Chapter 79
We went to the Adventurers' Guild to find an inn where we could all stay together, only to be saddled with the unnecessary job of exterminating goblins.
But we cleared it without incident. We even obtained a grimoire of Heal, so I suppose everything worked out for the best.
We left Iberis behind.
If we drove normally, the distance to the royal capital was short enough to cover in a day, but we had wasted quite a bit of time.
On the other hand, traveling from Astrantia to the royal capital by ordinary carriage took a week to ten days.
Considering that, being delayed by two or three days was no big deal. I drove north along the highway.
Along the way, we passed a side road leading to a small settlement, more wheat fields, and tall grass. There were occasional shrubs, but no forests or woodlands in sight.
Whenever there was a settlement, it seemed the trees nearby had been cut down for fuel.
Apparently, logging had decreased now that fire stones were available, but stoves and the like that used fire stones were still fairly expensive.
That was why poor households still used firewood, I was told.
I was enjoying a pleasant drive, humming to myself as I watched the scenery, when the sky suddenly turned pitch-black and rain began to patter against the windshield.
It didn't rain much in this world, or at least it seemed that way to me. That must have been a Japanese person's perspective. Thinking about it that way, Japan probably got a little too much rain.
――But the rain gradually grew heavier. I turned on the wipers to keep my view clear.
"That's some serious rain."
But the beastfolk and Bell were transfixed by the black branches jerking back and forth in front of them.
Every time the wipers moved from side to side, they turned their heads to follow them.
Bell, who was riding in the passenger seat with Anemone, began throwing out cat punches.
"Whoa, whoa, don't leap at them."
"They're so intriguing, nya~ They're so intriguing, nya~"
"Ah, to hell with it! I can't take it anymore!"
This is bad! On top of that, the rain was getting even heavier, making it difficult to see. Could this be what they called a localized torrential downpour?
This was the heaviest rain I had seen since coming to this world.
I pulled off the road and stopped the car. With visibility this poor, we could be rear-ended by a carriage.
Still, anyone riding in a carriage would be soaked in rain like this, so I assumed they had stopped too.
"Haaah... This summoned beast is amazing. It doesn't get wet even in rain like this."
"That's right, nya."
"A somewhat expensive carriage has a cover, too, and glass set into the windows. Wouldn't that keep out the rain and wind?"
"Not necessarily. In sufficiently heavy rain, they leak."
Since Primula said so, even that splendid carriage belonging to the Marrow Trading Company must have leaked.
I wondered if they had no waterproofing technology.
"Isn't there some way to waterproof things?"
"Waterproofing?"
According to Primula, hide glue was used to join wood, but there were no fillers like caulk.
Apparently, there wasn't much paint for coating wood, either. The black paint used on carriages was made from wood tar, while the white was lead white.
"Lead white isn't used in cosmetics, is it?"
"Mercury and lead white were used in the past, but now that their toxicity is known, they aren't used anymore."
Apparently, countless people had suffered before their toxicity became known. That was much the same as in my original world.
"I see... This world doesn't have lacquer, after all."
"Lacquer?"
Since everyone was tilting their heads at the unfamiliar word, I bought a lacquer bowl from Shangri-La.
"This is what I mean."
"Th-this is... It's light, but is it a wooden bowl? But this smooth coating... Is it varnish?"
"It's similar to varnish. You apply the sap of a certain kind of tree in many thin layers, then polish it."
The one I bought was a mass-produced item that cost about 1,000 yen, though.
"This is wonderful."
Inside the car being pelted by rain, Primula held up the lacquerware.
Varnish was used on furniture and even on the interiors of carriages, but apparently not on their exteriors.
In the first place, it seemed that waterproofing technology had never developed because it didn't rain much.
"This bowl could sell, too..."
When I looked at Primula's face, she was already calculating how much to charge for it.
"We might be able to find lacquer in the forest, though..."
Apparently it grew in China and Southeast Asia, so it might grow here too...
"Boss, what kind of tree is it?"
"Touching its sap gives you a rash. Have you ever encountered a tree like that in the forest?"
"A rash...? No, I haven't. There are plenty of grasses that hurt when they prick you, though."
"That's right, nya."
Something that hurt when it pricked you was probably nettles or something similar.
Apparently there was no lacquer—which meant lacquerware might become a valuable commodity.
"Primula, if you're going to sell it, something more expensive like this might be better."
I bought a piece of lacquerware from Shangri-La for 10,000 yen and showed it to her. It was black with gold maki-e decoration.
"This is magnificent! The royalty and nobility will snatch it up!"
They would probably be amazed at how light it was when they picked it up. They would be thinking, "Is this really wood?"
Anemone was becoming grumpy because she couldn't join the conversation, so I gave her some fruit milk.
