The Island-Banished Noblewoman - Chapter 12 (Patreon)

Rain (5)
The increase in slimes suggests that they have managed to acquire a decent amount of mana.

Slimes are primarily composed of mana and water. While they do have a body structure to move around, most of their mass is made of water, and as monsters, they are believed to be powered by magic.

And slimes, they split.

They multiply when the environment becomes unfavorable, making survival difficult, or conversely, when the environment improves, prompting them to reproduce. To multiply, they need not only plenty of water, but also enough mana for new slimes to be born.

… Which means.

"Could it be that the Man-Eater materials were particularly good...?"

The reason these slimes keep multiplying every time it rains is likely because they have access to plenty of water. And judging by how easily they multiply with just water, it seems there is a fair amount of mana available as well.

And speaking of mana, Marylia has been feeding the slimes scraps of material from the Man-Eater.

Being a monster, the Man-Eater's body, stem, and roots contain mana. These might have encouraged the slimes to multiply.

"Well, it's lively, so I guess that's good. Now that you've multiplied, make sure to work hard."

Marylia poked the three slimes gently. Whether they understood or not, the slimes wobbled and quivered in response.

Next up.

Once the clay was piled up in the furnace, it was time to thatch the roof.

She spent the morning thatching the roof with the bundles of grass collected yesterday, covering the bed by noon, and by evening, the firewood shed also had a roof. The leftover time was spent chopping wood, increasing the stockpile of firewood.

In addition, the furnace was completed. All that's left was to wait for it to dry. At this point...

"Finally, I can sleep in a bed~!"

Marylia lay down on the bed. The hammock-style bed was quite comfortable. It was certainly better than lying on the ground under a roof in the rain!

Feeling fulfilled, Marylia fell asleep... and then the next day.

"The furnace and the pottery still aren't dry yet... Hmm, what should I do?"

Marylia was a bit troubled. She had tasks she wanted to do, but they couldn't be done immediately.

The most pressing issue at the moment was undoubtedly the food supply.

Although the situation had improved considerably thanks to the Man-Eater, it was still not enough. After all, food disappears once it's eaten.

… So, she wanted to hunt another monster for its meat. But if she were to do that, she'd prefer to have a Terracotta Golem. While the Mud Golems and stone throwing were enough for a stationary monster like the Man-Eater, it wouldn’t suffice for a moving monster.

The next thing she wanted was new resources.

It would be great if she could find another berry bush or a clay deposit... In any case, she needed to expand her territory. Eventually, she intended to conquer the mountain. The wider the territory, the better, as the resources there would be necessary to survive the winter.

But if she were to explore, she would still prefer to have a Terracotta Golem. Having a porter would make the task much more efficient.

… So.

"I want to make charcoal someday, and you can never have too much firewood..."

Marylia decided to chop more wood. After all, fuel was essential.

"And when the furnace is ready, I'll make a Terracotta Golem, then start making bricks... I'll need to build a large drying area for the bricks, too... Better gather some wood suitable for the support beams."

She also decided to build a brick drying area. After all, having a roof over it was crucial.

… Chopping wood may be a mundane task, but it’s important work. Marylia spent the whole day cutting wood until dusk.

The next day.

"The furnace is starting to dry."

Perhaps because she had kept a fire burning nearby, the furnace was drying nicely.

But she shouldn’t rush. If she ignited the furnace too quickly, the moisture inside might expand and cause it to explode… Yes! There was a possibility that the furnace could explode!

Avoiding such a disaster would be best, so it was better to let the furnace and the pottery dry thoroughly before firing. She could hasten the drying process by keeping the fire going, but only in moderation.

"With more firewood stocked, it's time to build the brick drying area."

So, Marylia decided to spend the day creating a drying area for the bricks.

The process of brick-making generally involves four steps: kneading the clay, shaping it, drying it, and then firing it.

But if you break it down further, like during the kneading process, it's best to remove as many impurities as possible. For shaping, it's necessary to use a mold or something similar to ensure uniform brick sizes. And when drying the bricks, they need to be dried enough to at least be moved.

Yes! The drying process itself requires some observation! Because wet clay is too soft to move at all!

… Thus, when making bricks, they are typically shaped directly on the ground in the drying area. The area under the drying area’s roof doubled as the workspace for brick-making.

"The larger the area, the more efficient brick-making becomes. But if it's too large, thatching the roof will be a lot of work... What should I do..."

Marylia disliked thatching roofs. It's an incredibly labor-intensive task, and if possible, she would rather avoid it. Thatching with grass, in particular, is hard work. Gathering the materials alone is a significant effort.

"If only this was a tropical island, I could easily use palm leaves to make a roof... Hmm, what should I do?"

In the Fractalia Kingdom, the standard roofing materials were wooden shingles, stone slates, or tiles. But all of these were fairly labor-intensive. Especially on this island, where resources are scarce. To make wooden shingles, she would need trees thick enough for the job, and for that, a steel axe would be ideal. Tools for stone slates were out of reach. And tiles... she was just about to start firing those. So it’s a question of what should come first: the tiles or the roof.

Considering all this, it seemed that gathering grass and thatching the roof with it would be the most practical option... even if it was a hassle.

After much thought, Marylia headed toward the sea. She hadn’t visited the beach since the second rain. Maybe something useful had washed ashore...

"... Oh my?"

When Marylia arrived at the beach, she was taken aback.

"A board...?"

Yes, among the usual collection of driftwood was... a wooden board!

"A board!"

Marylia ran over to examine it. It was indeed a board! A board as large as a dining table!

"It's a board~! Yay~!"

Marylia jumped up in delight. Judging by its appearance, this board might have been part of a ship's deck or cabin door. This implied that somewhere, a ship had likely sunk, but for now, she offered a silent prayer for the souls lost... still, she couldn’t help but be overjoyed at finding the board!

"Plus, a broken wooden crate! And... oh my! A burlap sack! It’s filled with wheat grains! Amazing! This is incredible!"

An even bigger find! Despite being damaged, the wooden crate was intact, and the burlap sack, though torn, still held a couple of handfuls of wheat grains!

"... It's a shame these aren't seeds, but still, this is wonderful..."

Unfortunately, the wheat grains had been milled, showing only the white kernels. But even so, they were still incredibly valuable as food.

Marylia carefully picked up as many of the spilled grains as she could and placed them in the sack. The grains were difficult to spot against the white sand, but she gathered as many as possible.

"I can’t believe I found a board! I'm not dreaming! Hehehe!"

It was indeed a board! Finding this board gave Marylia a sudden burst of energy!

… However.

"Well, there's no way this one board can cover the entire roof... I'll have to thatch it with grass after all."

Though the board was large, it wasn't enough to cover the entire roof of the brick drying area.

So... sadly, she would have to thatch the roof with grass after all. With a resigned sigh, Marylia set out to gather grass.

… And so, on the twelfth day of her banishment.

"Ahh~... finally... it's finally done..."

Marylia had finally completed the brick drying area.

"It looks like the furnace is almost dry now... Maybe I should start a small fire in it."

The time to begin firing the furnace had finally arrived.

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