Badlands Saga: Reincarnation in a Different World with Extreme Charisma

Chapter 21 Turn Me Loose, I’m Dr. FeelGood 2

The peak of the cold had passed, but spring still felt distant these days.

As we passed through one town after another, the number of people who began to follow us steadily increased.

In the second town, ten people became thirty, and by the third town, that number grew to fifty…

By the time we arrived at this fourth town, Subado, the crowd had swelled to over a hundred.

Even now, those who couldn’t secure lodgings for the night were sitting around, camping wherever they pleased near the home of the town’s chief, where we were staying.

Up until now, we had more or less ignored these people following us, but as we approached the boundary of the town, that was no longer an option.

Ahead of us lay the lands inhabited by the nomadic Makiano tribe.

Naturally, this was not a place where you could simply buy and sell goods with money.

Unlike us, who had pack horses and brought our own provisions, these people were on foot. If they ventured in recklessly, some of them might collapse and die from starvation or exposure.

“What should we do…” I muttered.

“They followed us on their own. If they die, that’s on them,” Kintman replied.

But the relations between the Tanukan and the Makiano were already strained. On top of that, it wouldn’t bode well if I, practically a hostage in this situation, ended up causing even more social unrest.

How one handles difficult situations defines one’s worth as a man… My father’s words echoed in the back of my mind.

“Maybe it’s time I have a proper talk with them.”

“But there’s no end to it, you know,” Kintman grumbled.

“Remember, you were a tag-along yourself in the beginning.”

Kintman fell silent, looking a bit sheepish.

And so, I asked the town chief of Subado, a man named Warakara, to lend us the hall in his mansion so I could formally meet with the people following us.

“What is it that you all want?” I asked.

I had been learning their language for a while, and as I traveled with many members of the Makiano tribe, I eventually found myself able to understand quite a bit of what they said.

Of course, my pronunciation was shaky, and I didn’t know words that weren’t used in everyday conversation, but I had gotten to the point where I could manage some light small talk on my own.

In response to my awkward question in Makiano, a young man with a hawk perched on his shoulder stepped forward from the crowd that had been following us and answered loudly.

“With all due respect! Our wish is to join Lord Fuu’s Magical Army!”

“As I’ve told you many times, no such army exists. I’m just the third son of a poor country noble, and I don’t have the means to support all of you.”

“Even so, that does not matter! We will follow Lord Fu as we believe is right!”

“From here on, there are no stores where you can buy food. If you continue to follow, you’ll starve to death.”

“If that is our fate, then so be it! If you wish to stop us from following, then strike us down with the legendary blade, Chiyonovagna!”

Looking closely at the people behind him, most of them looked like impoverished commoners in tattered clothing.

It wasn’t just men either—there were women and even children among the hundred.

Could it be that this group consists of people who were starving back in their town and simply followed us in search of work?

“Do you not have a place to return to?” I asked.

“We do not.”

It’s troubling that they’ve pinned their hopes and dreams on me…

If I truly ignored them now, crossed through the nomadic lands, and left them to starve to death, the rumor that’s already circulating about me being the “false claimant of King Laokan” might be replaced by something like “the demon who kidnaps people from towns and kills them.”

“The worth of a man is measured by his responsibilities, huh…”

“What’s troubling you, Lord Fusha?”

“Kintman, do you think I’m capable of supporting a hundred people?”

“A hundred? That’s nothing! If you set your mind to it, a million wouldn’t be a problem!”

“A million people, huh…”

Well, if that’s the case, I guess a hundred should be manageable.

I’ve always lived by being deliberately optimistic.

Once I decide to do something, I just get it done.

Profit or loss—those things always follow after you take action.

“Kintman, Isara, Medubal. My trusted companions…”

As I spoke, looking at the three of them, they quickly gathered by my side.

“Feed these hundred people here in this town. Eventually, we’ll bring them back to Tanukan and have them work the fields.”

“If that’s the plan, then it’s Medubal’s job,” said Kintman.

“I’ll leave the financials to you,” added Isara.

Medubal scratched his head, deep in thought for a moment, but then opened his eyes and said, “Let’s have them transport salt.”

“Salt? From Tanukan?”

“When Lord Fusha cultivated the fields, I heard that you produced a great amount of salt along with water.”

“That’s true. We made so much that it almost filled a tower with salt…”

“This region is inland, so salt would sell easily however we distribute it.”

“What about the travel expenses?”

