Chapter 20

After a long winter finally passed, it was the season when spring was about to knock on the door, ready to sow seeds. I am Hermann. This winter, I spent a lot of effort on mouse hunting. Mice don’t seem to have the concept of hibernation. They kept appearing as if they were infinite. I really caught a lot. Even though I disposed of about 50 a day, they never ran out. It felt like they were endlessly appearing. Not only did I throw mangoos, but I also used a rapier to slash them. If you use your talent correctly, mice aren’t much different from goblins. The only differences are that they are a bit smaller and don’t come towards you.

Still, I went to the Alchemy Guild every two days to review Lala’s swamp book and read other books about sacred sites and magical realms. ...It was that boring. In a town where you can do almost nothing in winter, I learned from the books that Jema’s salt spring is at its peak in summer, and the monsters are also more docile in winter, so fewer monsters come out of the magical realm. Naturally, the number of combined carriages going to the magical realm also decreases. As a result, the adventurers who used to hunt on combined carriages are left with nothing to do.

...So they flood the Adventurer’s Guild. When I went to the Adventurer’s Guild early in the morning, it was like a war. They fought each other to take the request forms to the reception, and they were overjoyed or disappointed as they read them. It was a battle over who could get the request forms. There were so many adventurers that if they all focused on mouse hunting, the mice in this town would probably be gone. ...Yet, the mouse hunting requests were always returned as surplus. If you work hard for a day, you can earn about two bronze coins. Are other requests that much more profitable? I once asked at the buyback window why adventurers don’t do mouse hunting. The answer I got was that ordinary adventurers can’t catch mice fast enough, so they can only catch a few a day. Just throw them, what are throwing weapons for? Even with a mangoos, if it hits the body, you can cut off the head while it’s writhing in pain. I was surprised at how little adventurers have in terms of combat talent. Don’t they have at least one star? What are their talents for? Use them, it’s a waste.

And those who are left with nothing to do, if you’re just going to sit around, do some work. You’re in no position to complain about it being dirty, are you? If you’re just going to sit, chase after mice even if you can only catch a few. Your stomach will get just as empty anyway. If you’re just going to sit and do nothing, study and learn to read and write. The church will even entertain you. I spent days feeling angry about it.

I talked a little with the adventurers staying at the same inn, but when I told them I was doing mouse hunting, they were surprised. If you’re earning enough to stay here, you could just rest. I could rest, but I have a strong desire to move around. Maybe it’s because I’ve been gathering with all my might, and I’ve developed a habit of doing things with all my might. I don’t want to be lazy, but I was told to rest when I can. I’ll follow the advice of the senior adventurer and take breaks next year. Reading books and doing research apparently don’t count as breaks. When I said I take a break every two days, I was told that’s not a break.

Well, but those frustrating days are over. From today, I’m off on another gathering trip. This time, my destination is Lala’s swamp. I’m fully prepared, and I’ve secured a carriage. It’s only to Brass Town, but I found a carriage. There doesn’t seem to be a magical realm nearby, so I’m the only one on the carriage, but I’ll enjoy the carriage ride for a while. ...You think I’m tired of the carriage? It’s better than mouse hunting. It’s not as boring as mouse hunting. It’s a new landscape, and I’ll arrive before I get bored. Probably.

So, I’ve arrived at Lala’s swamp. How was the carriage ride? Nothing happened. The only event was that the driver extended the route from Brass Town to Anglo Village. I was the only one, and he said he didn’t have a next destination, so I asked him to extend the route, and he agreed. But changing the destination is common, and I learned that if the carriage doesn’t have a fixed destination, it’s flexible. I was worried about how many transfers I’d need to get to the capital, but this solved a problem I was thinking about, so it was good.

Now, why is there not a single adventurer at Lala’s swamp? There shouldn’t be any poisonous materials here. Well, I understand, it’s a swamp, so it’s probably cold in winter, and that’s why it’s not popular. It’s spring now, and summer is coming, so adventurers will probably come. ...I won’t be alone this year, right? Since it’s a sacred site, there should be adventurers coming to gather, right? ...I hope so.

Alright, I’ve set up my tent, so I’ll go for a preliminary look. I’ve changed into my tight boots and put on my all-night glasses, so I’m ready. Let’s go. It looks like a normal forest, but the ground is a swamp. From my previous knowledge, it seems there are mangroves, but this is a pattern where the roots are not on the water. But there are roots in the water, so be careful not to trip. The tight boots are better than deep boots, but the swamp is deep, up to my knees. The water is muddy, so I need to get clean water from the well to store the gathered materials, but I already have some from winter. If I run out, I’ll need to get more. But... magic mushrooms grow in such land. Even on mud. It’s not strange that they grow on soil-like mud, but I’m not sure.

