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Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Silavin
The 14th Floor was the Floor where Sol and other Goblins were building their strongholds.
When Sol evolved to the point where he could speak, she had also received teachings regarding farming techniques.
It was at this time that Kousuke, accompanied by Kouhi, came to check out the 14th Floor.
“Oh wow, the fields have expanded a lot, haven’t they?”
The fields were more extensive than when they had seen them before, centered on the base where the Goblins’ homes were located, the foundation of their lives.
The crops being grown were mainly potatoes.
“Yes. We can make a stable living, probably because we are getting crops as well as meat that comes from summoning.”
Initially, Sol thought that by farming, they would reduce their intake of meat from summons, but this was not the case.
Rather, the Goblins, who had an image of being emaciated, seem to have gained some ‘meatiness’ as they could now consume both meat and root vegetables.
From Kousuke’s point of view, the change was only a little better than before, but according to Sol, it was a massive change.
It was hard for Kousuke to understand what she meant when saying this, since they were now completely human-like in appearance.
“Are you taking proper measures against continuous cropping?”
Since they were growing root vegetables, mainly potatoes, they had to be careful not to grow too many crops in a row.
This was the same for the other farm lands in the Tower.
Crown’s production department made sure to manage this when they started producing crops on the 5th Floor.
Kousuke passed this knowledge to the Goblins.
“Yes. Our population is quite small right now, so we are managing by creating fallow lands.”
This was answered by the one in charge of farming, who had recently evolved into a Douji.
The Goblins have established a pyramid-type domination system with Sol at the top.
“Fallow land, huh? Doesn’t that mean you’re going to run out of land someday?”
“That was my concern as well, but it appears that the change in our diet has changed us from being prolific.”
“Really? Is that so?”
Kousuke was surprised by this unexpected phenomenon.
“We are still confirming this, but I am almost certain. We used to have four or five babies per birth, but now one or two is the norm.”
“Isn’t it simply because your lives have become more stable?”
At Kousuke’s question, the Douji nodded.
“Yes. That is a possibility. However, when we were stable and only fed on meat, we were more fertile, so I am now of the opinion that perhaps diet had something to do with it.”
“I see.”
Kousuke nodded, inwardly marveling at the convincing reason.
The Goblins before they evolved had little intelligence, to be honest, but once they evolved to Douji, he realized that their intelligence had increased to the point where they could even think properly about their situation.
Of course, there were individual differences in the level at which intelligence increases, but there appears to be no doubt that it had increased significantly, starting with Sol.
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After talking about crops in general, they decided to talk about combat.
Sol had asked Kousuke to give her a set of iron equipment, and this was the first time she had ever asked for something from him directly.
Kousuke was curious about this change, so he asked for more details.
“What weapons do you use in battle? I haven’t given you any additional weapons since the last time I gave you some, right?”
Even though she had been using it while taking care of it, it had already been almost ten years since Kousuke had given them those weapons.
It would not be surprising if the weapons had reached the end of their useability.
For this, another Douji stepped forward and answered.
“Actually, we have started producing ironware at our base, so we are using equipment from there.”
“….Huh?!”
Kousuke, who had not expected them to be working with stone tools, let out an exclamation of surprise.
He involuntarily looked at Kouhi, who had followed along with him.
“No matter how much of a connection they had with us, I or Mitsuki would not teach them carelessly, and we would have told you about any mistakes if we did commit them.”
Having an iron weapon meant that they would become much more dangerous.
The Goblins, who were Kousuke’s dependents, were unlikely to attack Kousuke. However, there was a possibility that other members of the group would not be able to approach them carelessly. That was why he only taught them about farming, but not about blacksmithing.
At Kouhi’s words, the Douji shook his head from side to side.
“We did not learn how to make it from Kousuke-sama’s friends.”
“Eh? From where then?”
Kousuke tilted his head, wondering how they started producing iron.
“Just as we were able to gain knowledge of language during our evolution, we also gained knowledge of iron refining.”
