CH 26

Published by HidamarisouView all posts by Hidamarisou6-7 minutes

Part of the reason why I want to camp is to raise the proficiency of my Cooking skill.

I don’t cook for myself when I’m in town. I need to ask inn owners to let me use their kitchen, and they don’t always like that.

And even though they’re not exactly local delicacies, there is food in stalls that I can only eat in specific towns, so I end up eating there too.

I’m having wolf steak for dinner, and soup made from edible wild herbs I picked on the way here and wolf meat.

Having things like soup stock powder can really change a meal while camping.

I boil wolf bones and salt them. Then I throw in wild herbs and wolf meat, and boil it again while managing the fire.

I cut the tendons off the steak meat, sprinkle some salt and pepper, and grill. Spices and seasonings are expensive.

As I eat this plain tasting soup, I start thinking. I’m feeling relatively comfortable with my life, so I need to think about what’s next. I guess food is what’s next on the agenda. Just getting to eat good food is enough to fill one’s heart… Or at least it should be.

And if I can sell it, I won’t have to continue working as an adventurer.

I can be a traveling merchant if I want to go around to different places.

Another thing that’s on my mind is this guild card. I carry it with me as a means of identification, but how important is that in this world? I use it to enter towns and villages, and I show it when I accept quests and report that I completed them, but does it contain records of when I used it?

Now that I think about it, I saw them holding my guild card over some sort of magic item when I entered someplace and showed it to them.

They said something about checking if I wasn’t a criminal, I think? They didn’t do that in the village.

I’ve seen guild employees do something with the card when I accept quests or report that I completed them. But from a skeptical point of view, it looks like they’re able to track me.

It’s fine while I’m here, but when I move to another country, I should probably get another form of identification. I’d be happy if the people of this country just abandoned me because I’m useless and left it at that, but I don’t think they’re going to give up that easily. I need to deal with that too.

I finish eating, and after a short break, switch gears to something else.

The topic at hand now is the fighting I did today. It proved to me that the gun is clearly helpful in battle.

But it’s not without its problems. It’s true that I’m just not used to it, but I can’t stay calm and use it when the enemy gets near. I guess it can’t be helped, since it’s supposed to be a long distance weapon anyway.

Should I make another one and start using two? Or remodel it so it’s capable of rapid-fire?

Obviously I’m not going to aim very well with my non-dominant hand, but I have a skill that corrects it, so I think I should be able to do it if I practice.

The other issue is power. The bullets pierced the wolves’ bodies, but will they do the same with monsters who have tougher skin? I’m particularly thinking about orcs.

If they don’t work, I can probably work on them to make them tougher and more powerful, but will the gun barrel withstand those without breaking?

There are a lot of problems. If I’m going to rework the gun, I’m going to need ore used in alchemy too.

I spread a sheet on the ground, and sleep wrapped with a robe.

There’s no rush to get back, so I’m going to spend another day walking around the forest.

I use Appraisal as I walk around. Today’s goal is to look for things that are edible and I can use as ingredients. There are wild herbs, but also other things like berries. I find quite a bit once I actually start looking.

Some people say nature is a storehouse of food, and I guess they have a point. There are mushrooms too.

But I have to make sure to always use Appraisal, because some plants are toxic.

This one has a component that causes paralysis. Can I use this to make something like a paralyzing bullet?

◇ ◇ ◇

After camping for another day, I decide to return to the village because I’m running out of space in my Item Box.

The gatekeeper is surprised to see me. It’s probably because I told him I was going out to pick medicinal herbs, and he expected me to come back the same day.

“Did something happen?”

“I lost track of time while I was picking herbs. Then I came across some wolves and got lost.”

“Wolves? Where?”

“North from where I was picking medicinal herbs. There were two of them, so I took them down, but…”

“I see. If you have meat with you, we can buy it.”

“I ate some while I was camping, but I can sell the rest. What about the fur?”

“Don’t you think you can get more money for it if you sell it in the guild?”

“It’s less to carry, so I don’t mind. In return, I’d be thankful if you asked the innkeeper to make a nice meal. Especially if it’s something characteristic of this village.”

“Ok. Hold on a second, I have to go call someone.”

I sell the wolf meat and fur I have on me, and spend the night in the village.

The food has been bumped up a notch, like I requested, and became a little fancier. Although the innkeeper is still silent and doesn’t show any sign of wanting to be friendly.

For some reason, I also paid half the price for staying here. The gatekeeper tells me it’s a reward for taking out the wolves for them. I’m thinking it’s less like a reward and more like a token of appreciation.

The next day, when I leave, I feel like the gatekeeper’s tone is a little softer.

Damage caused by monsters is probably a serious problem in this village.