383. One in the world (2)




 Telldungeon, first basement level.

 It's been a long time since I've had a chance to earn money in a dungeon after a lot of things have been settled.
 I'm going around the main earning dungeon, Tellurium, with Eri in tow.

 Encountering, I guide the slime that attacked me and shoot it out on the magic cart.
 The dropped sprouts go straight into the cart, which is what I'm used to so far, but now it's a little different than before.

'Oops, the cart is full again. Eli, hit the switch.
...... (click here)

 I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's in the contents of the cart by pressing the switch and sending the contents of the cart to Elsa and her friends' place in the gold tree.
 I'm sure you'll be able to find the best way to get the most out of this new collection.

 I'm right beside her, defeating the monsters that have attacked her with fluid movements and tossing the dropped items into the cart.

 It's like a father and son shopping at the supermarket.

'Thanks, Eri,'
...... (smiling)

 I patted his head and Eli smiled happily.
 She went from just clinging to me to helping out.
 Maybe in a little while she'll start doing things for herself.

 Until then, I'm just going to take one more breath--.

No, no, no. Let's be careful. If we're not careful, we're dead in the water.
......?
Eli, I want you to be careful. You don't want to get hit by a monster attack.

 After a quick deception, Eli gave a small gut-punch and got into it.

 She doesn't show any fear or trauma at all at the mention of being attacked by a monster. Rather, there is even a positive attitude to confront it.

 I was once again convinced that it was humans who killed the previous Eri--Erisronium, after all.

''Okay, well, let's go for another set and then we'll go home.''
......(country)

 Go down to the second basement floor with Eli pushing the cart.
 Earn a cartful of carrots from the sleeping slime on the second floor and send them to the third basement floor, and then follow that footsteps down to the third floor.
 Earn a cartful of carrots from the cocrosstalk slime on the third floor and send them up to the fourth floor--then you'll be on your way.

 After repeating that and going around the one set of levels I'd set for the circuitous course, I returned to the mansion at the transfer gate.

 Inside the new mansion, the Erislonium dungeon.
 When I returned there--.

''----!

 Eli suddenly freaked out and threw the cart out and clung to me.

'What's going on?'
...... (pulp)

 Eli buries his face in my pants and shakes his head.
 What the hell.

'Mr. Yoda, you're home, we're all waiting outside.
Guys?
We've got carbons, aldehydes, arenes, and a whole bunch of other associations here.
I've heard that name before: ......

 Not an elemental name, but a city name if that's what you mean?

Hi. He was here last year.
Last year?
These are the people I'm asking Yoda to move in with.
...... Yeah.

 Finally, I remembered.
 Just last year at this time, people from various dungeon societies came to say hello, either in person or via "Swallow's Grace".
 They wanted my tax revenue, and they wanted me to move in.

 They weren't in any particular need of help, so after exchanging pleasantries, I asked them to return.

'Here you are again. It's ...... and you're freaking out about Eli.

 Eli clings to me and glances through the wall in the direction of the outside.

'Hi, we can only let people in here with Eli's permission, so we're making everyone wait in the mansion over there.
I see.
But it was just right, and I wouldn't have gone in before I moved in.
'Not in? Yeah, you said there were other things.
Hi. All 13 of them.
'Thirteen! Why so much?
'Huh? Mr. Yoda, don't you know that yet?
What?
This year's buyout rankings have been released, Mr. Yoda, and you're number one.
...... oh.

 Pong, clap your hands.
 Come to think of it, was there such a story?

     ☆

 In the evening, I finally sent all the visitors back to the salon in the erythronium.

'Welcome back,'

 As I walked into the salon where everyone was relaxing, Eli tackled me and clung to me, joined by Alice's jovial voice.

'I'm home. 'Eli too. Everyone's gone now, I'm fine.
...... (country)

 Eli nodded, but clung to me.
 I'm still afraid of humans. ......

 I take Eri with me to my usual seat and sit on my lap.

''It's good to see you,''
Thank you, Emily. It was a lot of work.
You could have just said no.

 Alice asked curiously.

'That's why. 'It's an advanced technique to say no without setting horns.'

 Even when I was on the other side of the world, I wasn't very good at that.

'Would it have been better if this had been, "Guys, we're in trouble, help us out?
'Well, it's still easier that way. It's the only way to 'do' it.
Well, I wouldn't say that to the rest of the world. They'll be more interested in taking advantage of you.

 Celeste said.

'Yes,'
"At low levels, the rabbit suffered from carrot-depleted rabbit hypofunction syndrome.
"Hm.

 I took out the carrots I had stored on the porch and handed them to Eve.

'Umauma.'

 Eve looks happy as she takes it and starts biting into it as soon as she can.

'You're being used so quickly.
We can't help it, can we? Lyota's carrots, Eve, have an addictive quality to them.
'What? Sometimes I shake, and that was it!
That really stinks!

 I plunge into Emily's words.
 At the end of the day, salon time, with my friends.

 As she did so, the stiffness gradually disappeared from Eli's body.

'Ah, yes, Lyota-san.
What's the matter, Elsa?
'Lyota-san won first place, can I use it to promote our company?
'The Golden Tree'? ...... Is it worth the publicity?
'Yes! It would be outstanding if it was the number one place in the world to patronize.
I've already asked the other three to do the same for me, and then it's just Lyota.

 Ena said, and I nodded my head.

'The other three?'
'You didn't know this either. Alice is in tenth place, Emily is in ninth, and Celeste is in sixth.
...... eeeeeeee!

 Surprised, I turned quickly to the three of them.
 Emily and Celeste looked embarrassed, and Alice gave me the V-sign with a look of pride on her face.

'Are you sure?'
"Mochi.
That's awesome: ......
'The great thing is Emily. She doesn't neglect her housework - no, she does more housework than anyone else in the world, and she's number nine. And then you know what happens when you're released from that.
No, it's not.
Wow, that's impressive. They were all in the top ten?
'Yeah, so we've had invitations coming our way. Not as much as Ryota-san, though.
Oh,

 I was happy.
 I was more than happy for my friends to do well.

Next year will be even better, though.
What is this all about, Ena?
'For the past week, specifically since the change in food, everyone's earnings have increased by 30 percent.
"Rice ...... ah?

 Pong, clap your hands.
 It's Eli's water.

 It's been almost a week since Emily's rice was replaced with Eli's water, that's the thing.

'Is it really a 30% increase?'
Yeah, that's about it.

 Ena took a piece of paper from the table and handed it to me.
 It was a graph of how much Emily and the others earned.
 When I looked at it, I saw that it had indeed gone up a gulp for the past week.

You're right. It'll go up next year.
My prediction is that the three of us should be competing for two slots.
Two slots for three?
Second and third place, because the first place will be the same,

 Ena says and sends me a wink.

'Next year, huh?'
......?

 Eli squeezes my clothes and tilts his head back to look up at me.

'We're talking about eating Emily's delicious food and working hard for another year.
...... (nationally)

 Eli's eyes lit up when he heard it was Emily's meal.
 I hoped that by this time next year, she would have a better smile.
 I secretly wished that this time next year I would have a better smile.