Chapter 165: Ink
Honey for Mishto, wine for Rudil.
“What about Haralfa?” What does the Spirit of Light, Love, and Beauty desire?
“Hmm, I prefer pollen.”
“Pollen…”
No avoiding hay fever now. What about bee pollen? But I don’t have any right now.
“Ah, I prefer to suck it directly from blooming flowers.”
Wait, could it be that being in a place with flowers is her meal?
“I desire the fruits and vegetables harvested here.”
Haralfa smiled alluringly.
“Then it looks like we’re all in agreement. For now…”
I placed glasses filled with honey, wine, and water in front of the three of us.
“Oh, how beautiful!”
“What a splendid sight!”
The transparent cut glass received high praise from the ladies.
“The presence of Spirits is strong; it’s a fine vessel.”
Rudil lifted his glass.
Van had come by the place where the glass was made, after all.
Now, what about fruits and vegetables? How about an orange salad?
An orange, lettuce, sliced onions, and a dressing made from almond oil and orange juice.
When you cut lettuce, a white liquid seeps from the core. This liquid resembles milk, which is why it’s also called milk grass; it’s a relative of lettuce. I’ve been crossbreeding it with the lettuce from the pantry, but it hasn’t rounded out yet and still looks like a type of leafy lettuce.
The vibrant orange looks lovely, and the tanginess is just right. I’d love to add some prosciutto, but that won’t do with this crowd. A sprinkle of pink pepper for a touch of elegance.
“Such a vivid sight!”
“How cute!”
Haralfa and Mishto laughed. If Haralfa is like a single large, sultry lily or peony, then Mishto resembles a cluster of blooming pink hydrangeas or bellflowers. Two women of different types, a feast for the eyes.
“It’s lettuce, huh? Hehe.”
“What is it?”
I couldn’t help but ask, curious about Mishto’s mischievous chuckle.
“Only the old herbalists and mages remember this, but lettuce is an aphrodisiac.”
“Whoa! I didn’t mean anything by it!?”
What does that have to do with the ancestors of lettuce?
While being lightly teased by the two women, I talked about what we were doing while eating the salad. A bit about the Hero’s information and the Demon Beasts as well.
Rudil listened quietly, silently sipping his wine and bringing the salad to his mouth. He gives off a basic impression of being quiet and somewhat unapproachable, a beautiful man. I wondered if he was under some curse that made him act that way only when Rishu was involved.
As for Rishu, he didn’t care at all, drinking the water I prepared and then nibbling on his Ex-Staff.
“Is that the branch of a Spirit Tree? Are you going to become a king?”
Mishto tilted her head, looking at the Ex-Staff.
“I’m not becoming one because it’s a hassle. I can’t take responsibility for someone else’s life.”
“Would you choose a king? You could create an interesting country.”
“I originally got it for a different purpose, so I have no intention of doing either for now. I am doing a bit to develop the town, though.”
I think it’s a tremendous luxury to incorporate the town’s scenery into the landscape. I want to balance sanitation and convenience, like with the sewers. From the window, you can see the sea and a beautiful, retro—at least to me—townscape, with the occasional dragon flying by, that’s the plan.
“It’s not as water-rich as here, but I’m doing my best to plant trees.”
Spirits tend to gather in places abundant with water, flowers, and greenery.
If those aren’t present, then winds, sands, and scorching Spirits might come, but when only the same type of Spirits gather, it seems like their territory expands, leading to fewer numbers. Of course, places with specific terrains or climates, like volcanoes or glaciers, tend to give birth to certain Spirits.
“—You should consult Ish or Pal soon. It was delicious.”
With that, Rudil vanished.
“Oh, did he leave something behind? Perhaps a gift?”
“If he liked it, he could just say so instead of being such a grumpy man.”
Haralfa laughed, intrigued.
As Mishto pointed out, there was a small bottle left at Rudil’s seat. When I picked it up, I found it contained some bluish-black powder.
“Spirit Powder?”
Not knowing what it was, I used [Appraisal], and it revealed that it was powder imbued with strong magic power.
“I think it’s an ingredient for ink used to draw Magic Circles? Jean, you were researching a Magic Circle to cool Rishu earlier.”
Mishto said, her gaze directed upwards, her finger to her lips.
“I see…”
“Interesting…”
I felt a bit uneasy, but it seemed Haralfa shared the same sentiment. Rishu was oblivious.
When the two were leaving, they also gave me some powder. Since I received it, I decided to concoct some ink.
First, I took a bottle containing Spirit Gall from the shelf. I had diligently gathered and dried it while strolling with Rishu.
Ordinary ink uses galls, which are formed when insects lay eggs on branches of oak trees, causing the tree to secrete tannins that swell up. In Japan, a type of gall produced by aphids is used in iron lacquer.
Spirit Gall, as the name suggests, is created when Spirits poke at something out of mischief. It’s rare and used for the highest-grade ink for drawing Magic Circles. It’s incredibly expensive to buy, but the ones in my mountain are more abundant than the insect galls.
I crushed this finely while infusing it with magic power and boiled it down. For the water used in boiling, I usually get it from the Spirit’s Branch, but this time, I used water from home.
After boiling, I strained it and let it cool, then added wine for preservation. I tossed in a heated iron knife and left it until the brown liquid turned black. I feel like any iron would do, but it seems traditional to use a knife.
Various Spirits peeked in, but this time, I asked the Wind Spirit to play with the liquid.
Once it turned black, I planned to add the powder I received from Rudil. Normally, you would use the powder from a Magic Stone that matches the nature of the Magic Circle.
Hmm, maybe I should use half powder from an ice attribute Magic Stone? Before making it for Rishu, I need to experiment to see if the Magic Circle activates properly. The powder from Rudil would be too precious for practice.
While waiting for it to turn black, I thought about going to buy some solidified mimosa sap. No, I should check the peach trees first. I believe both cherry and peach tree sap would work.
This sap is used to adjust viscosity. And once again, the best quality comes from Spirits making cuts in the bark or young fruits.
To create the highest-grade ink, you need to gather the finest materials and infuse them with magic power… It must be incredibly costly, but the punchline is that everything except the Magic Stones can be found in my garden.