Chishiya rubbed his temples twice.
Opened his account.
[Account Balance: 20 million Eris]
The total from selling Magic Air Conditioners and Magic Crystals had surpassed 20 million.
Which meant he could convert it into 200,000 Reputation Points.
With that, he could finally unlock teleportation anchors and start developing the tourism industry.
Across the table, Megumin swallowed the last bite of her food and looked at Chishiya.
"Sensei, didn't you say you were super busy lately?"
"So how come you brought us out today?"
Chishiya opened Rim's status panel.
---
[Rim]
[Gluttonous Dragon/Demon(Majin)]
[Energy Level: 10% → 30%]
[Labyrinth Resource Production Speed: Slow]
---
The truth was, Chishiya had noticed a problem.
The more resources mined from the labyrinth...
The faster Rim's energy dropped.
The two systems were clearly linked.
If her energy wasn't replenished in time, there was a risk of her going berserk.
Chishiya took a sip of wine and said casually, "It's not healthy to keep you locked inside the labyrinth forever."
"Might as well let you out for a walk every now and then."
Megumin pouted, clearly not buying it.
"Tch…"
"I've never seen a Sensei as irresponsible as you."
"Just dumped your apprentice inside and became some hands-off CEO."
"And!"
She slapped the table and stood up.
"Even if I said I only needed grocery money!"
"You've gone way too far!"
"Do you know what I've been eating every day living with a bunch of ants?!"
"Ugh… Ugh…"
She widened her eyes, covered her mouth, and gagged twice.
Chishiya stared at her, stunned.
...Don't tell me she really ate—
Megumin wiped her mouth and scowled.
"And another thing!"
"Living in a wooden shack?! I can't even bathe!"
"Do you know what I've suffered through?!"
She grew more worked up with every word.
Stormed right up to Chishiya, red eyes blazing.
Chishiya swallowed nervously.
"M-my bad…"
"Hmph…"
Megumin plopped back into her seat.
She rubbed her slightly rounded stomach.
"Whatever…"
"I'm full now anyway."
"But!"
"I'm taking a bath tonight!"
Chishiya: "No problem!"
"Oh, and—"
Chishiya reached into his coat and pulled out a shimmering rainbow-colored magic crystal, handing it to Megumin.
It was the high-grade ore that Wiz's shop couldn't move.
"This is for you."
When she saw the prismatic crystal…
Megumin's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"Isn't this… an S-rank Mana Ore?!"
"The holy grail of every great Arch Wizard?!"
"Sensei! You're giving this to me?!"
She was too easy to bribe. Chishiya smiled.
"So… do you like it?"
Megumin nodded like a bobblehead.
"I love it! I love it!"
"With this, I can make a staff that launches even more magnificent Explosion Magic!"
Seeing her that happy...
Chishiya couldn't help but grin.
"So, does that mean I'm forgiven?"
Megumin pouted again.
"Well... I'll mostly forgive you."
Chishiya: "What if I buy you a new robe?"
Megumin: "!!!"
Her whole face lit up.
"Sensei! You're the best master in the world!"
"Let's go! Let's go now!"
She grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door.
Chishiya's eye twitched.
"…This girl is so shameless…"
---
Later that morning
Chishiya took Megumin shopping for a new robe.
Aqua finished building two hot springs inside the labyrinth.
The queen ant got assigned to remodeling the wooden house.
After a long day of chores, Chishiya finally found a moment to breathe.
Back from the labyrinth, he headed straight to the Adventurers' Guild.
If the potions were getting results...
He could license distribution to the guild and skip a bunch of logistics.
Inside the Guild.
"Hey, have you tried the new potion from the cute shopkeeper?"
Adventurers were chatting at the tables.
"It works! It really works!"
"Way more effective than I thought!"
"Right?"
"Even a Horned Crocodile took the debuff!"
"There've been fewer low-level monsters around Axel lately."
"These potions have been a huge help."
From his seat in the corner, Chishiya sipped his drink.
Not bad. Feedback looked promising.
Mass production might be worth it.
He walked up to the front desk.
"Miss Luna, do you know when the next Chamber of Commerce carriage is leaving town?"
If these potions could affect high-level monsters…
They'd sell like crazy in elite markets.
Places like the Royal Capital, or the Water City.
Might as well start exporting.
Behind the counter, Luna tilted her head in surprise.
"Chishiya-san doesn't know?"
"Due to an increase in high-level monster sightings lately…"
"All local trade caravans have stopped running."
Chishiya blinked.
"High-level monsters... showing up frequently?"
"What's causing it?"
Luna shook her head.
"No one knows."
"But the Guild has already posted investigation requests."
"If we hear anything, I'll inform you immediately."
Chishiya rubbed his chin.
So the trade routes were suspended...
This was seriously cutting into his profits.
Then Luna added.
"Chishiya-san, maybe you could take the commission?"
"The carriages are grounded, and the Guild's getting desperate."
"If you find the cause, you'll be rewarded."
Chishiya nodded.
His goal was to make money while doing absolutely nothing.
But with this many employees depending on him...
And his current power level being somewhere around "Demon King Adjacent"...
A simple investigation shouldn't be a big deal.
"Sure."
Luna smiled and handed him a commission.
"Given your current rank... let's start with this one."
---
[Commission: Investigate the sudden appearance of slimes in the forest]
---
Chishiya raised an eyebrow.
"Slimes?"
---
In the forest
"Freeze."
Boom—!
A black saber-toothed tiger was flash-frozen, then shattered into icy shards.
Chishiya rotated his wrists.
Wiz's ice magic was way more practical than Megumin's explosions.
And surprisingly efficient.
That killer beast was strong enough to one-shot rookie adventurers.
Most parties would need three or four level-20 adventurers just to bring one down.
Chishiya bent down and picked up the monster's magic core.
Should sell for a decent price.
After all...
Rim eats faster than the labyrinth can produce…
He still didn't have enough cash to upgrade the labyrinth…
Remodeling the house cost a fortune...
Damn it, the more he thought about it, the broker he felt.
Making money was non-negotiable.
He tucked the core into his coat and continued along the path marked on the map.
Come to think of it…
Ever since receiving all those blessings, his magic had felt stronger.
Before, it was just a vague impression.
But now, the power was definitely real.
Take that rookie killer earlier.
He probably didn't even use 30% of his strength… and it still got one-shot.
(To be continued.)