Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 67: The Travelling Merchant Steps In The Dark

I've had my Gift for some time now, and while I'm probably not using it in the most effective way possible, I believe the pace at which I'm going is good enough.

At the same time, there's so much I've yet to touch... I'm sure amongst them there's a lot I could do that would hasten my progress.

While that would normally be a good thing, I'm filled with anxiousness whenever I think about testing my Gift.

By exploring [Gacha Kingdom Building] I might understand it better... but there's also a big chance that I will discover something that was better left unknown.

There's simply too much here, it seems limitless in its possibilities and sometimes I get this dreadful feeling that if I step into its darkness, I might not be able to come back.

I'm not so dumb as to not notice the oddities scattered all around, a bunch of things have been raising questions in my head, but...

But as long as I don't think too much about them, I could just keep living the way I am now, what would be the problem with that?

I don't really need answers if they are going to become a problem.

Sure, I might never reach a conclusion, but that might also be for the better, after all, some things are better left untouched ...

"Things are good enough"... I've convinced myself that I could advance like this without creating problems for myself.

So what if something feels off? As long as we are all safe, it should be fine...

But the presence of the Travelling Merchant changed that.

The Merchant wasn't satisfied. He wanted to probe as further as he could, and so, he forcefully brought me along in his search for answers.

Merchant: "There are some Gifts out there that can create a pocket dimension, but the ones that allow you to modify that created dimension are only a few... what's more... you're not capable of either spatial or time magic, right?"

Miwen: "If I could do either of those, I would've tried it out on you."

Merchant: "Hm... pocket dimension Gifts usually give the user at least one level in [Spatial Magic], what's more... your Gift managed to delay my arrival using [Time Magic], it was quite smart and...reactive... it's hard to believe it wasn't done on purpose..."

Purpose...

So the Merchant is also thinking about that.

I didn't try to use my Gift against him, it acted on its own.

Miwen: "Are there Gifts that act on their own?"

Here on Earth, I know about some Gifts that activate automatically to protect the user, but it's not really the same thing... I think the Merchant also understands what I'm trying to get at.

It's not that it measly tried to protect me... it trapped the Merchant, even if for a while, using a smart tactic, not a simple barrier.

What's more, that isn't something I have access to, and nowhere in my Gift's description does it say that [Gacha Kingdom Building] is going to protect me.

What's more, the whole situation felt like an emergency that came thanks to some unexpected circumstances.

But that would also imply that my Gift itself...or someone... expects other events...

Merchant: "Usually Gifts that allow for summoning or interaction with souls can kind of act on their own in a way... say for example your Gift was a creature that you can summon, it could be a sentient being that needs to be convinced in order to act."

I see...

If a Gift is just another creature that gets summoned to you, then that creature itself is the Gift, and by extension, it's a Gift with a will.

It's something I'm already familiar with since that's basically the case of the girls that came from the [Companions Banner], but at the same time, that's just a small part of my Gift, it's not the Gift in its entirety.

Furthermore, whenever I wonder about the existence of a consciousness behind my Gift, I don't really think about the girls... it's more about how it feels like there's an intent for the way things are...

Merchant: "In your case though, it's hard to determine... especially since your Gift knows more than you do, which is also odd."

Miwen: "There are plenty of Gifts capable of acquiring information for the user though."

When it comes to dungeons, the best teams usually have a dedicated scout with a Gift that helps info gathering, this way, they avoid getting into risky fights whenever possible.

Merchant: "Sure... but when you add it to the rest, you get a Gift that is capable of acting independently, knows more than its user, and can also come up with a countermeasure against an enemy by itself. If not by the lack of a physical body, I'd say it's pretty much a living being... oh wait, there is a candidate for a physical body actually."

Miwen: "What do you mean?"

Merchant: "This pocket dimension itself."

... so he thinks the kingdom might be its body, in case [Gacha Kingdom Building] is alive...

Somehow I don't think that's quite the case...

After all, if it was truly alive, why would it give me control over its body willingly then?

Furthermore, there's also the whole thing of unlocking new buildings for the kingdom too, I think those would be available from the start if my Gift was so independent from me.

I tried to convince the Merchant, but when I said that...

Merchant: "...Self-growth... and it's communicating... that's too much..."

Miwen: "Hm? Is something wrong?"

Merchant: "Yes... there must be something wrong."

His usual smile was nowhere to be seen, and I felt quite a lot of tension in the air.

For a moment, I thought I had said something wrong and ended up triggering him, so I was about to escape, but...

Merchant: "Normally, the strongest Gifts are the ones with fewer restrictions. My Gift for example is quite strong, its effect is a simple 'Nothing will limit your ability to travel'. Even when inside a time cage, time itself was losing its grip over me, and even if I hadn't been released, I would eventually reach the place I had already decided to go."

Miwen: "So it's not just teleportation."

Merchant: "Yes, the teleportation is more of a side effect. I can travel in time, between dimensions, and cross space in a blink, nothing can truly impede me."

... I remember that in the event description, it was said that the Merchant couldn't be stopped, but he would at least be delayed, so that's the reason...

