Chapter 6

I secured a house, made sure to have water and salt, and the crops in the field were growing well.

Next, I decided to explore the area around the house.

The first reason was to look for food.

The crops growing vigorously in the field still needed time before they could be harvested.

The portable food I brought from the capital would soon run out, and until the agricultural food supply stabilized, I planned to gather what was available in nature to get by.

I felt like a Jomon person.

Fortunately, the land I bought had both the sea and the mountains.

Both were treasure troves of life and food.

So, after taking a break from tending to the field, I decided to walk around and explore.

First, the sea.

The sound of the waves, splash, splash.

The sea in this world is incomparably more beautiful than the one I used to know.

The sea is blue, and the sand is white.

It truly feels untouched by human hands.

"Just walking on the beach feels so good..."

The only footprints on the sand were mine.

I suddenly felt an urge to swim in the sea.

Since I was the only one here, there was no need to hold back. I quickly took off all my clothes and jumped into the sea.

"The sea water is colder than I thought!?"

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the sea bath.

How long has it been since I swam like this?

Of course, it wasn't just about swimming for fun.

The true purpose of coming to the sea was to gather food.

Once again, one of the tools I bought from the capital proved to be very useful.

A spear.

It was a good decision to buy it, considering there might be a sea at my new home.

It was a cheap, low-quality item, but it wasn't a problem for me, who possessed the 'Bearer of the Supreme' gift.

Just by holding it, I transformed into a master fisherman!

After moving a little from the coastline, the terrain changed to a rocky area.

In the crevices of such rocks, small creatures that could be food were hiding.

Just by diving into the sea with the spear...

(There they are, there they are...!!)

In the crevices of the rocks, in the shadows of the seaweed.

I was most surprised when I caught small fish, shellfish, and octopuses.

It was truly a "Gotcha!" moment.

Holding these and returning to the beach, grilling them was quite a wild and satisfying meal.

The salt I had obtained beforehand made the meal even more enjoyable.

However...

I might sound ungrateful, but the fish and shellfish I caught in this sea were subtly different from those in my original world.

The color of their bodies, the presence of horns or fangs.

The octopus had nine tentacles, I think. I ate it without properly confirming.

Well, that's what makes it a different world, I suppose.

During the cooking process, the 'Bearer of the Supreme' gift from the gods proved its worth. With a knife in hand, I could easily dissect and cook the catch.

The 'Bearer of the Supreme' can even separate seawater into fresh water and minerals.

If any of the seafood I ate today was poisonous, I assume the gift's power neutralized it during the cooking process.

I was also able to gather seaweed on the beach.

It somewhat resembled wakame.

I'd like to have miso soup with wakame someday, but that would require making miso here.

There was also nori.

It was stuck to the rocks on the beach, so I collected it, attached it to a board, and left it to dry, which turned out to be just right.

"Not bad for a first try...!"

Next time, I can make it with a more perfect thickness.

It felt like I had encountered a processed food from my original world for the first time.

"If I wrap this in rice, it will be a perfect onigiri...!"

When the onigiri is ready, I'll offer it first to Hephaestus's altar.

I owe a lot to the 'Bearer of the Supreme' gift given by that god.

I have a hunch that the god loves onigiri. He must love it.

For that, I need to grow rice.

There's a lot to do.

Also, I saw sea urchins on the seabed, but with my current equipment, it was impossible to gather them, so I gave up this time.

To fully enjoy a self-sufficient life in this different world, I still need more equipment and facilities.

* * *

After enjoying the sea, I decided to climb the mountain the next day.

I had entered the mountain once to gather wood for building the house, but this time, I planned to explore and see various things with a hiking mood.

Of course, the main purpose was to gather food.

In the mountain area, I thought of nuts and wild vegetables first, right?

There would also be mushrooms, but I heard it's difficult to distinguish the poisonous ones.

The ecology in this different world is likely the same, so it's safer not to touch them until I gain enough knowledge.

Even though the 'Bearer of the Supreme' might be able to purify toxins, scary things are scary.

Then, there's...

"Hunting...!"

Just as I fished in the sea, I could hunt in the mountains.

However, hunting beasts in the mountains would inevitably involve larger prey than the small fish in the sea.

It would be a daunting task, not something I could do on a casual picnic.

So, I decided not to do that this time.

I was content with just gathering wild vegetables or nuts.

But I encountered something.

A mountain beast.

And it was clearly different from ordinary beasts, with an unusual presence.