Chapter 472: A Simple Life (With Spirits)
I did some work on the orchard.
The peaches’ blooming season just ended, and tiny fruits are starting to grow. It’s the same for the plums, pears and grapes too. I trimmed the clusters of grapes and pinched off the buds from the branches that I didn’t want growing too much. I wanted the peaches and pears to grow nice and big, so I removed a few fruits growing on the same branch, so that the remaining ones can get more nutrients.
I ended up with lots of the tiny green immature peaches. They look like plums, and since it’ll be a waste to throw them out, might as well turn them into pickles.
This time of the year, it’s mostly about fixing the shape of the trees, like plucking sprouts and buds and curling the newly sprouted grape tendrils around the places where I want them to cling onto. I also tidied up the watermelon vines, though technically they aren’t trees. It’s the season for growth.
The spirits mimic me as I do my work. At first, they did all sorts of things like plucking the important buds, playing with the flowers that I purposely left behind and making them grow five times bigger, so things had been pretty chaotic. Ah, but they’ve been seriously helping out recently so I’m relieved.
Ah, but they still play pranks every now and then!
「It’s been a while. 」
「Good morning, Khadar. 」
His beard’s gotten splendidly longer, it seems.
It was pure white and looked really soft as it cascaded beautifully down to his knees. It made me wanna touch it, but I held back, of course.
「Mm. Seems like things are stable now. 」
Khadar stretched out towards a newly sprouted bud.
Stable? Was Khadar talking about this orchard? Or maybe it’s about himself?
「The scent of tangerine smells like nectar. 」
Soft light gathered from nowhere and glowed brighter, and Halalfa appeared.
Halalfa loves the scent of flowers. Right now, the white blossoms of the tangerine trees filled the air with a strong fragrance, and the roses will follow soon too.
Mischt stood under the dappled sunlight, while Ish watched the flow of the waterways. Everyone except Van and Ludere showed up.
I guess everyone aside from Van ー it’s rare for Ludere to appear under direct sunlight, so we’re counting him out ー is already done with their training? Honestly, they don’t seem that much different than before.
Then again, I’ve accidentally ー or maybe it’s kinda inevitable? ー named quite a few Es deities in the time that we haven’t met, so I guess they’ve probably gotten stronger in a spirit-related sense. Or maybe it’s just me who can’t tell the difference.
「By the way, that thing Riche is chewing on… 」
Khadar’s gaze locked onto Riche, who was happily gnawing on a rope in the shade. Uh, it doesn’t seem like he’s simply watching, it’s more like he’s totally transfixed.
「It’s a rope that I got from the Earthkins. 」
「…. 」
Khadar was speechless.
Seems like my hunch is right, the rope must be a national treasure-level item. I can’t gauge its actual worth since the earthkins casually handed it over to me and they got it from a junkyard-looking area ー no way, maybe that place was actually a treasury too…
The earthkins don’t seem to be big fans of tools powered by the spirits’ help. Sure, they’re curious enough to study the mechanisms and they love the designs, but that’s about it.
The rope Riche had been gnawing on must be made of some sort of incredible material, but the design looks like an ordinary rope ー actually, it’s kinda crude for something crafted by the earthkins. It’ll stretch longer, grow thicker and become much more durable when used by a spirit, apparently.
ー Yup, let’s not overthink things. Riche is having a blast playing with it, so it’s not like I can get it back.
Anyway, this season is already beautiful as it is with everything budding and sprouting and the light passing through the pale leaves made it more stunning, but with the deities lending a hand, the surrounding greenery seemed to be glowing too. Even the soil looked fluffier.
It’s a little satisfying to think that I’ve played a part in creating this scenery. I’ve even started caring more about shaping the trees for aesthetics instead of just practicality. Sure, I won’t be able to reach the higher branches anymore, but sometimes beauty matters more than efficiency, right, yup.
I finished up tending the fields and the orchard. The area of the two combined isn’t that huge, but it’s not small either. It’s all thanks to the spirits and 【Storage】that I managed to get through it so quickly.
I dump the seedlings, leaves and overripe veggies in front of the livestock pen. The chickens and pigs came running and devoured everything in no time.
Alright, time for lunch.
Cabbage-don! Lemon, check! Tartar Sauce, check!
We have two flavors for today: garlic and plain.
For the garlic version, I kept it simple ー soy sauce, mirin, sake, kombu and a bit of nutmeg for aroma. As for the non garlic one, I used ginger peel and the green parts of a leek to get rid of the meat’s smell before seasoning it.
I took the pork, thoroughly massaged it with marinade, then tossed it into potato starch. I removed the meat right away and fried it quickly before the starch could soak up too much moisture, keeping it nice and crispy.
I ended up with a plate piled high with fried chicken, no presentation whatsoever. Squeezed some lemon, then dug in. Some prefer the soft and tender type of fried chicken with melt-in-your-mouth coatings but I’m team crispy. That crunch, yeah, that’s part of the charm!
The oil oozes from between the meat and skin, filling my mouth with flavor with every bite. It’s a bit too hot, so I huff, puff and wash it down with cold water.
The meat is so juicy! I added some tartar sauce and enjoyed the shredded cabbage in between bites of chicken. The garlic flavored one has that kick, and when I bit on the plain one, the mellow flavor and fragrance of sesame oil spreads teases my tastebuds.
I’m so thrilled to have soysauce ー can’t help but smirk whenever I imagine how the heroes fared with their meals. Their chosen abilities were all combat-focused. Not sure what they’re aiming for after gaining all that power, but as for me, a comfortable life is still my number one priority.
After playing with Riche and taking a short break, I moved on to tend to the waterwheel. I clean it every time with 【Storage】so it didn’t take long, mostly just maintaining the waterways and inspecting the gears.
Rice, wheat, barley, rye, chestnuts, corn, soybeans ー you name it, we can mill it. Milling flour is actually pretty fun once you get into it, but since it’s a bit of a hassle, I always do a massive batch at once.
I can always have freshly milled flour out of【Storage】anytime, after all. Oh, right, let’s put the wheat I got from the Meyr folks into the storage room. Unlike rice, wheat usually needs to age for six months to a year before it’s ready.
Wait, I guess rice gets aged too like they do in Thailand. Even paella rice is aged for years. Maybe Japan is the odd one out? Ah, but grilled rice balls come out better with old rice, so there’s that.
The millstone turns slowly, with a funnel-like device above it that lets the grains fall through the tip like sand in an hourglass. My job is basically to check occasionally to make sure it doesn’t clog and let the milled flour fall into sacks.
The spirits also think it’s fun and help out, so I don’t have much to do. If anything, my role is more like a “mischief monitor”, I guess?
They’ll poke at the grooves, try spinning along with the millstone, or even use it as a stage to dance on. And then there’s always one spirit who dumps a ton of grains on them mid-dance, just for laughs.
I sit by the millstone, reading a book. If there were windows, I could enjoy the view of the beautiful greenery outside, but unfortunately, my water mill doesn’t have any. Letting the wind in here would turn the place into a powdery disaster zone!
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
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