MV – Chapter 52: Lanpeach Complex and Minor Villain

The Lanpeach Complex was showing liveliness unlike a base in the slums. 

Normally, a resident of the slums would have their body tremble from the cold, fearing freezing and the possibility of a monster attacking, so they wouldn’t let out a noise, and worry about being able to secure food.

But this complex is different. 

In just a few weeks, the building changed in appearance, the outside and the inside were practically new now, which stood out terribly within this place filled with tattered buildings. 

And the residents living in this complex have had their lifestyle changed greatly this winter. 

Chihiro was flipping through documents in a room that has changed into a work office, and working. 

A boy entered nervously while she was in the middle of that. 

“Chihiro-san, the preparations of everyone are over for today.” 

“Thanks. Then, can you please begin as usual?” (Chihiro)

There’s a computer on top of the sturdy-looking desk, a coffee cup was placed at her side, there’s a comfortable chair, and a cabinet that is beginning to accumulate folders with documents. 

Chihiro smiled and thanked the boy that entered this room. 

“Understood. There’s already merchants that have come and are waiting for the store to open and for the eggs. I will gather them at once.” 

The smile of Chihiro is charming. 

Her lack of nutrition has been solved recently, and she is taking baths now. She is also young, so it was enough to charm the men in the slums even without makeup. 

The young man’s face turned bright red from Chihiro’s smile and reported all nervously, but Chihiro showed an annoyed and troubled expression at the details as she tapped with her pen. 

It has been a repeat of that these few days, so it is a bit late at this point. 

“Then, I will deal with them-usa.”

“Hn, gave synthetic whipped cream.” (Dry)

“It may be synthetic, but sweetness is important. They gave synthetic baumkuchen the other day-usa yo.” 

“It tasted like wood though-usa.” 

On top of that, the rabbits and Dry, who were sitting on the sofa for receptions, stood up as if they were waiting for this moment, so Chihiro glared at them. 

These rabbits and Dry have been lazing about on the sofa these few days as if they made a nest there and were waiting for a report to come. 

“Don’t, Dry. Please don’t give them eggs preferentially after getting bribed.” (Chihiro)

But Chihiro couldn’t ignore this. 

She tapped the document hard with her pen to show that she was angry. The document that she was close to finishing had torn, and she got a bit teary because of it. 

“Muh~, if going to sell anyways, better for it to be the merchants that give candy.” (Dry)

“That’s right-usa yo. I was dumbfounded when they brought synthetic carrots though.” 

“Those really carrots? Tasted like sweet popcorn.” (Dry)

Dry and the rabbits complained. 

An innocent girl was starting to get corrupted, so Chihiro steeled her heart and glared at her with sharp eyes, determined to rehabilitate her. 

She had to warn her as a friend. 

“Synthetic candy is cheap! If you are taking bribes, take proper bribes of money. Have to hint at them that the priority will change depending on what’s passed under the table! And then, you can just buy whatever sweet stuff you want with the bribe you get.” (Chihiro)

Chihiro was completely tainted.

The slums don’t operate business under righteousness, and the merchants that show up know that. It is also common knowledge in the slums, so you can’t really blame Chihiro. 

It is normal to gamble your life, betrayals and deceptions are natural, and the weak are eaten, and only the strong remain at the top. 

“Ooh, Chihiro, that’s intelligent. Scales ploppity plopping from my eyes.” (Dry)

“There’s something like that-usa ne. Then, we are going to make a line ticket next-usa.” 

“Put a price on the line ticket-usa yo. Make it expensive for one-usa.” 

They clapped at the proposal of Chihiro and the rabbits already began thinking bad things. 

“We tell them if they want to buy the line tickets for cheap, they need to give candies-usa.” 

“Smart-usa. That way we get both-usa ne.” 

They really might not be that intelligent. 

They were talking about how one candy equaled a 10% discount as they put their fluffy heads together while talking. 

Of course, Chihiro could hear that conversation too, so she smiled wryly, thinking that these rabbits are normally airheaded. 

“Well, things have changed in this one month after all…” (Chihiro)

Chihiro remembered the things that happened in this one month and sighed at how she had been caught up in something unbelievable as she rested her chin on her hand. 

◇◇

——A month ago.

There was a blizzard outside from the very morning, but the bedroom of Lanpeach was warm with a stove heater set. 

It is morning, but it is still the time when the sky is dark and people are still soundly asleep.

Lanpeach woke up with Chihiro and Koume sleeping by his sides. 

Lanpeach checked the inside of the bed to confirm the new thing he got, furrowed his brows, and groaned. 

“[My Room]… You can choose the types?” (Lanpeach)

[Normal Room: Normal House.]

[Home Lab: Workshop, Atelier.]

[Home Farm: Simple Farm, chickens included.]

[Home Training Ground: Can check your skills, etc.] 

He could feel the halfhearted idea of the developers that they can play it off by simply adding ‘Home’ to it. 

[Right! This is a system from a long past. Moreover, it is the type that can only be used by chosen elites. You can set your portal anywhere, and can move to your room in a pocket dimension. As expected of my Soldier. It is worth supporting you! I am already head over heels as your support character!] (Libra)

The pretty shrine maiden praised Lanpeach unlike usual with a bright smile. She smacked his head over and over in a friendly manner as if saying ‘atta boy’.

“You really are feeling quite threatened.” (Lanpeach)

Looks like she began to get agitated after seeing Mira yesterday. She is a lot more physical than normal. 

