Chapter 103

“That person over there, they’re the one who came earlier. The smell is the same.”

Roka grabbed my sleeve and whispered. As she said, there were people who came to take salt, and even more who wanted to take even more.

But good things are good things. There’s no shortage of salt, and the quantity isn’t limited, so if they need it, they can take as much as they want.

“I heard there’s a mill that makes salt. So it’s true.”

“Hey, hand over that mill. Hurry up!”

But if left alone, everyone could have salt. Yet, there are always those who want to monopolize it for themselves.

Thugs armed with crowbars, swords, and bamboo spears—more like organized thugs than mere bandits—arrived here.

“You can take as much salt as you want. But with so many people lined up, we can’t just send them away empty-handed.”

“What are you talking about now!”

“Ah, this is driving me crazy!”

They flexed their muscles and threatened us. The man who had been preaching the doctrine of the Grimudo Church seized the opportunity and pointed at us, shouting from the podium, taking their side.

“It’s them! It’s them! Right before our eyes, these liars and cheats! Everyone, isn’t that right?!”

Next to the man who seemed to be the leader, a skinny man like a monkey aimed a bow at me and shouted.

“It’s no use, boss. Let’s shoot!”

“Hey, Horon. What’s wrong? Let me try to persuade them.”

The man who appeared to be the leader of the group smiled amiably and spoke to me.

With a crossbow in his hand, no less.

“Sir. Let’s talk nicely and hand over the mill.”

Perhaps he thought that adding a crossbow to his kind words would get him more than just kind words alone? If that’s what he thought, then sadly, he’s mistaken.

“Just take as much salt as you can carry and leave.”

Roka, as if waiting for my words, stepped in front of me. As the child drew the Moonlight Blade, a sharp aura emanated in all directions.

The men who had been posturing in front of me seemed to feel the sensation of their necks being sliced, and they all tucked their heads into their shoulders like turtles. With a *ting*, the crossbow’s string snapped.

As Roka fully unleashed her aura, the men suddenly clamped their mouths shut. When the Power of the Sun began to blaze behind Roka, beads of sweat formed on the leader’s forehead.

Well, it probably wasn’t from the heat.

“E-Expert?!”

The monkey-like man who had aimed the bow earlier shouted in surprise.

“Oh dear… Looks like we’ve got another lady to serve.”

“Lady.”

The leader suddenly burst into laughter and then abruptly knelt on one knee.

I’ve met countless people, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone like this. Roka, too, seemed utterly bewildered, her eyes darting around.

“Thus, I, Naod, kneel before you. Is this enough?”

“Should I kill him?”

Roka glanced at me and whispered. I shook my head.

With my power alone, I can only push away a tiny bit of the ash covering the city.

But if all these people help even a little, we can surely illuminate more. Solving the volcanic ash problem won’t make the Undead Creature retreat, but the chaos in this pitch-dark city will come to an end.

“Everyone, this is salt. Bring a container each and take some salt to spread on the roads and throughout the city. If you sprinkle it where the smoke and ash are thick, the area around the salt will be purified and keep the ash at bay for a few days.”

And after those few days? There’s no need to worry about what comes next.

Whether the Undead Creature dies first or the city dies first. One of the two will surely happen, and the volcanic ash problem will be resolved.

*Thud.* As I set down the mill, it continued to spit out salt, forming a small mountain of salt around it. Right now, it’s about the size of a sandcastle made by a child, but it will grow.

After scooping up a bunch of that salt, the group bowed at a right angle to Roka and left. Whether they spread the salt in their homes or in the city, I decided not to care.

Glancing around, the man who had been on the podium was already gone. Whether he fled or went home because it was too hard to keep shouting, I don’t know.

And the people had become much more polite. Newcomers asked me courteously.

“Is it really okay to take this?”

“Of course. Take as much as you want.”

“Is there a limit to how much we can take?”

“Take as much as you can carry.”

But as I always feel, human greed knows no bounds.

I thought they’d bring small trays, but people brought large bowls. I didn’t say to take only a little, so bringing bowls to scoop up salt was understandable.

*Roll, roll, roll…*

But some rolled in large oak barrels and shoveled salt into them. Others brought sacks and stuffed them full.

Even though it’s purified salt, I didn’t think they’d need that much. Looking around, I spotted someone staring intently at the mill, jotting something down.

While others were busy gathering containers to take salt, he was holding a notebook and continuously writing.

‘Hasn’t he been here since earlier?’

Our eyes met. Dressed in a uniform, he didn’t seem like someone of low status. He seemed like someone who could explain why people were so greedy for salt.

“Sir. Is there a severe salt shortage in the Citadel Republic?”

“Asking that, you’re clearly not a citizen of the Republic. Judging by your accent, you must be from the Empire.”

Now, the Empire holds hegemony over the continent, and its language is called the Imperial language, but strictly speaking, it’s the continent’s common language.

