Chapter 58: Location
After Rishu’s walk, I headed to the Guild.
I came to drop off the backpack that Zack had requested. However, instead of leather, I brought several prototypes made of cloth. Since I was just going to dismantle them to examine their structure, this was perfectly fine.
I’m registered with the Merchant Guild, but for adventurers who aren’t registered and have limited trading capabilities, the Adventurer’s Guild sometimes registers products with the Merchant Guild. The condition is that the items must be useful for adventuring. While the percentage of usage fees that goes to the Adventurer’s Guild is lower, the payment period is longer—five years instead of three.
It’s definitely more convenient than just a regular bag, and it’s bound to be a long-term success. Plus, going through the Adventurer’s Guild means it’ll spread quickly among adventurers, and it’s harder to tell who the developer receiving the money is. I really want to go through the Adventurer’s Guild for this.
I can just hand over what seems to be a specification sheet along with the actual product and leave the rest to them—no hassle at all.
I glanced around the tavern, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dean and the others, but they weren’t there. I didn’t know where they were. Before setting off on the investigation request, I had talked to Dean about checking on the Spirit, so it wasn’t a problem if I didn’t see him.
Alright, time to make some soap.
The soap around here is made from animal fat, which smells terrible during production, and the final product has a bit of an odor as well, likely because it’s not fully refined. By the way, the glycerin that separates during soap-making is also available in the market. Both are expensive, but since beasts are plentiful in the area, it’s cheaper in Kanum than in other towns.
The basic ingredients for soap are animal fat, ash from burned plants, oils, and an alkali agent. The reason the soap here is soft and doesn’t solidify properly is that the alkalinity of the ash is weak.
In Japan, or rather, in France, Marseille soap is made from olive oil and seaweed. Seawater contains sodium—alkaline. So, first, I need to go to the sea.
After three days of burning seaweed to make ash and boiling it with seawater, experimenting along the way, I finally completed a thin olive-colored solid soap. I only realized the existence of the soapberry after it was done, but that’s just a coincidence.
…Well, these things happen.
The seeds of the soapberry are black and are used for making the traditional Japanese game of hanetsuki, and the surrounding fruit skin foams up like soap, acting as a surfactant, so it can be used as soap itself. The fruit of the Kawarafujinoki has the same properties, but I haven’t seen it around here.
I bought some sheets, and there’s silk among them. Silk can get damaged by the alkali in soap, so it turns out that soapberry or Kawarafujinoki would be better. But still, soap is more convenient, even if making it wasn’t easy at all. Now that I understand the recipe for soap, I should be able to make it more efficiently next time.
I dug a hole in a suitable spot in the mountains to transplant the soapberry. Rishu, thinking he was helping, was also digging beside me, creating an adorable little hole.
Having a home is nice.
While feeling warm and fuzzy, I spent a few hours in the afternoon chasing Spirits in the forest and naming things at home. I wanted to use magic, but I felt like I might collapse just from the naming process, so it seems I won’t be able to do that until the issue with the broken Spirits settles down.
I gathered wild asparagus and young dandelion leaves from the mountain near my home to make a salad. Apparently, dandelions are commonly eaten around here during this season.
The dandelion with the reflexed calyx is the Western dandelion, while the one with petals facing upward is the traditional Japanese dandelion. Since the ones here have reflexed calyxes, they seem to be of the Western variety, but the leaves look a bit different.
The vegetation in this world seems very similar, yet slightly different. The names are almost the same—no, perhaps they’re just somewhat replaced based on my knowledge? I still don’t quite understand what the 【Language】 ability I received entails.
For example, when I teleport to a distant place, the language has an accent. To me, it seems just a bit accented, but others say it’s completely incomprehensible in another language. I can speak normally without an accent, and it’s all quite confusing. It feels like I’m thinking in Japanese and speaking in Japanese, and the other person is also speaking Japanese. It’s convenient, so I can’t complain.
The map I received roughly describes the land as resembling the upper half of a dragon with its wings spread, facing downward and breathing fire. The eastern side, which corresponds to the lower half, is swallowed by the Demon Forest and remains unknown.
The place where my home is located is called the Dragon’s Jaw, while the area where my sisters, the Heroes, wander is known as the Dragon’s Eye. The Dragon’s Jaw, where my home is, has a mountain range, and while there is trade by sailing ships, the land route is isolated from others.
Next door is Ash’s country. Ajeel, where the town of Kanum is located, is further east, on the side of the Demon Forest.
Since my only means of transportation is on foot or through 【Teleportation】, I have no real sense of scale, but there are many countries, large and small, on this continent. In fact, the mountain where my home is located can be considered a country, so it might be at the level of claiming to be a country even at the city level.
There are too many countries, and with territories changing due to victories and defeats, it’s impossible to remember them all. The map I received is also a cheat; when territories change, the borders shift, which is incredibly helpful. Areas where borders are shifting are currently at war, so I’ll avoid getting too close.
I wonder if there’s a place that resembles Japan if I go east beyond this Demon Forest? I want to avoid sudden 【Teleportation】 since I don’t know what kind of Demon Beasts might be there. It would be better to gradually venture deeper into the Demon Forest and check it out.
Even though I say gradually, it’s still 【Teleportation】. For the time being, I want to sort out the Spirits, so once I finish capturing them, I’ll move.
Ah, I should check Ash and Dean’s subjugation schedules to avoid running into them.