Chapter 450: Nalus Herb
The Northern continent is a potential place for dismantling, but there’s somewhere I need to stop by first.
I plan to go to the library in Telmist and do some research about dragons. I already picked out books about stuff like the places they are found, info about the dragons that occasionally show up, and how to look for them, but I hadn’t looked up anything about the materials you can obtain from them.
I have【 Complete Cookery 】 so I’m pretty sure it’d be easy for me to butcher the dragon if it’s meant for cooking, but I’m not confident that I can say the same when dismantling it for non-cooking purposes.
Food and drinks aren’t allowed inside the library so I’ll have a meal first. I already tried eating in Telmist before, so let’s pick a different island this time.
I picked a fairly large island, because going to a smaller one without following the proper boat procedures would look too suspicious. Out of all the islands, I chose one that seemed to have a lot of greenery from afar.
The islands around here have salty water, unlike most of the islands near the Talia Peninsula, including mine, which have fresh water if you dig deep enough. The wind is also pretty strong here, although I just came from the dragons’ lair so it’s no big deal for me.
Maybe that’s why most of the greenery here look like olives or similar plants with fuzzy white hairs on their surface, and bright, vibrant verdure foliage is kinda rare. The white fuzz absorbs morning dew well, apparently.
Alright, let’s pretend to be someone going around different villages and just checking them out, and that now I’m in here to do the same. I【 Teleport 】a little further away from the actual place, then I casually strolled into the village.
It’s one of the smaller villages on the island, with houses made of deep yellowish ochre clay and stones lined up along the path. They seemed to be built by stacking uneven stones together then packing them with dirt so that it’ll hold up. The doors were orange-ish brown, and I think the whole place has a certain charm in it.
There’s a long stone wall that reaches up to my chest and it stretches on and on, probably covering more surface area than those of the houses. Maybe it’s there to block the wind? Ah, no, it’s a rocky island, so maybe they simply piled all those rocks while clearing the land, then it ended up turning into a wall.
Yeah, I get it, though. We also had a hard time securing plantable ground even on my island. We managed to get by using sheer labor and【Storage】 and the villagers helped by building stone walls to keep the soil in place. Thanks to them, the flat, plantable land expanded beyond just the parts I added soil to.
Most of the greenery here turned out to be grapevines. It’s not because the villagers here cultivate them; they’re just growing wild all over the place! There’s even one in front of me, all tangled up in the wall, with the denser parts forming a tunnel.
And now we have a problem ーlooks like there’s no restaurant around here.
「Excuse me, is there any place serving meals here in the village? 」
I politely ask the sleepy-looking gramps while handing him a copper coin.
「Huh, who are you? What are you doing here? 」
Gramps-san finally noticed that I’m here.
Once I’m up close, people tend to acknowledge me, which is a relief. Otherwise, I’d get stepped on or forgotten completely. Oh, but they’d probably forget again as soon as I walk away.
Wait, does pretending to come from another village even matter?
「I’m traveling around, trying different foods and learning about them. I’d love to try whatever people eat around here. 」
I said, pressing the coin to his hand with a smile.
「Ou. What a strange hobby you have, huh. 」
He didn’t smile, but the frown lines on his forehead eased up.
「I’d appreciate it if you could introduce me to a good cook in your village. 」
「Good cook, huh? That’d be Hannah, over at the blacksmith’s place. 」
He stood up then started walking briskly.
It didn’t take us long to reach the place. This village is small, after all.
「Hey, Dan! Your wife home? 」
Gramps walked right into the open door ー I followed while doubting whether we’re not trespassing.
The dirt floor was literally just the soil on the ground. A guy was fixing some farming tools inside. He didn’t look like a blacksmith at all.
「Hannah’s at the back. 」
The guy continued working on the tools, completely ignoring Gramps and me, even though we’re standing pretty close to him since the room is quite narrow.
And so, I was treated to this village’s signature dishes by his wife, a plump jolly woman. She served me tuna grilled with goat cheese and herbs. The dish doesn’t have a name, and she said I can swap the tuna with any other fish to make it.
The herbs piled on top are called feti. The taste is somewhat tropical crossed with a funky scent… I’m used to goat cheese by now, but this one is harsh, Madam.
It’s pretty clear the island’s lacking in vegetables, so I guess they pile on the herbs to make up for nutrients. Maybe it’s something that grows on you… eventually, I guess.
Yup. It’s getting harder to keep a smile plastered on!
I ended the meal by handing over a small silver coin to thank her, and that should’ve been it… but she wrapped two to three servings of the food in grape leaves for me to take out.
I was still holding the bundle by the time I reached the temple where the spirit library’s entrance is. Pretty sure it’d never see the light of day again once I stashed it in 【Storage】.
「You’re here too ー water is more precious than gold here. 」
The old man bowed and thanked me when I gave him a water canteen.
Both of us have our own secrets, so I already revealed that I have 【Storage】early on since it’s too much of a hassle keeping mum about it. Carrying water by myself is too much hard work and it’d be too bulky. Freshwater isn’t only offered to Ludere, it’s something that a lot of spirits appreciate as well, after all.
「If it’s alright with you, please have this too. 」
I passed the bundle of that local delicacy to him.
「What might this be? 」
「Uh, grilled fish dressed with herbs? 」
When the old man opened the package, a roasted aroma mixed with a faint, unspeakable smell filled the air.
「Oh, Nalus’… It’s been a long while since I enjoyed this. 」
Gramps grinned happily.
Ack, didn’t expect it’d be popular!
NEXT CHAPTER
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I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
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