I woke up at an early hour and left the palace to bathe myself. The brightening starlight was illuminating the Great Fracture. Dawn was always somewhat quiet in Million Dungeon. Footfalls on stone resounded through the morning mist and echoed off the walls.
The river, which flowed down the Fracture to our level, formed a waterfall here before plummeting into the abyss. As I went to the river’s edge, I could see several pools dug into the ground, guiding the flow of water. Since it was too dangerous to enter the swiftly coursing stream directly, we’d made canals that were safe for everyday use.
Each of the pools dug along the waterway was about knee-deep; the people bathed and did laundry here, and I was no exception.
Keeping yourself hygienic was a life-and-death matter in survival situations—and not just because the stench could grow unbearable. Uncleanliness led to infection, and it would draw insects that preyed on people. It was a stroke of luck that we’d acquired fire and flowing water at an early stage. Thanks to these, we could cross public hygiene off our list of concerns.
I took off my clothes and got into the cold water, then wiped myself from head to toe with a piece of cloth. I brushed my teeth with a toothbrush I’d made from the crushed ends of small branches, rinsed my mouth, then washed my underclothing and socks and wrung them out. We had all suffered through the disaster with only the clothes on our backs, so the lack of spare garments was a shared challenge. Our kingdom did have a few seamsters who’d fashioned sets of underwear from scraps of cloth. Sadly, our demand outweighed the supply. As such, we’d formed a new custom: We would wash our underclothing and put it back on while it was still wet, then go straight to the campfires and dry off while putting on the rest of our clothing.
At some point, people had established another blaze near the waterway and made a changing-room-slash-laundry-hut with male and female sections. It hadn’t been there the previous day. I looked it over with keen interest as I washed my socks.
Meaning to put some wood into the fire to dry my underclothing, I got out of the water and headed for the hut.
It was then that I noticed the very large object just past the makeshift laundry room. Astonished, I dropped into a ready pose as the thing slid out from behind the structure.
It…looked like a goldfish. An enormous goldfish.
That was no exaggeration. It was an actual goldfish floating in midair, with a saddle on its back and reins attached to a mouthpiece. It looked at me with eyeballs that were about the height of my own head, then glanced away, uninterested.
Snapping out of it, I peered into the hut. As I’d thought, someone was there, sleeping next to the campfire.
“Hey,” I called to him.
The man gave a start and looked up. He had a squarish face, eyes like saucers, and pointed ears. Before I could ask who he was, he widened his eyes, and he said:
“Eh? Is that a barbarian I see?”
“What?”
I only noticed from following the man’s gaze that I was still stark naked. As I donned my wrung-out underclothing and shirt, feeling like an idiot, the man watched me very suspiciously.
“…’Scuse me. Who are you? What are you doing?”
“Oh? The barbarian can speak, it seems.” The man twisted his big mouth into a smirk as he sat himself upright. “I am a traveling merchant. I passed by here late last night, but you were all asleep. So I borrowed a fire, content to wait until morning. I had no idea this was a nation of barbarians.”
“I see. Sorry for not having anyone to welcome you after coming all this way. But I do have a piece of unfortunate news for you. This place you stayed the night in—it’s our nation’s changing room for women.”
“Oh, bless my soul!”
“Such an extreme case of indecency warrants a grave crime in this nation, sir merchant.”
“And to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking, sir barbarian?”
“Me? Well, I suppose I’m in charge of this nation, for the moment.”
“For the moment?” The broker looked at me dubiously before comprehending, and he clapped his hands together. “I see, I see. I had entertained the possibility since first glance. You have a regal presence. It is my utmost honor to make your acquaintance. Please allow me to be fair and just, equally and mutually beneficial. Would you be interested in business dealings, sir rustic-and-in-charge?”
The man introduced himself as Latten of the Five Stars. He took a seat on the piece of wood marking the entrance to the palace, then unfurled a rug with practiced movements and lined up one item after the next, all having come from the goldfish’s saddlebag. (Apparently, the creature was called just what it looked like—a goldfish. In Million Dungeon, there was a creature called a crossing-fish that flew in the air, and goldfish were a domesticated type of those.)