I have plenty of storage bottles, and I worked hard to prepare water-filled bottles in the cold. I prepared a few every day while washing my face in the morning. They might run out soon, but for now, it’s fine. I’ll end today’s survey here. It’s harder to progress than I thought, so I need to be careful when going deeper. The all-night glasses make it hard to tell if it’s day or night. I need to check the time with my magic clock.

I came out of Lala’s swamp and washed my feet at the well. The tight boots are really good because they fit tightly and mud doesn’t get inside. But it’s still cold, even in this season. I need to warm my feet with a warm cloth later, so I don’t catch a cold. I wiped my feet with a cut piece of cloth. I should dry the wiping cloth every day. If I hang it on the tent, it should dry in a day.

I’ll also reserve the toilet like I did in Campano Forest. It’s a hassle to pay every time, so it’s nice if they accept it. I knocked on the door.

"Excuse me."

"Sure, I’m coming out. --- What can I do for you?"

"I’ll be staying here until next winter, so I’d like to prepay for the toilet. How about five large copper coins?"

"Yes, that’s fine. Prepayment is rare, but it’s fine. You might lose money, though."

"No, I find the hassle more troublesome than a little loss."

"I see. Adventurers are varied, aren’t they?"

Prepayment is indeed rare. Like Campano Forest, it’s an unpopular sacred site. Long-term stays are rare, and staying for a year is even rarer. I want materials, not money, so I’m doing this, but normally, adventurers move or sell after gathering a certain amount. If there were alchemists in this village, I wouldn’t know, but I need to replenish my storage bottles.

Now that the toilet contract is done, it’s a bit early, but it’s time to prepare dinner. ...I’m getting used to the dried meat and barley porridge again, but the food situation is inevitable. It’s basically preserved food, and I haven’t had mushrooms in a long time. The inn’s food was delicious, so it’s sad to have a dull meal. If I’m honest about my cooking skills, I don’t know. I’ve never cooked properly. I’ve only used salt as a seasoning. I basically just boil things. The porridge is done. That’s it. I’ll improve the food situation when I have a shop. ...I was so disconnected from cooking that I need to consider potential wives now. In my previous life, I was only good at eating, so I don’t have much knowledge. My previous life’s knowledge is really useless.

Anyway, a porridge with plenty of meat. Last year, the meat ran out early, so I used all the mushrooms. This year, I have a good stock of meat. I’ve bought a lot, so it should last until summer. By fall, it will probably be just barley porridge. I could buy more, but barley porridge is enough, and I don’t want to waste it. If it’s left over, I can eat it next year, but I want to measure the right amount. By this meaningless obsession, I have a surplus of dried meat, but I’ve bought enough barley. Well, I have enough nutrition to live.

In the morning, I’m finally getting used to tent living again. I crawled out of my sleeping bag and washed my face. Today is the start of the real work. I’ve had breakfast, put on my tight boots, and put on my all-night glasses. I’m fully prepared. I’ll gather in the nearby area today and not go deep. I don’t want anything to happen if I go deep on the first day. First, I’ll observe and be cautious. Plus, it’s an unpopular gathering site. Even in shallow areas, there’s a good chance of finding valuable materials. Let’s see how much I can gather in a day.

A bit deeper in the swamp, there’s a clear water spot. ...It doesn’t match the well’s water level, so I wonder what’s going on. Maybe the sacred site has a different groundwater level. Anyway, there are materials in this clear water. ...If not, I can’t tell what’s in the mud. I can feel when I step on mushrooms or something, but I can’t tell if it’s a material. Of course, there are materials on the surface, but there might be materials that can only be seen and gathered at these water spots. The books don’t teach that much, so I’ll gather information on-site.

In the evening, my body is cold to the core. Winter gathering is hell. There are probably few adventurers who deal with materials that might not be edible. ...This is going to be a lonely course again. It’s fine, though. By the way, I found materials other than those in Lala’s swamp book. I gathered them because they were in Campano Forest, but they’re cheap. They were indeed cheap. I remember they were only worth one or two bronze coins when I sold them in Campano Forest. I think the book was called "Comprehensive Herbology, Volume 1." I read it at Judy’s and the Alchemy Guild. There were three volumes in total. ...But they seem to be materials that don’t need to be gathered. I gather a little because they’re there, but I don’t really need them. The materials in Lala’s swamp book seem to be enough.

It’s also difficult to clean up after coming out of the swamp. I need to wash my feet, which is a hassle. I have to draw water from the well multiple times to wash the mud off my feet. This is definitely an unpopular sacred site. In Campano Forest, there were several short-term stayers, so I think short-term stayers will come. But there are no long-term stayers, for sure. Just washing my feet is a hassle. I don’t want to draw water from the well multiple times every day.

Whether you found it interesting or not, it doesn’t matter.

I would appreciate it if you could include a rating.

If you could also provide feedback, I think it would help me improve my writing.

...Probably.