Volume 3 Chapter 125: Work and Reputation (1/2)
“Did you get any?” [Teacher]
“Of course! [Student]
“Oh?” [Teacher]
The students came back one after another and the camp became noisy.
“Hmm…?” [Ryouma]
When I turned to the direction of the windows, I noticed that a crowd had formed beside the carriage.
“They’re checking their food, huh.”
They said they would double their efforts in checking their food, so they must be having a hard time with so many students coming back.
It’s still a bit early for my duty, but I guess I might as well do my job.
“Good job, everyone! Please let me help!” [Ryouma]
“Thanks!” [Teacher 1]
“Help us check their food!” [Teacher 2]
“Okay! Next! You can have your stuff checked here too!” [Ryouma]
Of the students lined up, one walked to me.
“Please.” [Student 1]
“Sure, no problem. You sure gathered a lot.” [Ryouma]
I used the rack on the carriage and checked the contents of the bag.
…This person seems to have some knowledge of plants. He focused on gathering leaf buds and edible wild gra.s.ses. But…
“Most of this is fine, but this mushroom is no good.” [Ryouma]
“Huh!?” [Student 1]
“It might resemble an Akakasatake, but if you compare the back of the umbrella with the real thing…” [Ryouma]
“Ah, it’s different.” [Student Adventurer]
“Yes. The back of the umbrella of an edible ‘Akakasatake’ is a beautiful red. But when the back is a dull brown-like color, that’s the poisonous ‘Benikasatake’. If you eat this, you can get anything from a stomachache to diarrhea to vomiting, and even vertigo, so please be careful.” [Ryouma]
“I see…” [Student Adventurer]
“For the meantime, I’ll be taking this. Considering that you were able to get so many edible food, I’d say you did a pretty good job.” [Ryouma]
“Thank you very much.” [Student 1]
“Yes. Next!” [Ryouma]
“Usu!” [Student 2]
Hmm… This one also seems like he knows a thing or two about gathering food, but his method of collecting the ingredients is really sloppy. This leaf bud can be eaten, but you’re only supposed to pluck the terminal bud. By plucking the other buds too, although doing so gives you more food, there won’t be any left the next year.
The tree this leaf bud is attached to is also weak, so if you’re not gentle, it’s easy to break. He had a couple of other buds in his bag along with the branches.
After I explained to him the issues with the way he foraged food, a student with food other than plants and vegetation appeared.
“Excuse me, can you teach me how to handle my quarry?” [Student 3]
“Your quarry? In that case, ask that person over there. He’s in charge of that stuff.” [Ryouma]
I told him about another male teacher under the shadow of the carriage and had him go there.
I’m currently in charge of mushrooms and plants.
“When handling quarry, we start by letting the blood out first. Understand?” [Teacher]
“Yes!” [Student 3]
“But you need to be careful where you do this. As much as possible, choose a place that’s safe, as other monsters might come because of the smell of blood. This time is fine, but when you do it, it would be best to do it somewhere away from your camp.”
“What about when I really have to do it at my camp?” [Student 3]
“In that case, you can dig out a hole and bury the blood and all the other unnecessary parts. It’s a lot better to bury them than otherwise. If you have money and s.p.a.ce in your luggage to spare, you could consider buying this one too. The Bamboo Forest’s ‘Deodorizing Liquid’.” [Teacher]
Huh? Isn’t that our store’s product!?
“Deodorizing Liquid?” [Student 3]
“Never heard of it? Bamboo Forest is an inexpensive laundromat that got into business this year. They sell this there. If you get the strong stuff, you can deodorize even the smell of goblin blood. It’s very convenient. There are even beast tribe members that can’t stop using it after trying it out once. Unfortunately, you can only buy it at the store at Gimuru or Renauph for now.” [Teacher]
Huh. So, it was being used for camping… Even though it’s my store’s product, I had no idea.
“Next. Huh?” [Ryouma]
Oh. It looks that student just now was the last. There’s no line anymore.
“Ryouma-kun, are you done?” [Mimil]
“Mimil-san. Yeah, apparently.” [Ryouma]
“Then can you gather all the food that can’t be eaten. I want to dispose them.” [Mimil]
“Got it. …By the way, can I have the poisonous mushrooms?” [Ryouma]
“The poisonous mushroom? Well, I was just going to dispose them anyway, so I don’t mind, but… Oh. I get it. You want to feed them to your slimes?” [Mimil]
“Yes. While they may be poisonous to humans, the poison slimes can eat them just fine.” [Ryouma]
“In that case, please feel free to take them. But do be careful not to accidentally eat them.” [Mimil]
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]
She gave permission, so I cleaned everything up and gathered even the inedible food from the other teachers. I also took the opportunity to talk to the man that was teaching the student how to handle a quarry, and was able to get him to agree to give me blood.
I went back to my base and stored the poisonous mushrooms in my Dimension Home. In exchange, I took out vials filled with b.l.o.o.d.y slimes and went back.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” [Ryouma]
At the place where animals were gutted were animals hanging from wooden racks, dripping with blood.
“I don’t need to do anything special, right?”
“Yes. I’ve already placed the slimes in the tubs, so just drain the blood normally and it’s all good.” [Ryouma]
While explaining, I placed three slimes each in the three large tubs that were meant to hold the blood.
The b.l.o.o.d.y slimes have been increasing in number, but they’ve yet to cross 2 digits. I need to increase their numbers faster…
As usual, they’re hard to distinguish when mixed with a puddle of blood.
“Ryouma-kun!” [???]
“Sorry. I need to go.” [Ryouma]
Someone seemed to be calling for me, so I quickly ran to the back of the carriage.