Chapter 193 - Unfortunately, I'm Underage
Whoooooosh…
"Huh?"
"Is it rain and thunder?"
Listening closely, I could hear the distinct sound of heavy rain. Occasionally, a rumble of thunder vibrated the air.
"Ah, I knew it might rain, but finding this place got me too excited…"
"I think we should close the front door. Strong winds will blow inside."
"Roger. Lupi, wait here for a moment."
"Woof-n."
I asked the light spirit for another light so the inner room wouldn't be dark.
I brought in the bar propped next to the door, closed the door, and slid it into the inner latch receiver.
"It was raining quite heavily. Going back to the Mountain Cabin might be a bit…"
"Yeah. It would be great if I could log out for the night here. Lupi's fine, but what about Sweee?"
"~~~♪"
Sweee gave a thumbs-up, indicating no problem.
Well, she did sometimes stay overnight in the Mountain Cabin, so she's probably fine.
"So, that barrel earlier…"
I returned to the backroom and approached the barrel with the paper attached.
The visible paper wasn't so much 'attached' as 'tucked into' the lid-like part on top.
"Can you read it?"
"Yeah, uh… 'To you who will one day visit this place. May happiness in the form of sake be yours.' That's what it says."
"Sake, you say?"
Is it in this barrel-like thing?
But when I opened the lid to take the paper earlier, there wasn't any particular scent like that.
"For now, shall I appraise this…"
[Magic Brewer: Unavailable]
"A vessel that ferments its contents by borrowing the power of mana. Primarily used for brewing sake.
Basic Magicology: Becomes available by installing a Magic Crystal Stone (Medium)."
"Huh!?"
"It's a magic tool!"
"No, that's fine, but why would something like this be abandoned here? I think it's incredibly valuable."
"Perhaps it can't be moved?"
"Ah, I see."
Looking closely, it seemed to be a set, not just the barrel part, but also the base underneath.
The base was about 30cm tall and made of metal, but it had no rust whatsoever, glowing with a dull silver sheen in the light.
Yeah. It feels like the base is the main body of the magic tool. The barrel on top also looks quite old, though…
"Um, it says I need a Magic Crystal Stone (Medium), but where do I set it…?"
"Can't you move the barrel?"
"Oh, right."
Even if I were to brew various things, it would be a pain to clean the barrel every single time.
I grabbed the barrel, about 50cm tall, and carefully checked if I could move it. It was just sitting there.
Moving it aside after lifting it, I exclaimed,
"This is it!"
"That indentation."
Exactly in the center of the stand was a recess perfectly shaped for a medium-sized Magic Crystal Stone.
I wish they'd left a Magic Crystal Stone if they were going to leave this behind, but coincidentally, I have one that was made from a Red Armor Bear's Magic Stone (Medium).
I placed the Magic Crystal Stone into the recess and…
"I don't have anything that can be brewed…"
"Like Grapeful fruit?"
"I'll probably try that first. But, if I ferment Glycine, soybeans, with this, can I make soy sauce?"
After boiling soybeans, if I add salt water and ferment them, will it become soy sauce? If I ferment them without it, will it be miso?
Ah, no, doesn't soy sauce need wheat? I guess I won't know until I try…
"Shou-kun?"
"Oh, sorry."
"I don't really understand, but shouldn't you report this to the Dragonfolk?"
"Ah! Oh, you're right…"
At worst, they might tell me I can't use it.
I wonder if I can somehow get them to let me use it…
"Speaking of which, didn't you mention in a previous live stream that cooking players were trying hard to make miso and soy sauce?"
"Yes. Shall I go check what happened?"
"Sorry. Could you do that for me?"
Even though it's an Ancient Magic Tool, the fact that it can ferment means there must be elemental magic for brewing, so there's a possibility someone has already figured it out.
"Wuff?"
"Hm, shall we stay here for the night today?"
"Wuff~."
Still, sleeping on this stone floor for a logout was a bit iffy.
Staying in the loft seemed like a good idea, but would it be safe?
It's a pretty old building, so there's the question of whether it can support me and Lupi.
"Heave-ho…"
The loft was about my height. I used the small ladder on the right to climb up.
Thanks to Sweee, all the dust was gone, and there was nothing else up there.
It was a loft with thick wooden beams spanning stone walls, topped with planks… It seemed sturdy enough.
The space was comfortably small, about 4.5 tatami mats…
"Lupi, can you climb the ladder?"
"Woof-n!"
Lupi crouched down, lightly jumped, kicked off the middle rung of the ladder, and smoothly climbed up.
"Whoa, as expected of Lupi!"
"Wuff~."
I instinctively ruffled her face.
Sweee was spreading her arms as if saying, 'Of course I can do this much,' but I ignored her.
Oh, right.
I should have the Ranziboa fur…
[Safe Zone has been added!]
[Residence Added: No SP gained.]
[You can set this as your My Home. Would you like to set it?]
"Oh, lucky!"
"I'm back. Oh, it's become a Safe Zone!"
"Yeah. Now I can probably log out for the night with peace of mind."
As I answered, I replied "No" to the My Home setting.
The faint light of the Safe Zone slowly spread, then gradually faded and disappeared.
"Ah, and, thank you. How was it?"
"Yes. I looked through various forums, and it seems Elemental Magic players and Spirit Magic players are working hard on it."
"Oh, really? That's amazing…"
According to Mion, Elemental Magic users were approaching it by maintaining a constant temperature with the
"It sounds so professional; if they find out I discovered this Ancient Magic Tool, I feel like screams would erupt…"
"Perhaps…"
Should I keep this magic tool a secret for a while? Having too many secrets isn't great, though.
Anyway,
"What could be the reason why it's not working out?"
"It seems they're producing toxic bacteria."
"Well, it's mold, after all… But I feel like it would be easy enough to just have them detoxify it with Holy Magic or something."
Like, leaving only the good bacteria… Would that work?
Relying on a goddess's miracle for something like that feels a bit too convenient.
"Shou-kun! Let's tell the President about this!"
"Huh, no… well, okay."
It's just a random idea, though.
Well, I can't use Holy Magic, so if the Silver Manor tries it, I guess that's fine…