Chapter 361

Arrival of the New Vegetarian Spiders in Vardmoi
With over 500 Kiblinki Saltas in tow, we made our way back to Vardmoi.

The journey was the same as before, but the sight of a massive swarm of Kiblinki Saltas trailing behind us was… difficult to describe.
I was used to seeing them, but when they filled my entire field of vision, even I had to admit it was overwhelming.

Once we reached Vardmoi, it was time to negotiate with Marquis Vardmoi.

We had the new Kiblinki Saltas wait in the sky while we descended into the city.
After requesting an audience, we were granted an immediate meeting—understandable, since leaving them hovering above the city indefinitely wasn’t exactly an option.

“... I see. So the Tamers’ Guild’s decision to prepare nearly 600 contracts ‘just in case’ wasn’t wasted.”

“It would seem so. What should we do, Marquis?”

“What’s done is done. First, I will meet them myself.”

“Are you sure? It’s quite the sight.”

“I am prepared. Have them descend on the western side of the city.”

“Understood. I’ll send word.”

“Good. I will head there shortly.”

And so, we had the Kiblinki Saltas land on the west side of the city.

Yep. A sea of Kiblinki Saltas as far as the eye could see.

Even the Marquis, who had claimed to be prepared, was visibly taken aback.

(Contractor, who is that man?)

“He’s Marquis Vardmoi, the ruler of this city… and my, uh, superior?”

(I see. We have decided to serve under Lady Lily. We look forward to working with you.)

“The same to you. Now, I would like to hear your requests—what do you wish for?”

As soon as the Marquis asked, the Kiblinki Saltas all started speaking at once, causing an unintelligible uproar.

We had to stop them and sort their wishes into broad categories.

The results:
- About 150 wanted to work as city guards and live alongside humans.
- A little over 100 wanted to create their own farms.
- The rest wanted to search for undiscovered wild vegetables and fruits.

Surprisingly, a lot of them wanted to work as guards.
Probably because it guaranteed them a steady supply of human-prepared vegetables.

How would the Marquis handle this?

“I understand your wishes. For now, I will take in about 30 Kiblinki Saltas to help guard Vardmoi. They will be split between protecting the city and patrolling the roads. Of course, you will be compensated.”

The Kiblinki Saltas that wanted to guard the city let out excited *shaa-shaa* sounds.

But that was only 30 out of 150. What about the rest?

“As for the remaining guards, I will contact my vassals and see if they require protection. We will distribute them accordingly.”

“... Wait, Marquis, what about MacFarlane’s defenses?”

“I will speak with the Grand Duke MacFarlane, but if I were to send them unprompted, it could be seen as a sign of rebellion. My vassals come first.”

Ah. So this was about noble power struggles.

Even if he had the perfect force for bolstering defenses, he couldn’t show favoritism to certain noble factions without stirring unrest.
I was their contractor, but in the end, politics still had to be considered.

“As for those who wish to farm, I must ask you to assist with expanding human farmlands first.”

(Expand human farmlands?)

“Yes. If we rely solely on human labor, it would take years to develop new farmland. However, with your help, the process will be much faster.”

(That makes sense. Without farmland, there won’t be vegetables. Very well, we’ll help at first. What happens after that?)

“Once a certain amount of land has been cultivated, I will grant you untouched land where you can farm as you please.”

(Understood. We have a deal.¨)

For the Kiblinki Saltas, “vegetables were everything”.

If helping humans meant more vegetables in the long run, they were willing to cooperate.
Marquis knew exactly how to handle them.

“Lastly, for those who wish to explore and discover new vegetables and fruits—please wait a little. I need to coordinate with various parties to establish safe exploration zones. Until then, I ask that you remain near Vardmoi.”

(Understood. Are we allowed to search within the outskirts of the city?)

“That is fine. Just be careful not to wander into unfamiliar human settlements where you might cause a panic.”

Hmm… So the exploration team would be staying near Vardmoi for now.

The Marquis was probably planning to use them to discover previously unknown local wild vegetables as well.
He really understood their nature.

“This is the general plan. Lily, do you have anything to add?”

“Let’s see… Everyone, if you see someone being attacked by monsters, please help them. The better your reputation, the more opportunities you’ll have.”

(Understood, Contractor.)

That about summed it up.

Since they had all come this far, I wanted them to try the Spiderlings’ Nest vegetable soup… but there were just too many of them.

They’d have to take turns and be patient.

What do you think about this chapter?