Chapter 50

After parting ways with Kikuhime and Shin, I challenged the Bluep Duo. Midway through, I realized it was faster to quickly dispatch the last one rather than parry and slash. At first, I felt the need to avoid when they came in a group, but a single strike with a weak point-targeting "Flash" was enough. "Parry" is used not only to avoid attacks but also to make it easier to target weak points. I dodged the charging Bluep, ran past it, and with a flash, cut off its exposed neck.

When several came at once, leaving no time to attack, I just kept parrying as I did with the Sheeples.

Fighting in the middle of the pack, I naturally received charges from the front and the back. Initially, I fought at the edge, but before I knew it, I was in the middle, having avoided and cut them down. If I stopped moving, I would be surrounded, so I kept running while fighting.

I wondered how to end the battle... I thought I might have to run all the way to the plain where there were no Blueps.

《By defeating 200 enemies in a row for food, drop parts have been unlocked.》

I thought it was an announcement for a skill, but something different came up.

Loins, ribs, fillets, and belly cuts, etc. When I hunted deer, only loins dropped, but now various parts drop, and instead, "meat" no longer drops. ...So, what kind of meat was dropping before?

Do Sheeples drop various items now? But I don't know what to do with mutton other than grilling it, so I'll think about it later.

I thought the announcement would come at 500, but it seems that's not the case. Maybe it's a separate category from skills.

It's understandable to want to secure all parts in a reasonable quantity.

《By defeating 500 enemies in a row for food, drop parts have been unlocked.》

Another one! But the same content?

...Now they drop organs. Fortunately, the familiar cuts from the supermarket drop frequently, but the drop rate doesn't seem very high. If they drop, I can only think of making organ stew.

I ran to a plain where there were no Bluep packs to disengage, still cutting down any that followed. It was exactly 3 PM, tea time.

I used "Shadow" to move to the shade.

The Bluep pack far away no longer seemed excited to target me, but just in case, since I had been fighting them just now.

While munching on sandwiches and drinking tea, I received a message from Ruba.

It seems my sword is ready, and I should come to pick it up when it's convenient.

While reading that, I got another message from Galahad, inviting me to a gathering that evening, which would also serve as a feast.

So, it's a drinking party at Rupa's place, got it.

I replied that I would bring food and drinks to Rupa and Galahad, and then got another message. Do they all come at once?

This one was from Leo, asking if I wanted fish with my tea.

Since he was eating at a restaurant in Secan, I replied that I would come right away, finished the remaining sandwich, and washed it down with tea.

"Hey, over here, over here!"

I sat down at the table called by Leo.

"Did you catch a lot?"

"Yep, a lot!"

"I don't know the market price for fish, though."

"Just grill half and give it back to me."

"No, we need cash, ¥¥, or the clan's funds won't accumulate."

Tea-soaked rice stopped Leo.

Setting prices is a hassle, and I find it troublesome too.

Sursa, Koganeaji, Rushing Suzuki, Dark Surume, Rolled Anago, Aoba-Katsuo, Aji, Suzuki, Surume... The fish with real-world names are the ones that can be caught without the fishing skill.

Fish that can't be caught without the skill, or those with varying ingredient ranks, have names I've never heard of or strange words before their names.

...I thought Aoba-Katsuo was a regular ingredient, but it's rank 8, so I can't be careless. Rank 8 is the same as meat from bosses, but why are there so many? Oh, because it's Leo?

"So, how much?"

"Given the quantity, 40,000 for me and 50,000 for Leo. The price of Katsuo is a mystery, so it's a gamble. But in exchange, the regular fish are cheap, so take them as a bonus."

Sure enough, it was a banner day, and both of them were on a fishing spree. Leo's higher price is because he caught more high-rank fish than Tea-soaked rice. And Aoba-Katsuo is indeed rare.

"Just Aji alone, I got enough for a while of Aji fry. I'll use 'Cool' before storing them."

"Hey, panties!"

"Hahaha! I put in an 8 rating as a service!"

"You bastard!"

I was caught off guard and handed a bikini bottom with the fish. And it was bright red.

Damn!

"The fish, they're whole, right?"

"Huh?"

"What's with the sudden question?"

"Well, meat drops in parts or as blocks."

"Oh! That's right!"

When I got salmon, I had to clean it too.

"Why is that?"

"First, the developer loves fishing and thinks of fish as whole. Second, the developer loves fish cooking and prefers to clean them themselves. Take your pick."

"Both, combined!"

Leo answered cheerfully. Yeah, I feel the same.

"By the way, while waiting, I checked the chat board and saw that someone started a cow train here, so be careful not to get caught in it."

"Scary. Did they bring it to the city?"

"No, they led it to an empty plain."

"Good, good."

I parted ways with the two, who planned to fish a bit more, and returned to Fast. Tea-soaked rice was complaining that he could fish while working from home if it weren't for the full-dive VR.

