SWNOVELXO Chapter 141 - The divine cat Mii-chan gives an OK sign.
141 The divine cat Mii-chan gives an OK sign.
“Hmm, this is amazing, but I can’t think of a practical use for it. A human freezer? We already have regular freezers. A human air conditioner? That might be hard to keep going for long.”
This time, I supercooled some fruit juice water, stirred it with a spoon to make a frozen treat, and handed it to both of them.
“Is this a skill too?”
“Delicious!”
I taught them how to adjust the temperature of water using a water skill and visualization. Claudia gave it a try. She found it easy to freeze water, probably because of her ice skill, but raising the water temperature was challenging for her.
While Claudia was training, I explained to Alex what I wanted to do. Mii-chan, now that the room had returned to a normal temperature, emerged from my clothes.
“Mii~”
“I’m going to freeze the fruit juice and honey mixture I made earlier to turn them into ice candies. Adding milk to make red bean ice pops would be great too. I’m thinking of selling them at the shop.”
“Mii~”
“I don’t have a water skill, so what should I do?”
“I was thinking Alex could roast and sell mochi. We could also sell preserved miso balls and soy sauce, along with mochi for long-term storage.”
“The mochi is the one we pounded in the yard, right?”
“Yes, if we let it sit overnight, it hardens. We can cut it into uniform sizes, making it easier to sell. Roasting it at the shop would also show customers how to eat it.”
“I see, so that’s how you’ll make money.”
“Exactly. For that, we need a shop.”
There are two potential locations, but I’ve already decided on one: a two-story building at the corner of a street just off the main road. It’s in a good spot with plenty of foot traffic. The other option, a former inn, has a great location, but it’s not practical to use.
Tomorrow, I’ll visit the Commercial Guild to finalize the purchase and renovation plans. We can’t stay at this inn forever.
As dinner approached, everyone returned. They all looked refreshed. It’s important to make time for moments like this. Rest is essential.
“Mii~”
At dinner, the two dragons ate regular meals. Apparently, as they mature, they only need to hunt about once a month. Their bodies are impressively energy-efficient. They said they were eating the food for educational purposes, but also because it was simply delicious.
Ral-kun, fascinated by everything, kept sticking his head into Mii-chan’s cat food dish and Sera’s plate to sample their food. I’ve heard that young dragons have insatiable appetites. Looks like we’ve got a third “hungry demon” on our hands…
After dinner, Perro and the others, now stuffed, rested on the bed. Meanwhile, I had tea with Alex, Claudia, and the maids as we discussed the shop’s operations. Mii-chan joined us too.
Alex and Claudia assured me that they had no problems with reading, writing, or arithmetic. While they hadn’t done much cooking, based on their skill during the mochi-making, I’m sure they’ll manage. We’ll go over the finer details once we start, but I explained the general flow.
The main customers for the preserved foods will be hunters, so in the early morning, the focus will be on selling those and roasted mochi. Later, when it gets hotter, we’ll switch to selling ice candies. We’ll figure things out as we go.
“By the way, the Fire King left something with me for you, Nero.”
Alex pulled out several items and I appraised them—Artifacts (AF).
Ring of Shadow Projection: It creates a shadow near the wearer that mirrors their form. What could this be useful for?
Bracelet of Blessing: Said to grant divine protection. Said to, anyway.
Bracelet of Defense: Forms a thin barrier around the wearer to protect against minor damage, like from flying pebbles. Flying pebbles… seriously?
Substitute Necklace: Takes the wearer’s place in death once, but the chance of it working is one in ten thousand. So… basically, you won’t survive.
Ring of Abnormal Status Reduction: Slightly reduces the chance of status ailments. “Slightly” doesn’t sound very reassuring, but it seems decent enough.
Teleportation Device: Allows teleportation to a place where a corresponding metal plate has been placed. It came with five metal plates, each about 10 cm, with symbols inscribed on them. There’s also a necklace with a similar 5 cm metal plate attached. This one seems like a jackpot.
“Do I get to choose one?”
“No, I was instructed to give you all of them except for one. Most are practically junk.”
True enough, aside from the teleportation device, they’re not very useful. But they might be good for testing my theories on Artifacts, so I’ll gladly accept them.
The teleportation device, though—this could be on the same level as my divine cat supplies. If I can set five teleport points with these plates, I’ll have to investigate further.
The Fire King mentioned these were payment for drinks, but this is quite the hefty payment. If this device really works, I won’t be able to sleep with my feet facing his direction.
Once Claudia’s training was done, I had both of them take a bath first. They protested, saying they could wait, but I insisted since I wanted to take my time.
Claudia went in first, accompanied by a maid. At one point, we heard what sounded like a shriek, and Alex looked puzzled, but I ignored it. When Claudia came out, her face was flushed, and she looked oddly shiny. Next, Alex went in, and we heard another shriek. Claudia struggled to hold back her laughter.
Alex emerged looking exhausted, while the two maids seemed quite satisfied with their work. Poor Alex.
After Mii-chan and I had a relaxing bath, it was dessert time. I had Claudia make frozen treats and ice candies, and we all had a taste. Mii-chan’s red bean ice pop was also a hit. I think we’ll be just fine.
What do you think, boss?
“Mii~”