20 Back to Frozen Frost Fortress
Inside the carriage, I took out two Neutral Mana Stone from my Inventory and opened up Bel-chan's Network System.
"Oh, Beleal, Long time no see," Yui said to the floating sphere that was Bel-chan.
[Tian Yuanle, you didn't die yet?]
A message appeared from the sphere that is Bel-chan like how a chat log was like. Since Bel-chan doesn't want to physically talk with Yui, he said it via letters as a chat instead.
"Tsked, you still don't like me, huh," Yui said with a smirk on his face as his eyes darkened. The aura around him darken and shadows of mist started to appear inside the carriage.
For some reason, both of them never get along; Bel-chan and Tian Yuanle could never get along. So, Bel-chan will always ignore him or not appeared outside of my External Spatial Space whenever Tian Yuanle was with me.
The last time that Bel-Chan and Tian Yuanle fought, a couple of planetary systems got destroyed and the God of Rebirth and Death was buried underneath a whole building of paperwork due to backlogs. So, the God of Rebirth and Death actually begs me on his knees for me to control these two beings and in exchange, he would let me do whatever I want to any souls that I like once every a hundred years. Thus, making sure that there won't be another situation where he was buried underneath buildings of paper-backlogs again. Since then, I never let them fight again.
Of course, unless they were fighting inside one of my Internal Realms Spaces- then that's another thing. Inside my internal Realms spaces, they can fight as much as they want and it won't affect the outside. It will affect my soul but it would heal over time, too. My soul healing rates were so damn fast that anything inside it was restored to whatever conditions or a better condition than it was before the fights so I didn't complain when they had fought inside it.
The last time that Bel-Chan and I were training inside my Internal Soul World Realm, we destroyed more than half the dimension and I have to recreate the whole Soul Stars Systems afterward. Thus, the reason why my levels were so high. Since then, we haven't train again at all. We learned our lesson.
Hmmm? What Soul Stars Systems? Ah- that? Well, when I said Star System, I actually meant a whole Universe of Cosmos made out of my Soul into a variety of different cosmos groups of galaxies. When I said my Internal Soul World Realm, I actually meant the whole universe that was made out of my soul in the forms of galaxy and cosmos groups. Understand? Good.
So, for me and Bel-chan to destroyed half of the dimension of my Soul Stars System, my Internal Soul World Realm, was like me and Bel-chan destroying half a universe out there. Luckily, inside my Internal Soul World Realm, there are no lives inside, asides from my own soul. So, no lives were lost during that training section, aside from my own.
Unlike my other two Internal Realm spaces, my Internal Magic World Realm and my Internal Spiritual Dimensional Realm, my Internal Soul World Realm has nothing in it asides from my own soul fragments- which can be recovered afterward. My Internal Magic Realm actually hosts the majority of my 'pets' that are magical in nature while my Internal Spiritual Dimensional Realm hosts the majority of my 'pets' that are Spiritual in nature. I never make any beasts that are in their pure Soul form into a pet. So, my Internal Soul World Realm has nothing in there aside from my own soul.
Which was why I had never worried about killing any soul other than my own when I trained inside my Internal Soul World Realm.
This time that I called out Bel-chan into the physical world was because I needed Bel-chan to download some information into the Neutral Mana Stone for my brother. If I did it myself then these Neutral Mana Stone won't be able to withstand my power and it will turn to dust. So, Bel-Chan will have to do this job for me.
"Enough, both of you," I said as I push Yui away for a second as I flicked Bel-chan away from Yui, too.
If those two fight here, this world will really be destroyed. I can feel Cidetal sighing in relief.
[Yes, Master]
"Shinichi~" Yui whined with a pout on his face but I ignored him.
"Beleal, download the Magical Circles information, the Mana Control Creation, The Magic Knowledge Skill, the Five Elemental Magic Control, the first five levels of spells from each of the elemental magic, information on how to craft wooden plank for Symbology and five books, Level 1-5, of crafting alchemy. Also, included the books for this world's beast's information too." I didn't bother with anything that has to do with common sense since the gods had already taken care of that regard.
