Chapter 30: Mushroom withdrawal symptoms? Mushrooms addiction? Did I have some kind of a dangerous mushroom in the mix?
Day 22 – Morning, White Weirdo Inn
Oh woe is me, how could this be. I didn't even think of this, I didn't even consider this, I completely underestimated this world. This is a mere different world, what can it amount to, is probably how I felt about this, looking down on it. That must be why it didn't even occur to me. How stupid it is. How incredibly stupid I was. To think such a surprise, such a shock, such an astonishment was awaiting me. To think I'll experience such amazement, shudder, and fear during breakfast… Or rather, I just did. It's soy sauce. There was soy sauce in this world. What a surprise. Of course, I'm going to buy it.
I asked questions, interrogated, applied pressure, demanded explanations, did a cross-examination, and got the information, a confession. Now I won't have to chase her to the edge of a cliff to get the truth. The poster girl is in tears.
It's the general store from the other day. I've been tricked! I've been had! I've been backstabbed! She didn't say a thing about soy sauce!
「Now! I know what you are hiding! Bring it out! Right now! Bright it here! It's no use hiding it! I already know everything! Take it out and I will forgive you! Not!」
「What? What? What is going on? What happened? Eh? The boy from earlier? Isn't this too much of a personality change? What happened? 」
Looks like she is still trying to play dumb—
「Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! Soy sauce! It's obviously soy sauce! Where is the soy sauce? Soy sauce! Hurry soy sauce! Hurry up and bring soy sauce! Immediately soy sauce! Soy sauce, right this moment! A soy sauce, please! C'mon, soy sauce! Anyway, soy sauce! 」
「……Soy… Sauce?」
「You can't hide it! I know that White Weirdo bought it here yesterday! She confessed to everything in tears!」
「Ah, you mean Soi? That black, salty…… Wait, why was the poster girl crying?!」
I got scolded.
Eeh, but everyone was hiding it from me? They hid the reality of this world, they hid the truth of this world, soy sauce.
「But didn't you hide it the last time I asked for flavorings? You concealed it! You refused to sell it to me!」
「We just got it yesterday! I didn't hide it. And it's unusual stuff that we rarely get! And it's not like it is such a hot item! What are you making this fuss for?! 」
Not a hot item? Soy sauce? It's soy sauce, you know? Haaah, well, that's the level of the other world after all. To not realize the greatness of a soy sauce, the different world, how deplorable. The likes of the dwellers of this world have no idea of the greatness of a soy sauce. What a rural world, such an undeveloped world, that's all that this world amounts to. Good grief, for soy sauce to be unpopular is absolutely unforgivable…… But, this also means that it's not yet sold out, it means that they should have it left, it means they still have it in stock.
「All of it. Give me all of it. Sell it to me. Right now. Hurry up and sell it.」
「Hey, hey, hey, calm down, you are not like yourself. Weren't you a completely normal and polite young man just the other day?」
「But it's soy sauce. Soy. Sauce.」
Just what is she talking about?
「Well, I don't mind selling it. I'd be rather happy if you buy it. But if we are speaking about all of it, it means whole barrels? The big ones? I have two of them filled almost to the brim. Do you need so much?」
「I'm buying all of it! I will pay in mushrooms!」
I still have plenty of mushrooms. Even after stuffing the item bags for the girls with them, I still have a whole mountain left.
「Mushrooms where! Mushrooms! Hurry mushrooms! Bring them out! Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Mushrooms yet?! Where are the mushrooms?! Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Mushrooms!!! 」
Her personality completely changed, are those withdrawal symptoms from mushrooms? Mushrooms addiction? Did I have some kind of dangerous mushroom in the mix? To think she'd lose her cool over some commodity so much, how unsightly.
・
Apparently, the old…… The lady from the general store spent the whole night processing mushrooms she purchased from me the other day and after putting them on sale, made half a year's worth of profit in a single day. So she was blinded by money. It seems that since then she is asked about restocking on a daily basis. A merchant has to be modest, sound in investment, frugal in the way of life, not jumping on a quick gain, and diligent in their ways. For her to forget all of that, how wretched.
「Try it?」
After trading mushrooms for soy sauce, I use『Temperature Magic』to dry one mushroom, and then, fry it with fire magic, while repeatedly coating it with soy sauce. Mmm, this smell of burning soy sauce! Then, I gave one mushroom to the lady from the general store…… And she is consuming it with great delight. This world is a bit dull with flavors.
「Please sell me soy sauce!」
Oh, another devotee of soy sauce was born in this town. Or rather, the first person of this world realized the greatness of soy sauce.
Filling one small bottle I sold it to her at twice the price. She cried.
After that, I told her about the rice, and that I will buy it with mushrooms if she manages to find it. Judging by her look she took the idea very seriously.