SWNOVELXO Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Caravan Part 2
Chapter 7: Caravan Part 2
It’s been half a year since I met Menas and her group.
During that time, I’ve been visiting the Menas Caravan without fail every week.
Today, I’m heading towards the Triangular Rocks as usual.
I’ve become quite familiar with Menas and her companions, and I’ve also become somewhat proficient in their language.
Contrary to my expectations, even after I started understanding their language, Menas and her group didn’t pry too much into my affairs.
I’m not sure if it’s just a matter of common courtesy or if there are things they don’t want to inquire about.
Despite conducting numerous searches since then, I still haven’t seen any other people besides the Menas Caravan.
Most likely, unless there are significant reasons, people don’t approach this remote area.
While encounters around the Triangular Rocks are rare, occasionally we come across large animals in the vicinity.
At times like that, if it weren’t for Pink, surviving would be difficult.
I wonder why Menas and her group are risking their lives for business?
Perhaps they have their own special reasons.
By the way, I still keep my hideout and Pink a secret.
I live wandering this wilderness, armed with a secret weapon capable of combating large creatures.
It’s not entirely a lie.
I think it’s long been exposed that I’m keeping something hidden.
If so, it’s better to have already mentioned that I’m keeping something secret rather than revealing it later, as it might still be trustworthy.
I generally think Menas and her group are good people, and I want to maintain a good relationship with them for as long as possible.
From not being able to speak a word to them, over the course of six months, I’ve grown fond of them.
However, when people are faced with great profit, they may easily betray others.
Of course, I don’t think they would do anything extreme so easily.
Still, for now, I want to keep my lifelines, my hideout, and Pink, a secret.
Heading towards the Triangular Rocks, as usual, while walking through the wilderness, my bag’s handle finally broke.
Perhaps I packed the bag too full with enthusiasm this time.
Or maybe it was a bad idea to bring along the large antlers of a deer-like creature.
These antlers are very hard but lightweight and flexible.
Thinking it would be fine since they’re light, I ended up bringing them along.
But what should I do about the bag…?
For now, let’s take a break.
I lay down a thick fabric like a kilim on the rugged ground and sit on it.
It’s one of my favorite items bought from Menas.
I pour coffee into a cup from my water flask, but before I can drink it, Pink crawls out and grabs the cup.
“Give me some too…”
For now, I give the coffee to Pink and take out a wooden box from the bag.
Actually, this wooden box is made of a material similar to paulownia and surprisingly has good heat retention.
If I put it at the bottom of the bag, even if I wander around the wilderness all day, the contents won’t get too hot.
From that box, I take out some clumsy pieces of chocolate.
Pink’s eyes change color, and this time it jumps towards them.
“…Are you going to eat those first too?”
Yes, I somehow managed to succeed in making chocolate.
After acquiring iron pots, utensils, and other cooking tools, I could make sugar.
And now I can make chocolate too.
It took a day to make cocoa paste, and it’s quite laborious, but I can produce something decent.
Unlike commercially available products, it’s made only of cocoa and sugar, so it’s quite bitter.
But the aroma and flavor are wonderfully rich.
It’s fruity on a completely different level from the chocolates I’ve eaten before.
Just eating a small amount makes me feel somehow refreshed.
By the way, chocolate has become Pink’s favorite.
It’s licking the chocolate while enjoying the coffee with a blissful expression.
This mysterious creature eats just about anything.
After enjoying coffee and chocolate for a while, I think about what to do with the bag.
Since I have hemp ropes, I can somehow carry it, but it’s not easy to make it into a convenient shape.
In the end, I sling the antlers like a backpack with the hemp rope and fix the bag on top of it.
The rope digs in a bit, but I adjust it by sandwiching some fabric.
This isn’t too bad.
But still, I feel the limits of carrying capacity when alone.
It’s going to be tough to transport goods and prepare for lodging more than now.
I’m also letting quite a bit of meat go bad.
Thinking about the future, I should come up with a way to carry a lot of baggage.
Menas and her group are riding camels, aren’t they? I wonder if camels are expensive. Maybe I should ask for advice.
At the Triangular Rocks, Menas and her group were already preparing for camping.
“Menas! Hello!”
