Fluffy's Special Skill...? ...Let's Make It for Now.

I want soy sauce.

But I can't make soy sauce without soybeans.

No way, huh?

Should I think of seasonings I can make with what I have?

There's a lake over there. I wonder if there are fish in it?

If there are fish, I should be able to make fish sauce.

If I remember correctly, you mix fish and salt and let it ferment—I saw that on TV...

Apparently, it has a somewhat distinctive smell, but maybe I'll give it a try.

I guess I'll go to the lake tomorrow.

...

I came to the lake, but it's huge.

I don't see any curse, and I feel refreshed first thing in the morning.

Now, the question is whether there are fish in the lake.

...There's no way I can tell from up here.

What should I do?

A fishing rod?

How do I make one?

A wooden rod should work. I'll ask Three-Eyes to make the line.

Then I need a hook and bait...

A hook... That's a difficult problem.

Hio and Crow came along and are keeping watch nearby.

Thanks.

Fluffy is with me today too.

For some reason, Fluffy has been restless since this morning, flying around.

I wonder what's wrong?

Fluffy, Fluffy, Fluffy.

Um, you're flying around right in front of me and getting a little in the way.

Are you trying to tell me something?

Fluffy is harder to understand than Boss-san or Shuri.

"Fluffy, I want to catch fish..."

For some reason, Fluffy spun around and flapped its wings when I said that.

Oh—the first time I've seen its wings move.

Then it flew toward the middle of the lake...

Wha—it dove in.

Is it all right?

The lake lit up blue, and something was flung out of it.

Right in front of me.

I see. So Fluffy is good at catching fish.

I was only planning to try with a small fish, though.

The giant fish flopping around in front of me is about five meters long.

Fluffy brought it over and is flying in circles around me.

"Haha, thanks. Was that... helpful?"

For now, I've got a fish!

Grilling it sounds good too.

...

I killed the giant fish on the spot... Since I didn't know where to bleed it, I cut off its head.

I don't like the innards, so I remove them.

I use magic to chill it thoroughly and stop time.

I floated it in the air to move it.

Magic is a godsend.

I cut up the giant fish and washed it clean.

Since this is just a test, I'll start with one-sixth.

I don't know how much salt to use.

It should be quite a lot—about 20 percent of the fish, I think?

How should I measure out the salt?

Picture it, picture it.

No way.

That's far too reckless.

I guess I'll have to do my best by eyeballing it.

I make a container out of silver ore and use Clean.

When I cut the fish, blood comes out.

It bothers me, so I use magic to drain the blood.

I sprinkle a little extra salt over the fish.

Good thing I made extra salt.

I put it in the container and add a little more salt.

I cover it and leave it for one to two years... I can't wait.

I use magic to force the container itself three months into the future.

I shake the container and advance it another three months. I repeat this several times; this is the fourth time.

The fermentation is progressing.

I open the lid... Oh, what a distinctive smell.

It's my first time making this, so I'm a little surprised.

I filter it carefully through a cloth.

It turns into a clear brown liquid.

It's a little salty, but I think it's a success.

I grill some meat, pour a little on it, and it was delicious.

Core and the others are really digging in.

Shuri tried the grilled meat, and the ensuing battle with the baby ants freaked me out.

The fish is grilled with salt.

It's been a long time since I had fish, and it's really good without the distinctive smell of river fish.

I want some plain white rice.