Chapter 159
Now, when it comes to festivals, food stalls are the first thing that comes to my mind.
Rows of colorful stalls lining both sides of the street, wafting out mouthwatering aromas that tease the stomach and loosen the purse strings.
The sense of stepping out of the ordinary heightens the excitement, making the atmosphere all the more enjoyable.
"Hey, Liberta. They’re really coming, right? You’re sure about this?"
Jink, the man entrusted as the head organizer of this festival—and also Nel’s father—stood beside me, his face pale as he clutched his stomach, utterly failing to match the festive mood.
"No need to worry. I’ve been assured they’ll come in full force for the event.""Really? Honestly, if it weren’t for Duke Edelgard’s letter, I never would’ve gone this far. If nothing happens here, we’re staring straight at a massive loss. And what am I supposed to say to the shop owners I dragged into this?"
A full month had passed since our dealings with the Duke.
During that time, the royal family and nobles had apparently sent spies to investigate us, but Duke Edelgard blocked every single one.
Meanwhile, I’d been busy—working with Nel and the others to recruit shopkeepers for the stalls, pulling Jink into the event and bringing him to the Duke’s estate, and promoting the festival at the hot springs, hyping up the spirits with promises of delicious food, shopping, and more. I’d been running around nonstop.
So why were Jink and I standing here like this? Because it was almost time—the spirits could arrive at any moment.
The stalls were ready, the charcoal lit, the ingredients stocked.
And the carefully selected goods we’d gathered from the craftsmen’s district for this very day.
With the eyes of the shopkeepers boring into our backs, it was no wonder Jink’s stomach was in knots.
"Oh, they’re here.""Th-They really came…"
Relief, shock, and unease swirled across Jink’s face—his weight had even dropped a bit from stress.
Thanks to the Duke’s private soldiers blocking the roads and Claudia’s negotiations with the church, the area was clear of anyone unrelated to the event.
Only the craftsmen who helped set up the venue, the shopkeepers, and a handful of others remained.
And now, this quiet festival was about to come alive.
One after another, spirit corridors opened.
And from them emerged—
"Liberta! We’ve arrived!"
The high-ranking spirits, their entire beings radiating excitement.
The first to appear was the high-ranking wind spirit.
"It’s been ages since I’ve eaten human food! I’m going to feast until Amina’s song is over!"
Next came the high-ranking earth spirit.
"My, my, so many rare things. I can’t decide what to try first."
Then the high-ranking water spirit.
"Alcohol! Where’s the alcohol?!"
Finally, the high-ranking fire spirit made its entrance, followed by a steady stream of mid- and low-ranking spirits.
"We’ve come as the first wave. More will follow—are you prepared?""We’ve done everything we can. Please, enjoy yourselves today.""Excellent!""Just to confirm, this area has been restricted to authorized personnel only. Even if they’re curious, please ensure no one ventures outside this zone.""Understood. We’ve already instructed them. The mid-ranking spirits will keep the little ones in line, so no need to worry."
After exchanging words with the high-ranking wind spirit as their representative, Jink and I stepped aside to clear the way.
"Then let the festival begin!"
As I made the announcement, cheers erupted from the spirits.
"First, let’s head there, Earth!""Ah! Wind! That stall’s been giving off the most delicious smell!""Fire, there’s alcohol over there. Secure that first, then—""Alright, alright! I’ll go with you, so let go of me!"
Watching the spirits flood into the street, the shopkeepers snapped into action.
Stalls serving food began cooking in earnest, while those selling accessories rearranged their wares for quick access.
"Liberta.""Yes?""The spirits really came…""That’s what I’ve been saying all along.""Am I dreaming?""If you head to Teresa’s shop, you’ll be too busy to doubt reality.""Right… right. Of course."
The high-ranking spirits roamed freely, their enthusiasm setting the tone for the festivities.
The low-ranking spirits, though hesitant, were guided in groups by the mid-ranking ones, allowing them to enjoy the festival with peace of mind.
A glance at the rooftops revealed the Duke’s soldiers, their faces stunned at the sight of the spirits.
"Well, I’m off to Nel’s stall. Good luck with your sales, Jink.""Yeah. This is a great chance to get my hands on some high-quality spirit stones."
Though soldiers had been stationed to prevent trouble, it was obvious the mid-ranking spirits outmatched them in strength.
The spirits were aware of the soldiers but seemed content with an unspoken agreement to avoid conflict.
While the spirits might’ve found human customs restrictive, the chance to enjoy food and goods they couldn’t normally access kept them in high spirits.
Th-That one, please."O-Oh, how many?"Th-Three."Got it. I’ll make sure they’re extra delicious!"Eep!?"Hey! Don’t shout at such a tiny spirit!"
The exchange between a low-ranking spirit and a meat stall owner—who was selling rice-wrapped meat skewers—drew a chuckle from me.
