Badlands Saga: Reincarnation in a Different World with Extreme Charisma - Chapter 38

Chapter 38   Too Late To Die 1

Autumn had come to Tanukan.

However, this was a barren wasteland, and there were no beautiful autumn leaves or ginkgo trees turning yellow—such seasonal charm simply didn’t exist here.

At best, the harsh sunlight had slightly eased.

Nevertheless, the harvest season had indeed arrived.

The cabbages and turnips planted in the fields had grown abundantly, albeit misshapen, and the villagers were busy with the harvest.

The sweet potatoes planted in spring had been successfully harvested in summer and were now stored in the granary.

Wheat planting season was approaching, and the livestock brought by Harriett were actively mating. It seemed the town’s young people were also forming pairs, and various seeds were being sown.

At the very least, it seemed that this winter would pass without hunger… Amidst this relief, another kind of harvest had come to Tanukan.

It was human resources.

Yes, in response to the letter sent by the rock dwarf Kodara, there had indeed come a rock dwarf all the way to Tanukan.

This rock dwarf, who had reportedly crossed the Karakan Mountains alone, was…

In the smithy of the castle where Kodara was renting, he looked at me with a somewhat humbled expression, hunching his shoulders.

“Fusha-sama, let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Nadara. He may be young, but he should be capable.”

“I’m Nadara from Bitu. Please take care of me.”

“Thank you for coming all the way to this remote place. I have a mountain of requests for you.”

“Um, I still have a lot to learn, but I’ll do my best.”

He was still too young to have a full beard and had a physique even smaller than the petite Kodara.

However, being a rock dwarf, his hand was strong and calloused when we shook hands.

“Now that we have more people, it’s about time we built a workshop for Kodara, but… I’m sorry, the timing is bad right now, so could you hold off until the farming slack period?”

“I understand. We’ll just mark our territory together for now. I think it’s better to make it large.”

“I’ve left some children with Kodara, so please do that.”

“Well, I think more dwarves will be coming soon, though…”

“If that’s the case, I’d be happy…”

Just three days after discussing that with Kodara, he came to my laboratory with another rock dwarf.

The rock dwarf he brought seemed to be staring intently at the alchemical tools with great curiosity.

“Let me introduce you. This is Yoriudo’s Tohiki… Hey, Tohiki! This is Fushanklan!”

The rock dwarf, who had his beard braided, seemed to realize he was being introduced, and hurriedly looked at me and bowed his head.

“I’m Tohiki. No one can outdo me when it comes to making chairs.”

I see, so this time it’s a furniture craftsman rock dwarf.

“A chair, huh? I might ask you to make a chair for me someday.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll make one you can sit in until you’re an old man.”

Saying this with a somewhat cheerful tone, he fiddled with his braided beard.

Since wood was a precious resource in this area, the furniture in my place was generally old and shabby.

It might be a good idea to allocate a budget to have everything in the castle rebuilt…

Just three days after dreaming about that, in the afternoon.

While I was making clam gasoline in the wasteland, Kodara returned with two more rock dwarfs.

“Fusha-sama, these are a couple from Bitu. Mel and Hoki.”

The couple, who were said to be married, wore stylish outfits that I had never seen in this world before.

The wife was dressed in a sharply pleated shirt and looked at me with keen eyes, appearing quite intrigued.

“I’m Mel. Leave the footwear to me.”

“Nice to meet you! There aren’t many people who can make shoes, so I’ve been having trouble.”

As we shook hands, her grip felt firm and capable.

Next to her, her husband wore a gentle smile, neatly dressed in a brightly colored vest adorned with fine details.

“I’m Hoki. I can make anything in terms of clothing. As a token of our new acquaintance, let me make you an outfit.”

“Please make one for my wife, Harriett, too.”

If it’s clothing made by a rock dwarf, it should be durable and long-lasting.

I was somewhat grateful that, in response to the letter Kodara sent out, a variety of rock dwarfs from different fields had come.

Well, given that there were virtually no shops in my territory at the moment, I decided to have them set up shops here.