“Oh, hello there. You’ve brought something big again today, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, it was quite a large creature. Impressive antlers, but surprisingly light. You should take a closer look later.”
“Well, well… I’m looking forward to it. We’re just preparing for a meal right now. Would you like to join us, Bonus?”
“That would be great. Although there’s not much, I’ll provide some smoked meat again this time.”
“Many of our team members secretly look forward to the meat you bring… of course, I’m one of them.”
“Getting praise from you makes it worth it.”
I’ve become able to communicate with Menas and her group both verbally and non-verbally. There are still parts where we’re just talking based on the atmosphere, but I’m getting better at having natural conversations. Eventually, I want to be able to use polite language properly.
Today, it seems like Jeda is in charge of cooking. When I brought the smoked meat, he was delighted.
“This is it! This is what I’ve been waiting for!”
“Long time no see, Jeda.”
“Oh, Bonus. You seem well… By the way, is this the same meat you brought first?”
Jeda, with a fascinated look at the chunk of smoked meat, skillfully slices it with a knife and puts it into a pot.
“Yeah, that’s right. Remember the drawing I showed you a long time ago? It’s that meat.”
“I see! I’ve been wanting to eat this!”
“Despite your age, you still enjoy eating meat, huh?”
“Everyone likes meat, don’t they? It’s the joy of life… But can we get more of this meat?”
While skillfully skimming the scum from the pot, he leans his face closer to the steam to enjoy the aroma.
“Don’t put your beard in there, old man.”
“It’s difficult to maintain a stable supply of meat. It’s risky, and it’s not something you can just aim and get. By the way, I tried freshly caught liver the other day… It was amazingly delicious.”
“What are you telling me… just imagining it is irresistible. I’m thinking I might just leave the caravan and follow Bonus…”
He’s a cheerful old man, but I don’t have confidence in supporting him, and above all, if he’s the companion, my motivation will disappear.
“I wouldn’t recommend living with me since there’s a pretty high chance you’ll die. …But if there were a way to increase transportation capacity, I could manage a bit better. Actually, I’m letting the meat rot because I’m alone.”
“What a waste…”
This is the conversation I wanted to have. I was thinking of discussing this with Menas, but it’s not bad to learn from Jeda.
“I’m actually troubled by transportation capacity right now, and I was thinking of buying camels. How much do they cost?”
“Oh, camels? Well, right now… I think you could buy one for about 600,000 reis.”
“It’s still quite expensive… or maybe not. Well, it’s not an amount I can’t afford, and if I continue trading a few more times, I could buy one normally.”
By the way, it seems the currency here is called “rei.” Since the numbers are in decimal system, it’s not particularly difficult. But I wish they’d use Arabic numerals instead of Roman numeral style.
“Hmm, but I wonder… honestly, Bonus, I can’t really recommend camels to you.”
“Why’s that?”
“When camels sense the presence of Kidanakemo nearby, they get excited and try to flee. They become disobedient.”
“Oh, that’s quite bad… then, I guess there’s nothing to be done.”
It’s seriously bad for my living environment. And come to think of it, I don’t even know how to get camels down to the crater. I really haven’t thought about it at all.
By the way, Kidanakemo is the general term for giant beasts that appear only in this area. It’s a Tamir Empire word, meaning “beasts of the other world.”
“Well… I’m sure you’ll come up with a good idea eventually.”
A delicious smell wafts from the pot. Jeda says something vague with a happy face. He eagerly takes out a jar wrapped in multiple layers of cloth from his bag, opens the wooden lid, and peers inside.
He scoops out a paste-like seasoning with a wooden spatula and adds it to the pot with a “plop.”
Suddenly, a familiar aroma wafts from the pot.
“Is that miso?”
I blurted out unintentionally.
“Do you know about this, Bonus?”
“Uh, maybe? Isn’t it something fermented from beans?”
“I see. It’s a rare regional seasoning, even in the empire… but you know quite a bit about it.”
“I might know, but it’s probably a little different. Maybe the type of beans or the subtle production method is different.”
“I see… Well, regardless, it’s undoubtedly delicious!”
The unmistakable scent I haven’t felt in a long time is irresistible. My mouth won’t stop watering. Drawn by the aroma, others have gathered around.
