Chapter 54 The Man Who Fetched Spices and the Wonder of a Hundred-Yen Pen
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The moment I stepped back into the Great Phantasmal Soulstone’s room, I was instantly naked—a peculiar, if rather chilly, side effect of the teleportation from Japan, I suppose. I whipped open my Operation Window at once and cobbled together some new clothes; it seems crossing worlds will forever require a gentleman to re-dress himself.
Next, I checked the inventory list in the Treasure Vault. Goodness, there was a heap of things in there! So much variety and volume. I decided then and there that I absolutely had to cook a proper feast for the two girls this very evening.
”Let’s get right to that Resource Point conversion, shall we? I’m quite excited to see what we get!” Ami-chan chirped.
”Just a moment, I need to let them know I’m back first,” I replied, looking toward the house. Both Cleonora and Liliarette were still tucked soundly in their beds.
I couldn’t tell the exact time without a clock, but it definitely seemed a bit earlier than they usually wake up. I was up so soon myself because I’d been mulling over yesterday’s events and whether I even needed to go to my part-time job now—things like that tend to jog a fellow’s mind early on.
”Well, if they’re still asleep, then perhaps we should try the Resource Point conversion first,” I mused.
”Let’s just convert a tiny bit of the seasonings, too! Just to give it a proper trial run, you know!” she suggested.
I pulled several items from the Treasure Vault while checking the current Resource Point total. It was quite a bit higher than five days ago—a clear testament to how hard the girls and the maids had been working.
”Alright, let’s start with a humble ballpoint pen,” I announced.
”Oh, this is my first time converting a substance from a different world, too! How utterly thrilling!” Ami-chan exclaimed.
The ballpoint pen converted, and the points weren’t bad, exactly. Specifically, it was about the same as a few freshly chopped logs.
”Well, I suppose it’s not exactly a boom of points, is it?” I noted, slightly underwhelmed.
”What on earth are you complaining about? For something that small, it’s quite a marvelous return! In Japan, that thing is only a hundred yen, after all!” she countered, sounding genuinely shocked.
”I suppose… when you put it that way, you might have a point, yes?” I admitted.
”It’s surely because it’s a product packed with so many clever manufacturing techniques! It’s a tiny miracle of technology!”
This really showed the difference in our sense of value, didn’t it? My own impression was that the points gained were a fair trade for the hundred yen I had mentally “paid” for it, but Ami-chan clearly felt it was a bargain. I felt as though I’d simply recovered the one hundred yen’s worth of Resource Points.
We kept on experimenting, and Ami-chan seemed to think that the returns on all of them were pretty decent.
”Alright, now for the grand finale: the steel,” I declared.
This was the main event in my mind. A long, skinny piece of scrap steel I’d lifted from the waste yard—the kind of thing a boy might drag off to fortify his secret hideout.
”Ooh…” I breathed.
”This one feels much better, doesn’t it?”
The steel returned a solid chunk of points. I thought I might need to cram more of it into the Treasure Vault on my next trip, though the difficulty of hauling it back home remained a problem.
”I’ve got plenty of spares still, but if I convert all of this, the total will be something quite substantial, wouldn’t you say?”
”Mmm-hmm! It truly is a huge advantage to gather materials from both the other world and Japan! Oh, wait! Is there anything new we can create now? Perhaps something we weren’t able to before?”
That was a good point. New crafting options can appear not just when the Quester Level goes up, but also when a certain amount of a specific material has been converted into Resource Points. I pulled up the list to check and was utterly astonished by the changes.
”What in the…!?” I gasped.
”Wow! That must absolutely be the result of converting those Japanese objects!”
The list now included seeds and seedlings for vegetables and fruits, ballpoint pens, penlights, and—most incredibly—various seasonings. Amazing!
”Though, the image for the ballpoint pen suggests the ink level is quite low. The point cost for creating it is also lower than converting the one we had… so it likely won’t perform the same way,” Ami-chan assessed.
”Do you think they have ‘levels’, like the other craftable items?”
Meanwhile, the seasonings demanded a respectable amount of points. I figured it would be cheaper just to buy them in Japan.
”Huh? That sugar we can create… why does it look a bit murky?”
”Oh, you’re right. The creation points are low, too… it won’t be the same quality as Japan’s refined white sugar, I’m sure of it.”
Hmmm… I still couldn’t quite make sense of it all. Some items seemed to promise the same function as their Japanese counterparts, while others appeared downgraded. And there was no sign of rice or pasta.
I’d have to seriously look into this whole system, especially since Ami-chan didn’t have all the answers either. However, I was quite keen on getting started with the agriculture part. So, I spent the time until the girls woke up adjusting parts of the domain, transforming one section into a small 〈Land of Blessing〉.
* * *
Soon after, Cleonora and Liliarette finally stirred awake. The moment Cleonora saw my face, she leapt right into my arms, hugging me tightly. Liliarette watched the whole scene from a slight distance.
I wondered if this was the difference in their Affection Levels, or simply a matter of their personalities. Of course, Liliarette can’t move around much unless she’s transformed, so that could be it, too.
