Chapter 450: Nars Herb
The candidate for the disassembly location is the Northern Lands, but before that, I’ll make a detour.
I plan to research dragons at the Thermist Library. I’ve rummaged through books about where they are, the occasional sightings of dragons, and how to search for them, but I haven’t looked into dragons as materials yet.
Since I have [All Cooking], disassembling for cooking should be easy, but I’m not confident about the materials for uses other than cooking.
I can’t eat inside the library, so I’ll grab a meal first. I’ve eaten at Thermist before, so this time I’ll visit a different island.
I can’t go to a very small island without raising suspicion, so I’ll choose a relatively larger one. Among the many islands, I picked one that seemed to have a lot of greenery from a distance.
On my island, and the islands near the Talia Peninsula, if you work hard to break through the bedrock, you can find fresh water, but the water around here is salty. It’s not too bad for me, having just returned from the dragon’s dwelling, but the wind is a bit strong.
Perhaps because of that, the greenery here looks like olives or has a white fuzz on the surface, making vibrant green a rare sight. It seems like the white fuzz absorbs morning dew.
I pretend to be a visitor checking out the other villages. I teleport a little distance away and walk into the village.
One of the small villages on the island has houses made of yellowish ochre soil and stone. The houses look like they’re made of uneven stones packed with soil, and the doors are a reddish-brown, giving them a charming appearance from my perspective.
A fence rises to about my chest and stretches on for quite a while. The fence has a much larger area than the walls of the village houses. Is it to block the wind? No, it looks like a stone-filled island, so it seems like they piled up stones while clearing the area for the fence.
My island also struggled to secure ground for planting. — I solved it with a brute-force method using [Storage], but the villagers built stone walls to prevent it from collapsing. Thanks to that, flat land has increased in places other than where I filled it with soil.
The greenery on this island turned out to be grapes. Rather than being cultivated, they seem to have sprouted and spread naturally all over the place! The grapes in front of me are climbing the fence, creating a tunnel-like appearance.
And then, a problem arises: it seems there’s no place to eat.
“Excuse me, is there anywhere in this village where I can get a meal?” I ask a seemingly bored old man, showing him a copper coin.
“What do you want?” The old man notices my presence.
If I get closer, he recognizes I’m there. Otherwise, I might get stepped on or squished. He forgets about me as soon as I step away.
Wait, is pretending to be a visitor from another village pointless?
“I’m traveling around tasting different foods to learn. I’d be happy to try a dish that’s popular on this island,” I say cheerfully while holding out the copper coin.
“Oh, you’re an odd one,” he replies, his frown easing, though he’s not smiling.
“I’d appreciate it if you could introduce me to someone skilled in cooking in this village.”
“Well, if you’re looking for a good cook, it’s Hannah at the blacksmith’s.” He stands up and starts walking briskly.
It’s a small village, so it’s not far.
“Hey, Dan! Is your wife around?” The old man walks straight through the open door. I follow, wondering if that’s okay.
Inside, the ground is just dirt, and a man is repairing what looks like farming tools. He doesn’t seem very much like a blacksmith.
“Hannah’s in the back,” he says, continuing his work, ignoring the old man and me. We’re close enough that he should notice I’m here.
Then, I’m treated to the island’s cuisine by a plump, cheerful woman. It’s grilled tuna with goat cheese and herbs. There’s no specific name for the dish, and she says it can be made with other fish too.
The heap of herbs on top is called Feti. It has a flavor that’s a mix between tropical and something pungent… I’ve gotten used to goat cheese, but it’s quite strong, ma’am.
The island clearly seems to lack vegetables, so I think the generous amount is to supplement nutrition. I might get used to it… maybe.
Yeah. Keeping a smile was quite the challenge!
I give her a small silver coin as thanks… She wraps up two or three portions of the earlier dish in grape leaves for me.
Holding it in my hand, I head to the entrance of the Spirit Library, the temple. Once I put it in [Storage], I doubt I’ll take it out again.
“Welcome. — Here, water is more valuable than gold coins.” The old man bows slowly as I take out a water jug and thank him.
We both have our secrets, so I quickly revealed my [Storage] to avoid complications. Carrying water alone is cumbersome. Fresh water is not only offered to Rudil but is also favored by many Spirits.
“If you’d like, here’s some local cuisine.” I push the wrapped dish toward him.
“What’s this?”
“Grilled fish wrapped in herbs?”
As the old man opens the package, a delightful aroma wafts out, mingling with an indescribable faint scent.
“Oh, Nars… It’s been a while since I’ve had this.” The old man smiles happily.
Unexpectedly well-received!