For a snack, I brought out a bag of shrimp-flavored crackers. We all munched away at them while the rain poured down.
"Delicious!" "I can't stop eating them, nya~!" "They really are!"
"Are these made by frying wheat flour in oil?"
"I didn't make them, so I don't know—but probably."
They shouldn't have used any unusual ingredients. However, the package said they were non-fried.
I see... But explaining that was difficult. I didn't know the exact method of production, after all...
Even after we finished the shrimp crackers, the rain didn't stop.
"Nothing we can do, boss. Let's take it easy."
Nyamena was lying down in the third-row seat by herself, with her legs raised.
There wasn't anything to do in the cramped car, so I decided to listen to some music. The car had a CD player.
I browsed the CDs in Shangri-La. Maybe pop music wasn't the way to go... What about guitar music—something by Cro○d Chiali, perhaps?
I bought a CD and inserted it into the car's player.
Guitar music began flowing from the car speakers. It was a sorrowful song suited to a rainy day.
"Nya! What is this?! Where is that music coming from, nya?!"
The beastfolk began swiveling their ears around.
"Blackie, it's coming from this hole."
"Is this a lute?"
Primula closed her eyes and listened intently to the music.
"It's a similar kind of instrument. The music is coming out through magic."
"It's kind of sad..."
In the end, it took about three hours for the rain to stop. But it had been an incredible downpour, so I guessed around 200 to 300 millimeters had fallen in those three hours.
Even the beastfolk said such a concentrated rainfall was extremely rare.
"All right! Let's get going."
"Huh? Are you sure that's okay, boss?"
"Hm? Is there a problem?"
Nyamena objected, but once I went out onto the road, I understood what she meant.
The roads in this world were dirt roads. They weren't even covered with gravel, so when it rained, they turned into a muddy mess.
Even so, a four-wheel-drive vehicle had no trouble. If we got somewhat stuck, the differential lock could get us out.
If we became completely stuck, I could simply store the car in my Item Box and bring it out again somewhere that wasn't muddy.
Carriages were stuck all over the road. Those narrow wooden wheels would sink into the mud almost immediately.
On the other hand, making the wheels wider would increase resistance and make them harder for horses to pull.
Apparently, large carriages used to haul timber out of forests sometimes did use that kind of broad wheel.
We slowly made our way along the highway, weaving between the stranded carriages.
There was no way we'd arrive today... As I was thinking that, an even worse situation came into view ahead.
A roaring, coffee-milk-colored river had overflowed its natural levee and was flooding the surrounding land.
But that wasn't the worst of it. The wooden bridge over the river had collapsed in the middle.
"Oh, the bridge is down."
"What?! You're right!"
"It really is, nya!"
The beastfolk leaned out of the car windows.
Several carriages had stopped before the collapsed bridge, stranded there. It looked like repairs would take quite some time.
But we could store the car in the Item Box, cross by some other means, and summon the car again on the other side.
For now, we got out of the car to scout ahead. Once everyone was out, I stored the La○d Cruiser P○ado in my Item Box.
We gazed at the muddy brown torrent roaring before us. Several people who looked like merchants in flashy clothes were also standing there at a loss.
Those merchants had spotted Bell's magnificent black fur among us and were whispering among themselves.
"What should we do, Kenichi?"
"Should we cross in that rubber boat, nya?"
"No, it would be dangerous in this current. If it overturned, we'd be heading straight to the afterlife. The water should recede if we wait a few days, but..."
We could probably cross immediately, but repairing this bridge would likely take several months.
"Hmm..."
I wondered if I should measure the distance across the collapsed section of the bridge. I took a laser rangefinder from my Item Box, peered through it, and pressed the switch.
The result was apparently eight meters—which meant I might be able to cross by bringing out the ten-meter log in my Item Box.
I might as well give it a try...
I went to the edge of the collapsed bridge, stomped my feet repeatedly, and checked that the ground was safe.
"Log, summon!"
But the log appeared sideways relative to me when it emerged from the Item Box.
Naturally, it fell straight into the river with a huge splash and was carried downstream, trailing a tiny rainbow.
"Ah, figures."
When I built the log bridge in front of our house, I had entered the river too. Apparently, I had to stand perpendicular to the bridge to lay a log bridge.
Now, what should I do...? I considered extending Ko○tsu-san's arm, but if I put heavy machinery on this bridge, it would probably collapse—probably.
The riverbank was flooded as well, so the ground was likely weakened.
"What are we going to do?"
Anemone and Bell looked up at me.
"This isn't going to work. For now, let's wait for the water to recede."
Once the water receded, crossing by rubber boat seemed like the safest option.