To Kousuke’s surprise, it seemed that the Douji, who was now speaking to him, simply gained knowledge about iron refining.
Having discussed up to this point, Sol entered the conversation.
“Originally, I probably should have informed Kousuke-sama, but we just started recently, and you don’t visit here that often…”
Kousuke was convinced as Sol slurred her words as she said so apologetically.
Kousuke could understand because he also didn’t allow Goblins, including Sol, to use the Transfer Gate freely.
Even if they wanted to start something new, if they waited for Kousuke to visit, they would never know when to begin.
In fact, even though they had acquired the knowledge itself as soon as they evolved, the Douji put it aside because they did not know what iron was.
After some brief conversations, they realised that iron was the same material as the weapons Kousuke had given them, and after consulting Sol, they started their own production of iron.
Sol wanted to consult Kousuke beforehand, but there was a possibility of failure, and she did not know when Kousuke would arrive, so she started the production on their own.
“Hmm. I see.”
At first glance, Kousuke nodded with a calm expression on his face. However, he truly did not expect Goblins to start iron production on their own.
According to the Douji, there were mines on the 14th Floor that contained iron, and they got their iron from there.
There was a worry if it was alright for the Goblins to start stockpiling iron and weapons on their own. From the look on Sol’s face, they could tell that she was aware of the problem.
Kousuke could see the resolve in her expression.
Kousuke stared at Sol’s face and decided.
“If that’s the case, you can try to develop it yourselves.”
Once Kousuke said this, Sol’s expression was one of relief.
The Goblins’ iron refining was mostly used for primitive weapons, as they had only recently started. Still, iron was still iron, so they could be used as weapons as well.
“Our goal now is to make sure that our works can withstand continuous use for as long as possible.”
The child in charge of production laughed as he said this.
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After hearing the surprising report from the Goblins, Kousuke returned to the Administration Floor with Sol.
Sol, who was told to come to the Administration Floor, had a look of determination on her face. She must have sensed Kouhi’s mood besides Kousuke.
“Don’t be so nervous, and Kouhi, and don’t look like that. I am giving them permission.”
“That’s true, but the fact that they reported it after the fact is a problem.”
The main issue was about them making weapons. It would be too late to do anything until after a major incident occurred.
But Kousuke smiled and replied to Kouhi.
“Well, it is indeed a problem. But then again, I thought it was important for them to start thinking independently.”
For Kousuke, he was more interested in the fact that the Goblins have started to think for themselves and have what seemed to be a culture.
He did not want to nip that in the bud if possible.
There was also the look on Sol’s face.
“Sol thought of the worst and probably did not expect to gain permission, right?”
“Yes, I was prepared to accept it if we did incur Kousuke-sama’s wrath and you were going to annihilate us.”
“Well, as long as Sol was determined enough to even accept that outcome, I decided that it would be fine.”
Kousuke thought this would be a good opportunity to have the Goblins run the village on their own.
For this purpose, he asked Sol to come to the Administration Floor.
“Then, I’ll be leaving the management of the Goblins’ village to Sol. We will treat your village the same as any other village.”
He had Sol come to give her the authority to come and go freely to the Administration Floor.
“So that’s what you were planning?” Kouhi nodded in understanding.
Conversely, Sol was surprised.
Seeing this, Kousuke smiled at Sol and said.
“There’s no need to think too hard. If you experience any problems, just visit us here.”
“Ye, yes!”
Sol replied happily to Kousuke’s words.
“Are you sure about this?” Kouhi asked after Sol returned.
“If we run into problems, we can deal with it then. Besides, what does it matter if the Goblins have better weapons?”
“I don’t think it would be a problem if they have weapons, even if it’s on the level of what humans are making.”
Kouhi replied to Kousuke’s question.
Kouhi’s decision was based on her confidence that even if something major were to happen, she would be able to completely contain it.
She was also curious to see what happens when a monster builds a civilization of its own.
The Goblin village on the 14th Floor was to undergo a major change of direction on this day.
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