Yuri Empire

The [Broadcast] of Sayuri’s first attempt at the “Labyrinth” is―――as it turned out, very well received by the citizens of the country and abroad.

It was something I had expected, though. There seemed to be a preconceived notion among the citizens that the labyrinth was something to be tackled by those who had acquired combat skills and were confident in their physical strength.

However, Sayuri, who is as small as a child and is a level 1 who has chosen ‘Production’ as her vocation and class, showed a great performance in the labyrinth that was as good as those of Lydina and Arcana. This fact was spread by the [Broadcast].

As a result of this fact being spread through the [Broadcast], it gave many people the confidence that ‘I can do better than I thought’, and the number of explorers active in the city of Ulysses increased more dramatically than ever before.

As a result, the workload of the Explorers Guild has been overwhelmed and Sofia, the guild master, has been crying out for help. A dozen or so of <Nadeshiko> children and their followers had to be temporarily dispatched to support her.

If the number of explorers suddenly surged, the city of Ulysses, or the security within the “Labyrinth City”, would deteriorate rapidly. This is the strength of the Yuri Empire and the strength of the Labyrinth City of Ulysses.

The City of Ulysses is constantly monitored by Yuri’s【Spatial Grasp】, and anyone who commits a criminal act above a certain level will be caught within the day and deported without exception.

This is a city where anyone who commits a crime in the city is sure to disappear by the next day. ―――That is the Lost City of Ulysses.

Since this fact is already well known to the citizens, it is rare for anyone to cause a fuss in the city.

There are rare occasions when a person gets carried away by alcohol and commits violence against those around them. Such crimes are solved more quickly and with less damage than would be the case in other countries, thanks to the cooperation of citizens with good intentions who help deter and catch criminals.

After all, the Lost City of Ulysses is a city of fierce fighters who are proud of their skills. There are a lot of explorers in the city who are capable of twisting a drunken man’s body into something else, and they are willing to help maintain public safety.

It’s also interesting to note that the “Labyrinth”, which could easily become a kind of lawless zone, is a place where the number of crimes is much lower than on the ground.

This is because the images of people exploring the labyrinth are always being [Broadcasted]. After all, if people are aware that they are being watched by others, they will be less likely to commit crimes.

As a result of the unprecedented bustle of the city of Ulysses, the number of people who wanted to live in the city increased rapidly. It’s very impressive that Ulysses, which started with a population of zero, now has more than 10,000 residents.

The number of new stores in the city has also increased. The City of Ulysses has a large number of merchants from the Yuri Empire, the Holy Land of Nimun, and the Duchy of Selsia, all of whom have opened stores in the city.

No one doubted the fact that the most prosperous city on the continent of Mekia is the Lost City of Ulysses.

“―――I have a question for you, Master!”

It was the morning of the 24th day of spring, more than a week after the [Broadcast] of the labyrinth exploration.

As usual, when Yuri was holed up in her office, Sofia paid her a rare visit.

“It’s rare to see you here. Has the Explorers’ Guild settled down yet?”

“Yes, with the help of the people sister loaned me.

The people that… or rather the people that sister, seconded to us, are incredibly talented. Can’t we pull them out of the guild?”

“No, you can’t. They are my wives and my attendants. I’m not going to put them in any particular position because they need to take the initiative in case of an emergency.”

“Uuu, I’m sorry…”

“So, what’s this about ‘consulting’?”

“Ah! That’s right! I would like to know a lot of information about the “Labyrinth” that you mentioned in your broadcast the other day!”

Sofia’s ‘consultation’ is a request for Sofia to get information about the “Labyrinth” from Yuri and compile it into a booklet for the Explorers Guild.

In particular, the guild would like to make a booklet that only contains information about the labyrinth for beginners I, so that people who have just started their activities as explorers can gain significant knowledge efficiently.

“So you’re going to make a ‘Strategy Book’.”

“… Strategy book? Hmm―――No, that’s a good name for it, and it’s easy to understand. Would you like me to use that name from now on?”

“That’s fine, but…”

From Yuri’s point of view, Sofia’s attempt to put together a booklet of information about the labyrinth seemed to be nothing more than ‘making a book’. Apparently, the word ‘strategy book’ is not common in this world.

No―――well, that’s probably true. The word ‘strategy book’ is more like a game term, so there’s no way it would be known in another world.

(Hmmm…)

I don’t think it’s a bad idea to try to collect and publicize information about the labyrinth.

However, it seemed to Yuri that it would be a bad idea for the Explorers Guild, which was in charge of managing the explorers, to be the first to do so.

The reason for this is simple―――others may not be able to follow suit.

This is especially noticeable in game strategy wikis, where the writer’s point of view is strongly reflected in the compilation of information. It is not uncommon for the reader to get a completely different impression from the strategy information compiled on one site and another site, even if they are dealing with the same information.

If possible, Yuri thinks that it would be better if the information is compiled from multiple perspectives, that is, if it is handled by multiple media.

“Sofia, you are also the head of the Theodore Company, aren’t you?”

“Ah, yes. Yes, I am…”

“So, why don’t we try the idea of creating a book of strategies for the labyrinth as a business of Theodore’s Chamber of Commerce instead of the Explorers Guild?”

“… You mean?”

“If the Explorers Guild takes the lead in compiling information on the labyrinth, there will be no room for others to intervene. I think it would be more interesting for Sofia to do this as one of her business ventures, as other business associations would come forward to create their own strategy books.”

“Hmmm… In other words, the master believes that the creation of a strategy book should be done in a competitive marketplace, is that what you are saying?”

“You can take that as a yes.”

Yuri thinks that the most desirable form of information would be for various business associations to come forward, gather information on their own, put it in a book, and spread it to the world.

That’s why Yuri doesn’t want to tell Sofia about the information she knows about the labyrinth and the demons that are located there. This is because she wants Theodore’s Chamber of Commerce, like any other business association, to gather information on its own and create a strategy book.

“I think it will be enough to benefit the Chamber of Commerce, don’t you?”

“Well, yes… It costs a lot of money to make the codexes, but it might be possible to make more than that. There’s a boom in “Labyrinth” now, you know.”

“Then let’s offer [Printing Technology] from the country. If the cost of producing a book can be reduced to about one-hundredth of the current cost, will it be profitable?

“… What?”

“Woodblock printing or letterpress? Whatever it is, if you ask the kids at <Rindou>, they’ll be able to quickly recreate a copy technique that’s much better than a codex.”

Or, if you rely on the children of <Rindou>, you might be able to get more than that. That’s fine, I guess.

Even though there is no compulsory education system in this world, the literacy rate itself is quite high because people can learn to read and write for free at temple facilities.

Therefore, it would not be such a bad idea to create a society where information is much easier to obtain than it is now.