20 - CHAPTER XVIII FERTILIZER MAKING

Dedicated to collecting seaweed in the sea. That's a lot of seaweed. This should be enough for a small field. I thought of drying them on the beach, but it would be better to wash them with fresh water since they have seawater on them.

I have heard of salt damage, and salt is not good for a field. It's hard to take a break here, so I should go back to the well and do some processing. I should wash small fishes with fresh water, too. I'm doing this with my head in the sand, so I'm a bit nervous. I wish I had a cell phone so I could look things up on the internet.

TAIRYO

"Cue."

"Oh, that's a lot. Thank you."

They look a little disappointed. I guess we'll have to do it again.　

"Gohon. Agent Bell. Agent Raine. Thank you for completing the mission. After placing the small fish on the rocks, we'll give you a break."

"Yee-ha ha!"

"Cu-cu-cu."

After answering cheerfully, he placed the pile of small fish on the rock and went off to play in the sea. Well, you can't store live small fish, ...... so you break their necks to store them, since you are not going to eat them.

Although it is a necessary act, breaking the necks of small fishes one after another is mentally demanding. Do we work mindlessly?

"Finally, I'm done!"

"Good work. It's getting dark soon. Shall we head for the rocky outpost?"

Yes, I do. Let's take a break and have dinner at the rocky outpost. After nightfall, we can go back to the well site to level up.

We call Belle and Rain and head for the rocky outpost with Sylphy. It's hard to say "rocky outpost" or "well" outpost. The rocky hill is the house of the sea. Let's call the rocky hill the house of the sea and the well the house of the spring. We'll have to tell Dine.

**

"Good morning, everyone."

We come back to the fountain house, say hello to everyone the next morning, and get to work.

"Belle. Rain. I need you to help me with some things today.

"I'll help you!"

"Cue."

It's nice to hear a cheerful reply. I can't help but pat her head.

"What are you doing?"

"Cu?"

"First, I'd like to ask a favor of Lane. I need you to wash this clean. Can you use the water from the fountain to clean it?"

He pointed to a large amount of small fish and seaweed he had taken out of his magic bag. He slapped his chest with his fins and said, "I'll take care of it," confidently. You're getting good at this, aren't you?

"Cueeeeee!"

Rain squealed, and a large ball of water floated up from the spring and enveloped the small fish. The little fish is spinning around in the water. It's like a washing machine.

"Ah! ...... Dine. It's not a good idea to put salt water on the ground. Can you clean that water with rain?"

"Hmm. If you become a middle level spirit, you can at least separate the salt, but it's difficult for Rain.

If I can make a contract with a mid-level water spirit, does that mean I can use all the salt I want?　That's great. No, now we have to figure out how to treat the water. I think we should have just washed the seaweed in the first place. ...... With the amount of seaweed, maybe a full wash would be quicker.

I see. I don't think it's a good idea to throw salt water all over the place. I don't know."

"Why don't you store them in your magic bag?"

Sylphy easily offered me a solution. I just thought, if we store a lot of water from the spring and a lot of fish, we can have a mobile base and get to where the people are. .......

I look at them happily helping me prepare the fields...... Well, it's hard to walk for more than a hundred days. It would be much easier to level up at the Fountain House, make a contract with Sylphy, and fly away. Let's think about walking when the magic doesn't go up to B.

"That was a blind spot. Thank you Sylphy."

The small fish are taken out on the rocks and the water is stored in the bag. The same process is repeated with the seaweed.

"Yuta. Berumo!"

He was excitedly waiting for his turn, but he couldn't wait any longer.

"Yes, I know. I want Belle to dry this little fish with the wind."

A dry and dead land. With the strong sun and Bell's wind, it will be dry in no time. I put the washed seaweed next to them and ask them to dry them as well.

"You are going to mix those small fish and seaweed into a powder and mix it with the soil?"

Sylphy seems skeptical.

"Yes. That's right, but I'm worried about the quantity and whether seaweed is enough or not. I'm only trying with what I've heard, so I'm afraid I'll fail.

I should have at least tried vegetable gardening.

"Well, you can't do anything about the situation, so you're bound to fail. You can do whatever you want."

"Yes. I'll do what I can.

He picks up a small fish he is drying and checks it. It's going to take a while.

"Belle. Rain. You can rest if you get tired. Take it easy."

"Yes, sir."

"Cue."

Belle straddles Lane and winds around a rock with small fish and seaweed spread out on it. He seems to be having a good time, so I guess he's okay.

When I look at the little fish, something gets stuck in my head. What is it?　I'll take another closer look. Ah. Dried fish. We can make dried fish. Dried fish also makes me want rice, but it's enough to change my mind.　　　