Merchant: "As a rule, the higher beings get stronger Gifts. Yours would be the strongest Gift I've seen in a mortal, if not for the limitations thanks to randomness and the fact that you don't get full access to everything from the start... but the scale and pace are still too great... No offense, but I don't think one such as you meets the requirements for this much."

There he goes showing off how high and mighty he is.

But I can see that he's being honest, he truly believes that there's something else going on.

Merchant: "Without divinity, it might be too much even for me... there's gotta be at least something taking the brunt of it... hm...."

Well, that's what you get for prying too much into it. My man here got so lost in thought that even calling up to him didn't bring him back.

The Merchant seems to believe that the limitations on my Gift are not enough to justify a creature like me to have it on its current scale, but I don't see much of a point in questioning that...

The truth is that it is the way it is, and there's never been someone I could make shoulder [Gacha Kingdom Building].

I mean, there was that tent in the middle of the kingdom but...

Merchant: "I would've noticed traces of divinity or demonic power though... Ahh... so be it then, let's give up on that front."

Well, guess he wasn't wrong when he said we were similar. Seems like neither of us is capable of reaching a conclusion on what is going on here.

Merchant: "Alright. Another thing that's been bugging me then. The girls you summoned and the weapons you possess... they both come from the ]Banners] right?"

Miwen: "Yeah...?"

Merchant: "I see, then... can you summon the same object twice?"

That's a strange turn...

I don't really know to be honest. In the [Mana Banners] I often get the same type of item, but even though the daggers I summon there are always the same type of item, upon close inspection you can see that they are different from one another.

I could apply this logic to the normal [Banners] but the thing is... I can get exact repeats of skills from it, so I'm not really sure if the objects that come out of the [Banners] can be a repeat or if they only fall under the same category but are actually different weapons, like two different Iron Swords for example.

It doesn't help that the pool of things available for summon on the [Banners] is much bigger than the [Mana Banners].

Miwen: "You lost me... What are you trying to get at?"

Merchant: "It's simple... if you can get two exact copies of the same item, that means your Gift is creating at least one copy of it, if not both. If you can't, that means you're summoning the original, which would mean that it disappears from wherever it was prior."

I guess that makes sense.

It would be funny if I got the sword of someone when they were in the middle of a fight though.

Miwen: "I guess it creates the copies while the original item still exists somewhere else, it would be really strange otherwise..."

Merchant: "I also think it's what makes the most sense, but... if we assume that's the case... are the girls you're summoning also a copy and not the original being they believe they are?"

...

This... is exactly what I was afraid of.

I can't answer him. I don't know the answer to that.

I don't want to think that the girls are a fake construct with inserted memories, it doesn't add anything and only weighs on my mind.

But if they are the original, why are their bodies in perfect condition when they are summoned?

Claire, for example, should have a bunch of wounds and bleed to death as soon as she was summoned given the circumstances of her death.

Merchant: "... It wasn't my intention to make you like this, sorry."

It isn't his fault.

I know it isn't.

But I wish I didn't have to think about this at all.

Miwen: ".It is... fine... more importantly, what is your opinion on that?"

I feel bad for the Merchant, but I didn't really want to answer that. If anything, I wanted him to share some knowledge that would explain everything in a satisfying way, even if I couldn't think of a satisfying answer to that at all...

Merchant: "... I dunno, maybe it works differently for objects and living creatures? The soul is a mysterious thing even for me, so maybe it's recreating the body and transferring the soul to it... since your Gift doesn't seem to have any regard for time too, it could be the case that it's copying them a moment before their death, then simply healing and summoning them back...

to be honest, there are too many possibilities, I don't know why I even decided to focus on that, it was pretty dumb of me... Oh, it could also be the case that..."

He kept going on and on for a while, bringing up alternative after alternative in an attempt to... cheer me up...?

I swear old people are such a problem. First, they make you go all existential, then they desperately try to cheer you up. Such a grandpa.

Merchant: "Maybe it performs a miracle even without divinity, I mean, if you ask me, it's already doing so anyway-"

Miwen: "It's fine already, I'm not letting that get to my head, so you don't need to worry."

Merchant: "...Are you sure?"

Not at all, much as I'd like to bury that thought, I know it's something that will resurface from time to time.

I'll do what I can though, and that is to keep treating the girls the best I can.

Not a spec of what we discussed here will matter. I'll be sure to create a future with them so that we will only look forward.

Even if it's the worst case, I can at least try my best to make that true.

Miwen: "Yeah, but I still need some time to sort out my thoughts, so I'll be leaving for now. What about you?"

Merchant: "I thought you lived here, so I was thinking about staying for a while..."

Miwen: "Only some of the girls live here, I live on Earth, the world Catherine blessed."

Merchant: "I see... alright then, can you make me a house at least so I can stay the night? I wouldn't mind sleeping with that pretty lady though..."

Is that about Beatrice?

This guy...

Miwen: "Fine... clean it all up and I'll create three houses."

Everything was basically destroyed or in shambles, so it was better to just create the houses anew.

Merchant: "Sure... but here, keep this as advance payment. If the Goddess from your world decides to attack you, just pass some of your mana through it and I'll come to lend you a hand."

Why would Catherine even try to do that?

But I guess that's fine, with the card he gave me, I can at least call him if I happen to run into some trouble... I think...

I don't know what he means by advancement payment though.