CH 290
Chapter 290 – A New Empire
“This is amazing…” (Bouchi)
A sigh of wonder escaped my lips. It wasn’t just me, either. Everyone was staring wide-eyed, entranced by the beautiful scenery before us.
“…But Oz, this ship is made out of wood, isn’t it? I don’t think it’ll be able to withstand the water pressure at 10,000 meters of depth.” (Bouchi)
Under ordinary circumstances, it would definitely collapse. And we didn’t have any oxygen supply tanks… Maybe those didn’t exist in a fantasy world.
“We’ll be fine! I’m made from the [God Tree・Ideia], so I’m super sturdy!” (Oz)
Apparently, it was a giant tree that the gods themselves made during the creation of the world. A sapling of the tree was given to Duarte, which he used to build the Oz Freedom.
“Well, it’s already looking pretty beaten up. If you think about it, how could you be considered ‘safe’ right now? You’re… a ghost ship.” (Bouchi)
“I have an automatic self-repair function, you know! It may take a while, but I’ll definitely be back to normal in no time!” (Oz)
“Then why are you still looking all beat up?” (Bouchi)
“That… That’s because every day, Captain was always angry…” (Oz)
Ah, I see. It made total sense that with that guy who was the embodiment of natural disasters unleashing his rage on the ship for that long, her self-repair function wouldn’t be able to keep up.
“Honestly, I had already taken so much damage that my self-repair function wasn’t able to keep up, and… I thought I was going to die.” (Oz)
That time… That must have been when their companions had entrusted her with Duarte and told her to bring him to their base.
“But then I noticed that I still had strength in me. And… Captain ended up like that.” (Oz)
It wasn’t clear exactly what had happened to the two of them at that time, but there was a mysterious force at work that was allowing them to keep moving.
“Then… you’re not a ghost ship, huh? This ship…” (Bouchi)
“You really are alive… A ship that has survived for over a thousand years, huh…?” (Bouchi)
And now, she was traversing the seas of another world. The Oz Freedom was definitely the only ship to have done something like that.
“Oz, are you sure you can dive into the deep sea?” (Bouchi)
“Of course! One time, we were being chased by the Empire and hid for a week in the deep sea!” (Oz)
If she could stay submerged in the deep sea for over a week, that meant she was the real deal.
“…Alright. Then let’s get ready to head to the Mariana Trench. Oz, surface and head back to the island.” (Bouchi)
“Aye-aye, sir!” (Oz)
Now equipped with a means to reach the ruins that awaited us on the distant ocean floor, we decided to return to the island for a bit to organize our expedition team.
—
Meanwhile, in the large otherworldly nation that had replaced Hokkaido’s Mt. Yotei—the Empire of Elrond, there were screams and angry roars filling the air.
The race of beastkin with tails—garbels were attacking and detaining the hurons. The captured subjects of the Empire were locked up into prisons, and most of the hurons who had been engaged in the nation’s politics were lined up by the scaffolding of a guillotine in the city square. It was none other than a public execution.
The garbels watched as the execution of the Empire’s nobles and people of power began.
And the person leading all of this—
“My fellow brethren! We have been made to suffer at the hands of the Empire for so long! Many of our brethren have been reduced to slaves and livestock and driven from their quiet abodes! But at long last, divine punishment has befallen them! Today, from this very day, I announce the end of the hurons’ reign! This is our time, the era of us garbels!!”
This person was one of the leading figures in ousting Vodara, who had once controlled the Empire from the shadows. It was none other than King Dragia—Dragia Galea Oum Za’leac.
Everyone met his speech with resounding cheers.
“These days were filled with hardship. We have finally reached this day. This is due entirely to all of you, the power of my fellow brethren! I take pride in each and every one of you!” (Dragia)
Deafening cheers rang out once more, shaking the air and the ground.
“Gaaahh… Don’t mess with me, Dragia! Do you think this is acceptable?!”
The man who raised his voice in the middle of all of this was a man called Blance, an aristocrat who had once been an influential leader in the Empire’s politics. The man, dressed in white, was being detained, pressed to the ground.
“What you all have done is an affront to peace! This massacre cannot be tolerated!” (Blance)
“…An affront to peace, you say…? That is merely how it appears from your point of view, as a huron.” (Dragia)
“…What…?” (Blance)
“You hurons mistook yourselves as the rulers of the world simply because you had the greatest numbers, and you treated us like heretics. History has stood witness to it all.” (Dragia)
“T-That…! But we allied ourselves with you guys to rebuild the Empire!” (Blance)
“Allied yourselves…? That phrasing is proof enough that you look down on us.” (Dragia)
“Urghh…!” (Blance)
“And after draining the Empire of its pus, you all were planning to reclaim the position of king for the hurons, weren’t you?” (Dragia)
“O-Of course! This nation is our nation, by and for hurons! You garbels already have a nation of your own!” (Blance)
It was true that Dragia was the king of the Kingdom of Agnidora. But that kingdom didn’t exist in this world.