My "Thread" level became 6. At level 5, the length I can handle is ten meters.

I spread it on the ground, and the white, semi-transparent thread blends in well with the surroundings. Maybe I should prepare a black one for night use.

Exiting the room with the transfer gate, I ran into Ekaterina.

"Oh, here you are. 100,000 silver... No, the siblings want to meet the one who saved them."

Her voice made me uneasy. Is she planning to ask for 100,000 silver as a donation?

"I don't intend to reveal myself."

"Those kids are smart and good. If you train them now, they can be useful as assistants or for preparation in adventures."

"I don't need any help, and I prefer to teach them arithmetic or give them a trade to make them grow up solidly. Well, feed them."

Since it might take a while, I pushed the Bluep "meat" on her without further ado. I initially thought of pushing Aji, but I held back for the sake of appearances.

She looked like a comic maid carrying a stack of ten trays.

The gazes of adventurers entering and exiting the transfer gate were painful, but it's good that Ekaterina didn't chase after me. The meat is quite heavy, but she must be stronger than she looks.

Now, with fish and meat taking up space, I need to produce and organize them for the feast.

Before that, I'll log out to rest and look up how to make katsuobushi. For my katsuobushi broth, I might need to go to a colder place for kombu broth.

Logging back in, I went to the commercial guild to deliver wine, beer, and whiskey, and check the sales of items I had consigned.

Some of the dishes with less than a 10 rating are still left. Even with the same price, those with better EP recovery efficiency or that are harder to deplete are sold out.

While thinking, "Enjoy eating more!" I restocked the items.

It's understandable that items with less than a 10 rating and easy-to-obtain recipes are left, as many people produce them. Many people who are mainly blacksmiths but also do simple cooking can get high ratings if they are skilled.

The comment section was filled with mentions of sweets, which I ignored. I also ignored a face-emoji-laden recruitment comment from Black Lily.

I put the Bluep skin on the market at a slightly lower price than average. I listed 99 in two slots to avoid being the cheapest and causing trouble for others.

But as soon as I listed them, they were bought.

The cow horns had little demand and were in excess, so I decided to deliver them to the guild.

It seems there are people currently raising their production levels who use a lot of skin. I listed the remaining at the same price in the open slots and went shopping.

First, I looked for seasonings as I had planned.

There are several types of salt, like seaweed salt and Surfors rock salt. The cheapest ones are bought and disappear quickly, so I bought some that were reasonably priced. Wheat varieties like Fastbrim wheat, black wheat, and upright wheat are available. I wonder where they are sourced from.

I often run through uncharted paths, so they might grow along the roads. Maybe I should walk the roads properly next time.

Today's feast dishes will be Koganeaji fry, Aoba-Katsuo tataki, fish and chips, pizza, asparagus bacon rolls, and a Caprese salad with tomatoes and a mozzarella-like cheese.

Do I have basil?

...There's curry bread!

I couldn't resist buying it.

Who developed the curry recipe, and so quickly! Do they have spices?

I searched and bought all the spices that seemed right, which were of normal rank, so they must be resold from trade goods from some city. I want to find out where they are handled someday. Maybe at the old man's place?

I noticed that mayonnaise is also sold, which is easier to make the ingredients for. The relentless pursuit of food, typical of Japanese people! I feel bad for saying it's a side job for other producers.

It seems that production professions can also make production tools, so I bought higher-rank frying pans and pots than what I currently have. Cooking tools take up one item pouch slot, so I don't have to worry about the number.

I also bought a yanagiba and a deba knife! I'll start filleting the fish. The knives have attack power displayed, but it must mean they are sharp.

After buying various materials for alchemy and active potions, my income and expenses were in the black thanks to the active potions and 10-rated dishes.

Since I'm still in the skill-up phase for cooking and alchemy, and I'm making a profit from production, it's a good situation. That's why I want to buy some chicken for karaage.

Later, I produced dishes, potions, and alchemy at the production facility and collected the sales from what I had listed. I filled the empty consignment slots with resistance potions, active potions for health and magic, and return stones. I set the highest possible price for the 10-rated items, and they sold quickly.

I set a purchase limit, but they sold out quickly, probably because many adventurers moved to Secan, Sa, and Fos recently.

A recent comment said, "It's expensive, but I take it to boss battles!"

It seems people have more money to spend. Then I suddenly realized:

I donated too much to Ekaterina at first.

I gave her the assassination reward as it was, thinking of the two children, but at that point, that amount of money would only be earned by top adventurers or producers, or even then, it's questionable. It's the time for equipment investment, and even with temporary income, most people would use it to improve their abilities. That's why they were targeting me and contacting me so much!!

Ekaterina knows I have money.

Next time, I'll use Aji fry and Suzuki meunière to cover it up.