[Yes, Master.] Beleal turned from his original color of white into purple as he downloaded the information that I said into the Neutral Mana Stones. Yui looked at Bel-chan with a slightly dark look in his eyes but after I glared at him for a second, he just pouts in reply and looks away from Bel-chan. This guy, was that jealousy that I read in his eyes? Nah- that can't be.
The Neutral Mana Stones is a kind of magical stone that has been blessed by someone who has the Skill [Memory Retainment Retention] and the holy spell [Knowledge Bestow] or created by gods of certain worlds who are strong enough.
I have the Knowledge Bestow spell but the Memory Retainment Retention is a Forbidden level Spell, so bel-chan is needed when I wanted to use it. Of course, this was only in this world that the Memory Retainment Retention spell was a Forbidden Rank spell. And yes, I could have created my own Neutral Mana Stones but I won't since my Neutral Mana Stones was far too strong for a normal soul like my nii-san. Unless his soul was as strong as my own or close to it, I wouldn't recommend them to use my Neutral Mana Stones. At all. Period.
The goddess of this world already had granted Shinji-niisan Seven skills. Those are; World Knowledge, Green Magic Affinity, Swords Magic Combat, Double Growth Rate, and Double Skill Point Acquired. Of course, there's also Appraisal and Concealment.
World Knowledge was a rank-A skill that passively let you acquired the knowledge that you wanted. However, it comes at a price that will hurt your head a lot due to information and sensitivity overload. Green Magic Affinity was for Wood Magic and Wind Magic, a mixed affinity. This means that Shinji-niisan will be very liked by the Fairies of this world if only he would open up his heart.
Swords Magic Combat was because Shinji-niisan likes to do kendo and kenjutsu. Double Growth Rate is the number of experiences that he will get per kill, double over. Double Skill Point Acquired is when he'd level increase, each time, he will get double Skill Points, which can be used to increase his other skills level or buy other skills.
As for Appraisal and Concealment, well, they're self-explanatory.
We continue slowly toward the Frozen Frost Fortress all the while also collecting honey from the Honey Bees and fruits from the surrounding trees.
As the carriage that Yui summoned up was pretty large, enough for me to make a mini-kitchen inside with no problem, I have no predicament when making food for the little bees to enjoy.
I exchange my sweet desserts for their honey. As the fruit trees were originally planted by me, the Bees can't reject me if I wanted to pick them. How did they known that it was me who planted those trees? That's obvious. Because of the mana that those trees emitted, of course.
So, the bees can't even complain if I took all of the fruits and their honey. Well, I didn't do that because I was too lazy to do that.
I just had the bees do that instead.
As the Honey Bees are pretty huge, so they can gather the fruits for me just fine. Their size was about an adult's head but the queen of the race was much smaller and faster.
I pay them using magical desserts that were specifically made for beasts like the Honey Bees. Those desserts have magical power in them so it was worth more than their honey.
Which was why, I and Yui stopped on the road to do a little business for me, before continuing on toward the colder north.
What? Well, sorry that I am more of a businessman!
'Shirin-sama, c-can we buy some more of the desserts from you?' As one of the Honey Bees Queen as she blushed as asked using telepathy.
Me and Yui exchange looks before Yui started to chuckle softly, his mood good now that Bel-chan vanished back into my External Spatial Spaces.
"Shin-chan, should we make a store here?" He jokingly asked.
'!!!' The Queens all bow, 'Please!' They all shouted, telepathically.
"..."
The Queen Bees: ⁽(◍˃̵͈̑ᴗ˂̵͈̑)⁽ o(*≧□≦)o (*≧▽≦*) ╰(*°▽°*)╯
"Fine, however, the payment will be with the honey cube or Honey eggs, instead. Was that acceptable?" I asked the queens in front of me.
