kscans

Chapter 23 - Things Before Cotton, Outdoor Exploration

"I think I'll try weeding with magic for this one."

He would take this opportunity to use and train his seldom-used Wind Magic. That's what Yuri thought, but...

"This is ridiculously difficult..."

To cut the other weeds and shrubs from the overgrown thicket, leaving only the target Mao plants.

This task, which would not be so difficult if he were to sort them by hand and cut them with a sickle, suddenly became much harder when performed only with Wind Magic. It required precise control of the wind's, or in this case, the Wind Cutter's, power and direction.

"No good, I can't be doing this for every single one."

He felt as if all his energy had been drained just by clearing the area around a single Mao plant, so he decided to cut the rest with a sickle. Yuri quickly created a sickle with Earth Magic and diligently devoted himself to the task of weeding. He didn't have enough time to weed around all the plants, so after finishing a certain amount of weeding, Yuri decided to continue his exploration. There might be other plants besides Mao that could be used for fiber, and it was always better to find useful plants other than fibers.

And what he found was...

《Oro: A perennial grass that grows wild in mountains and fields, a relative of Mao. Its stem is reddish. In addition to harvesting fiber from its outer bark, a cotton-like fiber can also be collected from its inner bark.》

"Cotton, huh? Come to think of it, I need stuffing for my futon, not just thread and cloth..."

It might seem like he was getting ahead of himself, but he needed to think about materials for keeping warm in preparation for winter. Currently, he had the Mudderboar's fur, and he might be able to use the fur of other animals as well. Among them, there might be an animal with fur that could be used as a substitute for wool, but...

"If I can get cotton, I should probably secure this too..."

According to his familiar Rural Life Guide master, the yield was not very good, so he would probably need to cut and gather a considerable amount of Oro.

"Well, I'll just have to try it at least once."

As he was lightly weeding the area where the Oro was growing, it became close to noon, so he decided to have lunch right there. Today's lunch was a starch dumpling made from Lycoris, detoxified according to the Rural Life Guide, and lightly grilled Mudderboar meat. With the wild strawberries he had picked along the way for dessert, it turned out to be a surprisingly satisfying lunch.

While taking a short break after eating, he thought about his plans for the rest of the day. He had cleared his immediate goal, but he had no particular plan for what to do if he returned to the village now. So, he decided on a policy of investigating the vegetation in this area a little more. There were many things he needed besides fiber materials. He would have to investigate this area eventually anyway, and there was no particular inconvenience if that day was today.

Yuri rested for a little while and then resumed his exploration of the surroundings. And what he found next was...

"Wow, to think I'd find this..."

In front of Yuri was a grass that seemed to be taller than him. It closely resembled a grass he remembered seeing when he was a child, though he was a child now, he meant when he was a child in his previous life.

"It was kenaf, wasn't it? I think it was said to be a paper-making material to replace wood..."

《Kenfa: An annual grass that grows in sunny fields. It grows quickly, reaching three to four meters in height depending on the conditions. Fiber can be obtained from its inner bark, and it can also be used as a raw material for papermaking. Its core material can be heated and compression molded to be used as particle board without the need for adhesive. It is sometimes cultivated for ornamental purposes as it produces large flowers in the fall. However, the number of people who cultivate it is limited due to the sharp thorns on its stem and its strong ability to absorb nutrients from the ground, which leads to continuous cropping issues.》

"Huh, I knew it could be made into pulp, but it can also be used for fiber and made into boards without glue? I could see the thorns, but this is the first I've heard about continuous cropping issues. Wow, Appraisal-sensei and Rural Life Guide-shishou are amazing."

As far as he could see, Kenfa was growing here and there, but its numbers were by no means large. Since it had continuous cropping issues, he might not be able to expect it to keep growing here forever. If he planned to use it, it might be better to collect the seeds and think about cultivating it in the village.

"Well, maybe I'll try harvesting some fiber as a test. I'm curious which one has a better yield, Mao or this..."

Somehow, he had made quite a few discoveries. Thinking this, Yuri set off on his way back to the village.