“We will be taking this nation. The time has come for the true rulers, the garbels, to take their throne in this era.” (Dragia)
“Nike, huh…? He certainly is a reason for concern. That is why we will now devote all of our efforts to finding him. Of course… to erase him from this playing field.” (Dragia)
“What?! Do you really believe you can commit such an accursed act?! The bloodline of the Empire is the blood of the Creator! It is the bloodline of the ruler of this world!” (Noble 1)
“That is a false truth that you all have fabricated yourselves. Do you really think the Emperor that you revere is a god? There is not the slightest possibility. If he were a god, he would have been impartial in all things. But you hurons are beings who know nothing aside from excluding others and prioritizing your own desires. It is laughable to think that a god would be partial to such a race.” (Dragia)
Dragia lifted both of his arms above his head and shouted to all of the onlookers.
“Did you all hear that?! The huron race considers themselves as the chosen ones. They mistakenly believe that they are a race that deserves the favor of the gods. On the path that they have walked, the sad, cold corpses of our brethren are too many to count. This is how the hurons are! Well, my brethren?! Should we permit these irredeemable miscreants to live on?!” (Dragia)
The garbels began to speak out against the hurons one after the other in raised tones.
Hearing their words, Dragia made a declaration.
“Then from this day forth, let us draw an end to this abominable history! I hereby declare that the Empire of hurons has reached its end. And from this point on, I proclaim the founding of an Empire of the garbels, by the garbels, and for the garbels!” (Dragia)
““““HURRAAAAHHHHH!!””””
All of the garbels present roared in approval.
“But in such a large nation, a leader is essential. What do you say, my fellow brethren?! Do you recognize me, Dragia Galea Oum Za’leac, as the ruler of our country?!!” (Dragia)
“All hail Emperor Dragia!!”
“A new emperor is born!!”
“Long live the garbels! Long live Emperor Dragia!!”
“I thank you all! I hereby vow to protect the peace of our brethren until the end of my days! Everyone, please stand by my side as one!” (Dragia)
““““HURRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!””””
And thus, the long reign of the hurons came to an end, and a new garbel emperor was born.
There was a certain person watching the birth of the new empire from the rooftop of a nearby building.
This robed figure was none other than Kirie, one of Noalia’s maids.
“…This is quite the big deal.” (Kirie)
She watched with a stiff expression as the heads of the former Empire’s nobles began to roll from the guillotine.
“The birth of the new Empire—Za’leac… I need to let Noalia-sama and Nike-sama know about this as soon as possible.” (Kirie)
Kirie left quickly from that spot.
TL: Hi everyone, this is your translator Crescent here. This marks the end of the web novel version of Shop Skill. There is a published light novel version, but the storyline is completely different. I know it’s not conclusive, which sucks, but the web novel is no longer being updated, so we unfortunately can’t expect any new chapters.
At the beginning, I kind of started translating this story on a whim, just looking for something to translate to keep improving on my Japanese skills. I read the first few chapters and thought it looked fun, so I started to translate it without reading ahead at all. So my apologies for any mistakes along the way, but I hope you all were still able to enjoy it.
If anything, translating this web novel was a masterclass in micro-habits—doing something you want to improve on for just a little bit each day goes a long way to making a big personal change. For me, that was sitting down for one hour every day to translate a chapter of Shop Skill, to keep up with the daily release schedule for almost a year. It takes discipline to keep persistent with any micro-habit, but once you get past the first few weeks, it gets easier. I encourage you all to give this a try and hope you see some results in your own lives. And if you do, please don’t forget to start small and be patient with yourself.
Unfortunately, I currently don’t have any plans to start a new Japanese series after this one ends. A lot has been happening in my life, and I have a thesis to write in the next few months so I can graduate from my master’s program. I will continue to release Floating Immortal Order, the Chinese cultivation novel I’ve been translating on its regular schedule (Thurs, Sun). I may consider starting a new Japanese series in several months when I finish my thesis and life frees up. If you enjoy my translating style and want to stay updated with my work, please give me a follow on Ko-Fi. If I start a new series, I will announce it on my Ko-Fi page (and if you have any good novel pickup requests you want to share with me in the meantime, please feel free to hit me up on Ko-Fi or on the Foxaholic Discord @crescent).
