Chapter 216 The Fall Of Berberi-San
"Sigh. Well, first of all, it's time for Wilshion-tan's meal."
"I asked the stableman, and he said he'll eat anything."
"I see, I see. So he's just like Centrena-tan and Alesion-tan."
As we were having that conversation, I felt a presence behind me.
"Tatsuma-sama."
Maya-chan and I turned around, and there stood the successor, looking dumbfounded.
"My useless little brother has made a mistake."
Dorchuneta-san is probably carrying Berberi-san.
Berberi-san, lying on the floor, seemed to be a lifeless corpse.
"Oh really?"
"Oh really?"
"I'm sorry. It seems he tried to challenge that rocky mountain from the side he mentioned, slipped, and fell. By the time he reached here, he had already passed away."
Maya-chan looks all pouty, but I can confirm she's not moving and just staring at me, as if saying, "What should we do?" with her eyes.
"She's surprisingly mischievous, huh. 'Resurrect.'"
Then, Berberi-san kind of flinches and bounces a bit.
"...I've heard the stories, but to actually come back to life?"
"Yeah. I think it's been a while since Maya has seen it."
Maya-chan was watching from Daioraden, after all.
"--Huh, wh-where is this?"
"Berberiguru."
Noticing the incredulous voice of Neta-san, Berberi-san jumps up and smoothly transitions into a jumping dogeza. Really impressive body control.
"S-sorry, big sis (Aneue)."
"Where are those who are truly alive?"
"I-It was my first time, so..."
Well, it's not like people are dropping dead left and right, except for me.
"If I hadn't known about Tatsuma-sama, I would've burned you on the spot, you know?"
Weren't you supposed to bury the body in the ground? Ah, maybe because leaving any evidence isn't allowed. It's a ninja thing, after all.
"Yes."
"What kind of kid are you who act recklessly assuming you can just come back to life?"
"I'm really sorry!"
"Still, even the great Ber-san couldn't conquer that rocky mountain, could he?"
"That's right. The overhang was just too much."
Berberi-san lifts his head to explain to Maya-chan.
"Berberiguru."
"I'm really sorry!"
Once again, he lowers his face to the floor and bows deeply.
"Anyway, we've learned that even someone as skilled as Berberi-san can't climb that mountain."
"Yeah."
"The guys from the Celestial Race are acting all smug about it."
"Yeah. Seriously annoying."
Maya and I are having dinner at Essence Inn. I gave Neta-san a few gold coins and told her to have dinner with Berberi-san in a restaurant in town while staying in Arlheave. Otherwise, they might have to eat preserved food.
"Ber-san, looked happy, huh?"
"But Neta-san, seems like a serious person, huh?"
"Yeah. She seems like she catches and eats snakes."
"The snakes caught here taste good, you know."
"Really?"
"Really."
Looking at Genarueid-san's The Inn owner eyes, it's true. They are edible.
"Oh, I forgot."
"What's wrong?"
"What do you think this is?"
I took out a small grain from my inventory. Yes, it's the grain I first ate here, used for frying.
"Wow, is this... Isn't this a close relative of Indica rice? Where did you find it?"
Maya-chan's appraisal skills are like a cheat. As an afterthought, I raise my palm and point to Genarueid-san.
"Oh, that? It's a grain called 'long grain' that's grown in this country."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Usually, it's ground into flour, kneaded, boiled, and eaten. That's fine, but I use it as a coating when frying with oil. It comes out crispy and has a good texture."
Here, they don't classify it as rice but as wheat. That makes sense. They're both grains, after all.
"How much of this do you have now?"
"Well, I think there's one bag."
"Could you, um, cook some of it like this?"
"I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'cook,' but let's give it a try."
Then, I suddenly remembered.
"Oh, right. Genarueid-san, please wait a moment."
"What's wrong?"
"Which water are you using for cooking?"
"Oh, that's the water we're trading with. It's frustrating, but..."
He filled the cup again.
"Maya-chan."
"Yes, big brother... Oh, it's at 0%."
"So, that hypothesis about rain and snow..."
"The Oso (Dreadful element) doesn't mix in."
"What does that mean?"
Genarueid-san was looking at us with a troubled expression.
"Yes. This water isn't contaminated by Oso."
"I see."
"So, that means, Maya-chan..."
"Yes, big brother. As far as where they are."
"Oso hasn't reached the place where they are."
"I heard that it wasn't originally their location."
"We have to reclaim it."
I taught Genarueid-san how to cook rice again. I showed him how to rinse the rice. It was the same method as my late mother and grandmother used. I remember it well. Scooping the rice with both hands in the water, gently rubbing it together to prevent it from breaking.
"After rinsing the long grains lightly with water and letting them sit for a while, it's like 10 parts of water to 12 parts of rice, right? Over high heat with the lid on until it boils, then switch to medium heat."
We're using a Magic Tool similar to a stove for heating, so I thought we wouldn't need the 'slowly and gently' cooking method.
"Occasionally checking, turn down the heat once the water evaporates, place a cloth on the inside of the lid, and steam it again. Is this okay?"
"Yes. Please."
We decided to have the rice we cooked as a late-night snack. While having dinner, we waited for the rice to cook.
"Fried food is Maya's soul food."
"Me too. It's something I could eat every day."
"When it comes to that, we all know what we'll crave, right?"
"Yeah."
"I feel like having some fried chicken."
"Oh. What exactly is fried chicken?"
"Fried chicken is, well..."
And that's how it turned out. We scooped some onto plates little by little and had a taste.
"Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu!"
Huh? Isn't this...?
"Yeah."
"Hey, you know what?"
""It's lacking that chewy texture.""
It's similar to the texture of Thai rice. It feels dry and doesn't taste good as is.
"What should we do?"
"Yeah. If we have butter, we can make butter rice."
"Yeah, that's true."
"This doesn't taste quite right."
Genarueid-san had the same impression.
"Brother, if we try that breakfast method..."
"Oh, that might be delicious."
"Yeah, let's try it tomorrow morning."
A cousin of Indica rice was found, so maybe there is a variety similar to Japonica rice as well. It was a failure that gave hope for something better.
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