Now, when it cos to festivals, food stalls are the first thing that cos 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 excitent, 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 , 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 co 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 ti, the royal family and nobles had apparently sent spies to investigate us, but Duke Edelgard blocked every single one.
anwhile, 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 ti—the spirits could arrive at any mont.
The stalls were ready, the charcoal lit, the ingredients stocked.
And the carefully selected goods we’d gathered from the craftsn’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 ca…"
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 craftsn who helped set up the venue, the shopkeepers, and a handful of others remained.
And now, this quiet festival was about to co alive.
One after another, spirit corridors opened.
And from them erged—
"Liberta! We’ve arrived!"
The high-ranking spirits, their entire beings radiating excitent.
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 ca 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 co 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 announcent, cheers erupted from the spirits.
"First, let’s head there, Earth!""Ah! Wind! That stall’s been giving off the most delicious sll!""Fire, there’s alcohol over there. Secure that first, then—""Alright, alright! I’ll go with you, so let go of !"
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 ca…""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 road 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 so 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 seed content with an unspoken agreent 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 at stall owner—who was selling rice-wrapped at skewers—drew a chuckle from .
The spirit, mustering its courage, handed over a spirit stone from its corridor in exchange for the food. The owner’s loud but well-aning deanor 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 sothing caught their eye.
At a glance, the value of spirit stones might’ve seed 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 so.
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 "rchant of All Trades" goal.
What were we selling?
"The line ends here! Please wait your turn!"
Concert rchandise—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 craftsn to mass-produce Amina-thed goods.
Spirits who’d heard Amina sing now clamored for rchandise 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 et the requirent of ten items, we’d color-coded the fans (yellow, blue, red, green) and towels (sa colors), plus glow sticks (sa sche), 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 rchant 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."
Custors redirected from Nel’s side soon reached .
"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 costu 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! too! three!
Watching tiny spirits dart back to their corridors, rchandise in hand, I couldn’t help but feel I’d introduced them to sothing dangerous.
Hey!! I’ve drawn ten tis 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—scread 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 !! 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 claid, and at this rate, they’d sell out before the concert.
"……""Nel, sothing wrong?"
With the gacha counter under control, Nel had a mont to glance my way.
"We’re not going bankrupt, right?""…Probably not."
As soone who understood the dangers of gacha, I briefly wondered if we should’ve set a spending limit.
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