Currently, I was distributing food and harvested crops to the villagers who were helping with agriculture, but moving forward, I could start giving them money to use at their stores or at the Makiano’s shop.

Not only would they be able to eat, but I also thought that if their lives didn’t gradually become richer, some might feel lost and suffer in the long run.

As I contemplated these matters, I was introducing the rock dwarfs to temporary locations for their shops and starting to brainstorm specific plans with Medubal…

In mid-autumn, a ship from the Neyakashi Trading Company, the official merchant of the Tanukan family, arrived in the Tanukan territory.

The taxes I owed to Folk were to be loaded onto this ship, which I had already entrusted to my brother, Koutasma, who was in charge of the port.

So, I was participating in a meeting regarding the development plans for the castle town without giving it much thought, but then suddenly, my brother’s subordinate came rushing in from the port to call for me.

“Fushanklan-sama! We need you to come to the port!”

“Huh? What’s going on? Were the taxes insufficient?”

“No, it’s not that… it seems there was a guest of yours on the Neyakashi Trading Company’s ship…”

“Eh? W-who could it be…?”

Such doubts were cleared the moment I arrived at the port, shaken by the horse that Isara was riding.

In front of the Neyakashi Trading Company ship docked at the port stood a group of rock dwarfs, each clutching their tools with great care, all noticeably shorter than others.

Though I couldn’t distinguish the rock dwarfs by age or gender, it was evident there were more rock dwarfs gathered than I had ever seen before.

“…No way, all of these rock dwarfs are for us, right?”

“Probably all of them are for Fusha-sama.”

“No, no, for now, let’s just hear what they have to say…”

However, given that so many unfamiliar rock dwarfs were gathered, it was dangerous to approach without caution. So, knowing it might be rude, I rode closer to them on horseback.

“I am Fushanklan, the third son of the Tanukan Margrave family! Is there anyone here who has business with me!?”

When I asked that, the eyes of the chattering rock dwarfs all turned to me at once.

The pressure of their gazes made my horse take a step back instinctively.

“So you’re Fushanklan! I want to tell you one thing… about…”

“You said you wanted to ask for work, didn’t ya! You look down on this rock dwarf…!”

“Is that dragon wine really here? I want to taste it, so come here right away…”

The rock dwarfs surged forward with a force that seemed like they might attack my horse, but for some reason, they gradually toned down and merely surrounded Isara’s horse instead.

Perhaps they had something they wanted to say, but once the name of the margrave family was mentioned, they couldn’t express it.

Maybe I shouldn’t have come out here directly, and it would have been better to have Kodara come first.

While I was pondering this, the emerald sword that Isara had drawn was pointed at the rock dwarfs surrounding the horse.

“Step away from the horse! Who do you think this person is!”

“Oh… whose sword is that!?”

“Why is it so transparent? Who forged it?”

“Was it made by someone named Kodara?”

“What material is it? Is it crystal stone?”

Isara swung her sword to keep the rock dwarfs from getting too close as they curiously tried to examine it.

The sword grazed their noses, and their momentum was finally halted, making them take a single step back.

Alright, there’s no point in thinking too much right now; it’s time to reset.

“I’ll ask again! Anyone who has business with me, Fushanklan, raise your hand!”

As I said this, all the rock dwarfs raised their hands.

E-everyone, huh…

“Then that means everyone is willing to work for us, correct?”

When I asked, they lowered their hands and looked at each other.

Huh? Didn’t they come here to work?

While I was confused, the tallest rock dwarf in the group raised his hand.

“Fushanklan-sama… may I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Who is the blacksmith that forged that sword…?”

“It was made by our blacksmith, a rock dwarf named Kodara.”

As I said this, they looked at each other again.

Then, another rock dwarf raised his hand.

“Can I ask something too…?”

“What is it?”

“Is it true that dragon wine can be drunk?”

“…If you’re willing to work for us.”

“Oh! Is that so!?”

“I wonder what kind of wine would make a dragon go wild…”

Well, I didn’t expect this many to come, so increasing production is essential…

As I mentally calculated in my head, another hand went up among the rock dwarfs.

“What is it?”

“In the end, what kind of work do you want us to do…?” they asked.