I then spent a while sharing everything that had happened over the past five days. They reported that things in the domain were fine; in fact, they’d even had enough peace to go hunting for a few demon monsters.
”…And so, I brought back a whole collection of seasonings. I just created a new kitchen hut, and I’ll put them all in there,” I concluded.
”Oh, my…” Cleonora breathed, her eyes widening.
”That is truly wonderful news. Having the same food taste the same way, day after day… it was, shall we say, a bit of a hardship.”
It seemed the two of them felt the same dissatisfaction with the meals as I did. I was certainly more bothered by it now than I was at the very start. But for them, having any decent food at all in this terrifying forest might have meant they couldn’t complain.
”Just what kind of seasonings are they?” Cleonora asked.
”Shimizu-san’s world’s seasonings… I am most curious to sample them,” Liliarette added.
”I thought you might be, so I brought some plates,” I said, pulling out some common white plates.
I took small amounts of sugar, salt-and-pepper mix (I’d mixed them back in Japan), soy sauce, and even barbecue sauce from the Treasure Vault. They were all contained in transparent acrylic cases, making it easy to see what was inside. I dabbed a tiny amount of each onto a plate.
The two girls were utterly fascinated. They dipped their fingertips into the samples and put their fingers to their tongues.
”……!? H-hot…!?” Cleonora gasped.
”Ah…!? S-sweet… and salty…?” Liliarette stammered.
”Cleonora just tasted the karashi—that’s mustard, it’s quite spicy. Liliarette, you had the barbecue sauce. It tastes great with meat.”
I went on to explain each seasoning. They were familiar with salt and sugar, but soy sauce and mentsuyu (noodle broth base) were entirely new concepts to them.
”This salt…!? Is it already mixed with the pepper?” Cleonora wondered aloud.
”Oh, is it!?… I-it truly is. And the salt flavor is somehow so fine, isn’t it? It dissolves so quickly, making the taste feel incredibly rich…”
”……! S-Sister…! Look at this…!” Liliarette cried out.
”? What is so special about that white powder?” Cleonora asked, looking where Liliarette was pointing.
The white powder Liliarette indicated was the sugar. Cleonora took a lick and her eyes went wide, reflecting my own surprise.
”Eh…!? Th-this… is this sugar?!”
I was trying to plan our lunch menu while watching their reactions, but both sisters were completely flabbergasted by the sugar. What on earth was going on?
”It’s sugar, as you can see, but… is something wrong?” I asked.
”Something wrong? Shimizu-san… this must be an incredibly luxury sugar, mustn’t it!?”
”A luxury…?” I had simply bought the standard refined white sugar that was sold everywhere in Japan.
Seeing the confusion in both Cleonora’s and my reactions, Liliarette stepped in to clarify.
”Shimizu-san, the common sugar used in this world is not nearly this white. And the sweetness does not possess such a pure, transparent quality, lacking any coarse aftertaste.”
”I see…”
Liliarette explained that white sugar does exist in their world, but the process for making it is known only to a few nations and is incredibly laborious. Because of this, only a fraction of the nobility could ever taste it.
”Of course, the sugar that does circulate can still sweeten things. But the fundamental level of sweetness is completely different from this,” Cleonora clarified.
”Yes. And I once tasted white sugar in the Royal Capital, but this sugar possesses a far more refined and elegant sweetness,” Liliarette added.
Since white sugar is so rare, even recipes for sweets using it are considered immensely precious. I then produced a chocolate confection from the Treasure Vault—individually wrapped, bite-sized pieces.
”This is a common treat in my world,” I offered.
”We shall try it,” Liliarette responded, politely accepting the offer.
I tore open the wrapper in front of them, popped the chocolate into my mouth, and they both mimicked the action, opening their own wrappers and placing the treat on their tongues.
”………!”
”Sweet…!?” Cleonora whispered.
I guess everyone loves something sweet, don’t they? I made a mental note to bring back some hard candies next time. Feeling utterly relieved that their diet was finally going to see a huge improvement, Liliarette suddenly looked at me with a serious, intent gaze.
”Shimizu-san… are the sugar and salt-and-pepper mix easily acquired?”
”Eh? Ah, yes, I can buy them immediately back there,” I confirmed.
”Meaning they are readily purchasable… May we also see the other items you brought back, aside from the foodstuffs?”
—
Behind the scene:
Shimizu returns, bringing the magic of common Japanese goods. The ballpoint pen’s conversion surprises Ami-chan with its high value, showing the huge economic gap. The real shock comes when he unlocks new crafting recipes, including seasonings. When the sisters wake up, the simple refined white sugar from Japan is revealed to be a breathtaking luxury, a taste only nobles get! This changes everything. Liliarette’s serious request to see the other items hints at a huge, strategic shift in their resource plan, realizing the immense value of their benefactor’s home world.
Notes:
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
• Liliarette – The other Princess, who sacrificed her ability to walk and her sorcery talent to save her sister, Cleonora. She is imprisoned in the East Tower and is being used as a political and monetary pawn by Viorga. C-cup, true golden hair, waist-length hair, the fringe was a slightly blunt, hair on her left side was braided to the chest.
• Cleonora – The second princess. Have a yellow blonde hair. Usually styled as hairbun.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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