“Bonus, it’s been a while!”
“Hello, Edda. I think it’ll taste good since I put in the smoked meat I brought.”
“Oh, I can tell by the smell. I always look forward to eating the meat Bonus brings.”
“That’s good to hear. Enjoy it while you can.”
Edda is Menas’ daughter. Unlike the others, her skin is fair. It seems like there’s blood from a different country mixed in with Menas’ group. With her well-defined features, purple eyes, caramel-colored hair, and fluffy way of speaking, she gives off an unreal, fairy-like vibe. She’s elusive, and honestly, it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking most of the time. But I’m grateful that she’s been talking to me about various things since we first met.
“Bonus is such a nice guy to give us this meat for free.”
“I think so too.”
“Come on, stop talking and eat.”
Jeda pushes a bowl towards me. There’s a considerable amount of meat and vegetables like burdock and carrots visible. It looks like a kind of pork soup… this looks delicious.
“Oh… this has a strong bean flavor.”
The taste of miso with a considerable bean flavor still lingers. It’s about to bring tears to my eyes with its nostalgic taste. I definitely want this.
“Hey, Jeda. Can I buy this seasoning from you?”
“Sure thing! Next time, I’ll personally prepare some for you.”
“That’s great! How much?”
“I don’t remember, but it’s cheap, I think. It’s heavy and doesn’t sell well, so I don’t usually bring it. You don’t need to pay for the portion I bring next time. I’m always getting good meat from you. I can’t carry too much though.”
I wonder if it’s not very popular… or maybe this kind of seasoning isn’t popular here. Compared to Japanese miso, the taste is inferior, but I think it’s quite good. Or maybe it’s a competing seasoning?
“Well, Bonus’ meat is much more valuable, anyway.”
“Edda really loves meat, doesn’t she?”
Edda, whose expressions are hard to read, has a cute look on her face when she’s eating meat, more befitting her age.
“The meat Bonus brings… it’s amazing. It’s totally different from what I usually eat. Most people don’t usually get their hands on Kidanakemo meat, you know?”
“It’s not something you come across often.”
“I’ve never eaten it until I met Bonus. Bones, horns, and fur occasionally circulate, but I’ve never seen the meat.”
“Me neither. It’s been served at noble tables very rarely, but…”
Could it be that among the items I’m bringing, smoked meat is the most valuable…?
“Bonus. After we finish eating, I’d like to discuss this time’s transaction, so could you come to the tent?”
Menas seems to have approached without me noticing.
“Sure thing. I’ve finished eating already, so I’ll come now.”
“Then let’s go together.”
I follow behind Menas, watching her figure. Despite her considerable age, she has a more seductive allure than her daughter. While thinking about trivial matters, we enter the largest tent.
“Now, here’s the purchase amount for this time’s goods, in rei coins.”
“Wow… this time it’s more than usual. Thank you.”
The bag filled with rei coins is heavy. Menas gives me a list, so I quickly skim through it. It seems like they’ve put a pretty good price on the horns.
“I’m glad I brought the horns.”
“Yes, since they rarely come in such good condition.”
“All the effort was worth it then. But, I actually wanted to discuss something…”
I consult Menas again about the means of transporting goods. Camels were out of the question, but is there any other way…?
“I’m actually troubled by finding a way to carry a little more cargo. I consulted Jeda about camels earlier, but… it seems difficult for someone like me who’s living in hell’s cauldron.”
“I see. That’s right…”
With that, Menas falls silent, seemingly lost in thought. Is there really no good solution at the moment? By the way, “hell’s cauldron” refers to the area where giant beasts, Kidanakemo, appear around here. It’s a harsh term than I thought.
“I have something I want to show you, so please wait a moment.”
“Huh? Yeah, sure, I got it.”
Menas can’t easily provide a solution either. Hmm, maybe the only thing I can do right now is upgrade my equipment. I might have to create a functional backpack myself. Today’s harness seemed surprisingly easy to carry. With a properly designed harness, I might be able to carry twice as much as now. Well, it’s modest, but it’s the most reliable option.
Oh, something noisy is happening outside the tent. Oh… what’s this…?
“Ahh! Gyaaaah… gugyagugyaaa… gugyaa?”
A little demon has been brought in.