第１７５０堀：あれからの港町は (Part2)
"Naturally. We’ve even included information on the bento shops. Look here."
With that, Ria opened the magazine to a feature highlighting the flower-themed bento shops. I see. It’s a comprehensive guide—starting with the bento shops, it covers everything essential for daily life: department stores, individual boutiques, and even a light overview of housing options like apartments, condominiums, and detached homes. It’s clearly designed to reassure people that there’s absolutely no issue with living here.
"But wait, are Sisua and Sona the ones being featured for the delicious bento shops? I’d think my name would be worth mentioning, too..."
"Ah, well, Seraria mentioned that your influence is a bit too overwhelming, Yuki. Since you’re the Dungeon Master, she thought it would be better to bolster the public profiles of Sisua and Sona instead. You’re already featured in the resort hotel section alongside Ratz, after all."
"Ah, I see. Fair enough. Sisua and Sona did work incredibly hard on those, so they deserve the spotlight. I suppose I’ll just have to make a name for myself at the Glass Port Town completion party."
"Exactly. Besides, the whole 'let’s enjoy the sea at Glass Port Town' concept was your idea to begin with."
"I don't know about that—I’m sure anyone could have thought of it."
"Not really. Most people wouldn't even go near the water because of the monsters."
That, I can understand. The aquatic monsters here are far more troublesome than anything on Earth. The seas here are significantly more dangerous than back home. But, setting that aside...
"So, it’s a joint venture with Ratz? I really have left everything to her, haven't I? Oh, and I assume you all brainstormed the merchandise together?"
"Haha, well, since you were the one who suggested building the port town and the resort concept came from your world, it’s not entirely inaccurate to credit you."
"Is that how it is?"
I continued to flip through the resort’s feature pages while chatting with Ria... Wait. This isn't just one page. Or two.
"There are a lot of pages here."
"Well, we’re trying to draw tourists to Glass Port Town, aren't we? We packed in as much as we could. Look, we even participated in the photo shoot for this beach section."
"So you did. And there’s Ratz, too."
The photos showed Ratz, Ria, and Canaria strolling along the beach. As for the swimwear shots, they had other women model those. Naturally, I couldn't just go around publishing photos of my wives—the high-ranking officials of Weed—in swimsuits. The rest of the spread featured hotel room tours, rooftop pools, bars, and a collection of souvenirs and goods that looked strangely familiar.
"Wait, these goods—did Orelia and the others make these?"
"Ehh?!"
At my words, Orelia and the others reacted, eagerly flipping through the magazine.
"Yes, that’s right. We all designed various things, but in the end, Ratz said..."
*“We won’t know what sells until we actually try selling it, so let’s make everything once. I want to look into the costs, too.”*
"That’s what she said. Micos was really gung-ho about it, too."
"I see. So she went with the 'spray and pray' strategy. Usually, you’d narrow things down due to cost constraints, but..."
"Well, we have a bit of flexibility in that regard."
"I suppose so."
That’s the privilege of being on the Dungeon management side, I guess. Though, if we were to produce things infinitely, even my pockets have a bottom. But since it’s just merchandise, I’m sure we’ll narrow it down eventually.
"Come to think of it, how are things going with the fishing port?"
I suddenly remembered. That was arguably the heart of the port town. I asked about the operational status of the fishing port, which I’d left primarily in Yayui’s hands.
"Yes. The fishermen we first recruited are already out at sea. However... we haven't reached the projected catch volume yet."
"Well, there are only three or four of them, right? Aside from the ship's limited capacity, there’s the question of whether there are actually enough fish."
Plus, their range is limited to about a 100-kilometer radius. If a fisherman from Earth heard that, they’d probably be insulted.
"And I assume you’re still in the process of sorting out which fish are edible?"
"Yes. There are still so many species we’ve never seen before, so I’ve been asking Ryushi to take them to the clinic."
Surprisingly, Yayui and Ryushi were working together on that.
"The laboratory handles the component analysis, but since it’s for consumption, I’ve been taking them to Lady Rurua, Lady Lilishe, Lady Hairen, and Lady Senaru to be examined."
Having a place where more than half the staff are goddesses sounds like a headache.
"They’re also researching the best ways to prepare them."
"Are you guys doctors or what?"
And so, while processing the work that had piled up during my time in the Oae Kingdom, I caught up on the latest news from Weed. Even in our absence, it seems Sisua and Sona have been working tirelessly to develop the port town. As for the party, the preparations appear to be moving along steadily.