“Well, I am being helped a lot in your own way, so I will simply get you two to help me out more if the numbers increase.” (Lanpeach)

That said, even Lanpeach has feelings and morals. It is fine if he just gets both of them to support him. 

[If you can only choose one?] (Libra)

“…Depends on the performance?” (Lanpeach)

[Isn’t that the pattern where you abandon the first party members you recruited from the bar?! Soldier, I don’t think that girl can do this! You won’t be able to stealthily peek at stuff like my cleavage, you know? She is a washboard, so it doesn’t jiggle!] (Libra)

Libra hugged him like a koala. 

Lanpeach felt as if he might still be sleeping, as if this is a dream, so his eyes swam. 

“I-I wasn’t looking. I am always working seriously, so there’s no way I would steal some peeks… But it is true that there would be no opening on the chest with clothes that stick close to your body.” (Lanpeach)

Libra clung to the cheeks of Lanpeach and pushed her chest onto him. 

The silky sensation of her shrine maiden clothes and the softness of her breasts made Lanpeach lose in an instant. 

Even so, he pushed Libra away with steel resolve and returned to the topic. 

“Well, I understand what kind of system this is. Basically, it is the classic space only I can use in games, right? The one other about [Free Dungeon: Dream Island] is clearly an assist system to help you explore a cleared dungeon.” (Lanpeach)

[Free Dungeon – Dream Island: A miniature Dream Island of around 1 kilometer square. You can fight monsters and gather materials.] 

You can’t gather spirit crystals in a Free Dungeon, but you can defeat monsters and gather materials. 

‘This is getting more and more game-like’ -is what he thought internally as his view of this world being a game hardened. 

He poked the cheek of Libra. 

[Everything. You can also invite people in.] (Libra)

“Hmm… Dungeons are so dangerous, I can’t let others in. Then there’s only one choice. It is Home Farm no matter how you think about it.” (Lanpeach)

The production power of the Lanpeach Complex will increase if the production facilities increase. 

In that case, it would be better if it comes with chickens. 

[Home Farm: A 100 meter square farm. The livestock and crops inside grow at several times the normal speed. It comes with 100 chickens, and it is possible to hold 1,000 chickens at most.]

It works like a certain farming game. 

His eyes turned serious and his attention was drawn to ‘several times the normal speed’ which enforcened his view of this being a game. 

“That personage is watching over how you utilize this new system and whether it operates properly. Make sure to work hard. Your treatment will change greatly depending on the success of this operation.” (Libra)

Libra puffed her chest and she always changes to speaking out loud when she says ‘that personage’, so she might be a chuunibyou. She is probably at an age where she wants to show herself as mighty. 

He thought ‘it is fine to puff your chest out more’ as he was on the verge of gravitating towards her jiggling chest and nodded. 

“Got it. I will be operating this system after a second nap, so send my regards to that personage.” (Lanpeach)

He thought it wouldn’t hurt to play along with her, so he lowered his head at the cute shrine maiden that was giggling, and went back to sleep. 

He thought going back to sleep really is the best as he slipped into his blanket.

—Chihiro woke up after hearing the voices of people, acted as if she was asleep and perked up her ears. Lanpeach didn’t notice that she heard just the last lines. 

Of course, the little devil Libra did notice. 

◇◇

1 month later. 

“Hmm, this is impressive no matter how many times I see it. How does this work?” 

“It is certainly an unimaginable system. I think it is a weird system to have in the slums.” 

Chihiro and the others went through the small teleport portal that was set in the room called the farm room, and arrived at what’s called the Home Farm. 

A prairie of around 100 square meters. No, it was originally all prairie, but right now half of it is surrounded by fences and turned into cultivation fields. 

Even though it is winter, there’s warm sunlight bathing them from the blue sky as if it were spring, and it felt refreshing when inhaling the gentle breeze. 

The prairie is covered in green, and there’s chickens and chicks going ‘keko koko’ ‘piyo piyo’ and running around energetically. 

There’s also a chicken coop at the corner. 

At the fields, the children were diligently pulling out the carrots that were ready to harvest after just 3 days even though the soil was not given any fertilizer. 

There’s also cabbages, radishes, eggplants, tomatoes, and small vegetables growing. 

Even Chihiro and the others who haven’t done farming before can tell that this growth speed is abnormal. 

In what world are there crops that can be harvested in 3 days? 

Lanpeach would probably answer with ‘in a game world’.

“It may be an experimental farm from the Underground District, but it was fortunate that it was placed here. To think we would be able to obtain such natural things.” 

The border of the space is a white ceiling and walls, so it reminds them that this is an artificial space. 

They probably set this experimental farm in the slums in order to check the safety of it. But the benefits of it are still immense. 

“Just as Chihiro says. The ones who have such lands are super rich.” (Dry)

That personage must be impressive, is the misunderstanding Chihiro and Dry have because of the manipulation of Libra. 

“Aah, this is bad-usa! Today was the day to harvest carrots-usa yo!” 

“Bad, bad-usa. Rabbits, help out in harvesting the carrots-usa!” 

“Then, do your best~.”

The rabbits saw the children putting the thick carrots in baskets and hurriedly waddled their way there. 

Only one of them was curled up on the ground as if sleepy and waving its hand, but military Artificial Spirits might have way too strong sense of self. 

“We should gather the eggs. They are in the chicken coop, so let’s do this carefully.” (Chihiro)

“Okay~!” 

Chihiro gave the order to the children who were lined up behind her with a smile, and they walked on. 

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