Having arisen by now, the citizens livened up at the merchant’s visit and were practically falling over one another to get a good look. Of course, they were all disaster victims and didn’t have much on them, but Latten agreed to barter and dealt with the many customers one at a time.
The commotion ended about two hours later. Everyone left in groups of two or three, after which Latten put some tobacco in a long, slender pipe and took a puff of it.
“Looks like you did some good business,” I remarked.
“You are gracious to let me borrow the front of your dwelling, Your Majesty.”
“You’re welcome—though I’m not the King. I’m Taiga.”
“And your title is…?”
“Taiga the Special,” Mizuho cut in from behind before I could answer.
Latten swiveled his gaze over in her direction. “I have never heard that name before.”
“I’m new around these parts.”
Looking in turn at Mizuho, who was waiting behind me, and then Troach, who was leaning against a pillar, Latten grinned. “Let us then leave smaller dealings aside and move to larger matters.”
“Larger matters?” I repeated.
“My primary work is trading with nations. I buy up what you possess too much of and provide that which you need. Foreign trade, as it is known.”
“It doesn’t look like you came with that many things.”
Latten rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I deal with entire nations, so I require preparation. What I have with me is not everything. Once we establish a deal, I will come with the main group. Tell me, what do you seek?”
Troach glanced at me. She probably wanted to ask if she should bring out the jewelry she was hanging on to. Using my eyes, I instructed her to wait.
“If there’s a deal to be made, the first things we’d want would be medical supplies.”
Latten nodded deeply. “Naturally. New nations always want to explore the labyrinth and expand their territory despite the dangers—and everyone is short on medicine. Very well. I can provide most remedies. Potions to heal wounds immediately, all-purpose medicine chests with everything you need already included, and even love draughts to pierce the heart of the one you have your eyes on.”
“We also require clothing. We were caught in the recent dungeonstorm, so we have a fundamental need for daily necessities.”
“I’ve heard about it from some of the customers. What a terrible storm that was. I took major losses myself—two of my warehouses were washed away outright, and several client nations vanished. Still, I have that to thank for being able to make new partners like this. Anything else? If you’re going into the dungeon, would you happen to need weapons and armor?”
“Let’s see… Any good blades would be nice. And if you deal in weapons that use gunpowder, I’d love to see what you have.”
“Yes, yes. I have a good idea now. In that case, please tell me what it is you can sell me.”
“Well, unfortunately, we have nothing to sell.”
Latten raised an eyebrow and regarded me with suspicion.
“I’m serious,” I stated. “As you know, our nation was created from the survivors of that dungeonstorm. There are many things we require, but nothing we can offer.”
“And? Just so you’re aware, credit won’t work. Business in Million Dungeon should be treasured, for it may never recur.”
“I’m sure. So I’m asking you to sell it for free. In exchange, I’ll work for you.”
Latten burst out laughing. “My, you are a cheeky one! And what is it you can do?”
“I’m a soldier. One with a lot of training, so I should be able to help. I’d like you to find me an employer who pays well. If you do, half of my payments will go to you.”
Latten raised his other eyebrow. “You—a Landmaker—would sell yourself for mercenary work?”
“Basically, yeah.”
“Taiga?!”
“Taiga, you can’t do that!”
Mizuho and Troach both gave surprised objections.
Latten scrutinized me for a short while as if trying to judge whether I was serious, but eventually, he grinned and shook his head. “Well, that is an interesting proposition. Unfortunately, I must refuse. I cannot afford to do introductions for someone I don’t even know.”
I could hear Mizuho and Troach breathe sighs of relief.
“I see…,” I said. “But in that case, we really don’t have anything to sell.”
Latten looked hard at me and chuckled to himself. “Taiga the Special, was it? I think I understand why you have that title. I’ve traded with hundreds of Landmakers before. I don’t see your type very often.”
“Is that so?”
“Now, don’t get too down. I was perfectly aware that a poor, new nation like this would have nothing to offer. You know, you would be quite surprised how many things others possess that they believe is worthless.”