Kujonin Chapter 60

Kujonin
Author: Hanabokuro
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Story 60

When I returned to the governmental office, a large crowd of people were gathered.
Looks like everyone wants to hear about whether or not the locust hoppers are swarming.
"It hasn't been confirmed yet; we are still in the process of gathering information. We have already deployed people to the desert to gather even the tiniest details! If there happens to be an outbreak or in the occasion that an unusual situation occurs, we will quickly let everyone know! It's only natural to feel uneasy, but we're cooperating with an extermination company so please calm down. Don't meaninglessly head over to the desert even by mistake!"
Riddle raised his shrill voice and gave all the a.s.sembled people an explanation.
His voice is high so it travels well.
Because we contacted all the guilds at once, the citizens probably felt uneasy and intruded in.
Although I'm thinking that Floura is somewhat removed from the desert, with the forest in between, so we can't tell how much damage will be done.
There are villages and cities on the borders of the plains, so they might be worried about relatives, huh?
I want information about the map of the area around the desert.

"Riddle-san! I've returned!"
Waving my hand, I attract Riddle's attention.

"-!! You're fast! Everyone, make way! Oi! Please! Please, let him through for a bit!"
Even though he was surprised, Riddle pushed his way through, opening up a path for me.
"How was the desert!?"
"There are no unusual occurrences. However, the locust hoppers might be starting to gather up. One of our employees is camping in the gra.s.slands, keeping a close eye on it. If anything unusual happens she should be contacting us."
"I see, thanks for your work. Please, enter! We have been gathering the things you told us to!"
With that, Riddle showed me into the governmental office.

The office has already turned into the "Locust Hopper Outbreak Countermeasures Headquarters," and it seems like they're pretty much not doing any of their normal business.
When I asked the female receptionist whether this was a hindrance to their normal affairs,
"There's no problem. In fact, even the church, who's being troubled by the demonstrations, sent a message to us saying, "We'll help if there's anything we can do.""
Is how she responded.
"Please take care not to spread any uncertain information around within the city."
Was Riddle's instructions.

"And so?"
After being led to the bas.e.m.e.nt, I was surrounded by Riddle and a few other men.
The bas.e.m.e.nt, that should be a warehouse, has been completely changed into the countermeasures headquarters, so it seems that all the unnecessary things have been carried out.
"First, please take a look at this locust hopper. At this point in time, its not particularly aggressive, nor is it in an abnormal state. It's not going to swarm, either."
I showed them the locust hopper in the recovery potion bottle.
"Where did you get this monster?"
A man a little behind Riddle asked.
He's tall with dark skin and pointy ears. Is this a dark elf?"
"Jerry! Sorry about my younger brother, Jerry."
"Your younger brother?"
"Aa, our esteemed father as an amorous man, so… Maa, this isn't the time for that."
Step siblings with different mothers, I suppose.
Jerry carefully examined the locust hopper in the bottle.
"This locust hopper seems to be real, but it's possible to raise an insect monster even with a low-leveled Monster Tamer skill."
"This is the real thing. I got it from the desert just now."
"Just now from the desert-!? A distance that takes you half a day even with a feehorse, just now!? Dear brother, for what reason do you trust this person?"
Jerry said to Riddle.
"It's a person I liked. And also, there was no other person who wished to become a collaborator. And in truth, he said he'd bring a locust hopper and he did. Don't you think that right now is the time where we have to cling to anything with any possibilities?"
"And isn't that exactly how scams work!?"
"Then are you going to go bring back a locust hopper?"
"Ah, no, that's…"
"Even if he's a fraud, twist every bit of use out of him while he's scamming! That's how a Blacks does things!"
Jerry agreed with a, "Indeed," and stepped back.

"Naoki-dono, my apologies. Please don't be angry. I don't think you're a fraud at all! Please continue…"
"A, okay."
c.r.a.p. Is it possible to ask about the money in this type of situation?
"I want to find a plant that this locust hopper dislikes the smell of and won't get near, but…"
"Aa, we've gathered the florists in the city."
"Then please start the experiment immediately."
So saying, I handed over the bottle.
"O,okay!"
I explained the simply method of putting it in a net, and that approaching it with one of each flower is enough.