The queens' exchanges look. Their Honey Cube and Honey Eggs are very valuable. But, it wasn't as valuable as the magic sweets that this human has. Besides their homes were created due to the trees that this human had planted. They don't have any leverage over this transaction.
'Yes, we agree!' They all shouted, telepathy.
Well, what do you expect? The magic desserts make their magic capacity larger, which mean that their lives are longer and their body stronger. So, of course, it's worth it.
'According to the human rules, each of our honey cubes is worth 1,900 suit⊮. But we know that your magic sweets are worth more than that. So, how about 10 of our honey cube for one of your magic dessert? And 10 of our honey eggs for one of your higher-level magic desserts?' The queen with the largest crown asked. Still, to think that even a mere beast like these Bees knows about the current currency system... they are pretty intelligent and wise. Still, 1,900 suit⊮ huh. That's a pretty accurate view of the honey's worth.
"That's fine." Since the magic cookies that I made were large enough to feed 10 of them per cookie. And the cookies that I made was a much higher grade than normal magical foods that this kingdom has. So, the bees were more than happy to trades for it.
I took out a wood log and turned it into a mini-food stall with the bees being my customers. Inside the mini-stall were jars of mini-cookies, normal cookies, brownies, chocolate, etc., etc. with price tags on them.
The mini-cookies, with a variety of favors, were price using the Honey Cube, which was a grade lower than the Honey Eggs.
Both Honey Cubes and Honey Eggs have honey inside them. The honey cubes are great to be used in alchemy but the honey eggs are true medicine.
_________________
Honey Bee's Honey Eggs:
High-grade honey that has a medicinal property in it. It can be used to cure poison, parasites, curses, and other illnesses.
Highly used in Antidote recipes.
Contain a high amount of first-class honey and fruit juice
_________________
Honey Bee's Honey Cube:
Highly used in alchemy for health potions and fever-reducing potion
Can be used in cooking
Can be used in alchemy
Contain a large amount of normal honey and fruits juices
_________________
I was tempted to get their Royal Jelly Honey but well, they needed those for newborn baby bee, which was why I didn't say anything about it.
All of the Honey Bees from the surrounding trees started to come over to the mini-stall.
"If you want one cookie, please fly toward the jars that you want and tab it once. If you want two, tab
it two times." I said as I watch the first queens come up to the jar and tabs it 10 times. Really fast using her own two antennas.
She was so excited that I can see her flushed face- which, for a bee, was weird.
This was to show an example to the other bees who can't use telepathy magic so that they too can communicate with me through basic postures and action.
"Ten mini-cookies, which favors?"
'Rose favors and cherry favors please?' Reply the queen after she calms down a bit. This queen bee was the largest and strongest of the three queen bees, so her mental strength was also very high for a bee, too.
I took out a small plastic container, that's about the size of my fist and put ten mini-cookies inside it. The plastic container looked small but the Queen Bee's eyes widen in shock when she noticed the spatial rune magic and symbol on the surface. She calmed down somewhat when the other three Queens pats her head with their legs.
Four male bees came and took the plastic container with them, as they flew toward the tree which these queens are governing.
Yui was happily napping on my lapse while I did the business with the Honey Bees colonies.
This continues for a couple more hours until I actually ran out of all the cookies that I made this time for the bees.
By the end of it, I got around 3,600 of their Honey Cubes and 2000 of the Honey Eggs. Well, what do you expecting?
There are more than 10 thousand different kinds of bees here, and more than 100 fruit trees, on each side of the road. I planted a lot of different kinds of fruit trees when I came here before. So, it is no surprise that there will be a large number of Honey Bees nests here since sometimes had already passed by since then.
Anyway, after that, Yui and I didn't stop anywhere else and rushed to Frozen Frost Fortress. We didn't need to stop either since the roads were slowly turning more and more isolated. The trees that had I planted started to get lesser and lesser as the further up north that we went through. More beasts started to poke their heads out when we're passing through. However, none of them dear to come close due to the two horses. By the time that we made it to Frozen Frost Fortress, it was already near dinner time.
