As Vanessa awkwardly pokes at her food, forcing herself to take a few bites, the boy looks at Auren with sparkling eyes.
"You want to know what we need? Perfect. We need lots of things..." he says, thinking hard. "What do we need... hmmm. Ah, I know! More candy!"
"Shut up, Loy..." one of Nopper's daughters yells, smacking him on the head. "Excuse the boy's rudeness. We are incredibly grateful, and we are not lacking anything. Our work is rewarding and not too much at all, and everything else is better than anything we got to enjoy in our lives before. Please do not worry about us. Even the food is luxurious! This is all we could ever ask for."
Let's see... looks like the fish here is decent indeed. The mushrooms are also fresh. The other things are imported... namely the grain and the vegetables. Still, it's of decent quality, better than the food in Lidor's mansion we got at the end. As far as I can tell, they are levelling the ground here for a large settlement. Farms or large gardens are not planned here. They require flat terrain and a proper setup for irrigation and storage. This bay isn't suitable for such an undertaking. For now, this is just a landing point that will eventually grow into a large port city, while Landing Point B will follow the same rough plan, but with an eventual role that will differ. I wonder if that city will be specialised. Maybe trading, therefore requiring warehouses and other storage, or maybe fishing. This is supposed to be our capital, at least according to our current plan.
After enjoying the food, which Auren finds satisfying and which he guesses is at least partially produced here, he finally stands up and lifts the sickly-looking girl Nopper mentioned, immediately noting her weak Aura compared to the other children.
"Don't worry," Auren says softly as she stares at him cautiously. "I'm just checking something. Nopper, I'll try what I can do."
"Vice-Leader, you don't need to..." he mutters weakly, before shutting up.
Auren carries her into one of the bedrooms and immediately uses Azure Restoration. As his Azure Aura surrounds the girl, he instantly realizes the problem in her body.
Some sort of cognitive disease. I can't describe it... but I can feel it. If I can feel it... I can heal it.
Just as he did earlier with the diseases, he covers her entire body with it, trying to cure it at once. To his utter shock, the sickness is cured in less than five minutes.
Auren freezes for a moment, somehow realizing the repercussions.
It took me five minutes to get rid of an ailment that costs Nopper's family a fortune, and that might have even ended up killing the girl. A disease that has dictated her entire life... gone, just like that.
Auren returns to the living room, his Aura—which had just recovered a little—now almost used up again.
"... Vice-Leader. I can't face you," Nopper says. "I am truly grateful... I will never forget this favor."
"This is nothing," Auren states, gently placing the confused-looking girl back onto the chair she sat on earlier.
"What happened?" the boy from earlier asks her immediately.
"Nothing," the girl says honestly, smiling. "I just feel a lot healthier now, and my cough and the pain in my chest are gone."
"This isn't something I did only for you," Auren explains, continuing before anyone can start worshipping him again. "I'll stay here for a while. After the injured people, I'll focus on normal people too, at least once in a while. So our chance meeting didn't decide anything in the long run." He glances at Vanessa. "Vanessa... it's time we leave."
"Okay," she says, smirking. "Can't help yourself, huh? You're getting a little soft... I like it."
As soon as they leave, Auren says, "Just making sure my future workers are able to perform at their peak and provide lots of resources for me."
"Sure..." Vanessa replies, sounding unconvinced. "Let's hurry up and go home... I'm soooo hungry."
"We just ate," Auren immediately points out.
"Yeah... and the food wasn't really to my liking," Vanessa complains without shame. "The fish was probably caught here, and it's not very tasty. The mushrooms were fresh, but they probably grow around here as well. They tasted like dirt. Vegetables are also not really my thing. They seemed frozen too... and the bread was too hard and too dark."
Auren sighs. "A very picky Hunter indeed... I guess a licence doesn't magically turn you into a survival expert."
Vanessa ignores Auren's little comment and rubs her head, looking towards the forest in the far distance. "I wonder what the others did... I want to go hunting for real next time... hunt for the big beasts. I wanna try, I'm shaking in anticipation... I... need the excitement... the thrill! I just got a first taste today, and it wasn't nearly enough."
