On Krus Island, the dreamlike scene before her made Cattleya pause.
Just after sunset, as the light began to fade, bright orbs appeared along the streets, illuminating them as clearly as day.
Cattleya knew they were not gas streetlamps. Gas lamps were nowhere near that bright!
Beside her, Odys said, "Then let's start our tour with the streetlamps."
He repeated the explanation he had prepared long ago. "I happened to discover a material that gives off light continuously."
"I knew they couldn't be Illumination Crystals." Cattleya came back to herself. "And you're comfortable putting that material in streetlamps?"
"Quite a few people have stolen streetlamps lately," Odys said frankly. "But I caught them all. I gave each thief two choices: pay a fine of 200 pounds or buy the glowing orb for 300."
Crew member Noi had advanced to Sequence 7, Magician. These days, she was either catching streetlamp thieves or on her way to catch one.
Unless a thief was above Sequence 7, she could quickly track them down through divination.
And someone above Sequence 7 generally wouldn't stoop to petty theft.
Or rather, he would order a subordinate to do it instead of stealing it himself.
Cattleya paused again. She had been about to exclaim how cheap that was, but then she thought it over and smiled. "You're making a fortune, aren't you?"
Odys smiled without answering.
When he had quoted a price to Vice Admiral Iceberg, he had calculated the costs. At the time, the Spirit-Storage Crystal in each streetlamp was worth one soli.
Of course, that did not include the cost of "help from a Demi-God." With a Level 1 Sealed Artifact, Odys could perform the crucial step of production himself.
As output grew, costs fell further. They were now down to around ten pence.
Once