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Chapter 285: Breakfast at a Stall

I woke up early so that I’d still have time for a stroll. Ash and Butler were also awake and said that they were going to take a morning bath. Usually, the bathhouse would still be preparing to open at this time, but you can enter if you pay a bit more, apparently.

I sent Ash and Butler out first, then I【Teleport】. My house is warmer than the one in Canum, but the mountain top is as cold as in the fortress city. Riche prefers the cold, so he was very lively.

The piggy-kun ahead of us was busy foraging for mushrooms. Hey, I don’t want to eat you anymore, so you don’t have to be so desperate, alright?

I don’t think I’m cut out for taking care of livestock. I don’t have any qualms slaughtering animals that I hunted, but I get attached to the animals if I look after them for long. The chickens lay eggs without a break, and the goats have milk even though they don’t have kids. The cattle don’t even come in breeding pairs, but the cows also have milk.

They must’ve undergone a laudable evolution to avoid being eaten by me — just kidding, maybe they’re no longer ordinary animals? A flash of doubt did cross my mind; every now and then, I hear about spirits playing pranks on cows so that they’ll produce milk, so that must’ve been what happened. Yup.

There’s a lot of black trumpet mushrooms, and only a little bit of pols*. Piggy-kun pawed the ground, as if to urge me to dig there, so I did as he asked. It’s probably truffles.

I stuck X-Stick a little distance away from the spot that Piggy-kun pointed, then I started to dig. The distinct damp smell of the forest’s soil permeated the air.

「Hmmm, not bad. The earth here is good. 」

X-Stick is a soil connoisseur. He didn’t have any roots, but the tip of X-Stick can determine the quality of the soil. Maybe he absorbs a bit of it?

「Ooh, winter truffles! 」
「Ou! Is it something good? 」
I picked it up so that X-Stick could see it better.

「It’s a dirt ball! 」
X-Stick snickered. Ah, he’s right, it’s a crooked dirt ball.

Winter truffles are more aromatic than summer truffles, and they are also more expensive. I always thought it’s just a single type of truffle, or maybe the difference is only “black” and “white”, but it seems I’m mistaken. I still can’t tell them apart, though!
Riche was happily burrowing, but he trotted closer and looked up at me.

「Wanna see it too, Riche? 」
He sniffed the ball on my outstretched palm, then sneezed afterward.

We ended our stroll time in the forest out of pity for the frantic Piggy-kun. The autumn figs were already nearing the end of their season, so I gathered some thinking it might be the last harvest for this year, before returning to the house.

Ahh, bath time, bath time! Our adventure was finally done and we’re back in the city, so my lifestyle ban is also lifted. Ahh, I can finally wash my body!!

I let the shower run while scrubbing every nook and cranny, then after I felt refreshed, I started drawing water for the bathtub — uh, I couldn’t wait until it’s full, so I just poured the rest of the water directly from 【Storage】, then I submerged myself.

Yeah, I really can’t give up this lifestyle. I soaked till I’m a cooked shrimp, so I dived straight into the bedsheets after. The clean, silky smooth sheets felt so comfortable. I really love being at home.

We’re going to the temple today, so I couldn’t roll in the sheets forever. I changed into a new set of clothes then teleported back to the inn in the fortress city.

「Morning. 」
Ash and Butler were also back, so everyone gathered together in the fireplace room to drink tea.

「What are we gonna have for breakfast? 」
「Let’s have Jean’s bread while buying stuff at the stalls! 」
Dinosso.

「Have my bread while buying food? 」
The image of everyone munching on bread while heading towards the stall flashed through my mind.

I took out some bread as I was told, and Butler took them and wrapped them in paper. Khan and I still didn’t understand what’s going on.

And so, we asked what it was all about. Apparently, it’s a trend for folks to buy bread from the bakery and have it stuffed with the ingredients they like from the food stalls.

After leaving the inn, I saw people walking around while holding bread as we got nearer to the area where the food stalls were lined up. I imagined a sandwich, but it’s more like using the bread as a make-shift plate, huh.

「The shops that handle bread are still strictly regulated, from the location down to the wheat’s amount, which is a remnant from the past. 」
Butler explained, but my eyes had long been captured by the sight of the whole roasted wild pig.

The stall boss shaved off the roasted meat and placed it on the bread of the waiting customers that queued up. The scent of roasted meat wafted through this entire area, and it was terrific.

Some stalls quickly remove the barbecued chicken from the skewers and place it on the bread. Some of the customers add onions, while some go to the spice stalls to have them sprinkle some spices on their bread.

「Hey, make sure you don’t get ripped off. 」
Retze warned me, bringing me back to my senses.

「Hey, Khan already bought his. 」
Khan was standing by the wild boar stall receiving meat.

The currency is different so Khan would probably be ripped off… or not. I don’t think anyone would have the courage to swindle such a huge, fierce-looking guy with ripped muscles.

「I think I’ll go for eggs and bacon. 」
Dinosso looked around the stalls.

Butler was whispering something to Ash.

「Jean, if you want whole roasted meat, then let’s go over to that stall. They sell monster meat, apparently. It’s about to be done roasting. 」
「Oh? 」
Ash pulled my sleeve and took me to that stall. The other dishes seemed delicious too, but other than chicken, I never experienced roasting anything whole, so I can’t help but choose it.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Ash and I take a bite of the bread topped with meat. The toppings were onions and the seasoning was simple.

The meat was tender, the juice oozing with a mellow sweetness. The fragrant aroma was already enough to satisfy my hunger.