354-322 Do I need a side job? (1)

Thank you for your hard work. Nao, Yuki.

Yeah, I'm a little tired.

Our work on the brewery was over by noon.

After building the walls of the basement and laying the foundation of the building, Simon said, "We'll take care of the rest, no problem," and we were excused.

So even now, I can hear the sound of construction from outside.

But the carpenters here are great, aren't they? They work so fast.

I thought so when this house was being built, but it's true.

Natsuki's miso is done, right?

Yes, the preparation itself. Yes, the preparation itself will take a while, but you can look forward to it.

Oh. By the way, how's the sake coming along?　By the way, how's the sake coming along? It looks like you've put a lot of work into it. ......

I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm sure Tommy and his team will work hard on that. We provided the koji mold, the rice, and the place.

"I hope they succeed, though. It might make it easier to get rice.

Is that what they're interested in?

Of course, I want rice, too.

So we're just going to leave the rest to them?

No, I'm actually thinking of getting involved a little, you know, on the side.

As the story goes, I thought I'd be helping out with the yeast extraction, but then I got an unexpected response from Haruka.

"Why again?

I don't need a second job, I'm making enough money, and I'm not having trouble making a living.

I don't think there's any need to get involved in the production of alcohol. .......

I don't think you need to get involved in the production of alcohol.

...... No, they're not popular, at least not in this world.

In Japan, there have been reports that more and more companies are allowing people to work on the side, but I've never heard of anyone working on the side, at least not here.

At least, I've never heard of anyone having a side job here, since it's common to not even have a decent day off.

Speaking of side jobs, Haruka had a backpack income, right? What about that?

It's not much, that's... It's not much, it's just enough to cover living expenses. And you don't get it all the time. ......

...... Do you need money for something?　I can give you some.

You're not Toya, you're not stuck in a whorehouse and have no money, are you?

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find out more about it by visiting our website.

I'm not sure what to say. Haruka is thinking about the time when she retires as an adventurer, and the time when she can't work as an adventurer. You see, depending on your life stage, you may not be able to work for a period of time.

"Life stage ......

So that's what Simon told me.

Should I think about the fact that I might not be able to work for a year or two in some cases?

Well, if that's the case, there's no reason to oppose it. Yeah.

Even though we have recovery magic, there are still concerns.

That's true.

In the beginning, I was afraid that if I got injured or sick and couldn't work, I would be lost immediately.

Fortunately, thanks to Mr. [Robusto]'s work, I've been able to live without any illnesses, but there's no way I can say that I'll be safe forever.

If the need arose, I could ask Simon to let me work for him, but considering the number of civil engineering works being done in this town, I think an occasional job would be just fine.

What about Toya?

Of course, I have no reason to object!　I'd rather make a lot of money!

Oh, I see. I know.

He's running low on cash.

Well, he's not in town that long, so I don't think he's really put all his money into it. ...... He's still young.

But when you say get involved, what do you mean?　You're not just going to help me extract the yeast, are you?

If that's all you're doing, I wouldn't dare say anything else.

We're hoping to make something other than rice and the other ingredients that are commonly used to make sake around here. ......

No, that's pretty hard to do, isn't it?

I'm not too familiar with it, but the most common alcoholic beverages available around here are wheat ale and grape wine.

There are also some high-class fruit wines made from fruits such as apples, but it would be out of the question to make them here, where there is no production area.

If I had to guess, I would say that this is a place where dingdol is produced, but even dingdol is expensive. I wonder what the price of liquor that uses a lot of it would be.

Can it be competitively priced?　Is it competitive?

Needless to say, the town of Laffan is not a granary.

The town of Laffan is not a granary at all. The area around Pining produces a lot of wheat, which makes it an ale producing area, but if you're going to import ingredients to Laffan, you're going to have to make a very good brew to sell it.

...... No, maybe you really want a ding dong?

If it's a super-premium liquor, there's a chance?

Yeah. So the goal is to use underutilized or cheap plants to make alcohol.

Wrong. Plus...

It's even more difficult.

I know it's difficult, but we can still be adventurers for another ten years or so.　I thought it would be good to find something around that time.

"Considering the fact that Earth's alcoholic beverages are made from unexpected ingredients, I'd say there's no possibility. We have more knowledge than most people in this world.

Well, there you have it: ......

Knowledge of the earth's liquor, how starch becomes sugar, knowledge of alcoholic fermentation, knowledge of yeast, and so on. It's hard to discover something new, but it's much easier to imitate it.

If you think about it, it's not impossible.

I've told Toya to look for something in the forest.

Is that so?

He turned his head towards Toya and she nodded lightly.

"Oh, I'm gonna try to get there tomorrow, okay?　Why don't you join us, Nao?

Yeah, I don't mind going out with you, but ......

Is it that easy to find?　You can't find anything that can be used to make alcohol.

It's best to use something with sugar, like honey or fruit, because they have enough value on their own. We're looking for starchy plants like potatoes, bulbs, stems, that sort of thing.

Okay. I'll look for it.

We don't have iodine solution, so we can't experiment, but we can look for something powdery.

Like potatoes.

You're coming with me!

Oh, yeah?　Okay, let's go. Just for fun.

"If you're going, I'm going with you.

Mary agreed to join us, and now there were four of us.

We've grown up to be able to go to the forest easily.

I'd like to ask Mary to give us some ideas for our own .......

If I can help, I will. ....... But I'm not as smart as Haruka and the others. ......

Don't worry about it, Mary, you're smart enough.

Is that so?　Thank you very much.

When Natsuki praised Mary for her self-deprecating words, Mary smiled a little happily.

And what I want to ask you is, in a way, what is Mary's specialty?　So, yeah. I don't care what it tastes like, what cheap food do you know?

"Cheap food"?　What we used to eat when we were short of money were ego potatoes. They are very cheap.

When Mary answered immediately without thinking, Mitya, who was standing beside her, raised her eyebrows and curved her mouth into a crooked line.

It's not good!　When you eat it, it makes you oozy. When you eat it, you get an oooh and an aaah.

Hahaha ....... It's a very sour potato, so you have to grind it and soak it in water before you can eat it, but it's still ....... I'm not a MeeTia, but it makes me want to eat it.

We both chuckled at Mitya's very understandable expression.

Even if you discount the fact that Mitya has a child's tongue, it's probably not a very tasty potato.

"Are those the kind of potatoes that are usually sold?

In Kerg you could buy them at the market, but here ...... I'm sorry, I haven't had a chance to eat them since Haruka and the others picked them up, thankfully.

Oh, that's okay. I'll see what I can do.

I'll try to find it." Haruka responded to the apologetic Mary with a slight wave of her hand.

But ego-imo.

But ego potatoes... If you look hard enough, you can find quite a variety of them in this town.