Dried fish is just soaked in salt water and dried, right?　Can I soak them in seawater and dry them in the sun?　No, I think the salinity was much higher.

Hmm. Don't worry about how long it lasts because I'll store it in my magic bag. So, I guess seawater would work, too, since it's more like low-sodium dried fish?　I'll give ...... a try.

Open a nice grilled fish and rinse it well in seawater. Prepare fresh seawater and soak the fish. Hmmm, how long should I soak the fish?

I need the salt to sink into the fish. Let's try making it in 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour. I think this fish will taste better in the sun rather than drying it quickly in the wind.

I don't have a drying stand. I'll make this one out of rocks. Cut a piece of rock about 3cm wide and make numerous holes with the tip of a chisel. It's a detailed and tedious work.

After the two rocks are cut out, thinly sliced and perforated plate-like rocks are placed so that they form a bridge, and the process is complete. Soak the fish for about ten minutes and place them on the drying table.

When the time comes, you can move the fish to the drying platform. It will take some time for the seaweed and the small fish to get thirsty. It's awkward to take a leisurely break when I've asked Belle and Rain to do the work.

We should think of a way to grind the small fish and seaweed into a powder. I know what a millstone ...... looks like, but the meshing would have had to be slightly adjusted. Let's not do that.

If we think simply, we could make a mortar-like thing out of rocks and scrape it with a hammer. It's not food, so it doesn't matter if the rock is a little worn out. Let's get to work on the mortar.

We have a lot of small fish and seaweed, so the bigger the better. Take a two-meter hexahedron-shaped rock and insert a shovel into it to make a mortar shape.

The slight irregularities may be useful to grind the rock, so there is no need to correct them. It is only necessary to make a rough shape, so it will be done soon. After cutting it with a survival knife, grind it with a hammer.

After 30 minutes in the sea water, the fish is transferred to a drying rack, and you are left to your own devices again. It's nice and easy, but too much efficiency is also a problem.

...... more dishes. I want to have a cup of coffee for the first time in a while, and I'll make a mug for it. It's instant coffee, so it should last for a while if I drink it once in a while.

I suddenly feel like drinking it. I guess it's a good thing that I haven't had time to do so before. I usually have a spoonful of coffee and two cups of creeps. Half a stick of sugar is a must for me, but I'll have one cup of coffee and one of creeps, and a third of sugar.

I'm sure I can taste it now, even if it's different from what I usually have. I'll drink it gracefully after dinner. I'm looking forward to it. I make a mug, a flat plate, a soup plate, chopsticks, a spoon. I make everything I can think of.

I'm so enthusiastic that I forget to move the fish in an hour. I'd have been in trouble if Sylphy hadn't warned me.

While I was digesting my time making things, Belle and Rain flew in.

"Oh, you're so cute!"

"Cue."

"Whoa. Thanks for the help, you two. You're a big help.

"Huhi. Good?

"Cue?"

"Oh, you're both such good boys. You're a big help to me.

Belle and Rain start playing with each other. That's cute. While I was gazing at the scene in a daze, I was approached by Sylphy.

"Yuta. You have a completely loving expression on your face.

I come to my senses. I would say that the combination of a child and an animal is not fair. I think it's adorable.

"Uh, we need to cut up some dried fish and seaweed. Let's go."

Without turning to Sylphy, he heads for the fish and seaweed. They are dry to the touch. I can break them into pieces.

I gather up the small fish and seaweed, extend my survival knife, and swing it down lightly to chop them up. It cuts right through to the rocks below.

...... is right. I've processed rocks with this before. No wonder it can cut rocks. Both survival knives and saws can cut so fast that I can't really tell the difference other than the shape.

I'd better not put a shovel under it or ...... it would be too shocking if the shovel gets cut. If you can get to the town, get a regular knife. This time we have to be careful not to cut the rock.

Carefully chop it up and transfer it to a huge mortar. Take a hammer about 50 centimeters in size and grind the small fish and seaweed together.

"Kona kona kona!"

"Cu-cu-cu."

"Oh. You two dried it out so well, it'll shatter."

Belle and Rain are peering curiously into the mortar.

I try to warn them about the danger of falling in, but then I remember that they can fly. If they were caught in the mortar in the first place, would physical attacks work on spirits?

Huh?　Normally, I can't see them and can't touch them, so their attacks won't work, but I can see them and touch them. I'll have to check that later. I'm wielding a big hammer when I fight, I can't afford to get caught in the middle of it.

As I spin the hammer, I think about what I need to check. If I can attack the spirits, doesn't that make me a dangerous person?

It would be quite a shock if the spirits abandoned us here. I should just keep my mouth shut. ...... I can't. If I get Belle and Rain involved, I'm afraid it will kill them.