Even the Demon Race uses the same language as humans, so perhaps “Continental Common Language” is a more fitting name than “Imperial Language.” The only exception is the Elves, who are notoriously reclusive.

“The Republic monopolizes salt through the government. It’s sold at high prices due to heavy taxes, but salt is a necessity, so people have no choice but to buy it. It’s one of our Republic’s important revenue sources.”

“Ah, I see… I thought being a coastal nation would make salt easy to obtain.”

“It is a coastal nation. Valles City here is by the sea, but during the destruction of tidal flats and the construction of ports, many salt farms were destroyed. Still, it’s not that salt itself is scarce. This place was once called the commercial hub of the continent, with goods flowing in and out. Salt can just be brought from the southern shores.”

He chuckled.

“Salt is a necessity. Without it, you can’t live, which makes it a state-monopolized commodity that can yield huge profits.”

“Do they really tax it that heavily?”

“Actually, it’s worse. There’s an extra layer in the middle. The Republic auctions off salt trading permits to certain individuals, who become major salt merchants. These merchants are connected to the parliament members.”

It seems that in the Citadel Republic, salt is entangled in more complicated interests than one might think. Being a small nation with strong state control, even something as simple as salt isn’t something you can just buy in the market.

“If the state monopolized salt directly, the net profit would be tenfold. But with the major salt merchants in the mix, do you think they’d do business at a loss? To maintain their positions, they have to grease the palms of the higher-ups and pay hefty taxes to the government. Who do you think bears the loss?”

“…The consumers.”

“It’s easy talking to someone like you. The lady next to you seems to have no idea what we’re talking about.”

Indeed, Roka seemed to be deep in thought, wondering where she was and who she was. She was completely zoned out.

*Tsk.* The man clicked his tongue.

“The difference between the cost price and the selling price can be as much as 40 times. Prices are determined by the merchants’ greed. Of course, they all have plausible excuses. Some say they encountered bandits during transport, others claim their warehouses burned down.”

“Doesn’t the Republic know these are just excuses? But the merchants have friends. Powerful friends. So even if they know the truth, they have to turn a blind eye.”

Now I understand. Perhaps this place, where even looking around, the only place to get salt is from animal blood in the grasslands, might have salt more expensive than there.

How much resentment must people have towards salt that even with doom looming, they’re scrambling to get salt first?

“That Naod or Yod guy you just chased away was a salt smuggler we’ve been keeping an eye on. Merchants won’t hesitate to take risks for a 50% profit, and for 100%, they’ll ignore the law. If they think they can triple their money, they’ll even risk their lives. Salt smuggling usually leads to hanging, but there are always those who do it.”

“If salt were sold at normal prices, smuggling would naturally disappear.”

“That’s true, but then the nation’s finances would be empty. The higher-ups would never make such a decision.”

The man chuckled bitterly, watching the people who were only focused on the salt, oblivious to our conversation.

“Still, it’s a ridiculous sight. How much salt do they need now? A few days’ worth, maybe just a day or two, but seeing them covet so much salt, it seems they’re confident they’ll survive.”

Well. I think a little differently. Being greedy for something is good in this situation.

If they were deeply despairing, they wouldn’t crave something like salt.

Craving salt doesn’t necessarily mean they have hope, but I see it as a manifestation of the desire to survive. They say the world is ending, but no one is truly ready to accept it. At least not here.

Does the person before me have the desire to struggle?

“I am Robert Wesker, Director of the Citadel Republic’s Tax Bureau. Normally, I would have arrested not just Naod, but you as well. Even if you’re not selling the salt for money, I could have charged you with salt smuggling and thrown you in jail.”

“Catching salt smugglers brings big rewards from above, helps with promotions, and most importantly, the performance bonuses from the major salt merchants are substantial. Of course, not now. The people who would pay me have already fled. But before I die, seeing this miraculous mill makes me feel like I’ve lived enough.”

Was he watching me all this time…?

“So you were watching me, debating whether to arrest me or not.”

“No. Something else. I just received word from the Empire. While everyone is busy fleeing through the gates, there’s a priest who came through the gate to this side. I was waiting to ask if you were that priest. I assume you are?”

There aren’t many priests traveling with a blue-haired wolf beastman.

I nodded. It seems Rowena kindly sent word. Perhaps there’s even an envoy from Elvenheim in the Citadel Republic.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

He asked me with genuine curiosity.

“Why did you come to a place like this? A place where people are either trying to flee, despairing because they can’t, or just waiting for the day they’ll be sacrificed.”

“We came to defeat the Phoenix.”

His puzzled gaze turned into one looking at a madman.

“If you’re just waiting to die, why not invest in one last hope?”

“Haha.”

He laughed as if it were absurd.

“I won’t go that far, Priest. Just tell me if there’s a way to screw over that Phoenix. If there really is a way, I’ll gladly introduce you to the Chancellor.”