NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
“Yup. …Now it’s a shrimp.”
I raised my fishing rod and grabbed a shrimp that had been caught. It resembled a spiny lobster, but since I wasn’t sure what it was called in this world, I decided to just call it a shrimp for now.
It looked like it would be quite a satisfying meal, and I almost drooled, but I quickly tossed it into the jar.
Inside, there were other sea creatures like squid, scallops, turban shells, and abalones bubbling away.
These were the marine creatures I had gathered so far.
I first dove to collect shellfish, and then I passed the time fishing until my body dried off.
“Ah… this is relaxing.”
While basking in the sun, I fished without thinking about anything. Once, in my previous life, I had been invited by a colleague to go fishing, but the sea wasn’t particularly beautiful, and the weather was bad, so it wasn’t enjoyable.
Fishing at my own pace like this, though, really helped me unwind.
“Master, are you catching anything?”
As I was lost in thought, Eve spoke to me.
“Did you cut the vegetables like I asked?”
“Of course. Exactly as you instructed, without a single mistake.”
With that, a tray of mixed vegetables appeared. By the way, I had made this tray from the leftover metal after melting down swords. Eve had indented the ground, so I didn’t need to make molds. It was easy to just pour the metal into the shape I wanted.
This was an incredibly useful ability, and if I wanted to mass-produce swords, I could ask Eve to create molds in the ground, pour the metal in, and finish them in no time.
However, rare metals required higher temperatures, and given the current setup, I wasn’t keen on attempting that. Even making the barbecue grill raised the room’s temperature so much that I broke a sweat.
Eventually, I might need to set up a workshop or similar facilities within the world.
“Master, the fire is just right now.”
Saying that, Eve sent over some charcoal that was glowing red-hot.
I placed it under the grill and…
“Alright, let’s start.”
Excited, I began arranging the vegetables and seafood on the grill.
Sizzle… sizzle…
The scallops opened up, and as the juices from the shrimp and squid dripped onto the charcoal, white smoke rose into the air. Normally, smoke would be unpleasant, but the appetizing smell of the grilled food and the atmosphere made it unnoticeable.
“Well, let’s try it.”
Using tongs (made by Eve), I placed the food on a plate (also made by Eve).
I picked up a piece of squid with chopsticks, blew on it to cool it down, and then took a bite.
“Delicious!”
It made me crave some alcohol, but…
In this world, the legal age for drinking is 18. Drinking is permitted during celebrations, but outside of that, alcohol is only allowed if there is a guardian present.
Because of that, I couldn’t buy any alcohol, which was disappointing.
“Let’s try the other things too.”
The shishito peppers and corn from the [field] were about ready.
In fact, I had planned the barbecue around these vegetables.
Even simple tomatoes were incredibly delicious. I had wondered what kind of taste would emerge if I grilled them, and now I was eager to find out.
“The corn has big, sweet kernels. The shishito peppers have a subtle bitterness that’s quite addictive.”
The results were excellent. I was enjoying top-tier vegetables I had never tasted before.
It seemed my prediction was right: the vegetables grown in the [field] brought out their finest flavor.
The only regret was that there was no soy sauce or mirin here. If I had those seasonings, the flavors would have been elevated even more. I resolved to make my own seasonings eventually and added that task to my to-do list.
“Ugh… I want to eat too…”
Eve’s voice sounded somewhat resentful. But even if she wished it, there was nothing that could be done. If she had a mouth, I’d feed her, but as a sphere, she couldn’t eat.
As I sympathized with Eve, who couldn’t enjoy such delicious food…
“Master, Kaiser wants to come over there.”
“Sure.”
I gave my permission, and the entrance to [The World] opened.
Kaiser flew over and landed on my lap.
“Good boy, good boy. I’ll feed you.”
“Kweeek, kweeek!”
With a happy chirp, Kaiser devoured half a shrimp in one bite. It seemed he was omnivorous and would eat anything—whether it was monster meat or vegetables.
“Is it good?”
“Kweeeek, kweeek!”
So, instead of grilling the monster meat, I simply sent it over to Kaiser, and he’d eat it, leaving behind only the magic core.
When I stroked his chin, he let out a satisfied sound. He seemed to be in a good mood.
In the end, while listening to Eve’s envious voice, Kaiser and I thoroughly enjoyed the barbecue.
This translation preserves the informal, lighthearted tone and the interactions between the characters while keeping the descriptions of the food and the atmosphere intact.