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C62: PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT
“We don’t have enough people,” said Platy shortly after the orcs and I started constructing the waterway.
“Our manpower isn’t enough to handle the variety of work in this land.”
Currently, the people in this settlement include my wife, Platy, who offered her support in the pioneering of the settlement, and is in-charge of fermented food and medicine.
Orkubo and the rest of the orc team are in-charge of architecture and engineering works while Gobukichi and the rest of the goblin team are in-charge of working in the fields.
Of the two new additions to the team after the demon strife, Batemy is completely in-charge of clothing, while Belena manages the teleportation waypoints.
Our situation is such that we cover for each other if we’re ever short-handed in any of these sections.
Meanwhile, Veil is in-charge of eating and sleeping.
Sorry, just kidding.
Right now, she’s helping us dig a path for the waterway in her dragon form. But other times, she really doesn’t do anything.
Everyone does their very best in their own posts, but we’re starting to become short-handed.
Platy, who manages communication between each post in place of me, came to tell me about this.
“Our fields are growing bigger and bigger. There’s no way Gobukichi and the others can cover all of it. Thanks to Belena’s help, things have become a little more manageable.”
“Seriously?!”
I was planning to make good use of my spare time to watch over the fields in between making the waterway

“Didn’t we start sharing our assets with the Demon King and my stupid brother? Even I have it rough, you know? Orders for soy sauce and miso just keep coming!”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And yet you, Dear, keep starting new projects. What was the other one you wanted to make utensils with? A huge kiln? Even the bathhouse isn’t complete yet! But here you are, getting your hands dirty making this waterway. Don’t you think you’re being too haphazard?!”
“
Yes ma’am!”
She hit every nail on the head that I was at a loss for words.
There’s just so many things I want to do that I didn’t bother planning things ahead.
As Platy said, we’re completely short-handed.
And as far as one field is concerned, Gobukichi and the others can still handle it themselves just fine, but the moment we finish the waterway and make them look after the paddy fields as well, they’re probably going to breakdown.
The simplest solution to this is

“Increase our staff
ish?”
Platy brought a starfish-filled bucket in front of me.
Does this woman still dare pull a joke here when she’s the one who posed this problem?
I silently placed the bucket full of starfish aside.
“Maybe we should recruit more orcs and goblins from Sensei’s dungeon and leave the direct commanding to Orkubo and the others
 I think it’s about time they have their own underlings.”
They’ve already understood all my teachings. They look after the fields without me telling them every time and do whatever is asked of them.
It even sounds cool to appoint these first-generation orcs as commanding officers and organize an agricultural group with members under them.
“But we need to ask for Sensei’s permission before all else.”
Since Sensei is the guardian of the cave dungeon where the orcs and goblins reside.
“Platy, could you pack some pickled radishes for me to bring to Sensei as a souvenir? Around five to six packs more than usual.”
“The fields aside, we still have a problem,” said Platy as she pressed her temples.
“My department is the most draining one.”
“Your department?”
“The fermented food manufacturing department! We’ve got more people, more places to deliver to, and even though our production rate is increasing, I’m still the only one in-charge! Care to explain to me how am I supposed to manage all of this?!”
“Yes! I’m sorry!!!”
I unconsciously apologized with all my might.
Fermenting food is a project that was started with the help of Platy’s pharmaceutical magic; magic only the mermaids can use. They can create magic potions by mixing magic and herbs with it. By putting it to practical use, we can produce any fermented food such as pickles, miso, soy sauce.
That’s why I assigned everything related to food fermentation to Platy. Even the brewery where soy sauce is made has become something like her fortress.
“Now that the fields have gotten wider, the amount of hyper-fertilizer needed increases. And to make that same fertilizer, you need to dive into the sea to catch some Ba-Herring-G used as its ingredient.”
So, what she’s trying to get at is that we need more mermaid helpers.
“Please, Dear. Could we hire some mermaids to be my assistants? Even three is enough.”
Seems plausible.
Even Platy’s brother, Prince Arowana, drops by every now and then.
With his authority as crown prince, he can easily send mermaids to us, especially if it’s a request from his cute little sister.
“I’ll ask him the next time he comes here. Platy, reserve some pickled radishes as refreshments to your brother. About three packs!”
“Huuuuuuuuuuuuh?! Why do these people all like pickled radishes and nothing else?! Sure, it’s tasty, but it gets consumed so fast that I can’t keep up making it!!!”
Platy has lost her mind.
Forgive me.
Being shorthanded in the fermented food department must be that serious. We’ll get those helpers in no time. But till then, I will help you as much as I can!

Or so I thought as I snack on the pickles in question without permission.
“Don’t go consuming first what you meant to offer as gifts to our guests!!!”
Yes ma’am.
I’m truly sorry.
Anyway, until we can recruit new people, all construction work will be temporarily suspended. So, I redirected the orc team to provide back-up to every section.
This should settle things.
And just as we established this temporary arrangement of things, Prince Arowana dropped by to hang out.
He’s been visiting us a little too often lately that I’m starting to worry about his work back in his kingdom. Or maybe mermaid princes are just this free?
“Sumo is so fun!!!” were the very first words Prince Arowana uttered the moment he arrived.
He seems to have gotten addicted to sumo after winning the tournament I held here in my settlement the other day. Lately, every time he spots land-dwellers near the coastlines, he would rise to the surface and ask each and every one of them for a sumo bout.
As soon as I heard that, I blurted out; “Are you sure you’re a mermaid and not a kappa?!”