Read Novel Full Vol 19 Chapter 17
Vol 19 Chapter 17
TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!
Enjoy~
Chapter 17 – Sightseeing
Despite some heart problems, we entered the Mermaid Kingdom safely. Unlike our previous visit, we were greeted by a bright city and many mermaids and witnessed a mother-daughter reunion. I was a little nervous about Princess Annemarie’s simple attempts to proselytize magical girls, but so far, I don’t think there are any problems.
“Wataru. Let’s go play!”
Alessia-san declared after spending the night in an underwater room instead of a room with air because it had been a while and enjoying breakfast.
With those sparkling eyes, it would be impossible to stop her.
“I agree to go sightseeing as well, but first let me confirm our plans for today.”
I declined Alessia-san’s offer and confirmed my plans with the mermaid maid… who was waiting at the wall.
“Alessia, we are free to do as we please, except for the dinner party in the evening. They would also like us to have an escort and a guide, if possible.”
The dinner party seems to be confirmed. Princess Annemarie also has some work to do, such as reporting, so it seems that we will be able to go sightseeing enough.
“An escort and a guide, right? Well, I guess we’re supposed to be the escort, and I’d like to have a guide, but that would take away from the excitement.”
Oh, Alessia-san, you haven’t forgotten that you’re my escort, have you?
And a guide, huh?
I’m basically the type of person who doesn’t like adventure, so I do my research on the places I travel to. If I had the money, I would have asked for a guide in Japan. But I couldn’t afford a guide when I was a broke student. But Alessia-san…
“We don’t need a guide this time. Let’s just ask about the places we shouldn’t go near and go. Wataru, is that okay?”
“I understand.”
So the maid told us the places to stay away from, and we set out to do some sightseeing.
“I thought so when we came here, but the brightness of the place gives a completely different impression. Right, Beni-chan?”
When we left the castle, we found Dorothea-san happily playing with Beni-chan, who had a little tail just like Rimu’s. This kind of quiet and ordinary life is wonderful, isn’t it? But it’s in the ocean.
“Let’s go to the lively place first.”
Alessia-san took the lead, and I followed her along with Ines, Felicia, Rimu, and Pent. Dorothea-san and the others followed behind as if surrounding me.
Unlike walking on the street, I can move in three dimensions, so it’s fun just to get to my destination.
Still, compared to the mermaid village on Dark Elf Island, the townscape is a bit plain. There are a lot of rather gorgeous houses, maybe because it is near a castle, but the colors are uniform, and there is no glamour.
Hmm? Looking closer, I saw small corals planted here and there. I see that until a while ago, there was no light, and the coral had been wiped out by the harsh environment.
Now that they are in the process of rebuilding, perhaps they will grow and produce more coral in the future.
When that happens, we can come back to the Mermaid Kingdom and be impressed by new things.
After swimming comfortably for a while, we approached a busy place that Alessia-san must have heard about.
It seemed to be a marketplace with many shops floating in the sea, just like the festival we had been to before, and mermaids swimming around as if they were flying through the water, making it look like a lively amusement park.
“Ara, there seems to be an overwhelming increase in the variety of goods compared to before. Do you see anything interesting?”
Ilma-san is showing her crazy side. I really hope they’re not selling anything weird.
With a strange feeling of nervousness, I excitedly enter the market.
“…It’s alive, isn’t it?”
“Do they look good?”
Claretta-san murmurs in front of one of the shops, and Carla-san tilts her head, not sure from the look on her face.
I guess this is what you call culture shock.
The fish being sold are swimming normally in a larger cage.
But when you think about it, it is probably natural. There are stores in Japan that sell live fish in tanks.
It costs a certain amount of money to maintain a fish tank, but in the ocean, the only maintenance cost is the cost of feeding the fish. As long as the fish are alive, they do not spoil easily, so it is more efficient to keep them alive in this world where there is no refrigeration.
“There are different kinds of fish swimming around, which ones are the best?”
Standing in front of the shop? I asked the mermaid standing in front of the shop out of curiosity.
“Hmm? It’s a common fish here, don’t you know?”
It seemed like I was asking the obvious question. It was like looking at a carrot or a cabbage and asking, “What is that?”
“Y-yeah, well, I’m not familiar with these things…”
“I see. You’re probably a rich boy… No, come to think of it, yesterday…”
“Don’t think about it too much, please.”
“Hmm? Ah, well, don’t worry, I’m not so rude as to reveal your incognito. Now, the fish we sell here are mostly white fish. They are not all high quality fish, but they taste good. Take some as a service.”
It was easy to see that they knew we were human. I was relieved that we didn’t make a fuss.
