Chapter 194: The Billion-Faril Automaton Girl
The calm of the desert was broken by the rapidly advancing medium-sized ship, and many creatures buried beneath were churned to the surface.
The ship, with its masts raised, borrowed the strong wind to push aside the soft sand and rampage through the great desert. Its speed was much faster than before, and its panicked, fleeing appearance seemed as if it wanted to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.
In fact, they had indeed just encountered a great crisis, but then they had inexplicably escaped.
Their stiff bodies gradually warmed up, and the cold sweat on their backs was replaced by new sweat. However, there was no joy of surviving a catastrophe. The people on the ship did not cheer or laugh heartily. They moved back and forth on the ship in an orderly manner, concentrating on controlling it, but they couldn't help but cast their gazes towards the three people on the deck.
To be precise, two people and one god.
—The goddess is watching me.
When Kobayashi realized this, the elven sigil on his neck sent a warning that stimulated his skin, bringing him back to his senses. Alarm bells rang in his heart, and he didn't dare to meet her gaze at all.
He didn't know if he would explode or melt on the spot if he looked again, but he knew very well that if he continued to look at her, he would surely become a captive of her "beauty."
He forcibly moved his gaze away, not allowing himself to look into the goddess's eyes.
But he hadn't expected that his actions would, on the contrary, make Freya even more interested. The light in her eyes intensified, piercing through the obstruction of clothes and flesh, looking straight into his soul, and her divine power surged, breaking through his layers of defense.
Just as he was about to be unable to resist and fall, she finally stopped.
Seeing that his soul, which was enveloped in the purest of energies, was a chaotic gray, the Goddess of Beauty let out an inaudible sigh.
For some reason, he was filled with self-blame.
That's right. I, who have disappointed the goddess, am an unforgivable sinner. I should kneel down and offer my everything to beg for her forgiveness!
But before he could act, a cool aura came from his chest and went straight to his mind. After being washed over several times and his clarity returned, he gradually found himself again.
...
Hiss—
He sucked in a breath of cold air.
As expected of the Goddess of Beauty! Just a little bit of her divinity, and I was almost captured! If it wasn't for Aqua's necklace protecting me, I might have already fallen!
As if sensing her own abnormality, she slowly retracted her divinity.
"I'm sorry."
"...You honor me too much."
Her apology made him feel overwhelmed.
The other party was a goddess. Whether it was in strength, experience, or status, she was higher than him. Yet she had not acted tyrannically or willfully towards him, and had even apologized.
Freya, the main god of one of the two strongest Familias in Orario, was apologizing to someone?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
If anyone else had heard this, their jaws would have surely dropped.
"You are quite good," she smiled, and praised him again. "To think you could so easily destroy that giant worm. Your strength is quite good. Thank you for saving this ship."
He lowered his head. "You flatter me. Even if RyuZU hadn't made a move, you would not have been harmed in any way."
When RyuZU had beheaded the giant worm with one blow, eight hostile auras had instantly locked onto him and her. He had not dared to make a rash move at all.
He clearly hadn't felt anything before. If RyuZU hadn't used her [Imaginary Switch], which had caused the people in the dark to become hostile, he probably wouldn't have even discovered that someone was following them.
It was just that those somewhat agitated auras had not made any move in the end, but had just transformed into a threat and a hint.
'If you dare to make a strange move, your head will fall in the next second!'
They were conveying this message.
It was needless to say that it must be the eight executives of her Familia. They must have been searching for the goddess's tracks and had desperately caught up. But after finding her, they had not shown themselves, but had chosen to protect her silently. If it weren't for RyuZU's ability being too bizarre and dangerous, they might have been lurking in the dark all this time. The fact that they still hadn't appeared was also very likely the result of the goddess's instructions.
By the way... being stared at by eight men... it just feels a little weird.
Suddenly—
"She... is not human, is she? No, to be precise, she should not be a living being."
Her words brought him back to his senses, and it was a bombshell.
He pursed his lips, not knowing how to answer.
She was not annoyed by his silence, but continued to state bluntly, "You should have felt it just now. I can see through souls. But she... this girl in the gorgeous dress... is not human. She does not have the light of a soul."
"—What?!"
A scream came from his ear. The piercing sound cut in, interrupting the conversation.
