In a World Filled with Deserts, an Old Man with Electronic Money

Episode 34 Ikenier, is the market for beauty?

"Water? If you just pay me, I'll make it up to you."

"It's such a simple response....."

"Is there something wrong with your mind?

The Little Water Village that arrived was a very small oasis.

There was room for a boat next to the spring, and when I asked for water replenishment, the middle-aged man didn't talk to us in particular, but supplied water indiscriminately and ended up getting paid for it from us.

You don't have many ships.

"Um, what happened?

"It took a long time for the Great Arijigok to build a nest next door. I'm in trouble."

Everything seems to have been nested by a giant Arijigok adjacent to Little Water Village, and the ship has become less close.

There are no other ships replenishing the water.

"There's an Old Town without replenishing it here. We're in business."

In Little Water Village, where there is only enough industry to replenish a ship with water from a source, sandbeard can be a catastrophe.

"Does Mu know Big Arijigok?

"It's like a beast digging conical nests and eating falling prey. There are similar species of small insects, but certainly not in the desert."

Even in this world, there seems to be a small Arijigok in places that are not deserts.

The problem now was with the sandbag monster.

"The bait isn't ants, is it?

"Anything that falls, they say."

It's just a giant ant, isn't it just enough to feed ants?

Speaking of which, I haven't seen an ant sandbag since I've been here.

Well then, it's going to be tough until you're crushed.

"Not only that, but when they run out of food, they come up from the nest and attack the oasis. If the village could be damaged, everyone would be terrified."

When it comes to sandbeards, Alijigok takes bold action.

I can't believe I'm coming out of a nest I dug myself.

Nnamon, I'm consulting with Ikenier.

Are you Ikenier? Shouldn't I ask for a hunter?

Ikenie is supposed to mean dropping people into nests...

No, that's right, isn't it?

They will also drop livestock.

But livestock is precious in this world.

Wouldn't it be more hassle-free and costly to catch sand lizards or other weak sandbeards around here?

"Do you have livestock? Or a living sandbag?

"Why are you in such trouble? Livestock is precious, and there's a legend in this Little Water Village that if you dedicate people to Ikenie, they'll be gone sooner."

Since it is a small village with few people outside, except for the ship that comes to replenish the water of Oasis, does Ikenier retain an old-fashioned custom?

No matter how low the awareness of human rights is in modern Japan, it would not be good to make humans a chenille.

That's why I'm choosing Ikenie right now.

"Really...."

The Oasis people had no doubt about the custom of dedicating humans to Ikenier when the Great Arizigok built a nest near Oasis.

That's been the rule for a long time, and even if there aren't many people from outside, no one would have thought it strange.

Such an idiot! It was not unusual in a village like this for people to insist on protecting it and stopping it, no matter how bad it is.

Changing things that have been decided in the past is actually hard to predict.

"Is there somewhere to drink?

"Yes, I do. It's a tavern, but there's also water and snacks."

Well then, let me use it.

"Guests who drop their money are very welcome. After all, there aren't even many customers who are replenishing the water because of the big ants."

I still don't think it's good to make humans into jellyfish.

We decided to defeat the Great Arijigok if we could, and before that, we landed in Little Water Village to find out what was going on.

Lord Tallow, this is a big nest.

"If it falls down here, it'll suck my body fluids out of the big ants in the center."

"Unlike the bug ants, the giant ants eat their prey."

"I'm scared."

We quickly headed to the site adjacent to Littlewater Village to confirm the Grand Arijigok, but the nest built in the desert was huge, about 50 meters in diameter.

When we looked at the center of the hole, there were two fangs jumping out of it in Arijigok's unique jaw.

Judging by the size of the teeth, the big ants should be about twenty meters long.

"Do you think you can take down the label?

"I think it's okay. The Great Alijigok is not such a strong sandbag."

"That's right... and Muu?

"It's not that strong. The Great Arijigok."

When it comes to fighting, labels and mules are masculine.

I can't do it at all.

I don't feel like I can win.

"Me and Mu are at a high level."

Certainly, there aren't many hunters with a level comparable to these two.

The biggest reason for this is that before the island washing, the king said, "I feel uncomfortable looking at that face, so try to defeat the sandbag outside." After the island washing, he said, "I didn't do anything in particular, so I raised the level with the game feeling," which makes Osan sad.

"It's not even in the name of the Great Alijigoku. Speaking of ordinary sandbags, I'm going up inside."

"Then why don't you ask the hunter to clean it up?

"I guess you don't have any money."

There's only enough industry to replenish a boat in Old Town that doesn't want to be crowded when it replenishes water, so you don't have the money to ask a hunter to kill the Great Alijigok.