"We will do that," Auren replies. "You'd better prepare yourself and get your Hatsu under control. If you crave the excitement of a hunt, you need to do the preparations as well, or your career will be very short, believe it. From the injuries I've seen earlier, there are some terrific-looking beasts close by... perfect targets to test ourselves."
"Hehe, you will use your devilish sword to drain them. You mentioned something like that, right?" Vanessa wonders. "How much Aura do you need? I want a weapon like that...."
"There will never truly be enough Aura to satisfy my needs... but for now." Auren's eyes display a hint of greed. "How about a thousand beasts?"
"Scary..." Vanessa mutters. "From kind to ruthless.... I like both sides of you, though."
"I like it when you shut up," Auren counters. "Let's go home already."
Finally, the two press on and walk towards the airport, their ship already in sight.
Back on the airship, Auren notices that Eren, Neffi, and Leira have already returned and are currently sitting at the large dining table. As he walks towards them, he can already smell the scent of freshly prepared food wafting over from the kitchen, a stark contrast to the food he ate earlier.
"There you are!" Neffi says. "So you indeed spent the day together!"
Vanessa smiles and sticks out her tongue, clearly trying to annoy Neffi.
"Act your age!" Neffi yells, obviously angered.
"Please... I'm tired," Auren speaks up. "Cut out the childish bantering and tell me what you guys did."
"I was exploring the site. I even took a flight over the coastline and the forest," Neffi says, beginning to explain her little exploration trip. "The new suit is godlike! I can literally fly. I can keep it up for thirty minutes without a break. If I grow stronger and more skillful, I'll be able to fly like a bird at some point. I am so excited."
"Keep it up," Auren says, nodding along.
I'm a little jealous... I'll get there myself, though it will be far more difficult for me, but eventually....
"I was exploring inside the camps." Eren follows up. "The people here are incredibly satisfied with their lives. There is enough food, and there are numerous systems in place. Work is supervised—there are various points where people receive all kinds of wares and food. There are even childcare facilities for single parents who are working and can't take care of their children around the clock. Everything looks chaotic and wild, but there are complicated and extremely effective systems in place. This camp is like a complicated watch, and it's highly precise and effective. I'm quite surprised," Eren explains.
"I can attest to that," Auren replies, before looking at Leira. "What about you, Leira? Thanks to Vanessa's eagerness we took down a bunch of monster beavers—larger than bears. I asked that you be granted access to the numerous warehouses."
"I've indeed received permission and spent the day analysing the resources the scouts picked up," Leira says, sounding satisfied, already revealing a tiny hint of excitement. "Herbs, wood, fur, meat, fangs, even bones." Her tone shifts, and for once she shows real enthusiasm. "I also saw the beavers you hunted. This place hasn't been explored yet, so most resources are quite different from the ones found in the civilised world. Even familiar things like the trees and plants are only at about a ninety-six percent likeness. There are subtle differences everywhere. I'm quite excited to learn more."
"This place... it's almost impossible to explore it without backing," Auren says. "This expedition is quite historic. We are changing the world in a sense. You can't explore places like this on your own, so I'm glad you are enjoying it."
"It's a bold decision to settle this place," Auren continues. "Enjoy the calm and freedom. Sooner or later, things will get complicated. Hopefully later. Much later. This is the perfect time to make as much progress as possible." He glances at Leira. "I'm glad you're getting results. I'm also wiring you payment for your services every month. Remember to make sure it's adequate."
"Ah, that's why I got that 100 million Jenny... I'm not quite sure what use I have for it, but I'll accept it gratefully," Leira replies. "If you ever need it back, tell me."
... why would you give it back?
"... Give me some as well," Vanessa says, sulking.
"... You are rich enough," Auren replies immediately. "When you actually contribute, I'll consider paying you."
"With my cool Hatsu, I'm worth billions!" Vanessa brags.
"You succeeded?" Eren asks, perking up, hearing about her progress.
"Indeed, I have. What did you expect, huh?" she announces proudly.
"Barely... though her potential is immense. I'll give her that," Auren clarifies.
Eren's expression shifts, doubt appearing on his face, when Marsha interrupts the group with plate after plate of food.
"Finally!" Vanessa yells, her mouth beginning to water.
What a glutton....
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