Chapter 68 - Chapter 61 From Where Exactly?
“Haa… Did I really mess up that much?”
“They both said it as a compliment.”
“I’ll try to believe that…”
In the end, the discussion about forming a player guild was put off until Bell-buchou, Seth, and the production group could talk amongst themselves. If they decided to go ahead with it, there would be a face-to-face meeting, or rather, as per Yata-sensei’s instructions, Bell-buchou would do a limited broadcast that Mion and I would participate in by watching.
“Woof?”
“Hm, it’s alright.”
I stroked Lupi, who was tilting her head worriedly, to calm her down.
When I logged into IRO, it seemed to have just rained lightly, as the plaza was a bit wet. I didn’t want to sit on the ground, so I used
“Lupi-chan, do you eat vegetables?”
“Hm, I wonder. Lupi, want some Lexon?”
“Woof!”
She doesn’t seem to be picky, Lupi’s a good girl. Oh, but she can’t have onions, right? Lexon is probably fine. I scattered some minced Lexon over the minced rabbit meat, and it was done.
“Alright, go ahead and eat.”
Seeing her eat so eagerly, I felt like I should probably give her a bit more. Maybe I’ll give her a little extra Ranziboa meat tomorrow.
“Well, I’ll make a hotpot for myself.”
“A hotpot?”
“It’s more like shabu-shabu, really. For now, the broth will be Chagatake.”
Oh, that reminds me, can’t I just find kelp by diving in the sea? I suddenly felt like I could eat seafood if I took up Swimming or Diving skills and free-dived.
“Maybe I’ll dive into the sea tomorrow…”
“Eh?”
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking I could gather kelp and seaweed if I free-dived.”
“That’s true. But I’m worried about sea monsters appearing.”
“Ah, you’re right. Hmm…”
The thought of being dragged down by the feet in a rocky area sent shivers down my spine. I guess I’ll explore little by little from the shallow waters… I quickly swished thinly sliced rabbit meat in the Chagatake-infused broth.
“Oh, this is good. But I want ponzu sauce…”
“Sesame sauce would also be delicious, it seems.”
“Ah, that’s a good idea. I might be able to find sesame if I look.”
Next, the Lexon… it has a grassy smell, so I’ll boil it until it wilts before eating. Hmm, this is quite good too…
“Lupi-chan looks like she wants some?”
“Hm, maybe she’s not getting enough food now. She’s gotten quite big, hasn’t she?”
“Yes. She eats well, after all.”
I boiled some rabbit meat and Lexon together and placed it on Lupi’s empty plate. She sniffed at it for a while, knowing it was hot, and then, after confirming it had cooled, ate it with relish. In the end, Lupi and I ate enough Bicobit to fill us up three times over.
“Phew. Lupi, you can sleep. I’ll call you when it’s time for a walk.”
“Woof.”
Instead of going to the bed in the cave, she curled up right next to me. She’s as cute as ever, but she’s gotten so big.
“Alright, shall I make the pouch now…?”
…
…
…
[Sewing skill level increased!]
“I guess this is good enough?”
“It’s made properly. You’ll have to report it to Bell-buchou again.”
“No, no, she’s probably made pouches herself already.”
The pouch, a drawstring bag, was made from Saloon Lizard leather and Bicobit leather straps. I put one bottle of Heal Potion, made from Hermit Bamboo Grass, into it and hung it on my waist.
“Ah, so this is how it works.”
When I opened my inventory, a slot for a bottle-sized item had been added, and it was always accessible. It was like a shortcut in a 2D game, I guess. I didn’t have to search for it; I could just reach for the pouch and pull it out… well, naturally.
“It seems convenient.”
“Yeah, being able to quickly pull out medicine is a big deal.”
Should I try making a slightly larger side pouch? No, if I hang too many, they’ll probably get in the way when I move.
“Next is a backpack?”
“Ah, that’s it. I’m gathering more types and quantities of things, so I need to increase how much I can carry at once.”
“If your Sewing skill levels up, can you make leather armor or even metal armor?”
“That’s a good point. Nat showed me a screenshot today, and composite armor like that… I feel like I could make something similar.”
For that, I’ll need to process the Ranziboa hide. And to turn hide into leather, I’ll have to go get Papu Fruit…
“Shou-kun?”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I was just thinking I don’t have enough Papu Fruit to process the hide into leather.”
I’ve accumulated a good amount of waterproof Saloon Lizard hide for the roof. I have even more Bicobit hide, and both are just sitting in the cave.
“Shouldn’t you go check the trap you set with the rope earlier?”
“Ah! That’s right!”
“Woof!”
…
…
…
I managed to gather plenty of Papu Fruit, but the trap came up empty. Instead, I thoroughly gathered Lexon, Chagatake, and Kitopukusa, and my [Gathering] skill also leveled up. And then, I remembered one more thing.
“You didn’t find any bird feathers, did you?”
“They might be deeper in, but it’s scary without proper gear.”
Beyond the trap’s location, towards the northeast, there’s a high possibility of Armor Bears. My character level has increased, but my equipment hasn’t caught up, so I need to be cautious until that’s sorted…
[Material Processing skill level increased!]
I returned and immediately started processing the hides. “Phew, that makes Material Processing level 5. But what exactly happens when the level goes up?”
“Perhaps the quality improves?”
“I see. For things like rope, it helps if it doesn’t break easily.”
If I build a log house, rope will be essential for carrying timber to high places. I see. It makes sense that ropes and other things would run out of stock for the “Expansion of Living Space.”
“Are you going to make a backpack with that leather and then call it a day?”
“Probably. What time is it now?”
“It’s just past 10 o’clock.”
“Roger. I think I can make it in about 30 minutes, but…”
Hmm, I don’t have a pattern, so it’s risky to do it in one go. Oh, I can just make a stone wall of appropriate size and then wrap the leather around it. Considering the size of my back…
“
“Eh?”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Like this…”
I draped the Saloon Lizard leather over it and tied it with rope, then made cuts along the sides. Then, I cut it, leaving seam allowances, to form a backpack…
“…Well, I guess the first one is like this.”
The left and right sides were slightly uneven, so I folded it in the middle and adjusted the shape. Then I punched holes in the seam allowances and connected them with leather straps, finally turning it inside out. The bag part was complete.
“Yeah, when the seams aren’t visible, it looks like it turned out nicely.”
“That’s amazing. Are you going to add shoulder straps to this?”
“That’s right. And I’ll probably add a lid too. Since the Saloon Lizard leather is waterproof, I want to keep the contents from getting wet even if it rains.”
For detachability, I’d want buckles or something… I’m starting to think I can make those with Blacksmithing and Crafting. This isn’t a ‘mishap,’ is it?