"I hope this is an attractive hunting spot, but there are only as many big sand lizards as there are big ants. There are many attractive hunting grounds nearby, and many hunters gather in Old Town, which also has a dungeon for a thousand dollars."

I see.

Is there a strong hunter who would come all the way here because of the big ants?

A weak hunter specializing in large sand lizards won't be able to beat the giant lizard even if he stands up, so he won't be able to make a request for extermination.

Of course, no Littlewater Village inhabitants can beat the Great Arijigok, so it must have been Ikenier's story.

Dozens of residents came to us as we peered into the sand hole.

They looked at us with a suspicious look for a moment and then peered into the nest as well.

"There's no way I'm going to disappear....."

"Anyway, it's too bad."

I see. Most ships pass by without replenishing their water, as it appears from the ship that tried to reach this Little Water Village. "

"It hurts to cut water bills."

Little Water Village is full of producing food for a handful of residents, and there's only enough industry to sell water.

If the ship that saw the nest of the Great Arijigok hesitates to come to the port, it may be a matter of death or death for a short period of time.

"I'm sorry, but is there only Ikenie?

"But it is. That would be the last resort."

"Fifty years ago, my dead grandfather told me I gave up Ikenie with a hard choice."

"(Mu, do you really think Ikenie works?

"(Doesn't that happen? It just coincided with the time when the Great Arijigok left)."

"(Big Alijigoku will also be feathered, right?

"(I will. Mr. Tallow is knowledgeable, isn't he? The insect ants only live north)."

There's Alijigok in the world I was in, that's all I knew.

"(It's a nasty sandbag because it can fly when it's turned into a giant lizard.)"

"(But can you make so many feathers?

Indeed, it should have taken about a month for the bug to turn into a rhinoceros and feather into a lizard.

No matter how powerful the Great Alijigok is, it feels like another sandbag is going to attack me for a month.

"(The Great Alijigoku of the Sandbeast will be feathered in one day. That's why you're mistaken for the effect of Ikenie)"

Even though it's just gone, the residents here misunderstand that it works for Ikenier.

Nothing, even if you don't dedicate yourself to Ikenie...

The Great Arigogoku will build a nest for a while and then select and dedicate Ikenie, so that just coincided with the feathering of the Great Arigogoku.

Nevertheless, it seems pointless to tell the residents here.

"Ikenie... I have to choose a beautiful daughter."

I see.

"Wait!

When the residents were discussing Ikenie, a girl jumped in.

How old are you, a junior high school student?

She was a lovely girl with twin tails of light green hair, but this is my criterion.

In this world, we should be able to give Dobbs a rating comparable to that of Label and Mu.

"Um! I'm gonna be a jerk!

At that age, she volunteers for Ikenier herself.

Is there a strong local love?

Or is there some other reason?

Either way, it was impossible in Japan.

"Frau, are you going to be a jerk?

"Yes, I don't have any family...."

Does she have any parents that year?

In other words, it would be an orphan, but it might be difficult to live in such a small country oasis.

Or is there someone she was forced to play Ikenier because she was unaccompanied?

Still, it's a sad story to volunteer for Ikenier that year.

If I were my age, I would never run.

"Is that your will?

"Yes"

"But I don't know..."

"Ahh....."

The inhabitants who heard of the girl's readiness to die did not answer immediately.

Apparently, he's hesitant to turn her into a jerk.

You think I'm pathetic because I don't have a family?

Or I thought there was another reason.

And as if to reinforce my thoughts, the other girl jumps in.

Her appearance... is the most beautiful girl in the world.

They grow very well, and every time they walk, their feet get caught in the sand.

If it's normal ground, "Doshin! , Dochin! The footsteps were going to resonate.

"I volunteer for Ikenier."

"Sarah, you, too?

"Yes! This Littlewater Village is in crisis. Besides, Fleur won't be able to do it."

"Sarah, what do you mean I can't do this?

"Don't you see what I have to say? Dobbs like you! Not from the Great Arijigok! It's a huge nuisance! Ikenie must be a beautiful maiden!

I know what you mean.

Because in every world, Ikenie has a market with a beautiful maiden.

However, if this is Earth, it should be a girl named Fleur chosen by Ikenier.

She is dedicated to the Great Arijigok as a Ikenier.

On the picturesque side, her beauty and tragedy fuelled the unfolding.

But when I saw a girl named Sarah running for Ikenier, I felt irrational anger in my heart.

She is right in this world, but I am not at all right.

"I hate bony women like Flaw, too. There's nowhere to eat. Ikenie must be as full as I am."

"But Ikenie is dead. Sarah has a family."

"It doesn't matter! I'm as beautiful as Ikenie deserves! I think the Great Arijigok has enough right to choose a Ikenier!