I went a short distance back along the highway and mowed the grass beside the road with a brush cutter. Once I finished, I bought something called Grade 1 crushed stone from Shangri-La. Twenty kilograms cost less than 500 yen.
I bought ten bags and had everyone work together to spread it over a place where we could put the house.
"All right, summon the house!"
The house dropped onto the layer of gravel.
"Flailing around won't help. Let's get some rest."
"Um, Kenichi... May I do business here?"
"Sure, but..."
Primula was a born merchant. She really seemed to enjoy selling things and making money. Apparently, even pocket change was enough for her.
"Then we're going hunting for dinner, nya!"
"I'm coming too!"
These beastfolk were born hunters.
"All right, go ahead."
"Nyaa."
Bell seemed to be going on patrol too. I hoped she would be all right. What if the local residents found her and hunted her?
When I looked at her face, she seemed to be saying, "I'm not that stupid," so I silently watched her leave.
Primula wanted to sell soup and food, so I brought out the necessary tools and ingredients from my Item Box.
Anemone had nothing else to do, so she decided to help Primula cook. She said she would make extra food for dinner while she was at it.
"Leave everything to you two. I'm going to rest."
I left the area in front of the house to Primula and Anemone, brought out a bed, and lay down inside.
――I woke up. I must have dozed off after lying down.
But there was some kind of commotion outside.
When I went outside, Primula's stall was packed with customers. Some unfamiliar woman was working there too.
"This soup is delicious!" "The freshly baked bread is delicious too!" "I can't believe we can get a meal like this in a place like this..."
When traveling, people had to rely more heavily on preserved foods. Even bread was baked rock-hard so it would keep.
"Oh, Kenichi, perfect timing. Please bring out some wine."
"What, you're selling wine too?"
"Yes."
"That's fine, but who is that woman?"
"I hired her because we were busy."
"Ha-ha, she said she'd get one small square silver coin (5,000 yen) just for helping out this afternoon."
She was a middle-aged woman. A little plump, with a large bust, she wore a shabby hemp blouse, a long navy skirt, and a small apron.
As expected of Primula, she had a sharp eye for useful personnel.
I turned around and bought a small oak wine dispenser from Shangri-La for 15,000 yen, along with two sets of twelve bottles of red wine, each set costing 6,000 yen.
Real wine barrels were also sold, but new and antique ones alike cost around 50,000 to 150,000 yen.
They were surprisingly expensive. And they held an awkward 225 liters or so.
This wine dispenser held ten liters, so twelve 750-milliliter bottles of red wine made nine liters—just enough to fill it nearly to the brim.
I removed the screw caps and corks from the wine bottles and poured the contents through a funnel into the oak barrel.
The different brands all mixed together inside, but even the cheapest wine seemed to be considered fine wine here, so this would do.
Then I added another table and set the wine dispenser on it with a grand thump.
"Sorry, but serve yourself. Press this handle and the wine will come out."
At my instruction, a man who appeared to be a merchant paid and poured wine into his own cup.
He was around forty, wearing green clothes and a mustache. He took a sip.
The other customers watched him intently. They were probably waiting to see whether the wine was worth paying for.
As expected of merchants. They never spent money on something without value.
"Oh! This is exceptionally fine wine! And it only costs one copper coin?! Sell it to me! Sell me the whole barrel!"
"No, no, there are other customers too, so that won't do."
"Hey! Stop hogging it!" "Let me have some too!" "Yeah, exactly!"
As expected, the other customers began to boo.
The other customers paid as well and started drinking the wine standing around the dispenser. The bridge was down, and there was nothing they could do. Perhaps it was almost drinking to drown their sorrows.
Since sales looked promising, I bought another barrel and poured in the next twelve bottles.
A cup of wine cost one copper coin (1,000 yen). If a cup held 250 milliliters, nine liters made thirty-six cups, for sales of 36,000 yen.
Once I emptied a barrel, I would have recovered the cost of both barrels and the wine. Everything from the next batch onward would be profit.
"Wow! This is seriously delicious!" "Wine this fine for one copper coin...?" "It's better than what I drank at a noble's mansion..."
The merchants gathered around and clamored for me to sell them whole barrels, but I refused because pouring bottled wine into barrels was such a hassle.
I did look for wine sold in barrels on Shangri-La, but there wasn't any.
"Primula, how much does an empty wine barrel cost?"
"Um, I think about three gold coins."
600,000 yen?! Even an empty wine barrel was a small fortune. Come to think of it, people in this world often transported goods in wine barrels.
Small items, fruit, beans, grain, and all sorts of things were transported or sold in wine barrels.
Apparently, even battered, leaky wine barrels were in demand as substitutes for containers.
Wine barrels were sturdy, after all.
"Customers, I can't sell you wine, but I can sell you empty barrels."
