Chapter 46: Motives and Future Plans

Later that day, after lunch, Zaydas gave each of them a golden fruit. At first, they said something like, "We can't eat this, it's for making the precious wine!" However, after Zaydas insisted by slicing a golden fruit and giving them each a piece to taste... Well, let's just say they had a mental conflict before deciding to sink their teeth into the golden fruit.

'Why are they crying?'

Whether it was because of the delicious taste or the thought that it was a waste to eat it... was still a mystery to Zaydas.

"So, should I assume that you wish to work in the orchard with the golden fruits?" Zaydas asked, already knowing the answer.

"But of course!" Rifu exclaimed cheerfully. "Something like this needs special care~!"

"Yes, we will protect our golden fruits!" Rita said bravely, as if heading into battle.

"There's no need to worry about the orchard's safety. Until now, no one has even noticed it existed, right?" Zaydas explained. "I used a spell to divert attention away from the golden fruit orchard. Only those permitted by me will be able to find it."

Zaydas had already tested it. He had sent the hell wolves he had adopted to try and find the place, but even when they went in the right direction, they would simply end up unintentionally veering off.

Ria sighed, placing a hand on her chest. "I feel relieved after hearing that, but we still want to work in your orchard. But... what about Hiraku? Will he be okay without our help?"

"Actually, while I was traveling before, I saw a group of five elves," Zaydas admitted. "I had my reasons for not bringing them here before, but now there are no more issues."

"I see." Ria seemed to understand something, while the other elves looked confused.

"By the way, in the basement, there's a resting area with the same spell I cast on the orchard," Zaydas shifted the topic. "There, several barrels of golden wine are resting. Until I create bottles for the wine, I don't intend to produce more, as I already have enough to last a long time."

"Yes, this wine isn't something you can drink like water." Rize licked her lips seductively. "Although I wish I could~"

Sounds of gulping were heard.

Each of them couldn't drink more than three glasses of wine before becoming so drunk they could barely stand.

"And the longer the wine is aged, the better it will taste. That's why, aside from the first 100 bottles I made, I plan to let it mature for a long time. I might even use my power to control time to age the wine even further," Zaydas explained.

"But won't that be difficult?" Ria asked, concerned.

Zaydas had previously explained how his power worked and how much magical energy it required.

"I appreciate your concern, Ria." Zaydas smiled. "But you must have already noticed the effects of eating the golden fruit, right? Not to mention drinking the wine. Both have properties that improve the body and also help recharge magical power."

"Yes, that's why I say this needs to be protected," Risu said.

"Yes, yes." The elves agreed.

"By the way, besides the golden fruits," Zaydas said, "In the near future, I intend to start planting something just as special as the golden fruits. But for now, we'll focus on taking care of the golden fruits first."

"Is that possible?"

"Well, if it's Zaydas..."

"Yes, with him, anything is possible."

It seemed that saying something like "If it's Zaydas" would become the standard response to anything they thought was impossible.

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At this moment, Zaydas was flying over the Forest of Death in search of the elves he had seen before. While doing so, he got lost in thought.

Zaydas wanted to follow a different path from Hiraku. While Hiraku focused more on growing trees, vegetables, legumes, etc., he wanted to raise many chickens, bulls, cows, oxen, pigs, and fish.

'I can set aside a few hectares of land for plantations to feed the animals and…' Zaydas thought. 'Create a fish hatchery.'

As for the fish, he intended to bring them from his world or from Rimuru's world.

In comparison, if Zaydas's world was ranked above high, it was because it belonged to the DC dimension. At least, that's how he believed it to be.

Meanwhile, Rimuru's dimension was already a high-rank world, with a higher density of magic than his own.

Of course, that was only when talking about the human world. In the underworld, as well as in the other worlds that shared the DxD universe, there were several rich in power.

Because of this, it was complicated for him to simply claim that his world was superior or inferior to Rimuru's world.

But… he had to admit that it would be much easier for him to find something like special animals to raise if he wanted something more unique.

'What if… I take normal chickens from my world to Rimuru's world and name them?' He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it before.