At the Gate, the guards were still the same and they could remember me, lividly.
"Shirin-sama! Welcome back to Frozen Frost Fortress!" The head guards grinned widely as he saluted me.
"Hm. How's the city? Any change?" I asked as I handed him my Adventurer's Guild Card and my Commerce Guild Card. Yui didn't need to show him his card because his jacket and looks were already enough to show them his status.
All the guards bow down and kneel but Yui gives them permission to stand up and not kneeling down.
It seems like the rumor of Prince Yui's courting me has reached here also. So, they weren't surprised that I came with him.
"No, sir. Asides from the lower rate of mortality and hunger, in the past 2 and a half years since you left, there hasn't been anything change." He answered.
"Ah- except for the fact that this City's Lord is now looking for the next person to take his seat. As Lord Guerna doesn't have any heir to take his seat and he is really old already." This time, the guards looked worried and gloomy as he said this.
According to my knowledge, the House of Whitetrum, who federalism lord over this Fortress(with permission from the Feudal Lordship), only has one person of bloodline left. However, this man was really old already, and he seems to be getting senile.
... So, this is why Yui wanted to come with me, huh. The Northern Mountain Range was one of the regions that Lord Flavius lords over but Yui was a Prince of the Kingdom, so he has the right to appoint a new Lord for this place. Not only that, if Yui didn't appoint someone to watch over this place, then this City in the North here will be lost. Since no one from the Capital or other cities actually wanted to lord over this forsaken place.
What would they get out of this place? Slave? Please, by the time that they got the people of this city and branded it as slaves, they would have died already from the beasts surrounding them.
No money, no resources, no specialty, nothing.
This city was the kind of city that will soon die off.
Well, that's good. This way, no one will come here to interrupted Shinji-niisan when he's resting.
"I see," I said to the guards as he gives me back my cards. I give the guards another two small jars of my fire element's sake, again. They thank me as they send me inside the fortress.
I and Yui went right away to my store.
For Yui, he will probably have to go to the City Lord's Mansion to get all the formality and shit done but for now, he's following me into my bread store.
The front of my Bakery was still as crowded as ever. However, instead of a crowded, it has a long line of people.
I made my way back to the back of the Bakery and knocked on the door through there instead.
Manda came to open the door with her baby girl in her arms.
"Shirin-sama!" Her face brightened up happily as she ushers us in. "Welcome back, Shirin-sama!"
Normally, when your boss comes over to see your work, you would be nervous but in this case, the store workers here seem happy that I came, instead.
"How are you doing Manda? How's the little brat?" I asked, referring to the small two years old baby that Manda give birth to two years ago.
"Ashley is doing great, Shirin-sama. And I am healthy, too." She smiles as she shows me the baby-brat. The two years old baby looked at me with wide eyes as she shyly hides within her mother's neck.
I nodded, totally uncaring about the brat. It is best if I don't get the kid to be attached to me. The last time that it happens, it wasn't pretty.
Well, envy was one of the 7 Sins, after all.
Anyway, moving on.
Manda shows us to the office as she served us some tea. The bratty kid Ashley was sitting in the far corner, looking at me and Yui with curiosity but too shy to act on it. Manda brought me the paperwork that has been accumulated in the past year and a half. The last time that I came here, was when Ashley was just born, and since then, a year and 7 months had already passed by.
And I was just here for two days, to check the bakery and the paperwork, that's it. And no, I didn't come here with Jily and July last time, either. I teleported here, as I was still busy training the kids at home, just so that I can do the paperworks really quick.
I and paperworks were... not a friend, that's for sure.
Looking at the small pile of paperwork, I resist the urge to sign out loud. Yui chuckled from beside me as he placed his head on my lapse, totally uncaring that I am going to have a headache due to the paperwork.
I resisted the urge to hit his head for being such an asshole... hmph!!!
That jerk, he just going to watch me going through a hell called Paperwork.
Let's just get this over with. I sighed in resignation.
