NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Professor Kabaneru Again
Chapter 34: Professor Kabaneru Again
I’ll continue with the prototyping of magical tools and adventurer activities as a set. Since I can collect magic stones easily in the Slime Dungeon, as long as I prepare wooden boards, I can create magical tools using the kamaboko board method as much as I want. However, in the end, I want to make circuits entirely with mithril alloy. Why? When you create circuits with magic stones, if the magic power runs out, the circuit itself uses magic elements, leading to circuit damage. I do scatter spare magic stones here and there to maintain the circuit, but the risk doesn’t disappear entirely. If I had the Appraisal skill like my previous loop, I could grasp the remaining amount of magic elements, but usually, you only realize when the magic power of the magic stone runs out. Although the concept of a magic stone circuit is not particularly new, it still hasn’t been put into practical use for that reason.
So, I want Holy Silver Mithril Alloy. With Holy Silver, even if the magic elements of the magic stone are depleted, the circuit won’t be damaged. However, Holy Silver alloy is expensive. Therefore, I have to quickly earn money in the dungeon. Tonbos are sufficient for earning, but now that I can use other attribute skills with magical tools, it might be worth considering more efficient hunting grounds.
Now that the future direction is decided, the next task is Professor Kabaneru. This time, no chanting. The focus is on his research subject, emergency crops. His research aims to utilize earth attribute skills in agriculture and promote emergency crops. However, earth attribute skills ultimately need to raise adventurer levels to be effective, so that’s on hold. This time, whether to raise him as an adventurer is undecided. More importantly, it’s emergency crops. Last time, I lost everything to the wealthy merchant Nadia in the eastern part, but in return, there was a harvest.
The problem with emergency crops is that I approached it as “let’s cultivate for famine preparedness.” “Make it because it’s a sellable product,” and Nadia expanded the demand with this perspective. Yes, why did I, a merchant’s son, forget this viewpoint?
“You’re from the Apel Trading Company. Are you interested in agriculture?”
“I am of the earth attribute, and we also handle grains at home. So, if possible, I’d like to observe.”
This exchange is the third time. I sneaked into his laboratory again.
Research on emergency crops was mostly done in the laboratory already. The emergency crops I could think of were Bean Legume-Sec, Buckwheat Saladzan, Sweet Potato Patatu-Douce, and Potato Pomme de Terre. He had successfully cultivated them, researched the cultivation conditions in the cultivation area, and compiled it into a paper. However, cultivating emergency crops is not something that would be appreciated even if sent to the old nest, the “Tower.” There are already existing papers on agricultural studies. His paper was sitting in a dusty corner of the laboratory.
“Talent in earth attribute skills has individual characteristics for each person. Therefore, let’s start by spreading the research on emergency crops that anyone can cultivate to your family’s Charlois territory.”
“You really know a lot about my hometown!”
“Well, even though I look like this, I am the son of the trading company.”
Hahaha. I laughed with a forced smile to divert the conversation.
This time, I plan to focus more on distribution than cultivation. So, I promptly asked the professor to procure buckwheat, sweet potatoes, and potatoes from a familiar trading company in the capital. Not as seeds but as crops.
And while I’m at it, rice! Rice! For me, this is no exaggeration to say that this is the main focus.
Even in the previous loop, I had succeeded in obtaining rice through the professor. However, whether due to my poor communication or not, he arranged about a cup of rice as “rice seeds.” No, that’s not it. I wanted to eat a lot, the dreamy silver shari!
Afterwards, I contacted the trading company directly and got them to send rice several times. Unfortunately, I, who hadn’t cooked for myself in my past life, didn’t have the skills from milling to cooking in a clay pot. Based on vague knowledge, I repeated the rice cooking, consumed porridge and burnt rice while being looked at with disdain by my family, and eventually got busy, leaving it as it is.
This loop, I want to make it happen. A happy silver shari life!
And Professor Kabaneru’s research lab has become a cooking practice room.
“If they understand it’s delicious, I think everyone will be happy to make it.”
Once again, using my vague recollection of past life knowledge, I first make sweet potatoes. This went well in the previous loop. After steaming and mashing the sweet potatoes, mix them with butter and sugar, shape them, brush with egg yolk, and bake in the oven. There’s probably a better recipe, but I don’t remember.
“Amazing. It’s delicious, Alexi-kun!”
The professor’s expression brightens as he delicately brings it to his mouth with a knife and fork. I think he said the same thing last time. Since this recipe uses plenty of sugar and butter, it might be difficult for common people to afford, but it’s essential to leave the impression that “sweet potatoes are delicious.” Nadia-san copied this.
Next is baked sweet potatoes. During the season of fallen leaves, I gather them up, make a bonfire, and bake sweet potatoes. They probably do this even in the cultivation area.
“Why is that? It’s sweeter than when baked in the oven!”
While enjoying the freshly baked sweet potatoes, the professor is impressed. I think I saw something about far-infrared rays, low heat, etc., on the internet, but I don’t remember. There’s also a special feeling of outdoor cooking.
“Alexei-kun, I was so focused on growing crops, but I forgot about enjoying them deliciously.”
The professor says deeply while staring at the bonfire.
“I thought I thoroughly researched the local cultivation methods, but I was negligent about food culture. How it’s eaten, how it’s loved. What happiness the cultivated plants bring to people. What I lacked was that perspective.”
As expected, it’s a merchant’s perspective. I feel embarrassed to be told that. This is all copied from Nadia-san in the previous loop. The recipes are also entirely copied from my past life. However, as I awkwardly dodge the praise directed at me, it seems to him like humility.
Experimenting with the crops obtained from the capital, cooking with trial and error, and eventually, winter break.
“Alexi-kun, I want to invite you to the Charlois territory, how about it?”
I received an unexpected offer from Professor Kabaneru.