Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #157
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 157: Trade (2)
"Trading, using B-rank card...?" Anna
echoed.
"So you're saying you'll produce a new
B-rank card?" Oribe asked.
My words drew surprise from
the two of them.
I nodded my head while taking
out the Lottery Cards and the cardified Garnets.
"Yep, that's exactly what I mean."
"Is it going to be okay with the
distortion of causality?" Oribe asked again.
"This time, I'll be using the Luck
Manipulation. That one doesn't build up distortion of the law of causality."
Though, without a Hope Diamond now, it will
take about 40 Garnets to draw a B-rank card using Luck Manipulation...
"But, weren't you saving the Garnets for
emergency?"
I nodded in response to
Oribe's concern, saying, “Yup.”
"That's true. But I've accumulated quite a
few Garnets now, so I figured it might be worth bolstering our combat power now."
I had been saving the Garnets
for a do-or-die gamble, like the battle against the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Still, leaving things to chance is always scary.
Furthermore, most of my party members
have finished their rank-ups. There's no longer a scenario like the Pied Piper
of Hamelin battle where I could just draw a card, have my member rank up
immediately, and put her straight to the field.
Thus, even if a game-changing
card did appear, there's a possibility that [Pride of Deity] or other factors
would prevent me from using it at the last minute.
In that case, when the chance
to obtain a Key Item is high, like this time, it might be worth actively
striving for it, even if it means using my Garnets.
Even if there's no obvious Key Item candidate,
the cards drawn could boost the school's force while I'm away, or be saved for
the next opportunity.
Above all...
"If they think we have enough B-rank cards
to trade, it will also serve as a deterrent."
Even if the Guild prepared
meta-decks specifically targeting our members, if they believe we have B-rank
cards to spare for trading, they would hesitate to actually attack, wary of the
other cards we might possess.
The two of them nodded,
convinced by my words.
"I see, indeed, now that Senpai’s deck is
nearing completion, actively seeking Key Items might be more effective for
building up Senpai’s card strength than drawing new cards at the last minute,"
Anna bobbed her head.
" Deliberately offering them a trade to
build deterrence, eh? It does risk strengthening the enemy’s hand, but we only
need to offer cards we can handle. Seems high-risk, high-reward at first
glance, but actually low-risk, high-reward..." Oribe also catch the drift.
With both of them agreeing, I
decided to draw cards right away.
First, I laid out all the
Garnets I had converted into cards.
The total count was 494. Adding
to the 21 I originally had, I'd acquired 196 more after leaving Hachioji and
reaching Oragashima, then another 277 before returning to Tachikawa.
Along with the 49 Garnets I
received from Anna, I now held a total of 543 Garnets.
"Wow ~, you've collected quite a lot."
Anna murmured in admiration, looking
at the Garnets spilling out onto the floor with a clattering sound.
Then, as if suddenly
remembering something, she turned to me and said,
" With this many Garnets gathered, you
must've gotten quite a few magic items too, no? If you don't need them, trading
those off might be a good idea."
"Ah, that's true."
I gave a nod, then operated my
Card Gear to send the memo of this past month's results to the two of them.
The following are the results
from when I reached Oragashima until my return to Tachikawa:
■ Card Drops
・D-rank cards: 1,710 cards in
total (popular/production cards only)
Heddon Hall House (2)
Winchester House
・C-rank cards: 154 cards in
total
Karkinos (2)
Tsukumogami
Arachne (3)
Dullahan (5)
Other (144)
・B-rank cards: 1 card in total
Frigg: Dropped after Luck
Manipulation using 14 Garnets. Used to rank up Audrey.
■Item Drops: 957 in total
(Rare Drops Only)
・A-rank Rare Drops
Cintamani (Kintamani): Dropped
by Huanglong. Details unknown. It contains immense energy of good fortune.
Athena is currently searching for information.
・B-rank Rare Drops (11)
Infinite
Great
Boulder: Dropped by Iwazuchibiko-no-Kami1. A great boulder that never diminishes no matter how
much is quarried. Due to the blessing of Iwazuchibiko-no-Kami (a deity of Katakurokushin2), the quarried
rock becomes the optimal material for building houses.
Infinite
Log: Dropped by Ōyabiko-no-Kami3. A log that
never runs out no matter how much it is cut. Due to the blessing of
Ōyabiko-no-Kami (a deity of Katakurokushin),
the cut lumber becomes the optimal material for building houses.
Circe's Love Potion: Dropped by
Circe4. A love potion that forcibly makes the target love the user, even if the
target initially hated them.
Tawara Tōta's
Rice Sack5:
Dropped by the Giant Centipede6 of Mount
Mikami. A rice sack that replenishes 60 kg of rice every day.