Thank you all for reading, and it was a pleasure to see all of your comments and support along the way. I wish you all the best. —Crescent
“This is amazing…” (Bouchi)
A sigh of wonder escaped my lips. It wasn’t just me, either. Everyone was staring wide-eyed, entranced by the beautiful scenery before us.
“…But Oz, this ship is made out of wood, isn’t it? I don’t think it’ll be able to withstand the water pressure at 10,000 meters of depth.” (Bouchi)
Under ordinary circumstances, it would definitely collapse. And we didn’t have any oxygen supply tanks… Maybe those didn’t exist in a fantasy world.
“We’ll be fine! I’m made from the [God Tree・Ideia], so I’m super sturdy!” (Oz)
Apparently, it was a giant tree that the gods themselves made during the creation of the world. A sapling of the tree was given to Duarte, which he used to build the Oz Freedom.
“Well, it’s already looking pretty beaten up. If you think about it, how could you be considered ‘safe’ right now? You’re… a ghost ship.” (Bouchi)
“I have an automatic self-repair function, you know! It may take a while, but I’ll definitely be back to normal in no time!” (Oz)
“Then why are you still looking all beat up?” (Bouchi)
“That… That’s because every day, Captain was always angry…” (Oz)
Ah, I see. It made total sense that with that guy who was the embodiment of natural disasters unleashing his rage on the ship for that long, her self-repair function wouldn’t be able to keep up.
“Honestly, I had already taken so much damage that my self-repair function wasn’t able to keep up, and… I thought I was going to die.” (Oz)
That time… That must have been when their companions had entrusted her with Duarte and told her to bring him to their base.
“But then I noticed that I still had strength in me. And… Captain ended up like that.” (Oz)
It wasn’t clear exactly what had happened to the two of them at that time, but there was a mysterious force at work that was allowing them to keep moving.
“Then… you’re not a ghost ship, huh? This ship…” (Bouchi)
“You really are alive… A ship that has survived for over a thousand years, huh…?” (Bouchi)
And now, she was traversing the seas of another world. The Oz Freedom was definitely the only ship to have done something like that.
“Oz, are you sure you can dive into the deep sea?” (Bouchi)
“Of course! One time, we were being chased by the Empire and hid for a week in the deep sea!” (Oz)
If she could stay submerged in the deep sea for over a week, that meant she was the real deal.
“…Alright. Then let’s get ready to head to the Mariana Trench. Oz, surface and head back to the island.” (Bouchi)
“Aye-aye, sir!” (Oz)
Now equipped with a means to reach the ruins that awaited us on the distant ocean floor, we decided to return to the island for a bit to organize our expedition team.
—
Meanwhile, in the large otherworldly nation that had replaced Hokkaido’s Mt. Yotei—the Empire of Elrond, there were screams and angry roars filling the air.
The race of beastkin with tails—garbels were attacking and detaining the hurons. The captured subjects of the Empire were locked up into prisons, and most of the hurons who had been engaged in the nation’s politics were lined up by the scaffolding of a guillotine in the city square. It was none other than a public execution.
The garbels watched as the execution of the Empire’s nobles and people of power began.
And the person leading all of this—
“My fellow brethren! We have been made to suffer at the hands of the Empire for so long! Many of our brethren have been reduced to slaves and livestock and driven from their quiet abodes! But at long last, divine punishment has befallen them! Today, from this very day, I announce the end of the hurons’ reign! This is our time, the era of us garbels!!”
This person was one of the leading figures in ousting Vodara, who had once controlled the Empire from the shadows. It was none other than King Dragia—Dragia Galea Oum Za’leac.
Everyone met his speech with resounding cheers.
“These days were filled with hardship. We have finally reached this day. This is due entirely to all of you, the power of my fellow brethren! I take pride in each and every one of you!” (Dragia)
Deafening cheers rang out once more, shaking the air and the ground.
“Gaaahh… Don’t mess with me, Dragia! Do you think this is acceptable?!”
The man who raised his voice in the middle of all of this was a man called Blance, an aristocrat who had once been an influential leader in the Empire’s politics. The man, dressed in white, was being detained, pressed to the ground.
“What you all have done is an affront to peace! This massacre cannot be tolerated!” (Blance)
“…An affront to peace, you say…? That is merely how it appears from your point of view, as a huron.” (Dragia)
“…What…?” (Blance)
“You hurons mistook yourselves as the rulers of the world simply because you had the greatest numbers, and you treated us like heretics. History has stood witness to it all.” (Dragia)
“T-That…! But we allied ourselves with you guys to rebuild the Empire!” (Blance)
“Allied yourselves…? That phrasing is proof enough that you look down on us.” (Dragia)
“Urghh…!” (Blance)
“And after draining the Empire of its pus, you all were planning to reclaim the position of king for the hurons, weren’t you?” (Dragia)
“O-Of course! This nation is our nation, by and for hurons! You garbels already have a nation of your own!” (Blance)
It was true that Dragia was the king of the Kingdom of Agnidora. But that kingdom didn’t exist in this world.
