After seeing off the members of the Ducal House, I headed toward the abandoned mine at a run, treating the trip as a bit of training. Seeing the unusually high number of adventurers along the way reminded me of the Grel Frogs.
Since I was passing by anyway, I decided to take a look and maybe catch a few more.
I pulled my chest waders out of my Item Box and headed into the marsh.
"There are so many people..."
That was my first impression upon arriving. There had to be over a hundred people within my field of vision alone. Since people were likely heading to the other marshes as well, the total number was probably even higher.
As I looked over the marsh, I noticed quite a few people wearing coveralls and chest waders. It looked like they were selling well. Oh—
One group caught my eye. It was a party of five, and every one of them was wearing coveralls and chest waders. I recognized their faces immediately.
They were the adventurers who had sold me the Bloody Slimes—the party known as Shikumu’s Pier. Since I was here, I decided to head over and say hello.
As I approached, I realized something was wrong. Kai-san looked frustrated, while the others were patting his back and telling him not to worry, saying it couldn't be helped.
"Hello there," I called out.
"Hm? Ah, you’re Ryoma-kun from the other day. Thanks again for your help back then."
"Not at all. I managed to get some excellent slimes out of the deal."
The man who had been drunk during our last encounter stepped forward. "Are you the one who bought those slimes?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I see. Sorry about before. I'm Sein. Apparently, I got drunk and gave you a hard time. I drank so much I don't remember much of it... but you really helped us out by buying those slimes. On top of that, thanks for the tip on how to make some real money. I appreciate it."
He seemed like a completely different person. When he was drunk, he was just a rowdy drunkard; now, he seemed quite earnest and serious.
"Please, don't worry about it. More importantly, did something happen? Kai-san looks a bit troubled."
"It’s not exactly a huge problem, but... well, let me introduce these guys first."
Kai-san gestured to the two men who had carried Sein away last time. He put a hand on the shoulder of the shorter man. "This is Kei, my little brother."
"I'm Kei. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you as well."
"And this is—"
"Peiron. Nice to meet ya."
"Nice to meet you."
"You know the five of us make up a party called Shikumu’s Pier, right?" Kai asked.
"Yes."
"The truth is, we used to be fishermen."
Fishermen? I wondered why he was bringing that up so suddenly, but then Shin-san took over the explanation.
"Sorry, Kai is bad at explaining things. I'll take it from here."
He explained that Shikumu was a village on the shores of the largest lake in the country. Being former fishermen, they were experts with nets. While working in mud felt different from water, they were much faster and more efficient at catching Grel Frogs than the other adventurers.
They had been making a killing over the last few days and had already caught over twenty today. However, in the brief moment they had looked away, someone had swapped their basket for another. Since the baskets were standard-issue gear from the guild, they couldn't tell who the thief was.
"I see. So your haul was stolen?"
"Well... I guess?"
Kei-san showed me the basket. Inside were about twenty frogs, but they were all in bad shape. A few were injured and barely breathing.
"Strictly speaking, we have more frogs now than we did before the swap," Kei-san admitted.
"But some amateur obviously handled them poorly," Sein added. "They're weak and battered. A weakened frog's value drops, and a dead one is worth almost nothing. These ones probably won't even survive the trip back to town."
"And those were swapped for our healthy ones."
"We can catch more, but it still leaves a bad taste in our mouths. That’s all it is."
I see... Wait, I have an idea.
"Do you know how much these would sell for right now?" I asked.
"If they're weak by the time we hit the guild, the price drops to 200 Suut. If they die, it's 50. Since we learned our lesson last time, we did our research thoroughly."
"And if they're healthy, they're 1,000 Suut each, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"In that case, would you be willing to sell these Grel Frogs to me for 300 Suut each?"
Shin-san looked confused. "We don't mind, but are you sure?"
"It’s a better deal for us than the guild, but..."
"You'll lose money, kid."
"If I were selling them to the guild, sure. But for my personal use, it’s not a problem."
"Personal use? You know how to make medicine?"
"Yes. They can be used for antidotes and such. I came here specifically to stock up on household supplies."
"I see. Well, we'd appreciate getting more than the guild rate."
"We can just catch more for the guild later. Take the whole lot."
