Emis Thoughts and the Yoshanka Boom

* * *

<Say, Emi why did you just accept those conditions without any objection?>

As I headed back to the bushes serving as my current base after the exchange at the guild branch, Extra-sama broached that question while we travelled through the wasteland.

<Its unbelievable no matter how you look at it, isnt it? Just 5,000 enn for 3 Cysh Grass stalks? And having you bring them to her home instead of the guild, shes blatantly trying to exploit you through deception, isnt she?>

Extra-sama was fuming with anger.

Well, that indignation was certainly justified.

Ill admit, I never expected things to turn out like this either!

I thought it was simply discrimination for being a cursed child, but that receptionist was rotten to the core.

For that corrupt receptionist to so brazenly begin misconduct just because her target was a cursed child is just too much.

<Lets report that receptionists fraud, Emi. Theres no obligation to entertain such outrageous nonsense, is there?>

Report the fraud? To who?

Tattle to the guards?

Extra-sama, do you really think anyone would listen if a cursed child tried making such a claim?

<Uh>

Exactly.

Well, Kamasse might lend an ear at least, but hes still just a brat too.

Having one or two whining kids would change nothing in this world.

Besides, I dont want to cause any trouble for Kamasse.

Hes a good guy, after all.

He treated me to yakitori.

<Even so? Then shouldnt you just ignore that receptionist? Theres no need to let yourself be exploited by her fraud, is there?>

But Extra-sama,

For example, if I went to another Adventurers Guild branch instead, is there any guarantee Id actually be accepted properly, unlike in Yoshanka?

<..>

Exactly. I no longer have the barons letter of recommendation, and Im a cursed child, so Id likely just get turned away at the gate again.

Or I might not even be allowed into the town at all Well, that could be avoided by not using the main entrance, I suppose.

Either way, I figured it may be better to endure one month of exploitation in exchange for getting an adventurers certification after all.

As for the money, sure, 5,000 enn is a paltry amount. But I dont really have any way to spend money anyway, do I?

If I try using stores, Ill just get chased out.

So inadequate compensation isnt really a significant downside for me in practice.

<Hmmno no, youre being too complacent. What if she breaks her promise after you work hard for a month? That receptionist seems like shed do exactly that.>

Ill think about it if that happens.

<Tear her to shreds and feed her to monsters? Or toss her off a cliff into the sea?>

Wait, hey, scary scary.

What? Were you just suggesting ways to dispose of that corrupt receptionist, not how I should conduct myself?

<I just assumed youd do something along those lines if she pushed you too far.>

What kind of person do you think I am?

* * *

Now then, it had been two weeks since Emi began indulging the corrupt receptionist Pilitzas misdeeds.

The money Pilitza had illicitly earned through her exploitation had already surpassed 2,500,000 enn, leaving her in an exceptionally good mood as she worked each day.

Naturally, her attitude towards adventurers grew brighter and more relaxed, fostering a positive impression of Pilitza among them.

With the Cysh Grass sales boosting her performance figures so visibly, both Pilitzas and the Yoshanka branchs business results were soaring.

Initially, the vice-chief was puzzled over the anonymous adventurer-submitted Cysh Grass, but with the significant profits for the branch, he refrained from questioning Pilitza too deeply.

Not that he could even if he wanted to he himself had previously doctored the ledgers, a weakness Pilitzas intuition as a fellow crook had sniffed out, leaving him under her control.

Despite his vice-chief position, he was powerless to defy a mere receptionist.

And the boon from Emis herb gathering didnt end at just the Yoshanka branch.

The vendors purchasing materials from the branch were raking in immense profits too.

After all, they could reliably procure the rarely circulated, difficult-to-obtain Cysh Grass in consistent daily quantities.

It was a lucrative windfall.

At first, only the Drogg Company with prior dealings enjoyed a monopoly on those profits from the Yoshanka branch. But it didnt take long for other keen merchants to catch that scent and come swarming.

The Sakocchi Company, Rassharn Company Even the Teenidys Apothecary Guild swiftly took action, unwilling to miss this opportunity.

Soon, a horde of merchants descended on the Yoshanka branch to bid for the material wholesale trade.

Trailing slightly behind the merchants, word began spreading among the adventurer circles too.

Apparently Cysh Grass can be gathered near Yoshanka.

Just harvest herbs for a day and you can easily make a huge profit.

A chance to strike it rich!

These were the rumors deliberately circulated by the merchants hoping to bolster the Cysh Grass supply through more harvesters.

The nimble adventurers quickly jumped on this buzz, beginning their relocation to Yoshanka.

In reality, to brave the demon realm Kaise Forest required adequate preparation against the myriad monsters including the venomous Yasago snakes. And despite being the outskirts, the forests sheer vastness meant no adventurers managed to reach the habitat Emi had discovered.

So the merchants schemes never came to fruition, but sporadic reports of smaller Cysh Grass finds at other locations still stirred the adventurers into a frenzy each time.

Additionally, the lower-ranked adventurers too inexperienced to challenge the Kaise Forest who came to Yoshanka didnt go jobless either.

The influx of merchants and adventurers increased demand for hunting quests to procure food supplies.

The wilderness surrounding Yoshanka was teeming with edible monsters, while the northern cliffs constantly saw the massive Togdo birds producing fresh eggs.

Those hunts and egg gathering became the work of the less capable adventurers.

Thus, merchants, apothecaries, adventurers of all kinds began congregating in Yoshanka.

The declining town found itself revitalized with a resurging energy. For example, the yakitori stall that had driven Emi away now enjoyed record-breaking sales daily, their ecstatic cheers ringing out.

Yoshankas most popular inn, the Sea Breeze, began renovations and even an expansion project.

The other merchants part of the Yoshanka Trade Association were now also exploring ways to capitalize on this unexpected economic boom.

And yet, who was the driving force behind this prosperity?

Apart from Pilitza herself, no one knew.

To conceal her own misconduct, Pilitza kept Emis existence as obscured as possible.

As mentioned earlier, the Cysh Grass submitted daily was attributed to an anonymous adventurer.

Withholding the harvesters name was not an uncommon practice to avoid envy or sabotage from other adventurers, so that point drew no particular skepticism.

Hence, neither the Yoshanka Trade Association nor the merchants and adventurers flooding in from elsewhere understood who had sparked this Yoshanka boom.

And Pilitza herself was too preoccupied counting the money lining her own pockets to take interest in Yoshankas situation.

Moreover, Emi spent most of her time in the wilderness and forest too, equally indifferent to Yoshankas economic revival.

Not a single person grasped the true catalyst behind this prosperity, this Yoshanka boom.

Events continued unfolding, misunderstood by all.