Chapter 375: Gathering People
“Hey there, brother! You seem to be doing quite well!”
It was the fifth day since we began fishing in the waters near Soleige Bay. Today, as I finished dismantling a giant squid at the harbor and was being treated to a meal by El, I was approached by a trio of men dressed in typical fisherman attire.
Still, it was true that business was booming.
“Well, we had a great catch today.”
“Oh ho, is that so? How about you let us have a taste? We’ll pay, of course.”
One of the men pulled out a bag filled with coins from his pocket. I thought they were trying to cause trouble, but it seemed I was mistaken.
“In that case, why don’t you join the others over there?”
I pointed toward a group of fishermen who were having a lively time, and one of the older fishermen noticed and raised his hand.
“Ha ha ha! You lot come over here and eat with us!”
He was slightly tipsy, holding a piece of grilled dried squid in one hand and looking quite cheerful. By the way, the dried squid was a quick version made using magic to extract moisture. I was hoping to compare it with the properly sun-dried version someday.
“Is that alright?”
“Of course, come on over!”
Before I knew it, adventurers and even street urchins from the slums had joined in, and the gathering had grown to about three times the size it was on the first day. I discreetly cast purification magic on some of the urchins, and occasionally, a child would sneak away with some ingredients, but I chose to ignore it. The ingredients had already been provided to the fishermen, so it wasn’t my concern.
“I see you’re a high-ranking adventurer. Would you be willing to supply ingredients to our trading company?”
Next, a merchant-like figure approached us. Compared to the earlier ruffians, he was dressed quite decently.
“Uh, um…”
Ivan hesitated, and the merchant, realizing his mistake, hurriedly introduced himself.
“My apologies! I am Miles Ralfred, in charge of the Isolage branch of the Rashiyu Trading Company.”
Miles, as he introduced himself, faced Ivan. It made sense that Ivan appeared to be the strongest among us, so it was only natural for the merchant to address him. Honestly, if Ivan was handling this, it would save me the trouble.
But the Rashiyu Trading Company, huh? I wondered how Fleur was doing since she had auctioned off the Earth Dragon.
“I wasn’t the one who caught the giant fish… Hey, Shu! Shu!”
As I reminisced for a moment, Ivan shook me from my thoughts.
“W-what? I’m so sorry! You were the one who caught the giant fish, weren’t you…? Hm? You’re called Shu…?”
“Ah, yes, sorry. The one who caught it was me and the girl over there, Rio.”
As I replied to the merchant, he turned to me, staring intently. It was a bit uncomfortable being scrutinized like that.
“C-could it be that you are the S Rank Adventurer known as ‘Nation Crusher,’ Lord Shu?”
“Hm?”
“‘Nation Crusher.'”
I thought I misheard something strange attached to my name, but soon after, Ivan and Rio’s voices harmonized perfectly.
“That’s a title, isn’t it?”
“Ah, yes, that’s correct. The nation would have preferred to avoid the news of their near downfall, but with such a spectacle, it was probably unavoidable.”
Miles answered Ivan’s question politely. I understood how the title came to be, but it was a bit embarrassing to be called that in person…
“Hmm. Nation Crusher, huh?”
“Wow. Nation Crusher, huh?”
“Kunio toshi?”
“Shut up.”
My companions chimed in, repeating my title. I couldn’t help but respond gruffly, but I hoped they would forgive me.
“Ah, so, about buying the giant fish…”
“Ah, yes, that’s right!”
I forcefully redirected the conversation back to Miles.
“If you want to buy, I can sell, but what types and how many do you need?”
Just then, El appeared, pulling out several sheets of A4 paper from her bag and spreading them out.
There were detailed photographs and descriptions of the giant fish we had caught outside the bay. Apparently, El had created this document as practice on her computer, and even to an untrained eye, it was clear that it was well-made.
“W-what is this pristine white paper?! And these images…! It’s as if the real thing is inside the paper!”
Miles exclaimed dramatically, but he seemed more focused on the document than on discussing the purchase, flipping through the pages without progressing the conversation. However, it wasn’t something I needed to rush into, so I decided to leisurely enjoy my squid noodles while I waited. The wasabi was just right and delicious.
“I’ll give you that document, so please take your time to review it later.”
However, El, growing impatient with the slow progress, smiled at Miles and said.
“Huh?! I-I apologize for my rudeness!”
Miles snapped back to reality, studying the document intently, muttering to himself.
“—What?!”
But as he flipped through a few more pages, he suddenly froze. Upon closer inspection, there was a photo of an octopus, which in this world was referred to as a Sea Devil. It was so large that if it were cut into pieces, it would be unrecognizable as an octopus, so I figured it would be best to keep quiet about it.
I wondered what he would do next, and it seemed he chose to ignore it. With a strained expression, he turned to the next page.
“—Bwah?!”
Then he burst out laughing.
Peering over his shoulder, I saw a photo of a poisonous fish. Of course, the average person wouldn’t know that giant fish could be poisonous, but I figured similar fish could be caught in the bay.
If identified, it would be easy to determine which parts were toxic, so there was no issue.
“Oh, that one. I had it yesterday, and it was incredibly delicious.”
A fisherman at the next table chimed in, joining the festivities.
“If you’d like, feel free to try some.”
El placed a plate with bite-sized sashimi and grilled fish on top of the document he had just finished reviewing. Each type of sashimi was accompanied by the appropriate seasonings and garnishes.
At this point, there was no way he could refuse.
“Everything is delicious!”
Miles shouted, overwhelmed by the flood of information.