Chapter 455 - Chapter 404: What Is an Uninhabited Island?
"I see. Well, can you tell them that Shal and the others are doing well?"
"How should I know? Well, I'll tell Natural Ramune-san."
When I arrived at the Virtual Club Room in the evening, Bell-buchou's live stream today was apparently going to Citron Kingdom, meaning Natural Ramune's island.
Apparently, Natural Ramune had asked, "Aren't you coming to visit?"
Leona-san and Anshia-san too?
"Leona-san is coming. But Anshia-san is skipping because the Game Dolls people wouldn't be pleased."
Bell-buchou said with a wry smile.
Come to think of it, there was a lot of trouble when the Harune Holy Nation was destroyed.
Huh? But...
"Didn't we hear something about the Game Dolls buying a Transfer Magic Circle they had secured?"
"It seems that was only discovered after it was bought through an agent. There's also the fact that Anshia-san would be met with caution if she went."
"Well, I understand, but..."
After that conversation, I saw Bell-buchou and Seth off.
I hope it doesn't concern us, but the Transfer Magic Circle on our island, the one Azure-san is coming to see today, well...
*
[May I?]
Nina's voice called out as I was cooking in the dirt floor area next to the mountain cabin, preparing food to welcome Azure-san.
"Ah, yeah. Has Azure-san arrived?"
[Yes. Azure, and Althena, have transferred to the Large Transfer Room.]
The White Dragon Princess came too.
Did Azure-san get caught trying to come alone, I wonder?
I had prepared sweets for souvenirs, so that's fine, but,
Shou-kun, aren't you going to greet them?
"I, uh, can't really leave what I'm doing right now, I'm handling fire..."
Just as I was about to tell Nina to have them come here,
"Woof.""Kururu~~~."「~~~♪」"Nya."
"Ah, they'll go greet them. Thank you. Nina, please relay that."
[Yes. Understood.]
Lupi, Raz, Sweee, and Shal said they would go greet them, so I left it to them.
I, meanwhile, was trying to make Sodaushisu bushi... Sodaushisu flakes, from the Sodaushisu (skipjack tuna) I received the other day.
Making katsuobushi (bonito flakes) is hard, isn't it?
"It's a lot of work, but once it works well, you can mass-produce it."
Ah, that's right.
Having Cooking Mastery really helps.
The method involves first boiling it to condense the flavor, then deboning it, and finally smoking it.
I've been diligently deboning it, and now I'm in the process of smoking it, adjusting the heat for the smoke...
"Snack time!"
""Ah.""
At the White Dragon Princess's voice, I looked towards the stairs to see her running, with Lupi, Raz, Sweee, and Shal chasing after her.
Azure-san was walking, already looking resigned...
"Snacks!"
"Welcome. Please take a seat."
"Okay~."
What I served was Papu Fruit sautéed in butter with ice cream, which I had made at noon.
It was made by peeling Papu Fruit that had been dried, sautéing it in butter, and then adding ice cream.
The key was a hidden touch: a drizzle of sweet and sour sauce made by reducing Papu Vinegar and Sky Sugar.
"Sorry, Shou-kun."
"Not at all. Azure-san, please help yourself too. Oh, this has a little alcohol in it."
Azure-san, who arrived late, also took a seat, and I gave him the same dish, but with a few drops of Papu Wine.
"Yay!"
We'll talk after we finish eating, right?
"Yeah."
Well, I have time today, so we can take it easy.
………
……
…
After finishing our snacks, the White Dragon Princess went for a walk with Sweee and Raz on her shoulders. To avoid any potential problems, I sent Leda and Roy along as escorts.
And since I figured the piano could wait until we returned, we first talked about that Transfer Magic Circle connected to the Southern Ocean Seabed Resource Mining Facility.
"Nina. What was that Southern Ocean thing again?"
[Yes. It is the Southern Ocean Seabed Resource Mining Facility.]
"Oh, wow! And, when did you become able to talk here!?"
Ah, right. I hadn't talked about that yet.
Well, that's a story about diligently laying Mana Transmission Lines.
"Nina says she knows the distance, direction, and coordinates from here, but are you interested, Azure-san?"
"Yes!"
So, I had Nina explain it.
Honestly, I can't remember all that...
"So, are we going to try using that Transfer Magic Circle now?"
"Ah, no, there are some circumstances I'd rather avoid..."
If that Southern Ocean place was an uninhabited island, and an Uninhabited Island Start was possible there, then Mion could start there, and I could go pick her up.
This way, I should be able to pick up Mion on the island without anyone finding out...
And if I used the Transfer Magic Circle to confirm that, the uninhabited island might cease to be uninhabited, and an Uninhabited Island Start might become impossible.
"Is that so? Then it might be best if I fly over and take a look. It'll take some time, though."
"That's perfectly fine. Please do so when you have time."
"Understood. Is there anything specific you'd like me to check when I go there?"
"Um, first, whether it's an inhabited island."
Whether it's an island at all, and whether it's uninhabited, is extremely important.
"Okay. Is just flying around and looking from the sky enough?"
"Yes, that's sufficient."
It seems Azure-san also wants to avoid startling any animals there, so that works out perfectly.
I conveyed that landing might make it no longer an uninhabited island, and that I wanted him to check the direction, distance from this island, and the shape if there was an island.
"That's about that. Also, regarding the broken piano..."
The Dragonkin should be acquainted with the Dwarves, so I was hoping to somehow get it fixed through their connections.
"A piano is an instrument, right? Would it be okay if I showed it to a Dwarf named Grad? If he can fix it, that's great, but they probably haven't used one either."
"Of course."
Grad... I seem to remember that name as a Dwarf who came to Amiera Territory.
I feel like he might be able to fix it, but I just can't imagine a Dwarf playing the piano...
Well, its structure is interesting, so he might be curious.
"And if he can't fix it, will we ask a human on the mainland?"
"Yes. In that case, I plan to form a guild."
"Mm-hm. Argenta told me. I'll be the person in charge on the Dragonkin side, so I look forward to working with you!"
Seriously, I thought...
Well, he's the easiest person to deal with, after all.
"Um, the piano is currently stored in the mansion's storehouse, so..."
「~~~♪」
I thought the White Dragon Princess would also want to come if we were going there, but she seemed to have just returned.
"Alright, let's all go together."