When I asked, Medubal responded casually, “We’ll borrow money. Whether it’s from Chief Warakara here in Subado or from the leaders of the previous towns, someone will surely lend us the funds.”

“I doubt it, but I said I’d leave it to you, so…”

“Yes, leave it to me. Since it’s decided, I’ll go speak to Chief Warakara right away…”

Without missing a beat, Medubal hurried off.

I turned back to the young man with the hawk on his shoulder and declared in a loud voice.

“Do you all have the resolve to do anything under me?” I asked.

“Of course! We will devote ourselves fully, no matter what the task!” the young man replied.

“Then, handle the logistics,” I commanded.

With those words, the hundred self-proclaimed soldiers of the ‘magical army’ were transformed into merchants, tasked with transporting salt.

At first, I had thought of simply renting a warehouse-like shop, gathering salt there, and selling it directly by hand. However…

“Don’t be so reserved, Fu of the Wastelands. If you want to do business, you should have consulted me from the start. I’ll give you the town hall across from this house as a trading office,” said Warakara, the chief of Subado.

“No, using the town hall would be a burden. Just lend me any suitable building, and that will be enough…”

“Don’t be modest. This house is already like your second home. I’ll also have my daughter, Avi, help you out. She has a lot of connections,” Warakara insisted.

“All I need is permission to trade…”

Despite my protests, Warakara eagerly started organizing everything, as if he wanted to get more involved. His sixteen-year-old daughter, Avi, also busied herself with all sorts of arrangements.

“For now, those people also need a place to stay, right? I’ll open up a few rooms in our mansion for them, so they can live there. It’s fine, it’s fine. We often host merchants from faraway places, so we have plenty of empty rooms,” Avi said.

“Ah, thank you…”

“We’ll take care of the meals. Do they have enough clothes? There were babies, so they’ll need diapers, won’t they? You can use the well. There’s a bathroom on the second floor, and I’ll lay out blankets. They can do their own laundry, right? As for you, Lord Fuu, just tell me what you need. I’ll help with dinner too. Is there any food you don’t like?”

“Ah, uh…”

As she spoke rapidly, everything started falling into place in no time. Thanks to her, the hundred people now had a roof over their heads and could sleep indoors starting that very night.

I wasn’t entirely sure how, but things had escalated to a rather extraordinary situation.

Within a week, a large store with a sign reading “Magical Army” was set up in the prime location of Subado. Almost simultaneously, representatives from the towns we had passed through somehow got wind of what was happening and began to arrive one after another.

They each declared their intent to invest and started piling money in front of me, completely unprompted.

“The town of Ugamo, on behalf of Lord Rieger, offers 60 Laonix. It is a small amount, but please use it to help with your business. We also have a building prepared for your trade association in the town.”

“No, I can’t accept that…”

“The town of Zugi, from Lady Komirina, presents 80 Laonix. Please accept it as a gift. Lady Komirina has also offered a part of her estate for the trade association. But don’t worry, a new trading house is being constructed for you right now, so this is just temporary…”

“From Ugamo, under my discretion, I’ll add 30 more Laonix! Let Zugi be silent!”

“Both of you, calm down…”

“These country folk are unbearable. From the town of Horido, Lord Koukou offers an even 100 Laonix. Lord Koukou has said to use the money for the trading house as you see fit, so feel free to choose any building you like…”

“Lord Fuu, you’d be better off skipping that unworthy town of Horido altogether. The whole place is full of bandits…”

“You dare insult us…”

“You have some nerve!”

“Everyone! Calm down! Please calm down!”

To be honest, I had no idea what was happening…

However, I suspect that dealing in salt had excessively excited them.

Salt has always been a strategic commodity, one often monopolized by governments throughout history. Who could blame these local leaders for wanting to get a hold of a new trading house dealing with such a resource?

In the end, I was loaned enough money from each town to feed a normal family for a hundred years…

Thus, I found myself at the helm of a vast trade network spanning from the wastelands to the nomadic regions, dealing in all sorts of goods along the massive “Salt Road.”

◆

The unlawful individual who claims the title of the current King Laokan.

An ignorant, cruel, and treacherous person.

[Omitted]

He cannot possibly be an ordinary individual.

He must certainly become my son-in-law.

A treasure brought forth from the wilderness.

From Komirina’s Zugi Chronicles

◆

The deceitful one who claims the title of the current King Laokan.

A deceiver, one who misleads people with trickery and fraud.

[Omitted]