kscans

Chapter 238 - Bounty of the Sea and Mountains (Part 1)

Dona somehow managed to drag Yuri away from the "termite mound" stall, but his escalating shopping fever filled her with a growing sense of crisis, and she was desperate to leave this place as soon as possible. Adon-san and the others had said something about fittings for his mottled blade sword, or inspiration for its design, but... she had a feeling that letting Yuri loose around here would lead to nothing good. She had to drag him away, no matter what.

But Dona’s wish was in vain, as the next thing Yuri got caught up in was...

(Wow... a squid shell... it’s huge...)

Dona, having grown up in the mountains, didn't seem to know what it was, but Yuri recognized it without even needing to use Appraisal. The size was something out of a fantasy, but it was unmistakably a giant squid shell. What on earth was it for... he was about to mutter, when a memory from his past life came back to him.

(I think... they used it for bird feed... they need a source of calcium, right? For when birds lay eggs...)

When he had been in charge of the school's animals in elementary school, salt licks and giant squid shells were listed as feed for the small birds, alongside grains and greens...

As his train of thought progressed, Yuri remembered his little friends. He had been sharing the grains and beans he grew with them... but he hadn't thought about a calcium source. Now that he had realized it, though, he should prepare one. After all, they had helped him in so many ways, with early warnings, information gathering, and more.

(...Come to think of it... they were pecking at monster bone meal sometimes. Is that better? ...But I also have to think about how easy it is to digest and absorb...)

Monster bone meal seemed like it would be more appreciated than a simple giant squid shell, but on the other hand, the bone meal also seemed harder. It was probably best to buy this and ask them which they preferred.

And so, by this most reasonable judgment from Yuri’s perspective, the peculiar material known as a giant squid shell found its buyer.

While he was at it, Yuri also bought some sort of massive seashell that was being sold alongside it, perhaps the shell of a giant clam or something, as well as some shells with a beautiful luster. The latter was with mother-of-pearl inlay in mind, thinking he might be able to use it for the fittings of his mottled blade sword. He had used the mottled blade sword as an excuse to buy materials, but if he could actually get materials for it, he wasn't about to pass them up. Dona, who had looked like she wanted to say something about the giant squid shell, didn't seem to resist the seashells. The fact that they looked like materials probably helped.





"How about it, kid? Well, it’s a bit short of being top-grade ore, but I think it’s a pretty good deal."

"Hmm... true..."

After leaving the seafood (non-food) corner, the next place Yuri got caught up in was a corner dealing in mineral products. Minerals was a broad term, and their contents varied. Precious stones and gems also fell into the category of minerals, and if it were these, Dona would not have been averse to taking a look. What Dona couldn't accept was that Yuri hadn't been drawn to these precious stones and gems, but to a rough, unrefined pile of ore. No, even if it were decent ore, Dona wouldn't have complained that much. She understood Yuri's claim that he needed it to level up his Alchemy and Blacksmithing skills. But... the pile Yuri was interested in was one of junk ore that looked suspicious even to an amateur's eye. It was true that the price looked cheap, but there was no need to buy something of such low quality. After throwing so much money at snake wine, mushrooms, a termite mound, and a squid shell, why was he being stingy now? His sense of priorities was all wrong.