“We heard it would be difficult work…”

“There’s a lot. Lathes, gears, distillation towers, buildings, factories, railroads, trains—there’s a mountain of things I want to make.”

“Lathes…?”

“I’ve made gears before…”

“Distillation, isn’t that what alchemists use?”

It seemed the rock dwarfs were confused by the words I had used.

Well, things like lathes, buildings, and trains probably don’t exist in this world yet.

“…”

It’s only natural since I hadn’t even shown them a conceptual diagram, but the rock dwarfs didn’t seem particularly interested.

After all, asking them to develop something that may not even exist in this world, without even a mother machine for working tools, is clearly an impossible task.

Even so, I thought I might be able to rely on them, just like I did with Kodara…

“Well, I guess so. It seems impossible…”

I muttered this quietly, not knowing what about my words had stirred them…

Regardless, it was certain that I had touched some kind of nerve.

Before I knew it, the expressions on the rock dwarfs had changed completely from just moments ago.

“No one said it was impossible!”

“We just wanted to confirm if it’s something worthy of us making!”

“There’s nothing I can’t make!”

“I’ll make it by tomorrow!!”

They surrounded the horse, speaking as if gunpowder had exploded.

It seemed my careless words had hurt their pride.

“No, no, I’m sorry! That’s not what I meant!”

“Did you say you’re Fushanklan? By the way, is what was written in that letter true?!”

“What do you mean?”

“It said in that letter that you would create something that changes the very nature of the world! Is such a thing really possible?!”

“Oh, of course. I intend to create something that shrinks the world and expands it. Something that runs faster than a horse across the wasteland, and swims faster than a fish in the sea.”

“Faster than a horse?! What does that mean?!”

“What does it mean to shrink and expand?”

“Let’s just try making anything!”

“I’m hungry; can you give me something to eat before work?”

“You’ll also make alcohol, right? I came here looking forward to that dragon wine!”

As the rock dwarfs chattered excitedly, it seemed they were motivated.

I let out a sigh of relief, only to be met by Isara’s exasperated sigh from behind.

“Fusha-sama, it’s only natural for rock dwarfs to get angry if you doubt their skills. If it had been someone more difficult, a flea would have flown at you…”

“I’m sorry, Isara.”

“Well, if one did come, I would just shoot it down…”

“You’re reliable.”

I tapped her knee lightly and turned back to the rock dwarfs.

“For now, please move towards the castle! We’ll serve food and drinks there!”

Cheers erupted from the rock dwarfs, and from behind them, a foxkin merchant from the Neyakashi Trading Company pushed through.

“Fushanklan-sama…”

“Thank you for delivering these individuals today, Neyakashi Trading Company. I appreciate it.”

“I’m grateful… but about the travel expenses for these rock dwarfs…”

“Travel expenses?”

The foxkin looked a bit apologetic as he leaned in closer and spoke in a low voice.

“Actually, if you were to send them, the employer will cover the travel costs and all food expenses during the journey. I accepted because I had a job listing with your signature, Fushanklan-sama…”

“What?”

As I straightened up to look at the rock dwarfs, they were looking back at me with nonchalant expressions, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps they had confidence in their skills, or maybe that’s just the way of blacksmiths.

Well, it’s no use complaining now that they’ve arrived; I’ll just have to make sure they work hard.

Ultimately, I would find myself in a similar situation with the rock dwarfs sent from the Makiano side before winter arrived.

In any case, the arrival of this talented group of engineers in Tanukan this fall would become a significant factor in the region’s development.

◆◆◆

“Recruitment for Rock Dwarven Craftsmen”

Work Location: Tanukan Territory. (Map attached)

Employer: Fushanklan of Tanukan.

Position Available: Anything.

Salary: Payment based on results.

Housing: Negotiable.

Meals: Enough to avoid hunger.

Alcohol: Appropriate amount of dragon wine.

Job Description: Production of things unknown to anyone, entirely new creations, items that change the way of the world, etc. Extremely difficult; only suitable for those with real skill. Those without a specialty need not apply.

From Kodara, the Divine Sword Blacksmith