Chapter 43: A Joyful Harvest
Suddenly, a bright expanse opens up before me—it’s a lake. The surface of the water sparkles as sunlight reflects off the gentle ripples.
“I think there might be Silver Fish here,” Shaara murmurs, and my keen hearing picks up her words perfectly.
“Are Silver Fish tasty?”
“Yes! When grilled to perfection, the skin becomes crispy while the flesh is rich and fatty—it’s simply divine! I love them!”
Her enthusiasm is infectious. I don’t dislike fish either, so it seems like a good idea to engage in some fishing. However, I have no fishing gear! If I had a hook and a float, I could manage, but alas, I have neither!
With a lake present, there must be rivers flowing in and out, so my target will be the water’s inlet or outlet, as well as any eddies. For now, I decide to circle the lake.
As Shaara and I stroll along the lakeshore, she’s practically bouncing with excitement. When I ask her how we should catch the fish, she ponders deeply, her expression slowly turning to one of despair.
“I don’t have a net or fishing hooks… what should we do about the Silver Fish?”
She looks as dejected as a cat that’s had its fish taken away. How cute.
There are three rivers flowing into the lake and one waterfall flowing out, but the currents are too strong for fishing. As I investigate the incoming rivers, I discover a shallow, wide area a bit upstream. The sandy bottom is dotted with stones, making it suitable for a drive-in fishing technique.
I set up thin stakes in a circular formation with a diameter of about 10 meters, leaving a 1-meter gap on the upstream side, and then I drive stakes into the ground in a V-shape pointing upstream.
Shaara watches my actions with curiosity, so I explain the method for driving the fish into the trap. Her face lights up with a beaming smile, transforming her into a catgirl on the verge of drooling.
We both grab long sticks and head upstream, splitting up to nod at each other. On the count of three, we swing our sticks down to strike the water’s surface.
As we slap the water on both sides, the fish scatter in a panic, rushing toward the circular trap as if they had been waiting for this moment. I quickly set up stakes at the entrance, and soon enough, our catch is ready.
As I drive stakes toward the shallows and remove the ones on the shallow side, the fish find their escape route and leap around in a frenzy.
Shaara squeals with delight, like a child playing in the water, chasing the fish and thoroughly enjoying herself.
Suddenly, I notice the Golden Bear lumbering over to snatch up the fish leaping in the shallows. Shaara freezes in place, but I can hear her muttering, “My fish…”
“Shaara, come here!”
I call out to her as I rush over, but the Golden Bear is drawn to the fish. No way am I letting him have my catch!
As I build a makeshift fort, I lift my footing and fire a Stone Lance at the Golden Bear, who is busy enjoying the fish. The lance strikes true, and with a mouthful of fish, the bear is sent to the afterlife. If he’s going to the next world with his favorite fish, I suppose the Golden Bear would be satisfied.
“Shaara, you’re too excited.”
I remind her to stay alert as I start collecting our fish. I construct a box measuring 1 meter on each side and 50 centimeters high, arranging the fish inside. I alternate placing their heads and tails, stacking three layers before moving on to the next box.
With each box holding 21 fish, I manage to store ten boxes, ensuring Shaara won’t go hungry for a while. As I prepare to release the remaining fish, I notice a new visitor.
“Kaito-sama, it’s a Water Dragon!”
A Water Dragon? It looks just like a giant crocodile! And there are two of them, each easily twice the size of those back on Earth. One heads toward the fish, while the other seems to have chosen us as its meal. I decide to use a Secret Technique to launch a javelin from underwater.
With a single strike, I aim for a quick kill, but as I’m reveling in my success, the second Water Dragon changes course and heads straight for us.
“Well then, you can die too!” I launch another javelin from the water, but my aim is slightly off, causing chaos. Unable to get a clear shot, I fire three more times before finally bringing it down.
I can’t just leave them behind, so I store them in my Type 12 Magic Pouch. The Golden Bear fits snugly, but the Water Dragon exceeds 12 meters when including its tail. I tie the tail with rope and pull it closer before stowing it away in the pouch.
Exhausted from this unexpected labor, I decide to set up camp for the night. I establish a Camp House a little distance away to rest. After enjoying some tea inside, Shaara’s excitement finally calms down, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Shaara’s grin doesn’t fade, so I decide to prepare one of the fish by the water’s edge for our dinner tonight.
Shaara rubs her belly contentedly, while I sip on some fine alcohol, enjoying the fish as a side dish. Still, those bears and dragons are huge! With my current Mana Capacity, I could probably fight them without fleeing, but it sounds like a hassle. I plan to check out a place that piques my interest before heading back tomorrow.
The next day, I head toward the intriguing eddy I noticed earlier. Peering in, I see something lurking, but it’s not clear what it is. I use Earth Magic to create a three-pronged spear, tying a rope to it and tossing it into the eddy.
