SWNOVELXO Chapter 147 - Divine Cat Mii-chan, Stunned
147 Divine Cat Mii-chan, Stunned
Five days have passed since the opening of the Divine Cat Trading Company’s stall.
The stall is a great success. Thanks to the support of the Grand Duke, it’s been fully recognized by the townspeople, and we’re slowly gaining regular customers. About two-thirds of the patrons are women, and the remaining third consists of children and men. We’ve also allowed takeout service for those who bring their own containers. This came after receiving… passionate requests from the ladies at the nearby guilds.
Both Alex and Claudia have gotten the hang of things, and since yesterday, they’ve been managing the stall by themselves without any issues. So, I’ve decided that it’s about time for us to return to the Kingdom of Lumière. But before that, there’s something I need to test, which is why we’re now in a secluded area outside of town, away from prying eyes.
“What are we doing, mew?”
“Testing the AF.”
I cleared some grass in a spot on the plains, laid down a sheet, and placed a metal plate from the AF teleportation device on it. I focused my mind on the necklace around my neck that was part of the teleportation device. Imagining the symbols drawn on the metal plate, I visualized teleporting to that spot.
In an instant, my vision warped, and the next thing I knew, I was standing two meters away from the metal plate I had imagined. Mii-chan, who was watching nearby, looked absolutely stunned.
“Perro wants to try it too, mew!”
“After I finish testing.”
I repeated the teleportation several times for further verification. What I discovered was that you always teleport to the front of the plate, and when the plate is lying flat, you don’t get thrown into the air but instead teleport downward toward the front of it.
Next, I tried teleporting with others. First, it was me and Mii-chan, then we added Perro, and eventually, we had everyone—Sera, Lu-kun, Lar-kun, and even Sumire—teleport without any issues.
“Mii!”
“Nyandafur!”
“Mew?!”
“Grr?”
“Kyuu?”
Sumire shook her head in displeasure, acting a bit grumpy. I reassured her that even though we now had a teleportation device, she was still an important and cherished member of our group. Hearing that, she seemed a bit happier.
This AF is truly an AF among AFs—almost as much of a cheat as the unlocking necklace. Thank you, King of Flame!
We headed to the stable at the Divine Cat Trading Company’s branch, which was under renovation. I asked the carpenter to carve a notch in the front pillar big enough to fit the teleportation plate and then had it securely sealed. With this, we can come here whenever we need. Once I place plates in my house in the royal capital of Beruna and in Brocken Mountain, it’ll be perfect!
Since losing the teleportation necklace would be a disaster, I had Mii-chan store it for safekeeping.
“Mii~”
She gave me a smug look, as if to say, “Leave it to me!” She was so cute that I gave her a little squish, and then Lu-kun and Lar-kun came over, asking for squishes too. Well, alright, let’s squish them all together!
After dinner that evening, we held a group meeting.
I told the two dragons that we would be heading back to the Kingdom of Lumière.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
“Indeed, Nero has important tasks to attend to.”
“Since we have the teleportation device from the King of Flame, I’ll come back after we reach Brocken Mountain.”
I also need to figure out how far this thing can teleport. I’m not sure if it can get us from the royal capital of Beruna to the grand city of Wilhelm.
I informed the dragons that it would take some time for the branch to be completed, so they would need to move to another inn until then. The cost of staying here is too much for me to cover out of pocket… Once the living quarters at the branch are ready, they can move in there. As for the stall, we can leave it in the stable at the branch for safekeeping.
We decided that work would follow a schedule of five days on and one day off. Since the two are here to learn about human society, I gave them the freedom to spend their days off as they liked. I’ll make sure they get paid too. Depending on future sales, we agreed to give them one-third of the stall’s net profits for now. Claudia will also handle the bookkeeping.
For the time being, Mii-chan and I will be in charge of sourcing the ingredients. We’re going to need someone to handle administrative tasks, though. I have little knowledge in that area, so we’ll have to figure something out…
Tomorrow, we’ll say our goodbyes to the Grand Duke and depart from Wilhelm the day after. The inn manager was quite disappointed when I told him, and he offered to throw us a farewell party tomorrow night. I’m grateful, but… seriously?
The next morning, we headed to the market together and went on a shopping spree for seafood. Afterward, we visited the bazaar and stocked up on local fruits and vegetables. Even now, as I walked through the bazaar, a pearl merchant approached me, asking me to buy black pearls. I told him I’d be opening a shop soon and that he could supply them there.
What will the Black Pearl Queen Mii-chan do with all these black pearls?
“Mii…”
Mii-chan gave me a look that said, “I don’t need any more.” But now that we’ve come this far, we have to figure something out. Didn’t pearl powder get used for cosmetics or health products? Maybe black pearl powder could sell…
As these thoughts swirled in my mind, we arrived at the palace.
“It seems your Divine Cat shop is doing well.”
“Thanks to your help, the townspeople have come to recognize it.”
“Mii~”
“Oh, I only showed my face for a moment.”
In front of the Grand Duke sat a plate with red bean and soy sauce-glazed dumplings. Ever since then, the palace staff has been buying them from us daily.
The Grand Duke seems to enjoy drinking hot tea with his soy sauce-glazed dumplings. He’s eating dumplings with Perro right now. Perro, stop eating so much…
“So, what brings you here today?”
“The branch is progressing well, so I’m thinking of returning to Beruna for a while. I also have an assignment from the King of Flame.”
“Ah, it’s about the hero. I’ve been investigating as well, but it seems they’ve sealed the information tightly. The Hunter Guild is desperately searching too, but no significant leads have turned up.”
It seems the Hunter Guild is after information on the hero to eliminate him. Since the hero has the potential to fall into darkness, the guild may end up receiving a request to hunt him down. Not just the Hunter Guild—there could also be requests sent to the Dark Guild.
“If we could meet and persuade him before that happens, it would be ideal…”
“Mii…”
“Since Rotaringia is involved, I can’t intervene further. I’m afraid it’s up to you, Nero.”
“It’s unavoidable. I was chosen for this task, after all.”
“I’ve already sent a letter to Annaliese asking her to assist you in any way possible. Since this is an assignment from the King of Flame, it’s as good as a request from this kingdom. It frustrates me that I can’t help openly.”
“Your sentiments are more than enough. Thank you.”
“Indeed. I look forward to good news.”
I want to save the hero if I can, since he’s one of us.
“Mii…”