Asclepius7's Staff: Dropped by Asclepius.
Enables the use of High-level Recovery Magic; mana consumption is halved, and
healing output is doubled. It can also revive a Soul Card from Lost state,
though it is single-use for that specific function. I used one Garnet for a
guaranteed rare drop.
Ambrosia (True): Dropped by
Ladon. I used one Garnet for a guaranteed rare drop.
Phoenix Tail Feather: Dropped
by Phoenix. I used one Garnet for a guaranteed rare drop.
Chiron's Necklace: Dropped by
Chiron (Gatekeeper). Grants [Teaching] skill to a card and increases skill
acquisition rate. Even humans wearing it gain some effect, improving memory.
Pele's Tapa8: Dropped by Pele (Gatekeeper). Imbued
with an incomparably powerful fire-warding blessing, causing all flames and
lava to bypass the wearer. It also gradually reshapes the wearer's
physique toward an ideal form, within the limits of their genetics.
Proof of Chastity: Dropped by
Houri (Gatekeeper). Symbol of the Houri, eternal virgins who cater believers in
Islamic paradise. Possession grants eternal chastity; even after intercourse,
the wearer retains their virginity.
Demeter's Scythe: Dropped by
Demeter (Gatekeeper). When struck into the ground, it cultivates barren land;
with one swing, it can harvest all wheat. It can also be used as a weapon,
possessing a special effectiveness against plant-type creatures, sometimes
inflicting instant death. Its combat power is equivalent to 500 for a card.
・C-rank Rare Drops (924) +
B-rank Normal Drops (21)
Bundle of Blank Cards (19)
Lottery (33)
Treasure Chest (37)
Magic Stone Pouch (27)
Card Holder (25)
Distress Magic Card (44)
Various other items (760)
■Carbuncle Drops
Total Garnets: 294 (17 used)
■Gold Disappointment Box (294)
Bundle of Blank Cards (5)
Skill Orb (3): 1 Hit, 2
Misses. Tried the Hit on Dress, but no new skill was acquired. It is likely
that the skill overlapped with an existing one. The misses were left untouched.
Lottery Card (8)
Treasure Chest (13)
Water of Youth: Water of
rejuvenation. Each vial reverts the age by one year. It is an Amrita with no
healing effect.
Soul Revival Pill: Revives a
Soul Card from Lost once.
Phoenix Tail Feather: Revives
a Soul Card from Lost once.
Magic Mirror: A mirror that
reveals the target's true form. Besides dispelling Transformation and
Illusion-type skills, it also shows a woman's bare face, making it disliked by
women.
Magic Basket: A magical basket
that produces food for a hundred people when you put in food for one (usable
once per day). One of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain.
Gae Buidhe and Gae Dearg: Gae
Dearg negates magic. Gae Buidhe has a regeneration inhibition effect. In card
terms, they are equivalent to 200 combat power each. Given to Morrigan, as she
desired them.
Nameless Famed Katana (2): No
special effects. In card terms, its combat power is equivalent to 100.
Nameless Famed Sword
Nameless Famed Spear
Nameless Famed Bow (3)
Emergency Evacuation Magic
Card (5)
Distress Card (8)
Others/duds (239)
"Now
then, which of these should be――"
"First
off all, we must absolutely keep this Pele drop," Anna said.
"No
objections," Oribe followed.
――traded?
Just as I started to speak,
the two of them piped up eagerly, cutting me off.
Caught off guard by their
sudden enthusiasm, I looked at my memo describing the effects of Pele's Tapa
and understood.
‘It
gradually reshapes the wearer's physique toward their ideal form, within the
limits of their genetics’, huh?
That's definitely an effect every woman
would covet.
Rejuvenation items like Amrita
and Water of Youth, anti-aging items like the Golden Apple and Ambrosia, and beauty
items like Pele's Tapa—these are all items every woman dreams of.
Of course, Oribe, who likely
had complexes about her figure, would want it. Even Anna, who already possessed
an ideal figure, would naturally desire it for maintaining her look.
...Well,
the Guild probably wouldn't offer much for Pele's Tapa under these
circumstances anyway. I suppose we'll keep it for the ladies of our group.
"Alright,
we'll keep Pele's Tapa... but what else should we keep?"
"Right,
then… let's start with the magic items. We're obviously keeping the A-rank drop—the
Cintamani—, and we’re ruling out the dropped Garnets... also, I'd really like
the Infinite Great Boulder and the Infinite Log to be kept," Anna told me.
"Hmm,
what's the reasoning there?"
I asked, slightly surprised
that the two items I'd assumed would be top trade candidates were being kept.
