The next morning.
I’m gutting and tr.i.m.m.i.n.g the giant herring in my room at the inn.
The Novice Gutting Knife is a little too small for this task. It’s rather difficult, but I slowly and carefully proceeded.
If only I had a tuna knife. That would make things a lot easier.
I start off by sc.r.a.ping the scales off with the back of my knife. Once every scale was stripped off, I drove the tip of the blade into the belly of the fish, sliding the knife all the way down to the tail in one stroke.
And in the end, what I got was…
Low-Level Champion Scale, Low-Level Champion Barbel, Low-Level Champion Heart, Low-Level Champion Eye, Low-Level Champion Large Bone, Top-Grade Trimmed Herring, Top-Grade Herring Roe
Looks like it’s a female herring.
Thanks to the buff from Gutting Mastery II, I was able to get every bit of her. Oh, and afterwards, I’m planning to meet Tsumugi’s smithy friend to make me some equipment.
I’ll see if I can’t get some good weapons made from The Big One’s parts.
“I could make you a Cetus Longsword,” said the blacksmith.
They say she made half the weapons currently wielded on the frontlines and that she’s got the skills and popularity to match.
Being a Jewel, a red gemstone glitters on her chest. So cool.
I mean, guys are naturally drawn to that part anyway.
“Where did you get these materials anyway? I’ve seen all sorts of different mats because of my line of work, but I’ve never seen this before.”
“Umm, I fished at sea for these.”
“Ah, so you’re the one who made that big kerfuffle yesterday!”
How big of a kerfuffle was it anyway?
In any case, it looks like I can get a pretty strong gutting weapon made from parts of The Big One.
She tightly grips her hammer, seemingly embarra.s.sed by me watching so closely.
“Weapon creation!”
Her hammer divinely sparkles as she shouts out loud.
Almost as if the hammer is infecting the objects around her, the impressive-looking portable forge sparkles as well. She sticks the materials inside and it melts into a gooey liquid. Once it solidifies, she takes it to the anvil and starts hammering with great force.
I honestly don’t have much of a clue how blacksmithing works, but it’s interesting to watch.
The blacksmith is pretty interesting too. But my focus right now is on fishing and gutting.
Some time pa.s.ses, and my Cetus Longsword is completed.
“… that’s a big sword.”
I mean, it’s called a longsword, but it really is long.
It looks like it came straight out of a certain monster hunting game. That’s how big it is.
And it’s a gutting weapon too. Crazy.
“Oh? It’s got a +. Looks like you’re lucky. They only crop up about once in every ten I make.”
She hands over my Cetus Longsword +1. It’s lighter than I thought.
It’s probably due to my Gutting Mastery buff.
“Oh, that reminds me. I’m pretty sure ‘Cetus’ means ‘whale’.”
“Huh…”
Is it a weapon for whales? A weapon to slay whales?
I’ll keep it as my secret weapon for now.
I also had a Steel Chef’s Knife, Iron Boning Knife, and an Iron Petty Knife made for me too.
One for mammals, one for fowls, and one for plants.
“Thank you very much!”
“Naw, it was fun using rare mats. If it’s alright with you too, won’t you swing by when you get your hands on interesting mats?”
“Are you sure? I don’t really fight or anything.”
“Hahaha, a customer is a customer. Of course, I don’t smith for any warm body.”
“I see.”
How should I put it? It seems like Alto is really different about his role-playing.
I should give it a shot too. Maybe like a retired angler or the like?
“My name’s Romina. That’s R-O-M-I-N-A.”
“I’m Kizuna. You’ll find me as “Kizuna†Exceed”, the same format as my sister. Feel free to contact me anytime. I haven’t got much right now, but you’ll be the first to know if I find any rare materials.”
“I’d appreciate that. Not many people got that gutting skill.”
“Is it that rare?”
“Definitely. It’s rare, alright. It’d be nice if it’s a 100% drop rate for the special drops, but that’s not the case. It takes quite a long time to upgrade too, I heard. And it’s not flattering, but it doesn’t do that much damage either.”
“I see…”
“That’s why I’ll buy any drops you get from your gutting skill. And I’m not exactly broke either. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“That sounds great.”
“Alrighty, see you next time.”
After our farewells, she teleports away. One of those teleports costs a whole 1,000 serin.
I guess it pays well to smith for the front lines.
Well then, time for me to go too.
With all this excitement, I think I might just head towards the fields to slay a few monsters. But as soon as that thought pa.s.ses my mind, I notice a stall on the street. It seems like traders and crafters had begun moving to the second city already, but quite a few are still here in Lurolona.
A particular stall caught my attention and piqued my interest.
Boats.
It’s just a small row boat that seats two, but a boat is a boat.
The craftsman is a young Jewel girl with a glimmering blue gemstone on her chest. She’s s.p.a.cing out, staring into the sky.
My first impressions of her is that she lacks Alto’s vigor.
She’s equipped with cheap clothing that’s locally made here. Maybe that’s her style, but her overalls aren’t very popular. People tend to think of country b.u.mpkins and the like. I don’t really have strong feelings one way or another though.
Rather than her clothes, I was fixated on her boats.
If I had one of those, maybe I can paddle out and fish.
I want one. I need one.
“… what?” the daydreaming girl weakly mutters out.
She’s, uhh, not really good at this whole customer service thing.
“How much is that?”
“… 40,000.”
“40,000?! Oh, good. I was afraid you’d say something like 100,000.”
I haven’t seen anyone else selling boats.
I can’t really compare how good hers are. 40,000 serin isn’t exactly pocket change, but it’s something I can afford.
“Alright, then fork over 40,000 serin.”
I place the amount in the trade window and a Wooden Boat +3 appears.
“Wow, +3? That’s pretty impressive.”
“… I did pick out the mats.”
“Oh, do you fuss over the quality of the materials?”
“All craftsmen do.”
She’s got a point.
Even I—someone who simply fish whatever I can catch—noticed the quality. It’s that obvious though, eh?
“But to be able to so easily throw down 40k like that, you rich or somethin’?”
“Not exactly. I’ve only got a bit.”
It’s all thanks to my Empty Can Strategy.
I’ve earned enough, so I don’t mind spending it.
“… that’s what all rich people say. Poor people just complain. Here, as promised.”
“Did something happen?”
“Not in particular… it’s just that I keep hearing how expensive my boats are.”
“Are they expensive?”
“They’re only enough to cover my costs.”
“Then they’ve got no right to complain. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hmpf.”
Is boatbuilding part of woodworking? I’m not sure what exactly the skill is, but it’s probably something like that.
“An oar’s included, so use it.”
“Oh, thanks. If I need a new one, I’ll be back.”
“Hmpf.”
What a mysterious girl.
Anyhow, I got my boat.
I was thinking of heading out of town to slay a few monsters, but nope—back to the sea I go.
: // // // // // // // /ch007/ /next/