#399 What the Expo Brought About

The expo is coming to an end.

The original plan was one month, but it was so well received it got extended to two months.

Even though we were free during winter, we were still quite busy because Orkubo’s Castle is also scheduled to be held in the Human Kingdom.

But now, those busy two months are almost done.

Although the expo was simply a continuation of what we were doing at the farm, many things happened.

First of all, the most popular pavilion was decided.

The result of the one-on-one match between Letasreit & Horkosfon’s Bean Pavilion and Veil’s Wheat Pavilion is out.

Food-related businesses going strong is and will always be a predictable trend.

Visitors without any particular purpose would stop by these two pavilions, try the bean and wheat dishes, and become captivated, eventually becoming repeat customers.

It seems our farm’s products are like drugs to the people of this world.

At first, I thought the staple food battle of beans vs. wheat might lack flair, but I can say that it became heated because of our home-grown ingredients. 

And that we also had no side dishes to offer.

It was a close competition throughout, as Veil’s wheat had the advantage in terms of versatility.

As bread, udon, and pasta sales steadily increased, Letasreit’s Bean Pavilion and Horkosfon’s Natto Pavilion merged. 

The combination of natto’s addictiveness and the beans’ diversity helped them thrive and overwhelm Veil.

“Nghh! I cannot be defeated by humans with my dragon pride and my wheat on the line!”

At the climax of the competition, Veil made a forbidden move.

She mobilized all the tree spirits living in her dungeon and began to put fruits on the bread, udon, and spaghetti.

The new menu items, such as fruit bread, fruit udon, and fruit spaghetti, which would normally make one question their sanity, were very popular because of their novelty and, above all, the deliciousness of the fruits themselves.

The victory was settled by a decisive margin, but I thought we should exercise caution after what Veil did. 

That’s when Dorian Kaioh, the durian spirit, came for support.

“Lady Veil! Allow me to lend you my power!”

“Ahh! Don’t you come here! Your stink will turn the people away! If you want to help, go to that winged woman and sabotage her business with your stench!”

Sure enough, Veil’s pavilion was filled with the smell of durian and was closed before the grand finale.

It seems the world isn’t ready for durian’s taste just yet.

Well, I’m glad to see Veil’s relationship with the tree spirits has improved.

And so, the Grand Prix garland went to Letasreit and Horkosfon.

It was like another step forward in their ambition to control the world with beans and natto.

There were many other achievements, and the group of artisans also seemed to have the time of their lives.

The elves were able to demonstrate their skills, and the placement of the new elves in workshops as aftercare went smoothly.

As for Eto and her team who tried to steal from us...

After negotiating successfully with the Demon King, the Whirldwind Sleevecutters were made to atone for their crime by treating their technical apprenticeship at the various guilds as labor.

Now, they’re working in the elf pavilions and are being trained in the basics by Aileron, Maelga, and the other veteran elves. 

It seems that they will relay this experience to the demon artisans.

This was a two-birds-one-stone move, raising the level of craftsmanship in the capital and encouraging wandering elves to settle down.

Then, there’s Platy’s Mermaid Pavilion.

Mermaid medicines are effective against various injuries and illnesses, and the place was packed with injured and sick people day after day.

It seems the development of medicine and pharmacy is lagging behind in the Demon Kingdom, and Platy’s pavilion has greatly enlightened its citizens.

The Demon King and Prince Arowana are close friends, and there may come a day when trade is established and mermaid medicine is distributed in the Demon Kingdom.

I think Platy also created the opportunity for that.

Incidentally, she taught the local mermaid she scouted how to make humanizing potions so that she could return to her mermaid form and swim back to sea at any time.

But when the trade started in earnest, she was told to stay on land for the time being as she would be entrusted with the responsibility of local conductor.

Then, there’s Batemy’s Clothing Pavilion, which was a lively place with her family and boyfriend visiting her. Bacchus’ Sake Pavilion closed early because it was overflowing with drunken customers, causing trouble.

Aside from the co-organizers, Sensei started visiting five times a week from the first day he came.

At first, other attendees were afraid of him simply because he’s a Lifeless King, but they gradually became more and more familiar, and by the last day of the event, he had become something of a celebrity.

In particular, rumors spread that having Sensei pick up children in his arms would help them grow up healthy, so a number of mothers asked him to pick up their sons and daughters in his arms when they met him at the expo.

The children wailed out of fear, but he just smiled and picked them up, creating memories (not traumatic) that would stay with them forever.

Sensei has spent a thousand years alone in the depths of the dungeon, so I hope he enjoyed himself.

Also, the Demon King used the expo as an opportunity to call his brother living in the mountains and was overjoyed with their reunion.

Incidentally, he and his father are steadily progressing in repairing their relationship.

***

Putting those good results aside, the farm expo successfully completed its stipulated duration and reached its finale.

Although there were many calls for an extension, the event ended as planned once and for all, with the final day drawing a record number of visitors.

“Good work, everybody!”

After the last guests had left, a launch party was held with just the staff.

A suitably sumptuous meal was lined up.

“At first, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but it was quite fun.”

“It was awesome! For the first time, I got a real feel of the beans’ potential!” says Letasreit.

Her prosperous pavilion may have enjoyed the expo the most.

“The expo’s over now. We’ll feast tonight, but tomorrow, we’ll have a major clean-up to do.”

“Clean-up?”

You know, this venue.

With the expo finished, we have no need for it anymore.

“That’s true. But how are we going to do that?”

“We’ll tear it down without a trace.”

Isn’t that how expos work? 

The transience of knowing that everything will disappear when the festival is over is quite something.

“The orcs are in charge of demolition tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

Orkubo and his team look like they know what they’re doing, and they have no hesitation in destroying their work.

“No, please waitttttt!!!” interrupts Mr. Shax. 

He is Pandemonium’s president and is a so-called big businessman.

He is also one of the people who helped organize things, so he’s part of the closing party. What’s wrong, though?

“Why would you destroy such a wonderful architectural complex? Please don’t! We can reuse this in ways more than one!!!”

“It’s okay, we’ll demolish it sequentially and make sure the materials can be reused.”

“That’s not what I meant by reusing them!”

Mr. Shax sure is pretty stubborn about this.

“But I don’t think there’s anything that can be done about leaving a group of buildings this far from the city. It won’t do us good leaving it as it is, either, since it could turn into a monster of bandit hideout...” 

“Urk... Then, please... At least leave that tower behind!”

Oh.

You mean Babel’s Tower of the Sun?

“We can leave that tower as an eternal symbol of the expo! Please, please, just that tower! It will be the ultimate tourist attraction as the tower where a god once made his descent!”

Indeed, that’s the tower from which the sun god Apollo descended.

It’d be problematic if we offended him by destroying it. Worst case, it’ll convince him to obliterate the demons for good.

“I understand. We’ll keep that tower.”

“Thank you so much!”

I’ve worked on that tower, so it also has sentimental value to me.

So, after deciding on a variety of after-treatment measures, the long and frenzied expo came to an end.

“Next is Orkubo’s Castle, huh? There’s no end to these events...!”