In just one week, the land for the port town had been secured, and the necessary facilities were already positioned and prepared.
Now, only the supplementary construction remained.
While the residents hadn't moved in yet, the entire town had been enclosed by defensive walls, and we had successfully purged the monsters from the recreational areas and the fishing port itself.
In short, the path toward turning it into a tourist destination was clear.
"Of course, since the staff training is still underway, full operations will have to wait."
Even if the preparations were complete, it was still just land.
The "boxes"—the buildings—were still limited to only what was absolutely necessary. Much like the town hall, we were in the process of training staff while simultaneously transporting supplies, but...
"Wait? Come to think of it, are the staff for these tourist attractions coming from the town hall?"
A sudden question popped into my mind, so I asked Sisua.
"Yes. The tourist attractions—well, the sea area, at least—are under state management, so we are drawing personnel from the town hall."
"I figured."
"Is there a problem?"
"No, it’s just that if you're pulling staff from the town hall, that means the town hall itself is short-handed, right? Is that going to be okay?"
"Yes. Essentially, the staff from the town hall are there for management and guidance. The actual labor is being handled by the families who accompanied those officials, working as part-timers."
"Ah, I see."
I had already grasped that relying solely on the core staff wouldn't be enough, so they had secured the families of the officials as a labor force. That made sense.
As I was thinking this, Sona joined the conversation.
"This method is working out well for the other fishing ports and the preparations for the Super Ratz openings, too~."
"That, too? I would have thought Ratz would be the one gathering people."
"Yes. Lady Ratz is gathering people on her end as well, but after hearing my suggestion, she agreed to open up employment slots for the families of our staff. She said that even just having people for the preparations is a huge help."
"I see."
Indeed, opening a store requires significantly more manpower than standard operations.
If they tried to gather all that labor through the Super Ratz stores alone, it would require a massive amount of coordination.
It’s far less of a headache to just hire new people.
Of course, experienced workers make things run smoother, but gathering experienced people is the difficult part. Especially in an emergency like this.
"Oh, in relation to that, Lady Ratz mentioned she wanted to consult with you regarding product development for the resort and tourist areas, as well as the construction of a hotel."
"A hotel and products for tourists, huh? I agree it's necessary, but since it's Ratz, should I leave that to the Commercial Department?"
"We certainly don't have the know-how to run a hotel ourselves. And when it comes to someone with both reliability and a proven track record, I don't know anyone other than Lady Ratz~."
It was true; from the perspective of Sisua and Sona, Ratz was about the only acquaintance they had who could manage business successfully and reliably.
It was better than them trying to make a judgment call on their own.
She’d likely handle the staff recruitment on her end, too.
"So, the final decision requires my permission, is that it?"
"That is correct. Also, she wants to discuss the proposal Lady Ria made regarding the installation of individual shops and retail stalls."
"They're going to be rental properties, apparently."
"Well, that’s the safest bet. Buying land to put down roots and start a business in a port town is a huge investment. Starting with a trial run is probably for the best."
Of course, there would be people who were confident in the future development and would buy land immediately, but the question was whether the individual merchants I mentioned earlier could easily afford to buy a storefront.
"Understood. I'll talk to Ratz right away."
I stood up as I said this, and as a matter of course, Prol, Lyushi, and Orelia’s group followed behind me.
It was just moving within Weed, after all.
Well, they were also acting as my guards, so it was only natural...
As I thought that, Fiora also stood up to accompany us.
"Fiora, you too? Is your work okay?"
She was primarily responsible for dealing with the dignitaries of small nations—the nobility.
That was because if it were just Orelia and the others, they would be looked down upon.
In other words, she was the only person in Weed who could handle small-nation affairs on my behalf, making her extremely busy.
Of course, she didn't do absolutely everything, but she wasn't exactly free, either.
Recently, because of that, even when we were in the same workspace, we rarely acted together.
"Yes. As for my work, it has decreased recently, ever since the incident with Suls."
"Ah, so they've started to hold back because of that trouble?"
"That is part of it. Yuki-sama, you have been actively going out and handling things yourself. It would look bad for them to be requesting meetings at such a time."
"I suppose that's true. And the other reasons?"
"The other is the countermeasures against the Dark Guilds operating on the Rogali continent. The small nations are preoccupied with tightening their internal security to ensure they aren't the next target, as well as investigating whether there are any monster stampedes."
"Ah, that."
Indeed, I had used the major nations and the Adventurer's Guild to spread the word that the Dark Guilds were in hiding after the Suls incident and could potentially trigger a Great Stampede.
By urging them in that way, I had forced them to recognize once again that the Dark Guilds must be eradicated.
The Dark Guild members, now under such scrutiny, would find it difficult to move, and it would make them easier for us to track.
Above all, even if some countries were cooperating with them, they would now be forced to cooperate with us on the surface, and I anticipated their movements would slow down.
But for the countries not involved, it was a situation where their own nation might be destroyed.
Internal investigation was a higher priority than sucking up to me.
"I have also been turning down quite a few requests for audiences with you, Yuki-sama, so the fact that their chances were slim to begin with is also a major factor."
"I see. So, Fiora’s work until now is bearing fruit."
"No, it is nothing of the sort."
"Don't be humble; it’s thanks to you, Fiora. Until now, Ria, Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha were doing their own jobs while trying to handle that, too. They told me it would be problematic if I had to personally send out rejection notices every time."
"Naturally. Being rejected by Yuki-sama would be seen as a grave matter, and it could put the small nations in a precarious position."
Did I really have that much influence?
The fact that they were passing messages to me without permission was one thing, but surely they’d understand if I turned them down.
"Well, if Fiora isn't busy, having you come along is fine."
"Yes. We haven't had much of a chance to act together lately, so I am very happy."
"Ah, right. We haven't really moved together much, have we?"
"Yes. Well, that is also proof that Orelia and the others have become capable of handling their work properly."
She glanced back at Orelia and the others following behind us, and I followed her gaze.
It seemed Orelia and the others had heard our conversation, and they responded with bashful expressions.