The spirit, mustering its courage, handed over a spirit stone from its corridor in exchange for the food. The owner’s loud but well-meaning demeanor only added to the charm.
Feeling warm inside, I made my rounds toward Nel’s stall.
Whoa! This alcohol is amazing!Hey, next—Ah! Next, let’s try that!Wait! One more! Just one more!
I chose to ignore the high-ranking spirits’ antics, focusing instead on the mid-ranking ones shepherding the younger spirits as they shopped.
Even the mid-ranking spirits couldn’t resist making purchases when something caught their eye.
At a glance, the value of spirit stones might’ve seemed disproportionate to the goods on offer, but we’d worked that out in advance.
The stalls primarily accepted stones from low- to mid-ranking spirits, with the highest-tier stones reserved for premium items.
We’d provided mining tools beforehand, allowing the spirits to gather stones for the event.
As for the high-ranking spirits? They weren’t freeloading.
Their stones had been donated as thanks for organizing the festival, serving as operational funds.
These stones were stored in Duke Edelgard’s vault and would be divided between us after the event.
From what I’d seen, we had a hefty collection of Class 7 stones—more than enough to cover costs and then some.
With spirit stones this valuable, every sale promised substantial profit.
Of course, I’d warned the shopkeepers against gouging—especially with the Duke backing us.
"Business is booming, huh?""Ah! Liberta! Hurry up and help!"
Amid the festivities, Nel had set up a stall to work toward her "Merchant of All Trades" goal.
What were we selling?
"The line ends here! Please wait your turn!"
Concert merchandise—a staple of any live event.
A single month—yet what a month it had been.
Between designing Amina’s idol outfit, selecting songs, choreography, and rehearsals, it’d nearly been too much. But we’d pushed through.
Using the Duke’s referrals, we’d commissioned craftsmen to mass-produce Amina-themed goods.
Spirits who’d heard Amina sing now clamored for merchandise featuring her face or stylized likeness.
We had fans stamped with a simplified version of her face, hand towels embroidered with her motif, and alchemically produced glow sticks.
To meet the requirement of ten items, we’d color-coded the fans (yellow, blue, red, green) and towels (same colors), plus glow sticks (same scheme), bringing the total to twelve.
This fulfilled the conditions for Nel’s job quest.
Claudia managed the line, Ingrid handled restocking, and Nel—with her keen eye—assessed spirit stones and handled transactions at lightning speed.
"O-Okay."
At Nel’s call, I rushed to assist.
"Nel, where’s Amina?""Being dolled up by the Duke’s maids. They’re going all out.""Ah, nice."
Watching Nel efficiently process orders was like watching a true merchant at work.
"One fan and one towel—that’ll be four spirit stones. Oh, you want a glow stick too? Then it’s five!"
She handled even last-minute additions with ease.
"Liberta, take care of that.""Got it."
Amina, currently absent, was deep in preparations—idols had their own pre-show routines.
At my counter, a crowd had gathered.
"Apologies, that illustration is part of a lottery prize."
Customers redirected from Nel’s side soon reached me.
"I heard that picture is available here?""Correct! We’re selling lottery tickets for a chance to win it!""Lottery?"
This stall’s secret weapon: gacha.
It started when I’d casually suggested that an idol event needed photo cards. During Amina’s costume trials, we’d brought in artists to sketch her in various outfits.
Mass-producing these wasn’t feasible, so instead, we turned them into rare prizes for a spirit stone gacha.
One draw cost three stones, with 100 wooden sticks in the drum. Only one—tipped in gold—was the grand prize. The rest were color-coded for fans (blue), towels (red), or glow sticks (green).
Spirits who’d already bought their fill now burned through stones for a shot at the illustrations.
What!? I’m out of stones!? I’ll go dig up more!Me too!Me three!
Watching tiny spirits dart back to their corridors, merchandise in hand, I couldn’t help but feel I’d introduced them to something dangerous.
Hey!! I’ve drawn ten times already! Are you sure there’s a winner in there!?"It’s there, see? Right here."It was one stick to the right!?
To preempt complaints, we let players check all sticks after each draw.
A mid-ranking wind spirit—a duck-like humanoid—screamed in frustration, but I pretended not to notice.
Ten tries!!"Sorry, but there’s a ten-draw limit per person. If you’d like to try again, please join the back of the line."Hold it for me!! I’m getting that picture no matter what!!
I’d proposed this system, but seeing spirits fall victim to gacha madness was… unsettling.
We’d started with ten illustrations. Three were already claimed, and at this rate, they’d sell out before the concert.
"……""Nel, something wrong?"
With the gacha counter under control, Nel had a moment to glance my way.
"We’re not going bankrupt, right?""…Probably not."
As someone who understood the dangers of gacha, I briefly wondered if we should’ve set a spending limit.