I bought a new empty wine barrel from Shangri-La. It held 225 liters and cost 75,000 yen.
I brought it out in front of the customers. There was no fooling anyone when I produced something this large.
"Item Box!"
The customers began to murmur.
"Th-this is an incredible wine barrel. It must have been made by a renowned master craftsman, surely?"
The merchants crouched down and inspected the barrel from one end to the other.
"Something like that."
"How much for this barrel...?"
"A special price: three gold coins (600,000 yen)."
"Sold! Give me three barrels!"
"Are you sure? The bridge is down, so you'll be stuck here for a while."
"I don't mind. Business is all about encounters. If you don't buy something when you encounter it, thinking that the moment is fate, you may never see it again for the rest of your life."
In Japanese, that was called ichigo ichie—the once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
"Ah, I understand. I often regret that if only I had borrowed money and bought that thing when I was young..."
A bearded old merchant wearing burgundy clothes cut into the conversation.
The other merchants nodded when they heard him—it seemed to be a common merchant's lament.
The merchant who had bought the new barrels brought over his assistants to carry them away.
Seeing that, the other merchants decided to buy barrels as well. I sold ten empty barrels for thirty gold coins (6 million yen). That was more profitable than many businesses.
Some merchants looked as though they wanted more barrels, but perhaps they couldn't afford to buy any more here.
As the sun began to sink, the beastfolk returned. Each of them was holding two birds about the size of pigeons.
The birds had already been plucked and prepared for cooking.
"Kenichi, make fried chicken with these, nya~" "Mine too!"
"All right, we're having fried chicken tonight."
After bringing out a portable gas stove and a pot, I had the beastfolk coat the birds they had chopped into pieces with fried-chicken coating and fry them in oil.
The sizzling oil and appetizing aroma filled the area.
"Sell us that dish too!" "Give me some!" "Over here too!"
The customers who were still there began shouting.
"Four pieces for one copper coin (1,000 yen)!"
Primula reacted to the customers' cries. Apparently, selling anything people asked for was part of being a merchant.
"All right! I'll buy some!" "Me too!" "Give me some wine!"
"Hey, Primula! We'll run out of dinner!"
"But..."
"It can't be helped."
I bought frozen, bagged fried chicken from Shangri-La. Each bag contained one kilogram and cost about 1,200 yen.
I bought about three bags and piled them high on a large plate. That would be more than enough to sell to the customers.
I didn't want them taking the freshly fried, piping-hot chicken made from wild birds that we had gone to all that trouble to prepare.
"Anemone, heat up this pile with magic."
"Got it. Warm!"
The pile of fried chicken soon began to sizzle pleasantly, sending up steam and a delicious aroma.
"Here you go. Freshly made."
That was a lie.
Even so, the customers all lunged at the fried chicken at once.
"Hot, hot!" "Oh-ho, this is delicious!" "I see... You wrapped the chicken in a wheat coating and fried it in oil..."
Some merchants thoughtfully examined the cross-sections while eating and analyzed them. They really were professionals.
They were probably calculating the ingredient and labor costs and everything else, running the figures on their abacuses.
Our fried chicken for dinner finished cooking too, so we all ate.
I wanted rice, so I added one more step. I covered the fried chicken with egg and put it over rice, completing a fried-chicken rice bowl.
Anemone ate rice too, so I made one for her as well.
Busy with business, Primula drank soup from the large pot in front of her and picked at the fried chicken meant for sale.
The temporary worker helping her did the same.
They could have just closed the stall... but apparently the merchant's blood was stirring, and they couldn't stop.
"Mmm—delicious! My mouth is filled with happiness!"
That was Anemone's impression as she ate her fried-chicken rice bowl, rice stuck around her mouth.
"Yeah, it's delicious. The meat is a little tough, but it has a good flavor."
"Yum!" "Still delicious! Ha-ha, we're helping ourselves to wine from the barrel."
"Nyaa."
For Bell, I removed the coating from some fried chicken and opened two cans of cat food.
The beastfolk hadn't been eating cat food lately. Maybe they had realized there were plenty of other delicious things.
Apparently, they had come to like curry even more than cat food.
We finished eating, but a drinking party had started in front of the house.
This wasn't a tavern, you know...
Once the wine ran out, I filled the two barrel dispensers to the brim with D○goro and collected payment in advance.
We left them as they were and began preparing for bed.
Just to be safe, I set up a log barricade around the house.
Myaree, who didn't drink alcohol, came inside, but Nyamena still seemed to be drinking.
Apparently, wandering from tavern to tavern and gathering information through casual conversation was her hobby—but...
Since she had stopped frequenting taverns after she began living with us, she was probably enjoying this long-overdue drinking binge.
The drinking party showed no sign of ending, so I left them to it and went to sleep.