We headed to the home center. At the point where I ran for about five minutes, I found that it wasn't the home center that was raising the smoke, it was the building next door.

"What was that building?

Kawai raised a voice of doubt.

"That's the bank."

We came all the way to the bank. The shutter is broken like it was blown up. Black smoke is rising from that broken part.

"This isn't about the orcs."

"When you say, are you human?

Elena frowns. Active in the Beastman District is likely to be the Seeker of Higashita Town.

"Hey, how did you break the shutter?

Kawai looked blue and asked the question.

"Probably manipulative inflammation. If your skill level reaches 3, you can use an attack technique called [Blast]. I used it."

"[Blast] or something is sprinkling. When you have a choice of manipulative skills, choose manipulative flames."

"More than that, it's a mystery as to why you broke into the bank. I don't think there's any use for stealing cash."

Elena is right, she no longer spends cash nowadays. The Japanese government, which had given credit to money and banknotes, was no longer functioning, so there was nothing to buy for 10,000 yen bills.

"What else is in the bank besides cash? I don't know because I didn't date a bank."

"Me, too."

"Me too. But there's something valuable about it because it's a bank."

Sadly, we could not say that all three were born into wealthy households and had accounts in the bank, but we were not making great use of them.

Inside the bank wasn't too rough. Probably because the banker tightened the door tight and then ran away. It's just that when someone blew up the shutter, something like the plastic and information sheet that was inside was lit and burning up.

The source of the smoke looks like burnt plastic.

Explore your surroundings using 'Sign Detection' skills.

"There are signs of people from the basement"

Looks like there's a safe in the basement. We went down the stairs to the first basement. The door is broken and I can see the room in the vault. The three of us peered inside.

In the vault room were several men who were the seekers of Higashita Town. The Seekers of Higashita also seem to be growing and expanding their range of activities by defeating the Animals.

Among the men was Hibino. He is a former employee of your hand-washing credit bureau and worked under the Emperor.

"What are you guys doing?

When Kawai spoke, the men turned quickly.

"Who?

I glanced at Kawai before answering.

"Hibino, it's me. He was with us on a deserted island, Moki."

Hibino relieved the tension.

"What. You were a college student then? Why did you come here?

"I heard an explosion, so I just came to find out. What are you doing?

"On the mayor's orders, I'm looking for Kim"

"Even money, what are you spending it on?

Hibino laughed like a fool.

"You don't know anything. The Japanese government is in trade with overseas. I need gold to pay for it."

"There it is!

One of the seekers who was looking for gold raised his voice. I think I found the gold ingot.

I thought the trade had stopped, but it didn't seem like it. What does the Japanese government need gold to import? Food or coal? I'm guessing you're hearing that the oil fields have been wiped out as far as oil is concerned.

"The guys in Higashigami don't know anything about it, take it easy. Come on, we're busy. You guys get out of the way."

I learned anger at the words.

"You have no way of saying that. We don't know because Higashita won't let us know."

The Hibinos laughed with their noses and kicked us out of the bank.

"They look great."

Kawai, who went outside, said his anger.

Elena also looks grumpy.

"They don't think we're human, do they?"

"You're unusually angry."

"'Cause Mr. Cozillow isn't angry?

"That's annoying, but it's not what it just started. Besides, I was concerned that the Japanese government was trading."

"What's bothering you?"

Kawai asked. I turned around and glanced at the bank and opened my mouth.

"It's what you're trying to buy with money."

"What I want most is food."

"I wonder if there are countries that can afford to export food"

"You know, America and Australia don't have enough food."

"That may be the case for this year. But a country like that would introduce large agricultural machinery to run large farms. If the oil fields are destroyed and we run out of oil, we won't be able to use gas or light oil."

Elena is taking it seriously.

"I'm anxious about the future, so I guess I wouldn't sell it and store it. But some things can't be saved for a long time, so maybe they can be sold."

"Right, food that can't be stored long term? I didn't think of it."

Kawai is looking at the bank.

"Money, I thought it was worthless."

I laughed when I heard that.

"I guess that means I went back a long time ago. In the meantime, there's a small trial or something."

Elena has a frightened face.

"I wonder if there's a small trial. If you want to go out, it's gold. Well, it's not much different...... what happens when you can make gold out of 'Cardiostone Processing'?

"... from one heart stone, I think it depends on how much gold you can make. If it's just a little bit, it won't have much impact."

Kawai makes an evil laugh.

"Can gold be made with 'heart stone processing'? How do you do that?

Kawai flashed his face when I told him how I could choose my knowledge skills.

"What are you studying gold for? Is there no easier way to do this?

I replied that there was no other way.

I thought about the world and the Japanese government.

"Different beasts hate water, so shipping might develop. That might develop the Tohogami Town on the seaside. If that happens, the people in Higashita will regret it."

"But that's what worries me"

I could understand Elena's worries. If you are the mayor of Higashita Town, you may occupy Higashikami Town by exercising your powers.

"It will be years away. You just have to be ready in the meantime."

That would require levelling the residents of Higashigami first. This has started, and about 30% of them have finished leveling.

We resumed our oak hunt. Even so, the main purpose was to train Kawai, so I got him to fight until he snapped. Looks like I leveled it up thanks to you.

After about three days of Kawai training, he acquired the skills of "Knife Technique". So his studies ended, and he decided to let Kawai practice alone in archery for a while.

Elena made the blast arrow, and I started investigating "The Dark Art of Manipulation," which I've been trying to do for a long time.

My skill level for "Manipulative Darkness" is Max. We have verified until [Shadow Crossing], where the skill level has been made possible at 5, so the next is [Shadow Blade], which will be made possible at skill level 6.

This begins by transforming the heart stone of the dark attribute into a shadow blade stone. The bigger the shadow blade stone, the better, so use the heart stone you got from the guardian of the little ghost district.

Use the skills of "Heartstone Processing" and "Manipulative Darkness" to transform a heart stone with dark attributes that are as good as a bowling ball into a shadow blade stone. It changes to something like a hexagonal column black crystal with a diameter of four centimeters and a length of about 30 centimeters.

The ability of [Shadow Blade] makes it possible to extend something like a beam sabel from the tip of the shadow blade stone. What is called this shadow blade automatically cleaves by turning into a sharp, tough black blade when it comes into contact with an object.

I'm not good with blades, but I can use them. In fact, when I tried it, it was so sharp that I cut the whole thickness about 30cm in diameter into two pieces that it was so frizzy.