"Thank you very much."
I bought twenty-five Grel Frogs from them for a total of 7,500 Suut.
"You're quite the character..." Sein muttered.
"I thought so when you offered that small gold coin for the slimes, too. You really don't hesitate to throw around large sums, do you?"
"It makes sense if you’ve seen his shop," Shin-san said.
Ah, so they had visited. "You’ve used Bamboo Forest?"
"We only meant to go once, but it's cheap, fast, and gets things cleaner than any hand-washing. We go pretty often now."
"Lately, with all this mud from the marsh, we've been there every day."
"I was skeptical at first, but slimes really are useful. It’s a great service."
It seemed they had become regulars.
"Doing laundry ourselves is going to be such a chore now," Kai joked. "Why don't you open a branch in our village? If you're interested, I can talk to the Fishery Guild and find you a good spot."
"I get offers like that sometimes, but I can't manage a branch store just yet."
"I suppose it’s not that simple. But if you ever decide to expand to Shikumu, let us know. We can help you find a storefront."
"We rarely leave the village. At most, we go to the neighbors. You'll always be able to find us."
"Going through the Fishery Guild might even get you a better location than the Commerce Guild could provide."
It sounded like a very community-oriented organization. That could be useful later.
"Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind."
I said my goodbyes and continued to the abandoned mine.
Once I arrived, I let out the slimes and the Rimul Birds to play. I dug a side tunnel within the mine shaft to set up my living quarters and a compounding room. The furniture was all made of stone, but it would serve for now.
"Now, time to bring in the Bloody and Cleaner slimes."
I set to work in the new compounding room. I needed to process the weakened frogs immediately; plus, the ones I had over-hunted the other day were still in the water tank inside my Dimension Home.
Healthy frogs can live for about a week. Usually, an apothecary would use that time to process them as carefully as possible. But with slimes, I didn't need that much time.
I drew a Separation magic circle on the floor and prepared stone vessels for the different parts. I moved the frogs into a stone cage in the corner. I started with the ones I had bought today.
"Bloody."
I pulled one out. It struggled, but I finished it quickly with a knife. A Bloody Slime entered through the wound, and the bloodletting was done in an instant.
Next was the dismantling. Guided by my Pharmacology Skill, I methodically separated the parts. Not a single drop of blood spilled during the process—the Bloody Slime's work was perfect.
After that came the removal of mucus and debris. I washed the parts to remove the surface slime and dirt.
If the mucus isn't removed properly, the quality tanks, but it’s notoriously difficult to get off. Doing it roughly damages the organs, which also ruins the quality. It’s a delicate, nerve-wracking process—at least, for a normal human.
"Your turn."
I directed the Cleaner Slimes to remove the slime and dirt. They engulfed the vessels, and their Sanitization Skill went to work. In seconds, they were done.
The results were perfect—fast and undamaged.
Then it was my turn. Using Alchemy, I rapidly dried the parts by separating the moisture. Normally, you’d have to use wind and fire magic, which risks degrading the ingredients with heat. My method was faster and kept the components intact.
Appraisal confirmed it: every step had been performed perfectly. Everything was highest quality. This confirmed that my procedure with the slimes was highly effective.
I worked in silence. Of the twenty-five frogs I’d bought today, all but nineteen were processed into the highest quality. Even those nineteen were still high quality and perfectly usable. The drop in quality there was due to the rough handling they’d received before I bought them—their organs had been bruised or their blood flow restricted from the start.
The leftover skin and meat became food for the Rimul Birds. I brought it out to see if they'd eat it, and they dug in happily. I’d heard they were omnivores—meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, grain—they weren't picky.
Omnivores... I guess meat will be the staple of their diet. I should check with the Tamer Guild later.
By the time I finished, night had fallen.
I gathered the slimes and birds into the tunnel for safety. The slimes were strong, but the night was still dangerous. I sealed the entrance with stone, leaving only enough space for air.
"Well... it's been a while since I spent a night like this..."
It took me back to when I first arrived in this world.
I remembered reading the letter from Gain and the others. Finding the cliff where I eventually built my house. Learning Earth Magic and digging out a cave. At first, I could barely chip the rock with my fingers using Break Rock... and once I’d made a hole big enough for myself, I just blocked it off with a crude stone wall. It was so simple.