A girl named Sarah also looked the same age as a girl named Fleur, but the width seemed to be more than double.

Certainly, it may be worthwhile eating a giant ant.

You might say it's just fat and it's not delicious...

Maybe she's old enough to want to catch a tragic girl.

In common sense in this world, a girl named Sarah is more beautiful and deserves to be Ikenier.

But anyway, I'm angry and can't help it.

I understand that this is irrational anger, but I'm starting to want to punch a girl named Sarah in the face who says that I deserve Ikenier.

And I want to say it loud.

Because you are overwhelmingly unworthy of Ikenie! '.

I can't hit you, and I can't tell you.

I am also a good old adult.

"(I don't think anyone will understand how I feel...)"

"(Tallow thinks a girl named Fleur is better suited to Ikenier.)"

"(I don't think Ikenie is good, after all) I'm sorry."

My reason and patience were about to collapse as I listened to the residents' discussions, so I hurried to speak to them.

Are those the boats that supplied the water?

"Yes, it's the Great Arijigok, but we'll get rid of it. Oh, we're hunters too."

"Can you beat Big Arijigok?

"Of course."

"I don't think it will be that hard."

Call me first, but I don't know if I can beat Grand Arijigok.

But the label and the mules are plenty of room.

"I can't pay that much for the request....."

"I don't need anything else."

If you send a hunter a request to crush a specific sandbag, there will naturally be a fee.

We explained to the residents that we didn't want it this time.

Because the usual crusade in which hunters go out of Oasis to exterminate sand beasts doesn't cost a fee.

Because if we happen to encounter the Great Arijigok and defeat it, there is no problem.

"Are you sure? Big Arijigoku can't catch crude materials."

"Mu, is that so?

"About two teeth on the chin. The rest is garbage. Can fertilizer do that?

Defeat the Beast and you will get the Divine Coin according to its strength, but the materials will depend on the Beast type.

Essentially, strong and large sandbag materials are considered valuable and expensive, but there are also some that are of little value to the materials, such as the previous nothingness and the Great Alijigok.

In the case of nothing, it seems that the treasures that I have swallowed up to now have been exchanged for cash.

Although there are many gods that can be obtained, even if the materials are not available, the reality was that many hunters do not take on the crusade without paying the commission.

Sometimes we collect materials that are not intended for use and use them as raw materials for fertilizers, but fertilizers are not so expensive to sell and take time and effort to make.

Because they buy it cheaply, we have a peculiar existence to take on the Great Arijigok Crusade without a fee.

"(We can't get the materials anyway, so it's good that it doesn't take much time to clean up)"

There was also a circumstance that the corpse of a sandbag that was so close to the place where people lived could not be left.

Because other sandwiches, such as sandwiches, come to eat it.

In other words, undertaking a crusade means undertaking the disposal of the body as well.

Further, it doesn't suit me, so the request fee becomes expensive.

If this is a place far from where people live, it doesn't matter if we just take the materials we can use and leave the body.

"If we defeat them, the sandbeard will disappear."

Afterwards, the Enemy Rewards are converted to Idolk on their own and deposited.

Furthermore, Label and Mu say that the amount of Idolk deposited is considerably higher than the Divine Coin dropped.

Apparently, the materials will be exchanged for cash on their own.

In that case, there was no need for aftertreatment just by defeating it, so there was no problem without receiving a large Arijigok crusade fee.

"Well, please, when?

"We use a special method, an extremely efficient way to defeat the Great Arijigok, so we can crush them cheaply. But it has to be done at night. At last, I don't want others to know about the rice balls, and it's dangerous, so please refrain from people other than us."

"Hah... okay."

The residents of Little Water Village accepted my request.

I thought it smelled slightly peculiar, but it was also to hide the secret.

The information that the sandbeard I defeated will disappear will be troubled if it leaks to the Kingdom of Burt at some point.

They thought we might speak a great language and run away at night, but it's a job that doesn't have a commission.

Running away doesn't make things worse.

I noticed it and didn't say anything.

"I'm glad you didn't have to give me a toy."

"Because Sarah is the most beautiful person in this Little Water Village."

"I'm glad I didn't sprinkle beautiful, young flowers."

The inhabitants were all happy.

The prettiest girl in Littlewater Village named Sarah... ran for Ikenier because of her pride in being the prettiest girl, but she didn't have to die.

I was just worried about one thing.

That's the Dobby girl from Little Water Village named Flaw... who only looks like a poor, beautiful girl to me... but has a face that doesn't float.

"(Would you like to end the crusade as soon as possible...)"

Is this my fault, too?

I had a little chest trouble, so I decided to talk to Label and Mu to speed up the Greater Arijigok crusade.