He turned his head and saw Bofman, and a luxurious, gold-trimmed small box he was holding in both hands.
The goddess's slight rebuke and his plain gaze made Bofman smile awkwardly.
"Is there something you need, Bofman?"
"Yes, Lady Freya! Actually, I came specially to thank this... Mr. Kobayashi. Thank you for your help, which saved the ship from disaster, and also kept you from being harmed in the slightest."
He was very clever.
His gratitude was sincere, but the clever part was that he had brought her into it.
This had immediately changed the meaning from him coming to thank, to him coming to thank "on her behalf," inadvertently making the Goddess of Beauty owe him a favor. And to be able to get to know a strong person at the same time... for him, it was definitely not a loss.
For a merchant, vision and investment are of the utmost importance.
It was just that his little thoughts had long since been exposed in front of the goddess with her hundreds of millions of years of experience. He also didn't point it out. Instead, he nodded, took the small box he handed over, and then handed it to RyuZU.
"You're too kind, Mr. Ship Owner. I was just returning the favor for your helping us."
"Bofman! Please call me Bofman! And this is what you deserve, Mr. Kobayashi! This ship is far more important than a small token of gratitude! Please don't refuse!"
That respectful and polite appearance made one feel uncomfortable.
It seemed that RyuZU's move just now, and his own offensive words, had really scared him.
"Bofman, I still prefer the unruly you from the beginning. Please change back."
"Hehe... hehehe—"
He laughed awkwardly, but quickly returned to his former attitude.
"Speaking of what we were talking about," he said, glancing at RyuZU. He asked curiously, "Lady Freya, when you said just now that this... Miss RyuZU is not human... wh-what did you mean?"
This guy... he had thought that his arrival at just the right time would have allowed them to skip this topic, but he hadn't expected him to bring it up again.
Freya also said with interest, "Can you tell me, Kobayashi?"
"Your insight is like a torch, Your Ladyship. Your eyes are admirable. Both body and soul are exposed under your gaze." It was unclear if he was praising her or being sarcastic, but in the end, he still explained, "As you said, she is not human. As an automaton girl, she naturally does not have the light of a soul."
"An... automaton?! She's actually an automaton?!"
Bofman cried out in surprise.
After all, in his eyes, whether it was her movements, her demeanor, or her speech, she was no different from a human. To say she was an automaton... he subconsciously didn't believe it.
But since the goddess had said so, even if his heart was ten thousand times unwilling, he had no choice but to believe it.
"Such a lifelike automaton... it really is a fresh sight," the goddess murmured, staring at RyuZU. "Hehehe. It seems that choosing to head southeast was indeed the right choice."
The Goddess of Beauty, in a good mood, couldn't help but let out a delicate laugh.
Bofman's mouth hung slightly open as he stared straight at her, clearly captivated by her beauty.
By the way, it was her external beauty.
After all, to deal with such a small fry, she didn't need to use her divinity at all. He himself had already knelt at the skirt of the Goddess of Beauty.
Fortunately, she wasn't too interested in RyuZU. Or perhaps she could see his stiffness and the wariness in his tensed body, so she did not ask to have or study her.
He let out a small sigh of relief.
If she really had been interested, he wasn't sure he could have escaped the full-power offensive of her "Beauty." That was a "Beauty" that could make even the gods fall for her!
Bofman, on the contrary, was very interested in RyuZU. After learning that she was an automaton and was also his attendant, he had actually proposed a trade.
"Mr. Kobayashi, I wonder if you have any intention of selling her?"
"What?"
"50 million! I'll pay 50 million Faril!"
"I'm sorry, I have no..."
"80... no, 100 million Faril! This is my limit! What do you say, Mr. Kobayashi?!"
To be willing to spend 100 million to buy her... Bofman's boldness made him look at him in a new light.
But in Bofman's heart, it was a different thought: This automaton girl's strength is very strong. She can even instantly kill a giant worm that can easily capsize a ship. If I have her, I can run rampant in this desert without any obstruction! And most importantly, this automaton is also very beautiful!
Don't misunderstand. He wouldn't make a move on her. He just saw her as a commodity.
Beautiful, strong, and an unheard-of, extremely lifelike automaton... she will definitely sell for a high price!
Unfortunately.
"I'm sorry. I have no intention of selling."
