Chapter 570 - Another Desired Ingredient
Avoiding the Dubugavials, we decided to head upstream from a spot away from the riverbank.
With Lupi at the front, Leda and Roy watched the land side, True and the Selkies watched the river side, and Shal kept an eye on our rear.
Naturally, Sweee and Raz were inside my hood.
"Sorry. I might be quiet for a while."
Yes.
[Mii] "Understood! (ーー)ゞ"
[Shakeena] "Be careful~♪"
[Sarko] "It's fine, it's fine~"
etcetc...
I glanced at the comments, then activated Shared Presence Detection to check our surroundings... No problems.
I wonder if there aren't many animals on this side because of those alligators earlier?
"Lupi."
"Woof"
As we proceeded upstream, the river on our left narrowed, and the current grew faster.
I doubted alligators would come this far upstream, but True and the others were maintaining a strong vigilance.
After advancing for a while...
"Woofn"
"Ah..."
Is it a dead end?
"Yeah. I don't think we can climb this cliff."
It was a steep slope, almost straight up.
Pan and the others might be able to climb it, but it might be dangerous beyond, so this was probably as far as we could go.
"Hmm. Didn't find anything particularly new..."
No, not really.
The comments section was full of remarks about the alligators, but that was a separate issue; what I wanted was new ingredients...
"~~~?"
"Hm?"
Sweee seemed to have found something, heading towards where Leda and Roy were.
It was pointless to just stand here staring up, so I called True and the others and followed them.
What happened?
"I wonder if she found something..."
Sweee was swaying, making a sniffing gesture, and as if drawn by her, Leda and Roy also raised their noses.
"Maybe a rare flower?"
"Kyu?"
""Kyu~""
True and the others also seemed unsure.
However, Sweee seemed to sense it, moving this way and that...
"Woofn"
""Bow""
Leda and Roy darted ahead, and everyone else followed, swaying.
[Satena] "Be careful of dangerous flowers~"
[Newend] "Like Rafflesia?"
[Rutaiba] "Watch out for camouflaged Treants!"
[Napalm] "There are carnivorous plant monsters, aren't there..."
etcetc...
Shou-kun. Please be careful of a monster called Treant.
"Got it."
Come to think of it, I had forgotten about Treants.
Good thing there weren't any in the forests until now...
"Hm?"
What's wrong?
"This scent..."
Leda and Roy seemed to have noticed too, and they immediately dashed in the direction Sweee was heading.
Hastily following them, we arrived at a wide-open area, covered in small white flowers.
[Ashleaf] "That's not Coputi, is it?"
[Krand] "They said 'scent,' so maybe jasmine?"
[Java] "Whoa! Cumin is here!!"
[Rocol] "Baby's breath?"
etcetc...
I knelt down for an appraisal.
[Cuminon]
A plant found in warm regions. Its seeds are used in cooking and alchemy.
I picked up some seeds fallen on the ground and appraised them.
[Cuminon Seed]
*Cuminon seeds. Used whole or powdered.
General Cooking: Used as a seasoning. Alchemy: Improves the effects of various medicines.*
"It's cumin after all!"
I wonder if that ethnic aroma came from the seeds fallen on the ground?
When I picked one up and sniffed it nearby...
"Damn. I'm starving."
[Risossu] "I know the feeling~"
[Nonnonno] "Can we make curry? What else do we need?"
[Kenes] "The alchemy effects are insane~"
[Shakeena] "It's delicious powdered and used for karaage~♪"
etcetc...
Um, it's a curry spice, right?
"Yeah. Well, it has various other uses too, so I'll take this back and ask Kuro and the others to cultivate it."
Yes, let's!
Mion seemed to have handled it thoughtfully.
I knew turmeric and coriander could be obtained on the Southern Island, but saying that would lead to a "how do you know?" question, so for now, I'd just cook with cumin.
"It doesn't seem like there are any monsters around here, so let's take a break."
"Woofn" "~~~♪"
Backing against the cliff, I sat down carefully to avoid stepping on the Cuminon.
Leda and Roy lightly scouted the area and came back, signaling that it was safe.
""Bow""
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks."
I gave Lupi, Leda, and Roy boar meat jerky.
For True and the others, dried sardines, and for Sweee and Raz, simple cookies with Rumorella Jam.
"Alright, I guess it's Q&A time until then? I think it'll be fine, but if a monster appears, we'll interrupt."
Yes!
As usual (?), the comments section flowed like a waterfall, so I concentrated on my job of petting Lupi.
First question. Do you have any plans to sell plants unique to the island on the mainland?
"Ah, honestly, I'm still debating that. I'm not sure if it's okay to give things that can only be obtained here to the mainland, you know?"
[Asanasan] "I see~"
[Otton] "If it's really not allowed, the operations team will stop you, I think, lol?"
[Natai] "Conversely, is there anything you want?"
[Rakan] "He's worried about balance, huh~"
etcetc...
Indeed, if I exported something truly problematic, the operations team would stop me.
For example, they'd probably make it so this Cuminon couldn't be grown on the mainland.
"Then, if we can multiply the seeds in our fields here, I'll export them."
I think that's a good idea.
"Oh, that's right. Thinking ahead, I should start securing some money soon."
At those words, the comments section went wild again.
However, there were also some negative opinions, pointing out the possibility of prices skyrocketing without limit.
"They're just seeds, and if you grow them, you can get as many as you want, but..."
How about doing a lottery, like before?
"You're right. Maybe sell a few types of seeds and saplings through a lottery system? As for the price... I'll consult with Argenta-san or someone."
Well, whether it's seeds or saplings, if there are many winners, the price probably won't increase that much.
First, I'll try to earn some money and then let Mion handle the Accounting.