I feel a tug on the rope and pull it up to reveal a shrimp. It’s a large, transparent river shrimp—back in Japan, they’d be about 3 to 4 centimeters long and perfect for tempura. However, this river shrimp is easily over 30 centimeters long, and from head to tail, it exceeds 60 centimeters!
I want to catch a lot, but how? When I turn to ask Shaara, I find her cowering and trembling at the sight of the shrimp.
“Do you dislike shrimp, Shaara?”
“These shrimp… they jump around and are so tough, I don’t like them.”
Well, with a body as big as an adult’s arm, I can see how it could hurt if it hits you.
“Shaara, gather firewood; I’m going to start a fire.”
I build a stove and place a large pot and a frying pan that can easily hold the shrimp on top, boiling water and heating the pan.
“Just watch, Shaara; I’ll turn these into your favorite dish.”
I boil one shrimp and grill another, determined to show her just how delicious they can be! As I grill, I’m surprised to see the transparent shell change to a rainbow hue… what is this? Can we even eat it?
The boiled shrimp, while lacking luster, also turns rainbow-colored.
I take a small bite, and it’s absolutely delicious!
As I devour the shrimp, I notice Shaara sneaking bites from the side, her eyes sparkling with delight.
“I’d die happy if I could eat all of this! I’m going to fill my belly!”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you disliked shrimp, Shaara?”
“I do… the tough parts. But I’ve come to like the soft parts, so I’ll eat them.”
She makes me laugh.
After stuffing ourselves and feeling satisfied, we ponder how to catch more shrimp, but nothing comes to mind. With no other options, we decide to catch them one by one with a spear.
I improve the spear design, arranging six of them in a circular formation, attaching ropes, and tossing them in. We’re guaranteed to catch one or two each time, and I pull them up, striking their heads with a stone axe before packing them into boxes.
I create boxes identical to the ones I used for the Silver Fish, diligently filling them up for storage. I think I managed to pack about 50 shrimp in each box, but after a full day of work, I’m exhausted after making twelve boxes.
Next time, I vow not to forget my net and hooks as we head back to town.
On our way home, I spot an orange bee buzzing by, and I’m informed it’s a honeybee. However, this bee is twice the size of a Japanese hornet, making honey gathering a life-threatening endeavor.
I want the honey, but I’m hesitant to risk my life. Just then, Shaara reassures me with a smile, “It’ll be fine!”
Shaara gathers a large amount of grass from the surroundings and has me create a big water jar, stuffing the collected grass inside.
As night falls, we approach the nest from upwind. I light a fire beneath the jar, adjusting the smoke to flow toward the nest. Finally, I poke a hole in the nest to let the smoke pour inside.
As the bees become disoriented, I cut away the walls of the nest to extract the honeycomb. The large jar we made fills quickly with honey.
Once I’ve stashed two jars in my Magic Pouch, we make our escape before the bees wake up.
Both of us are sticky with honey, so we wash ourselves clean in the water. We’ll deal with the aftermath when we get home.
Our other harvest includes thirteen Hoho Birds’ eggs and eight birds, but I find myself easily swayed by Shaara’s words of deliciousness.
As Shaara walks ahead, she suddenly stops, tilting her head up with a serious expression as she sniffs the air.
This is her telltale sign that she’s found something good. She does the same when she senses a wild beast, but the furrow in her brow and the tension in her face make it clear this is something different.
“I found a great souvenir for Fi. Is it alright if I go get it?”
Nodding, I followed the scent, but when it came to this kind of thing, Shaara always charged straight ahead. She pushed through the thickets and bushes, undeterred by the numerous spider webs. When we arrived at the spot where the delightful fragrance wafted, she began to sift through the underbrush, a smile spreading across her face.
“Kaito, I found it♪”
Peering over her shoulder, I could barely make it out among the green undergrowth, but it looked like a flower.
“What is that?”
“It’s Fragrant Grass. It’s also known as Aromatic Bloom. It’s rare to find, and it sells for a high price at the Adventurers’ Guild.”
In Shaara’s hands was a translucent flower resembling a crocus, its entire form a pale green, standing about 25 centimeters tall with blossoms around 10 centimeters swaying gently. If it were hidden among the grass, it would be nearly impossible to spot.
“Is it okay to take it from the root?”
“As long as we don’t dig up the roots, it will grow back next year. If we don’t take it from the base, the flowers will scatter quickly, and the fragrance will fade.”
It seemed to be a thriving patch, enveloped in a sweet aroma. Shaara carefully selected about ten of the magnificent flowers, crafting a slender tube to hold them. After filling it with water and placing each flower inside, she sealed it with a lid. With a satisfied expression, she tucked it away in her Magic Pouch and began walking towards Egdra.