"Is it not enough money? If it's about money, I can add more! 150 million! For 150 million Faril, you...!"
"I've already said!"
Before he could finish, he was forcefully interrupted. He took a step forward. His body, which was a head taller than Bofman's, blocked the sunlight, and a shadow enveloped him. A cold voice entered his ears.
"She is my proud attendant, and also my most trusted companion. I'm sorry, but I have no intention of selling."
"...Is that so? What a pity."
Bofman couldn't help but take half a step back, slightly increasing the distance.
He was really scared.
"But," he said, suddenly pinching his chin, "I can get some secondary automatons. Although they are not as outstanding as RyuZU, they are still a rare help."
"Really?! If you can bring them, Mr. Kobayashi, I, Bofman, am willing to give you half of the profits! Please believe me, the strongest merchant in this desert will definitely not let you down! Duhoho—"
Bofman left, satisfied.
"Don't be fooled by his appearance. Bofman is actually a very talented merchant," she said.
"I know," he said. "Merchants are only afraid of no profit or too little profit. Once there is a suitable profit, they become bold. With a 20% profit, they become restless; with a 50% profit, they will take risks; with a 100% profit, they dare to trample on all human laws; and with a 300% profit, they will even sell the rope to hang themselves!"
"...You've really surprised me. I didn't expect you to say something so philosophical. If it were Hermes, he would definitely let you join his Familia. After all, he is the god of commerce as well as the god of travelers, which is a perfect match for you," she suddenly said.
He shook his head and said very seriously, "Those were someone else's words. I was just borrowing them. And, I already have a goddess I serve, so I will not join another god's Familia. I'm sorry I can't meet your expectations."
He was emphasizing, and also hinting.
She was not angry. She had no strange ideas about him in the first place. She had only said that just now because she felt he and Hermes were a good match. Since he was unwilling, she would not force him. But if it was someone she had her eye on, that would be another matter.
"But I didn't expect that you wouldn't be angry at Bofman's rudeness just now."
"He should be happy that he saw RyuZU's value. Of course, that's on the premise that he didn't continue to pester."
"Indeed. To be able to see things clearly... it seems he really is a talented merchant."
"...Except for that un-compliment-able laugh."
"You're right."
He and she smiled at the same time.
But in the next second, the eight auras once again locked onto him, the threat unmistakable. His smile instantly froze, and then slowly disappeared.
Tsk.
It seemed the goddess's unintentional release of her charm was also very strong. Even he couldn't resist it. He had actually forgotten about the eight extremely jealous and envious lapdogs around him.
"I didn't expect there to be such a lifelike automaton."
"Compared to the automaton, I'm more curious about the ship that can sail on the sea of sand. What is its power source? Why can it push aside the sand and sail in the great desert? I'm very curious."
"Now that you mention it, I'm also very curious."
She called out to Bofman in the distance, asking him to come and explain.
"—It relies on mana to operate!" he said, slightly proud. He pointed to the area directly below the deck and explained, "There are thirty slaves in the ship's hold. They provide a steady stream of mana to power the ship."
And in the hold, there were several crystal balls set up. When a person placed their hands on them, they could inject mana.
Unlike a ship that moves by rowing, this was a true magic ship.
"Slaves? Your merchant association also uses slaves?" The goddess, on the contrary, focused on another point.
"Rather than just me, it's more like the entire Kaos Desert circle does this. After all, slavery is recognized here," he answered with extreme caution, because he wasn't sure if she, who lived in Orario, cared about slavery.
In order to make Orario the cradle of heroes, the gods were very averse to unjust legal systems.
But she just nodded lightly.
Although she was a god, she had no intention of criticizing this as inhumane. Because she had seen too much. Slave culture was deeply rooted in the mortal world.
He had the same thought.
Whether it was in Akame ga Kill! or Unbreakable Machine-Doll, there were slaves. Even the cheerful world of Konosuba was no exception. So he also just showed a "seen-it-all" expression and said nothing.
"Slaves..." After a moment of thought, she said, "The place in this vicinity with the most children coming and going... is most likely where the slaves are. Since that's the case, then let's go and see."
"As you wish, my goddess."
Bofman urged the ship on, heading towards the town in the distance where the slaves were most numerous.
(End of Chapter)