kscans

Chapter 291 - The Road Home 2. Collecting Silica Sand (Part 2)

Bunza, the late alchemist whom Yuri revered as his spiritual master, had been nothing more than a poor alchemist scraping by in a small village during his lifetime. But precisely because he was weak, he had devoted himself to his work, using his limited skills and ingenuity to meet his clients' requests. The many notes Bunza left behind were a veritable treasure trove for Yuri, who considered himself less than an apprentice alchemist. They detailed a multitude of labor-saving methods and alternative techniques, making it possible for even an untalented, powerless commoner like himself, in Yuri’s view, to accomplish a wide range of tasks.

And for Bunza, a weak alchemist in a remote village, materials were not things to be bought with money, but to be collected by visiting their sources himself. His journal comprehensively listed the sources of materials within range of Chippo Village. This information alone was worth a fortune to Yuri. Although…

"It seems that was about his limit, geographically speaking. There’s nothing written about sources beyond that."

"Well, even if he had strong legs, I doubt he would have gone to Salt-Sour Mountain."

Indeed, Salt-Sour Mountain, teeming with monsters, was likely too high a barrier for any ordinary person to cross, no matter how high-quality the materials obtained there might be.

"Hey, Yuri, can you not get silica sand on Salt-Sour Mountain? Not that I mind making a detour, but…"

Kudol pointed out that he seemed to have dug it up easily last year, and if he could get it near his home, that would be simpler. This made Yuri ponder. It was true that his demand for silica sand would likely only increase in the future, not decrease for the time being. Going out to search for it each time was, in a way, a hassle. If he could get it on Salt-Sour Mountain, that would be for the best. After all, it was silica sand, and its source, quartz, was, according to Yuri’s memories from his previous life, an extremely common rock-forming mineral that constituted the Earth’s crust. Silica sand was what remained when the parent rock weathered away, leaving behind the erosion-resistant quartz. The issue was how easy it was to collect; ignoring that, one could say it could be found anywhere.

(I could probably do it with Earth Magic. There were a few landslide sites, too…)

He had already found a source of iron sand, so he might be able to find silica sand in that area as well.

Considering Salt-Sour Mountain’s location, there was a possibility of it being mixed with rock salt. But rock salt had plenty of uses of its own. During the winter, there was the danger of avalanches and the water was cold, so he hadn’t attempted to excavate slopes or collect river sand, but from now on, the snow would melt and the water would only get warmer. It was the perfect season for exploration and collection.

"You’re right… I think I’ll try looking for some when I get back."

"Right. Well, for now, let’s go to the source mentioned in the journal. The side road up ahead to the right, was it?"

"Ah, yes. That’s what it says in the journal."

"You hear that, Fray? The side road up ahead to the right."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it… oh, is that it?"

Following Bunza’s journal led them to a river. The collection site near Chippo Village last year had been a collapsed slope, but here it seemed he had collected river sand. There was likely a colluvial deposit upstream, but he had apparently given up due to the steepness of the path. Well, the deposit was wide and reasonably thick, so it seemed they could collect a sufficient amount just by digging river sand. He was hesitant to drag Old Man Audel and Kudol and the others around, so Yuri decided to follow his master’s example.

They stopped collecting just short of what could be considered environmental destruction, by which time the sun had begun to set. It was doubtful they could reach a suitable campsite in time if they returned to the main road, so they decided to camp at the foot of the mountain for the night. The journal had also listed a suitable campsite.

"I’m… sorry about this."

Yuri was extremely apologetic for having thrown their schedule off with his selfish request, but neither Kudol, Old Man Audel, nor Dona seemed to mind. That was just how journeys went.

As a small apology, Yuri decided to provide the ingredients for dinner.