Let’s talk about the protagonists of Powder of Elements.
Powder of Elements is a game where various factions and cities change depending on how you clear the endless quests and stories. There are seven original protagonists, each with different backgrounds.
One is Dry of Ice. Coming from the slums, she seeks to rise in the world. She offers the most freedom but starts with zero funds and connections, so her quests are difficult to solve without using your brain. This character ends up as a musclehead type, where you just keep defeating enemies until, eventually, there’s no one left to fight, and you clear the game. She is a good character for players not used to the game.
Next is Guy of Earth. Coming from a rural village, he has some initial education, making it easier to progress through the story than with Dry. Unlike the slums, he can enter places that are normally off-limits. He also has a high degree of freedom and, being defense-oriented, is hard to kill, making him another good choice for beginners.
Then there’s Krishna of Wind. Finally, someone from the Surface District. Characters from the Surface District have funds, connections, and access to good equipment. Krishna’s story mostly takes place in an academy, where he rises from commoner to greatness. He’s perfect for people who want to enjoy the “I’m secretly strong” trope, where the protagonist pretends to be weak but is actually powerful.
If you want to fully enjoy the academy storyline, you should pick Yoroizuka Toko of Thunder. He’s already strong from the start, has favored skills, and, as the heir of an Armed Family, has plenty of funds and connections. His companions are all girls with different types, so if you want to breeze through the game in the easiest mode, he’s your guy.
However, the two academy protagonists have low freedom. You get the expelled end if you don’t attend classes, and you can’t stay in dungeons overnight. The restrictions are pretty tight.
The Light protagonist runs a company, allowing you to play as a mastermind expanding your influence, while the Darkness protagonist, hailing from the underworld, can take unconventional actions that no other character can.
(I’ve never played them myself, though. I heard the Light protagonist barely has any combat, so I put them off. The Darkness protagonist can do some ridiculous things, so I saved them for last, just to savor the experience.)
—Finally, the last protagonist is Onodera Bacchus of Fire, who lets you enjoy a crafting-focused playthrough. As the head of the Onodera family, he has abundant funds and a wide network. His story revolves around creating the ideal weapon, which addicts you to customization and it is fun.
(Now, I have to meet with the head of the Onodera family, a dwarf old man. He’s so rich and powerful that even corporations can’t get an appointment unless they’re CEOs of major companies.)
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The colony’s general access areas include the terminal, while the farm area is mostly staff-only. From the terminal, you can see the stars outside, twinkling like paintings against the vast expanse of space, with small cube-shaped Earths floating mysteriously, as though they were ingredients meant for miso soup.
Visitors to the terminal generally head to the observation lounge. They come with sparkling eyes, savoring meals made from natural ingredients, which are rare in the Surface District, while enjoying a sightseeing trip. The terminal is massive since it’s a spaceport, and it even has a hotel.
Guests can follow the tour route through the farm area, have a barbecue by a stream with no fear of monsters, enjoy fishing and playing in the water, all in a serene place that normally only a few elite from the Surface District would be able to enjoy and can’t be experienced in the Surface District.
Right now, the flow of tourists is slow through word-of-mouth, but soon, entrance restrictions may be necessary.
“Look, darling, at the endless darkness of space. Can you believe we’ve reached an era where we can see such sights?”
“The Underground District is finally reaching out to the surface. It’s a good advertisement. The power balance will shift dramatically. We’re entering a turbulent era.”
“We’ll need to hire a lot of hunters. I think Elemetals will become the new currency.”
“My company has already sent top-tier talent to the Hunter Guild. Things have become quite hectic.”
“I recommend hiring a cross-galaxy bounty hunter to guarantee safe, affordable, and reliable results who coincidentally is a consultant today.”
Those with foresight have already begun to take action, seated at tables in the observation lounge and leisurely enjoying their meals. Their conversations centered around the future of the Surface District. Of course, one person was busy seeing how many plates they could stack.
Among them was Lanpeach, elegantly eating a hamburger at a table draped in a pristine white tablecloth.
The group included Chihiro, Libra, Touka, Nono, and Sage. Dry was on an all-you-can-eat strawberry tour, and Mana was, as usual, nowhere to be seen, probably busy. Mira might be around somewhere. Koume was dragging Mimi by the hand, running around the observation lounge.
A small, wobbling rabbit waiter approached, precariously balancing a tray of food.
“Here are four kids’ meals and a coffee and cake set. There’s no two-hour limit, so please enjoy at your leisure.”