“We will be taking this nation. The time has come for the true rulers, the garbels, to take their throne in this era.” (Dragia)
“Nike, huh…? He certainly is a reason for concern. That is why we will now devote all of our efforts to finding him. Of course… to erase him from this playing field.” (Dragia)
“What?! Do you really believe you can commit such an accursed act?! The bloodline of the Empire is the blood of the Creator! It is the bloodline of the ruler of this world!” (Noble 1)
“That is a false truth that you all have fabricated yourselves. Do you really think the Emperor that you revere is a god? There is not the slightest possibility. If he were a god, he would have been impartial in all things. But you hurons are beings who know nothing aside from excluding others and prioritizing your own desires. It is laughable to think that a god would be partial to such a race.” (Dragia)
Dragia lifted both of his arms above his head and shouted to all of the onlookers.
“Did you all hear that?! The huron race considers themselves as the chosen ones. They mistakenly believe that they are a race that deserves the favor of the gods. On the path that they have walked, the sad, cold corpses of our brethren are too many to count. This is how the hurons are! Well, my brethren?! Should we permit these irredeemable miscreants to live on?!” (Dragia)
The garbels began to speak out against the hurons one after the other in raised tones.
Hearing their words, Dragia made a declaration.
“Then from this day forth, let us draw an end to this abominable history! I hereby declare that the Empire of hurons has reached its end. And from this point on, I proclaim the founding of an Empire of the garbels, by the garbels, and for the garbels!” (Dragia)
““““HURRAAAAHHHHH!!””””
All of the garbels present roared in approval.
“But in such a large nation, a leader is essential. What do you say, my fellow brethren?! Do you recognize me, Dragia Galea Oum Za’leac, as the ruler of our country?!!” (Dragia)
“All hail Emperor Dragia!!”
“A new emperor is born!!”
“Long live the garbels! Long live Emperor Dragia!!”
“I thank you all! I hereby vow to protect the peace of our brethren until the end of my days! Everyone, please stand by my side as one!” (Dragia)
““““HURRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!””””
And thus, the long reign of the hurons came to an end, and a new garbel emperor was born.
There was a certain person watching the birth of the new empire from the rooftop of a nearby building.
This robed figure was none other than Kirie, one of Noalia’s maids.
“…This is quite the big deal.” (Kirie)
She watched with a stiff expression as the heads of the former Empire’s nobles began to roll from the guillotine.
“The birth of the new Empire—Za’leac… I need to let Noalia-sama and Nike-sama know about this as soon as possible.” (Kirie)
Kirie left quickly from that spot.
TL: Hi everyone, this is your translator Crescent here. This marks the end of the web novel version of Shop Skill. There is a published light novel version, but the storyline is completely different. I know it’s not conclusive, which sucks, but the web novel is no longer being updated, so we unfortunately can’t expect any new chapters.
At the beginning, I kind of started translating this story on a whim, just looking for something to translate to keep improving on my Japanese skills. I read the first few chapters and thought it looked fun, so I started to translate it without reading ahead at all. So my apologies for any mistakes along the way, but I hope you all were still able to enjoy it.
If anything, translating this web novel was a masterclass in micro-habits—doing something you want to improve on for just a little bit each day goes a long way to making a big personal change. For me, that was sitting down for one hour every day to translate a chapter of Shop Skill, to keep up with the daily release schedule for almost a year. It takes discipline to keep persistent with any micro-habit, but once you get past the first few weeks, it gets easier. I encourage you all to give this a try and hope you see some results in your own lives. And if you do, please don’t forget to start small and be patient with yourself.
Unfortunately, I currently don’t have any plans to start a new Japanese series after this one ends. A lot has been happening in my life, and I have a thesis to write in the next few months so I can graduate from my master’s program. I will continue to release Floating Immortal Order, the Chinese cultivation novel I’ve been translating on its regular schedule (Thurs, Sun). I may consider starting a new Japanese series in several months when I finish my thesis and life frees up. If you enjoy my translating style and want to stay updated with my work, please give me a follow on Ko-Fi. If I start a new series, I will announce it on my Ko-Fi page (and if you have any good novel pickup requests you want to share with me in the meantime, please feel free to hit me up on Ko-Fi or on the Foxaholic Discord @crescent).
Thank you all for reading, and it was a pleasure to see all of your comments and support along the way. I wish you all the best. —Crescent
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