I mean, he would only need to do this with pairs of animals, like a hen and a rooster, two fish of the same species, and after naming them, bring them to INN and let them breed, feeding them well with the plantation he created…

'Should I try?'

He was tempted.

'I think it's worth testing, but…' Zaydas thought. 'I'll start slow. A pair of fish and a rooster and a hen. Then, I'll decide if I'll do something like this again.'

Having made up his mind, he first spoke mentally: 'Great Sage, I want control over the flow of time in this dimension.'

[-5,000 AP!]

[Done!]

Unlike before, Zaydas could now feel, mainly due to Chronokinesis, the flow of time in this dimension. He even felt as if, in this dimension, time was accelerated, as if hours were minutes to him.

Before, this perception wasn't so strong, but now it was becoming hard to ignore…

'What a peculiar and interesting sensation…'

'Found you.' His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted, to the north, the group of elves he was concerned about.

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"So, they're like Ria-san and the others?" Hiraku asked, scratching his head.

"Yes, they don't have a place to stay, just like them," Zaydas said. "And since you have vacant rooms and need more hands on the farm, I thought of bringing them. What do you think?"

"Well, if they agree and don't fight with the kuros, Zabuton, and her children, I'm fine with it," Hiraku responded in a calm and controlled manner.

"Yay~!" the five of them cheered.

"Don't forget to introduce yourselves," Zaydas reminded them.

"Ah, yes."

They lined up and began to say their names.

"My name is Rafa."

"Rami."

"Raru."

"Rarasha."

"Raasa."

"All of them start with 'Ra,'" Hiraku observed.

"Our names? That's because…"

Hiraku interrupted, "It's because you're family, right?"

"I'm surprised you know that," Rafa said.

"Well, there are other elves living here," Hiraku replied.

"By the way, where are Ria and the others?" Rafa asked.

"Just a moment, I already told them you're here, they…"

Before Zaydas could finish speaking, Ria and the rest appeared.

"Rafa!" Ria called out, running to embrace her.

"It's been so long~" Rafa sang cheerfully.

"About 200 years," Ria said as she pulled away.

Letting them have their reunion, Zaydas called Hiraku aside.

"Yes?" Once they stepped away, Hiraku asked, "Do you need something, Zaydas?"

Making a magic circle appear in the air, Zaydas took out a bottle of wine.

"Here, it's a gift." Zaydas handed it to him. "It's a special wine that I made myself. But drink in moderation, it's quite strong. Besides…"

He created another magic circle and took out a basket with six golden fruits. "These are for you. You can eat them alone or share them with the elves who will be living with you for a while until they build a house."

"Thank you," Hiraku said, holding the basket in one hand and the wine in the other.

"By the way, these fruits are also special. You'll understand when you eat them," Zaydas said with a friendly smile. "Maybe they'll even help you gain magical power."

"Really?" Hiraku's eyes lit up.

Although he could use the farming tools, it was obvious that he felt a bit envious when he saw others using magic—though not to the point of losing sleep over it…

"Yes, that's why I said you can either keep all six golden fruits for yourself or share them if you wish." Zaydas patted Hiraku on the shoulder before walking over to Ria, embracing her from behind.

...

"When did they get together?" Hiraku murmured, but he didn't dwell on the detail.

His mind was briefly confused, but for now, he entered his mansion. Walking over to the cupboard, he opened it and stored the basket and the wine.

'Well, Zaydas gave this to me,' Hiraku thought without attachment. 'I can decide later whether to eat them alone or not.'

It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted to gain magical power. Watching Zaydas and the elves use magic, he had inevitably started to wish for it too. However, it wasn't as if he was completely without something magical—after all, he had the All-Purpose Farming Tool.

...

"This is our husband, Zaydas," Ria said proudly to her cousins, Rafa and the others.

Although they had already greeted him before being brought to the village, they still respectfully said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you again for bringing us here!"

"Don't worry. I was also starting to be concerned about my friend who's been lonely, you know," Zaydas said, insinuating something.

The five of them exchanged glances and began to laugh.

"He's not bad~" one of them sang.

"Yes, yes," another agreed.

As for choosing Zaydas?

He made it very clear that it wouldn't happen.

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