Anna explained,
"Because
they could help solve the evacuees' housing problem. Currently, thanks to food
generating-type cards like Hesperides, we have no issues with food. Clothing
isn't a problem either for now, since the evacuees brought their own. That
leaves shelter—the last of the three basic necessities. Shelter is the biggest
part of our current problem."
I nodded, understanding.
The evacuees at the school
currently use Majoiga and Winchester House on a rotating basis. The stark
difference in environment—one akin to a first-class ryokan (inn), the other
like a haunted house—was one thing, but the sheer effort of moving itself was adding
to the evacuees' stress. This, in turn, was fueling some of their
dissatisfaction and distrust toward us, the Adventurers' Club.
"That's
why I thought, if we could provide everyone with housing of the same standard,
the problem would be solved. So, how about using these two magic items to build
temporary housing and have all the evacuees move there?"
Providing homes to refugees to
solve the capacity issue of cross-space cards—that was something I did myself
on Oragashima.
But in Tachikawa, repairing
houses with Advanced Housekeeping Magic like on Oragashima won't work.
So the plan must be to build
temporary housing from scratch and give it to them.
But...
"Sorry.
If you think I can just hole up in the Tamatebako and build all the temporary
housing at once, that’s impossible. I left Hephaestus behind to handle defense
on Oragashima.”
With Hephaestus present,
building temporary housing inside the Tamatebako would indeed have been
possible.
That one card could have
designed houses resilient enough to withstand cardification and even use legion
summoning for mass-deployment tactic.
You might think I can just ask
him back from Oragashima, but since a few years had passed since I lent him,
the people there probably feel he's part of them now.
Would
they really just hand him back if I asked...?
Damn
it, if I'd known this would happen, shouldn't I have kept Hephaestus? No,
but...
"
There's no need for you to bother building it for them, Senpai. It's their home,
so let them build it themselves."
Anna said this as she watched
me agonize. I snapped my head up.
"Of
course, not everyone has cards with construction skills, so those types will
need others to build for them... but that should be paid work. That way, jobs
will be created, and more importantly, they'll develop an attachment to the
house.
... Through recent
developments, I've come to realize I've been spoiling the evacuees a bit too
much. Could it be that having everything handed to them on a silver platter is
what turned them into such selfish people?
Humans have a nature where
they don't develop affection for things obtained for free, no matter how good
they are, but they do develop affection for things they worked hard to obtain.
Because they got things for
free, they don't realize how fortunate they are and complain without a second
thought. They even consider jumping ship to the Guild so casually...
So, it's time we make them
work for it.
They'll surely grow attached
to a house they built through hard work, and that will, in turn, lead to
attachment to the group they belong to."
Anna's expression as she spoke
was icy cold, revealing a quiet anger toward the evacuees.
"...True,
maybe we did coddle them a bit too much."
"People
become pigs in the blink of an eye once they get used to being given things. We
may have turned our own people into pigs with our own hands. It’s time we let
them rediscover the joy of grasping something with their own efforts,"
Oribe said.
Since they’ll be building
their own homes with their own hands, no one can call it forced labor or
anything like that.
And if anyone still complains,
well, they can just go live in the Winchester House.
***
Notes:
1 Iwazuchibiko-no-Kami is a deity that represents the fundamental elements of stone and earth that make up a house.↩
2 Katakurokushin refers to the collective name of the six deities representing (or protecting) houses in Shinto. The six are siblings and are the children of Izanagi and Izanami. ↩
3 Oyabiko-no-Kami is a deity representing a roof that has been repaired. ↩
4 In Greek mythology, Circe was sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. Circe was famous for her knowledge of potions and herbs.↩
5 The other name of Fujiwara no Hidesato, a powerful clan leader and military commander in the mid- Heian period. There was a legend about how Tawara Tōta helped a giant snake whose family was being tormented by a giant centipede that had taken up residence at Mt. Mikami. Long story short, he took down the centipede, and as a token of gratitude, he was presented with treasures, including an inexhaustible rice sack and a roll of silk that never ran out, no matter how much he used it. ↩
6 There is a monument to the legend of Tawara Tōta’s centipede slaying at the eastern end of Seta Karahashi Bridge, where Tawara Tōta met the snake and took down the centipede. ↩
7 Reminder, Asclepius was a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. So far in the story, we have two other magic items related to Asclepius:
Asclepius's medicine: stops the progression of whatever disease you have as long as you keep taking it. Contains 30 pills, one pill per day.
The Book of Asclepius: A medical book that, when opened, opens to the page of the disease that afflicts you. If you are healthy, you cannot open it. ↩
8 Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, while tapa is a barkcloth. ↩
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