Earth Dungeon 52.2

Test

Chapter 52.2. Attraction

Sitting on the sofa in the living room of his home, Sakimori closed his eyes and used the black cat to observe the market's activity. Leaning back on the sofa, he let out a big yawn.

When he's using the numerous black cats, it's impossible to simultaneously experience, and see everything. So he only glanced at what caught his interest. Nevertheless, his head was throbbing, and he felt nauseous. His shoulders were stiff, so he rotated his neck and spoke.

"What are you up to, Shizuku-san?"

He asked the question with half-closed eyes as Shizuku walked unsteadily, seemingly doing something odd again. It might be fine to leave her be, but she'd look like she was about to cry.

[Ugh... For some reason, I can see through people's vision. Vision hijack, vision hijack. Understood, I'll shoot.]

"Could you not give off such a creepy vibe?"

I interjected with a quip due to the eerie atmosphere. Shizuku was emitting a slightly spooky aura.

[Mmm... Yes, I may have gone a bit overboard just now. I need a clearer joke. My bad. Maybe I should have gone with cyber-jacking the public security forces after all.]

With a dejected expression, Shizuku faced downwards and knelt, extending her hand like a puppy asking for a treat. She is like a little girl.

[I sensed you were thinking of something strange, but oh well. Anyway, was that good? The people who made a meal out of the residents of the abandoned town?]

Shizuku, who had been observing the same things as me, voiced her question.

"Hmm? It's unusual for Shizuku to be concerned about something like that. Have you awakened to altruism?"

She's usually a prankster and even shoots people who collapse without much concern, thinking it might be a trap. She doesn't usually have a heart, after all.

[No, not really. I just think it would be best if things went well overall. I thought it might be something you'd be concerned about, Soujin-san. It's for building up my likability, you know.]

Shizuku answered candidly with a nonchalant expression. It seems she hadn't been bothered by it. Shizuku is pretty matter-of-fact. 

Even if her comrades are hurt, her first consideration would be the change in battle strategy due to the decrease in combat strength.

"If you openly state that and my likability goes up, that would be odd, don't you think? But I understand what you're trying to say. They indeed made meals out of the abandoned town's residents. That much is certain."

I've realized that. Those are the facts.

"That's just the norm. That's the everyday reality of the outer town. The truly terrible part is that they sometimes use people as bait for monsters, make them accomplices in crimes, or treat them like slaves during demolition work. We have to deal with this responsibly. At least they're buying worn clothes from the abandoned town's residents with ration tickets. And it seems they're conducting legitimate sales."

[Indeed, they've skillfully repaired worn-out clothes. Impressive.]

They were carefully sewing and mending even the small holes. Despite being secondhand, the clothes looked sturdy and well done. Probably not just a skill.

"You're right? Also, those with [Sewing] and [Thread Processing] skills might be secretly trying to steal their techniques. They could get practice fabric by stripping goblins."

The children pretended to be customers but were secretly peeking. The secondhand shop couple was too caught up to notice.

"It's quite a spectacle to see who's putting in the desperate effort. Those kids seem to be progressing slightly faster."

[You mean they might have the potential to become psychics, I understand.]

The smiling girl nodded, but why psychics?

"Nah, they're not gonna become psychics. It's just that their small efforts are rewarded a little faster, that's all."

I had no intention of leveling up those kids with doping. Unlike blacksmithing or knowledge, they could improve their skills through practice. Jin and the others would be more than willing to help with things like needles and scissors.

As such, they could undoubtedly improve their skills without relying on their abilities. Let's apologize for the idea of stealing techniques.

[So, those people are just stepping stones?]

Huh? I chuckled at Shizuku's unexpected words. She seems surprisingly narrow-minded. Perhaps because it's unrelated to combat.

"Well, in an open market, everyone has a chance, you know? The owner of that secondhand shop might rapidly improve and become a big store, or those kids might end up owning their shops. If sales are good, other clothing stores might come to my market. There are plenty of rivals. I support the kids, though."

[I see. It is a market. As a result, people from outer town will start coming for clothes]

"It applies to other things too, but you're right. Right now, we're selling potatoes and corn a bit cheaper than the black market to attract people, but who knows what the future holds."

This past week, the number of visitors from the outer town had increased significantly. They must have realized it was a safe route. I could see people packing corn and potatoes to take home through the black cat's eyes.

People who understood they could sell cores were also appearing, planning to enter Dungeon Tours. The flow of money had started to grow considerably. This way, the foreign currency would flow in from the outer town. It's a delicate thread, but I've established a distribution network connecting the outer town, and Amatsugahara Market.

"Well, it's still a market that's just getting started."

With excitement for the future, Sakimori leaned back on the sofa and began to doze off.