"Say, Goose, do you know much about that coating?"
"Hm? The sap of the tokisoko? Well, I know the basics."
"Could you tell me about it?"
"Sure thing."
Goose gave Jin a brief explanation.
The tokisoko was a tree that turned red in the autumn. Touching the tree or its sap could cause a rash in some people. When the trunk was scored, it produced a sap that served as the coating. The collected sap was filtered to remove debris and then stored in buckets, covered with waterproof leather to keep it from contact with the air.
"As far as I know, that's called 'urushi'..."
"Oh, 'urushi', is it? I've heard that in the old days, the sap was sometimes called 'ruoshi', and depending on the region, it's apparently also called 'uroshi'. They sound quite similar."
As expected, Goose was very knowledgeable.
Jin didn't know it, but in reality, some theories suggested the word urushi originated from uruwashi (beautiful) or uruoshi (moistening), so it wasn't surprising that these names were similar. Regardless, Jin was fascinated by the lacquer of Fusou Island.
"The urushi I know is pitch black. They use it to apply thin layers of gold leaf or... gold powder, I think? They'd sprinkle it to paint pictures."
"Ho, that sounds extravagant. I feel like those kinds of techniques might exist further north. I've never been there, though."
"I knew it."
"...Does it really give you a rash if you touch it?"
"Eh? Ah, Saki."
It was Saki who had interrupted Jin and Goose's conversation.
"Kuhu, am I in the way?"
"No, not at all," Jin immediately replied. He looked around the room. "Where are Elsa and Hanna?"
"The two of them are in the kitchen helping to clean up."
"You didn't help, Saki?"
"...In my case, it would be more like getting in the way than helping."
Jin bowed his head to Saki, who had replied with a grumpy face.
"I... see. Sorry."
"It's fine. It's the truth, after all."
Goose turned back to her. "Anyway, as I told Jin, it does cause a rash. It depends on your constitution, but I've heard there are people who get a rash just by passing under the tree."
"Th-that's scary... Do the bowls cause a rash too?" Saki asked, looking a little frightened.
"Haha, it's fine. Dried tokisoko doesn't cause rashes."
"I'm relieved to hear that..." Saki let out a long sigh of relief.
Elsa and Hanna were helping in the kitchen.
"I'm plumb sorry, havin' the guests help out like this."
Two women—the village chief's wife and her daughter-in-law—offered their thanks to Elsa and the others. The wife was named Ritze and looked to be in her mid-fifties, while the daughter-in-law, Separei, appeared to be in her early twenties.
Elsa was washing dishes with Ritze.
"It's in place of... the lodging fee," Elsa said.
"But we already got that soap for the lodging fee."
"Still, we wanted to help."
"Jin-shan's got himself a fine wife, he does."
"Wha—"
The comment was in a thick dialect, but the meaning was clear. Elsa's face turned a deep shade of crimson.
"I... I'm not his wife... yet."
"Is that so? But if ya say 'not yet', that means it'll be 'purty soon', don't it?"
Before Elsa could manage a retort, Hanna—who was drying dishes with Separei—raised her voice.
"I'm all finished wiping the dishes!"
"Oh, Hanna-chan, thank ya kindly."
"These plates are so light and pretty!"
Back home, Hanna and the others primarily used ceramics—earthenware plates or simple wooden bowls. While Jin had crafted various household items for them, many homes in Kaina Village still used traditional tableware. Earthenware was resistant to dirt and easy to wash but was heavy and fragile. Plain wooden bowls were light, but stains would soak into the wood.
However, the bowls here were finished with tokisoko sap—'urushi'—making them beautiful and resistant to staining.
"Haha, thanks a heap. These are products of our village, so I'm mighty glad to hear ya say that," Separei said with a happy laugh. "Even so, Hanna-chan and Elsa-shan, both of ya got such fair, pretty skin. And your hair is all sparkly too."
Separei touched Hanna's hair gently, a hint of envy in her eyes.
"Hmm, but I think having black hair like Onii-chan's is nice too."
"Black hair..." Separei's gaze turned distant for a moment. "Jin-shan... that man is just like the Legendary Sage."
"Eh? The Legendary Sage?" Hanna asked. She knew one of the reasons Jin had come here was to learn about the 'magus'.
"Aye, the Legendary Sage. It's passed down that he had fair skin like yours, Hanna-chan, but his hair was black like ours."
"Hmm..."
Hanna decided she would tell Jin about this when they returned. She pressed for more information. "What did that Sage do?"
Separei paused to think before answering. "He taught the people of Fusou Island many things."
"Like what?"
"Like paintin' the sap of the tokisoko on these bowls, how to make paper, and..."
Separei explained that many of the cultural and technological advancements they still used today were attributed to the Sage.
"Wow, the Sage must have been amazing."
Separei smiled at Hanna. "That he was. He was a great man."
"Hey, where did that Sage come from?" Hanna asked, trying to find out what Jin wanted to know.
"Even if ya ask where, no one really knows."
Hanna's face fell. "I see..."
Seeing her disappointment, Separei patted Hanna's shoulder to cheer her up. "There might be folks who know more if ya try goin' to a town instead of just a village like this."
"A town...?"
"Aye. If ya go to the town called Nade north of the Shikuro Wetlands, it's a big place with heaps o' people. There might be someone knowledgeable there."
"The town of Nade..."
"Hanna-chan and the others are headin' north, right? Then I'm sure ya'll meet someone who knows."
"Yeah, thank you, Separei-san!"
Hanna dashed off, eager to share this information with Jin as soon as possible. Separei watched her go with a fond smile.