“No, we have no place to cook them. Thank you for telling us.”
He laughed at my words and said, “Well, you can’t cook in a castle, can you?” It is as he said.
There is a way to store the fish in a rubber boat, but it’s too much trouble to tie the fish down and secure it all the way.
I thanked him and went to look at the next store.
“…That was a blind spot.”
After looking into a few shops, Alessia-san muttered with a straight face.
“It was indeed a blind spot.”
“Do you want to try it? I have a tolerance, you know?”
“No, you don’t have to go that far to eat it.”
Dorothea-san agrees, and Marina-san volunteers for the experiment, but Alessia-san refuses.
Yes, most of the items sold in the Mermaid Kingdom, but we could not determine whether they were edible for us.
We are a little concerned about the fact that it would be okay if we were in the state of being transformed into mermaids, but it would be too delicate to buy and collect things that are inedible in the human state.
I heard that there are many ethnic groups other than the Japanese who cannot digest seaweed, and I am afraid to try unknown seaweed.
Well, Ilma-san bought all kinds of seaweed, but I guess it was not for eating but for experimenting.
“But you can eat them when you turn into a mermaid, right?”
Carla-san suggested without giving up. I guess she really wants to try different kinds of food. It’s a simple thought, but it conveys the strength of her desire. Besides, I think Rimu and the others can eat it normally.
“If we turn into mermaids, who will cook for us?”
A sharp point from Dorothea-san. No one knows how to cook seaweed well.
…Carla-san, why are you looking at me so expectantly? Are you saying that you want me to do something about it?
“Wataru. Please do something.”
She said it directly to me with watery eyes.
Damn it, I can only make seaweed dishes like salad and miso soup. Even boiled hijiki is too much for me. Furthermore, wakame and kombu are fine, but how do you cook unknown seaweed?
“…I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try my best.”
Ugh, for some reason, I can’t resist Carla-san’s simple request. Is it because I’ve been tainted?
I’ll just buy it for now, gather information from the mermaids, consult with the God of Gastronomy-sama, and give it a try.
In that case, I’m desperate. I’ll buy all kinds of fish. I’ll have to go to that uncle as well.
“I see, it’s only natural to think about it, but they sell the heavy stuff down there.”
After gathering the ingredients, I took a look at the shops on the street that I hadn’t looked at and found that they all sold mainly heavy items. There’s no need to force heavy things to float, is there?
“But it’s strange for a country in the middle of the ocean to have such an abundance of metal.”
Felicia asked, tilting her head. This is the moment to show her that I am educated.
“There are veins of ore in the sea, so it’s no wonder it’s rich in metals.”
Even on Earth, undersea resources were considered important.
In this world, too, the ocean is larger than the land, and considering the mermaids’ ability to move freely underwater and the strength of their ability to extract metals with magic, the amount of resources, not to mention the dangers, must be enormous.
“I see, I thought the ore veins were only on land, but they are in the sea as well. But how come they don’t rust if they’re in the water?”
Felicia adds a question. And I don’t know the answer.
“Well, why is that? Is it some kind of magic or sorcery?”
I have failed to demonstrate my knowledge. I’m embarrassed to say it.
“There are some magical metals that don’t rust, but most of them are coated.”
While I was squirming inwardly, Ines gave us the correct answer.
“What’s with the face?”
“No, I was just wondering how you knew that, Ines.”
“That’s right. I was not surprised. I just had a question on my face.”
“…I’ll find out later what Master and Felicia think of me, but I’m from the Aquamarine Kingdom. I became an adventurer in the harbor, so it would be strange if I didn’t know about rust prevention.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
The sea breeze also rusts metal, so it’s only natural that she knows how to prevent it. Not good. I’m getting a lot of looks from Ines.
For now, I’ll just have to put her in a good mood by giving her a bigger allowance later.
“Wataru, there was nothing particularly new in the metal. What interests me is the giant shell, but I don’t really understand what it’s used for.”
As one would expect in a place like the city, there are no metals that we find new. Most types of metals are secured in the treasures of the Duke’s Castle.
Giant shells… Ah, something like a giant clam…
I don’t really know what to do with them. They might be interesting as interior decoration, but I don’t have the sense to use them.
“I don’t know what to do with the shells either. We’ve had a look around, shall we move on to another place?”
Alessia-san nodded, so we decided to leave the market and move on.
It was a pretty interesting place, but I didn’t know enough about it, so I’m sure I missed a lot. I was able to enjoy the initial shock, but I wonder if I should have honestly asked for a guide because the difference in living environment was so noticeable.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!