Chapter 475: Mostly Covering Up with Food and Drink
Haulon told me about the sights around Halum. It felt like I had just come up with a plan on a whim, only to realize I had missed out on a lot.
Apparently, there are places in the sea where rocks collide with each other and spots where spirits sing. I wonder if the singing spirits are like sirens? After all, there are unicorns here too.
Well, in my area, the music played by the stones has attracted ships to the northern side of the island for sightseeing. The people here seem to have a weakness for entertainment, especially the sailors, who have such a cheerful image.
“If you take the sea route seriously, there are some rare places…”
“Hey, don’t treat it like it’s something special. Besides, there are cliffs, so you usually have no choice but to take the sea route.”
“Being on a ship seems tough.”
Rats and food and all that.
“When you look away, it makes me a little nervous, like there’s something else going on!”
Chris, the man who gets closer to the truth with the help of his instincts—not spirits!
I was definitely thinking of something that Haulon would reject, so I decided to keep it to myself.
“I’ll give you some beer and karaage.”
“Wait, you’re obviously changing the subject, aren’t you?!”
“It’s just your imagination.”
I pulled out the karaage from [Storage]. It looks like chicken, but it’s actually scad.
“What kind of fried food is this? Lizard?”
Chris leaned in to peek at the plate.
Now that I think about it, I did make karaage from a giant lizard. Let me correct myself: it looks like a giant lizard, but it’s actually scad.
“It’s a white fish called scad.”
“Sea fish, huh?”
As expected of the Great Sage, he knows his stuff.
“Yeah. I also picked up a pufferfish that exploded and floated up.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
I should explain for Chris, who looks completely lost.
“Earlier, I heard from Haulon that in the sea around Halum, there’s a mammal shaped like a fish called a dolphin—”
“A mammal?”
Haulon interrupted, curious. What do they call living creatures here? Isn’t it a mammal? Come on, Language!
“Um, it’s an animal with a backbone that produces milk to raise its young—”
“I know what a mammal is. But isn’t a dolphin a fish?”
Oh, that’s what she meant.
“Dolphins and whales are mammals—probably.”
I added that last part, recalling that I’ve never confirmed this in this world. With spirits around, I can’t say for sure that the horse friends of unicorns and Yukihyo are mammals either.
“Gene, your knowledge is all over the place! Sometimes you casually teach the Great Sage things he doesn’t know.”
And Chris believes what I say without question.
“No, I lost confidence halfway through.”
“Well, when I think about it, that thing does seem a bit off for a fish. I’ll look it up later.”
And Haulon seems determined to verify it herself.
“Putting that aside, the dolphin—a demon beast—sent out a pufferfish demon beast that exploded, but before it could explode, I hit it back, and it blew up in the sea where the dolphins are. That’s how this came to float up. Enjoy it while it’s hot.”
I served it with salt and lemon. Maybe ponzu would be good too?
“Wait a second, let me organize what you just said.”
Haulon pressed her forehead and held out a hand.
“Sorry, I’m bad at explaining. But if I wait, it’ll get cold.”
I was going to say that the dolphin throws it, but it’s just nudging it with its snout like a toss. I’m not sure how to express that.
“It’s not just the explanation… But it does look delicious.”
Haulon looked like she was about to sigh.
The karaage comes highly recommended by [Appraisal]. The smaller scad is cleaned, with the head and bones fried to a crisp.
Crispy and crunchy. For me, the bones and larger bones tend to get stuck in my mouth, but it seems the people here prefer a bit of texture.
The fragrant batter, the crunch of the small bones, and the light, delicate white flesh.
“This is delicious. Such a refined taste.”
“This smooth fat—is it from the fish? My mouth is hot, but this beer is just perfect with it!”
The beer here is served at room temperature, but for me, having seen commercials in Japan, beer should be ice-cold. Of course, I’ve chilled it.
Since I sometimes serve chilled drinks, no one questions how I do it anymore. I made a Chilly Plate EX and created a refrigerator—or rather, a cooling box—so I’m ready for the hot season.
“Ah, this too.”
I had shaved ice piled high in a bowl. If it gets good reviews, I plan to serve it to Ash.
By the way, I made a frozen plate that’s rock-solid and tried to make ice cream, but I spilled the mixture. What I have here is the thin layer that froze and was scraped off with a spatula.
It’s thin enough to melt quickly, and the taste isn’t bad! It’s strawberry ice cream! I’m not thinking of letting Ash have it first because it’s a failure or anything!