["Naoki! I've met up with Velsa!"]
I heard Ayl's voice coming from the communication bag.
"Roger! Right now, we're about to start the insecticide experiment in town."
["OK! We'll start on our side too."]
"Please do. Are there any abnormalities?"
["Nothing in particular. The stars are coming out in the sky."]
"Then it looks like it's still fine over there. Again, call if anything happens."
["O-kay."]
I closed the communication bag.
Jerry and the man next to him were discussing things like, "What's that?" but Riddle scolded them with, "Quiet! I'll explain later, but hurry, go bring the florists!"

"Riddle-sama! The s.h.i.+pwrights have come!"
Switching places with Jerry, a female governmental office worker came down the stairs.
"What in the heavens for?"
"Adventurers who want to flee are attacking the s.h.i.+pyard!"
"Oh for…"
Riddle pressed a hand to his forehead, looking downwards.
"Contact the Adventurers Guild's Langley, and arrest every adventurer attacking."
"Understood!"
With that, the female worker went up the stairs.
"Ah, wait a minute! The s.h.i.+pwrights would have a high Crafts.h.i.+p Skill, right?"
I asked the female office worker.
"Eh? Yes, probably."
"Then please take me there. Riddle-san, let's have them help make the pumps. Sorry, but is it possible to give a special payment to the s.h.i.+pwrights?"
"Understood! Please take him to the s.h.i.+pwrights immediately!"
Riddle told one of the men behind him to bring him his wallet.

"Um, what about the pump materials?"
"They should be in that wooden crate."
Just like Riddle said, all the materials to make pumps were in the wooden crate.
I think, using all the materials in the crate, we can make 12 or 13.
"Is it enough?"
Riddle asked uneasily.
"I think we can make over 10. For now we'll rush to make them. Can I have you also make a map? I want a map of the dessert as detailed as possible; with the help of the merchants who go through the desert I'd like to know where the flash floods pa.s.s through, where the oases are, how far the distance to the eastern mountains is and such."
"Understood. I'll arrange for it!"
Riddle ordered the last man remaining behind him.
The man raced up the stairs in a hurry.
"Naoki-dono, in the worst case scenario, how many people do you think we'll need for the extermination?"
There's no one left with just the two of us in the bas.e.m.e.nt, so Riddle advances the discussion.
"I don't know. With practically no information one where the swarm will start or how big the swarm will be, I can't guess."
I answered honestly.
"That's true from our current situation. Practically speaking, do you think we can stop them completely?"
"That is… unlikely, I suppose. With the limits of human abilities, it's impossible to block all of them."
"Nnn…"
Riddle closed his eyes, furrowing his brows.
"Sorry."
"No, Naoki-dono has nothing to apologize for."
"It's just, if we understand the conditions for swarming and their ecology, we might be able to hold them in check beforehand."
"Nn-! It's good if you're thinking long term, na. That said, this would be the first step of exterminating the worst-case scenario swarm. I'd like to at least determine a methodology, if possible."
"Yeah, that's true."
"Tangibly speaking about the people going to the desert. It would be the exterminators, people for detecting locust hoppers, adventurers for the desert monsters, and healing team; those four groups, I was thinking."
That's true; normally if only the exterminators head to the desert, they won't return alive.
"If 10 pumps are made…"
"We will need at least 40 people capable people to deal with any abnormalities in the desert."
Preparing communication bags might be good too.

"Ah, is it this way?"
At that point, the s.h.i.+pwrights came down the stairs.
"Ooh, they came. None of the s.h.i.+ps were stolen?"
Riddle asked the s.h.i.+pwrights.
"Yeah, it's fine. Anyway, the sea's stormy, so the s.h.i.+ps can't set off anyhow."
One of the s.h.i.+pwrights responded.
"Stormy, you say, is a thunderstorm coming?"
"Huh? Did you not look outside? There's a raging storm coming in from the open seas."
At the s.h.i.+pwright's words, Riddle and I exchanged glances.