Eventually, I improved my surroundings. Once I grew used to the forest, I’d hunt and train at night, but...
"...I’m not really in the mood for that tonight. Since I have the materials, I might as well make some medicine!"
I went back to the compounding room and stocked the shelves with herbs I’d gathered in the Gana Forest. I really wanted to build a proper wooden medicine chest. Maybe later.
The medicine I could make with my current stock was... an antidote. I had just enough for the recipe that used Grel Frog liver.
The necessary materials were the liver, a toxic herb called Kasuri, Kunashi fruit to neutralize the toxin, Jusho flowers for a tonic effect, and Uhuru grass as a diuretic.
I used Earth Magic to craft a pot, two spatulas, and a mortar and pestle. I really needed to buy proper tools soon. Magic worked, but real gear would be better.
I filled the pot with water, added the chopped Kasuri and Kunashi, and used the Thunder Magic spell Range to heat the water while stirring. Some ingredients are heat-sensitive, but these two were sturdy.
As the water boiled, the colors bled out until the pot was filled with a wicked-looking purple liquid.
Judging the timing by the color, I cut the heat. While it cooled, I ground up the dried frog liver.
"It should be ready..."
I checked the temperature with my hand and added the liver. I kept stirring. Once it cooled further, I added the Jusho flowers and Uhuru grass, tearing them into pieces and stirring until they sank. Now, I just had to wait for the components to steep.
"What now...?"
Stepping out of the room, I saw the Rimul Birds. I pulled my guitar from my Item Box and played two ending themes from a popular anime back on Earth. The moon was visible through the vent, which felt appropriate.
When I finished...
"——————!!"
A sound resonated through the cave that defied description.
"Whoa! My ears... Quiet down for a second..."
It was the Rimul Birds. They had chirped with beautiful voices, just like when we made our contract, but the sound echoed so much in the tunnel that it was just overwhelming. It was far too loud.
I took some unexpected damage there, but the birds seemed fine. What kind of ears do they have? The slimes, having no hearing, were also unaffected.
After that, I listened to the birds chirping much more quietly. I ate dinner and went back to the compounding room.
The extraction shouldn't take long. I appraised the liquid.
Unfinished Antidote (High Quality).
Success so far. Now for the final step.
I took a large cloth and had a Cleaner Slime sanitize it. It was from a bandit I’d defeated in the forest—finely woven and perfect for straining. I secured it over an empty pot with Sticky Slime thread and poured the liquid through.
Once it was all through, I squeezed every last drop from the dregs. I gave the result a light stir and appraised it again. The 'Unfinished' tag was gone, and the quality had jumped to Highest.
The medicine was a success, but... what was I going to do with it all?
"If I wanted to store it long-term, I should have made pills... though I didn't have the ingredients for that anyway."
Besides, I had the Poison Resistance skill. Most poisons didn't even affect me. I should keep some for emergencies, but I didn't need a whole pot's worth. I’d made enough for twenty bottles.
I crafted a funnel, a ladle, and a stack of bottles with Earth Magic. I filled nineteen bottles and put them in my Item Box. I carried the last one back to my living area, absentmindedly turning it over in my hands.
"Maybe I should sell these to Serge, or give them to Jeff...?"
My hand slipped, and I dropped the bottle.
"Oops..."
Because I’d been fiddling with it, the lid wasn't on tight. The medicine spilled everywhere.
"I’m really not on my game today..."
Maybe it was the Infantile Regression Kufo mentioned. I couldn't seem to snap out of this mood. Even though I was forty inside, was I really this affected by a simple goodbye? At my old job, people quit or collapsed from overwork all the time. I thought I was used to it. I wasn't lonely enough to cry, but every time I had a moment of stillness, a wave of melancholy hit me.
I stood there for about ten seconds.
"...I’m just going to sleep!"
Better to just sleep than mope. I looked down to clean up the spill, but the liquid was already gone.
"Wait, where did it go?"
There were slimes wandering all over the room. One of the Cleaner Slimes must have taken care of it. Well, at least it saved me the work.
With that thought, I crawled into bed.