The waiter said a harsh reality like there not being a 2 hour limit which is common nowadays, adorably bowed after setting the food on the table, climbed up Lanpeach’s leg and perched on his knee, sniffing the cake set with its little nose and glancing up at Lanpeach with its large, round red eyes. What a cunning rabbit.
Lanpeach handed over the cake with a sigh. The rabbit immediately buried its nose in the whipped cream and began munching. Lanpeach took a bite of his hamburger as he stroked the rabbit’s head.
“I didn’t know a proper hamburger could be such a gourmet dish. I’ve only eaten them with my hands, so this is a first for me. It’s really good.” (Lanpeach)
The hamburger on the plate was massive, with buns at least two sizes bigger than the palm of his hand. Inside was a thick hamburger patty, pineapple, pickles, cheese, and sliced onions, all topped with a white sauce. You eat it with a fork and knife. It’s filling and delicious.
“So, hamburgers can be this refined. They’re nothing like Gadokurie burgers.” (Chihiro)
Chihiro, eating her kids’ meal hamburger, marveled as her face melted into a look of bliss. It was the first time she’d eaten something so delicious, and she couldn’t stop.
“I don’t think it’s fair to compare it to gadokurie products. This kids’ meal has so many good things. I wonder what I should start with.” (Libra)
Libra, not touching her kids’ meal, crossed her arms and pondered where to begin.
Touka tossed shrimps into her mouth, and stared out the window, her eyes lighting up. She’d probably enjoy gadokurie food too if there was a space view involved.
“You can’t go wrong with the fried shrimp. Or maybe start with the pudding. It’s amazing while watching space.” (Touka)
“The lounge serves everything made with natural ingredients, huh. Hmm… I think I’ll go with the kids’ meal after all, Stepbrother. But the hamburger steak and shrimp look really good too.” (Nono)
Nono, staring at the menu and wondering if the kids’ meal was the best choice, hesitated as she noticed the individual dishes were larger and more tempting. She kept glancing at the plates of other people and groaned in indecision.
“This is probably the only place that could serve a meal like this. It’s a shame we can’t use Ele here. I’m worried about an Ele currency crisis happening.” (Sage)
Sage was the only one with coffee alone. He sipped his coffee, enjoying the aroma and relaxing as if used to this. It was unclear whether he was holding back from eating since he’d mentioned wanting to discuss something important or just didn’t want food to interfere with their talk.
“There won’t be a currency crisis. Even if Elemetals spread, they won’t be handling large sums of money. Well, except for me, of course.” (Lanpeach)
(The only way to get Elemetals was to clear quests for the Hunter Guild. While I receive Elemetals as part of the colony’s operational profits, the only other person getting paid in Elemetals is Guy with his monthly salary.) (Lanpeach)
Companies were sending agents as hunters to earn Elemetals, but it would take a while, even with manpower strategies, to accumulate large sums. The only other loophole was trading Elemetals for materials like spirit stones or mana elements, but doing so would devalue the Elemetals, so no company was willing to take that risk.
“That may be true. It might take decades for Elemetals to become widely used currency.” (Sage)
Sage agreed with Lanpeach’s assessment, although his agreement was conditional on things staying the way they were. If the Underground District began funneling large sums of Elemetals into the Surface District, the value of Ele would plummet in one go. Several companies had already approached Sage privately, trying to negotiate ways to exchange Ele for Elemetal.
However, there was no point in thinking about that right now. All Sage could do was make thorough preparations, considering the possibility that Elemetal might become a common currency.
“So, I need to meet with the head of the Onodera family for a little matter. Any ideas?” (Lanpeach)
“Are you saying that you want to schedule an appointment with the head of the Onodera family, Lanpeach-san?” (Sage)
Sage placed his coffee cup down and asked. Lanpeach, who was disassembling a hamburger with a grimace, nodded.
“I’d like to meet in a more natural way, but is there a method for that? I don’t want to stand out by setting up an appointment. People might start speculating if I do that.” (Lanpeach)
“Hmm… Honestly, given your current status, Lanpeach-san, it would be easy to get an appointment. However, if you make the first move, it might seem like you have some kind of agenda. In that case, I think it’d be best to meet at some party and get acquainted there.” (Sage)
“Casually meeting at a party, huh… Come to think of it, I know someone who loves parties.” (Lanpeach)
Lanpeach recalled someone in response to Sage’s words, sighed, and thought it might turn into a hassle.
“Can I have seconds-usa?”
At some point in time, several rabbits had gathered on Lanpeach’s lap. There’s even whipped cream on their noses.
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