HOHOHO~ (1/12)
Translated by airsblue Edited by mranon
Tackle
Next morning. Having returned from the labyrinth, we go to the library in the Imperial Capital after eating breakfast. My Item Box is filled with the items I picked up earlier in the morning. I can’t go sell them since it’s the holiday today.
I send Sherry off after giving her 1 gold and 5 silver coins. I see her off until she was inside but for some reason, Sherry turns back when she reaches the reception desk.
“What happened? Did you forget something?” “No, I asked for the location of the fishing tackle shop. They said it is in the opposite direction of the adventurers’ guild, toward the Imperial palace, the second street to the right.” “You went to the trouble of asking? Thank you.”
I was planning on asking at the adventurers’ guild. She really saved me the trouble. I am grateful. Perhaps no one will be there because it’s the holiday. After Sherry was inside, I head out with Roxanne and Miria.
We move behind the library, toward the white wall of the palace. Lined up in front of us are magnificent mansions. It’s not enough to just say ‘lined up’. All the buildings are separated by the equal space. It really gives the feeling of a noble district. Even the road is different from the main street. The style has completely changed into the stone-paved one.
I feel totally out of place. If I continue onward, will I find the Emperor’s residence?
“It looks to be there.”
Roxanne points. There’s a store where many fishing tackles are on display. It’s the fishing tackle shop.
The rod is made with some kind of wood. It has a dull feeling but by all means, it really looks like a fishing rod. It can certainly be used for fishing.
“Welcome.” “I want to do deep-sea fishing. Is it possible for you to prepare the necessary tools?”
I go inside and ask the shop clerk. Not many fishing rods were on display inside the shop. The mechanism needs to be changed depending on the targeted fish and the location. They can’t be mass-produced. The clerk’s job is Merchant. It’ll be quicker to have him prepare it.
“Are you fishing for the first time?” “Yes, and I think Miria have never done fishing either.” “No, desu.”
Miria was looking at the fishing gears with great interest but she comes over when I ask her. As expected, she hasn’t done fishing before.
“Yes, sir. Let me prepare it for you.” “I will leave it to you.”
The clerk prepares a tackle. Rod, reel, fishing thread, weight, hook. There doesn’t seem to be any float. Is it thread fishing, then?
“As for the fishing rod, I think this one is good for beginners. When you get used to it, you will also get to understand your preference and then it can be adjusted appropriately for different fishing locations.” “Got it.” “One reel and two fishing threads, including a spare. The weight and the thread can be changed depending on the location and the fish you want to catch. For this reason, we provide different types. By connecting these, you can achieve your desired settings.”
The clerk shows us an example of how to set it up. The thread goes out from the fishing rod. A hook is then attached to the tip of the thread. Nothing particularly different from usual.
“I see.” “The bait will sink after it has been attached to the hook. Let’s see… as a bait, you can either use worms or shrimps. You can get them by the seaside. They are great to catch small fish. The shell can’t be used, however.”
In this world, the shell contains poison.
“I see, I see.” “I see, desu.” “Use heavy weight when the wind and the current are strong. However, if it sinks completely, it will get damaged in case it gets jammed somewhere. Therefore, you need to adjust the weight, so it doesn’t sink completely.”
The clerk explains to us how to do fishing. I only listened to half of what he said. As for Miria, she was eager to learn everything with the assistance of Roxanne’s translation.
“I see, desu.” “Regarding fishing, I heard there are certain rules and areas. Is that true?” “Yes, that’s right. The place where you are fishing has to be approved by the Empire. Furthermore, there is a limit of one rod and one hook per person. Attaching more than one hook to the line is prohibited.” “Got it.”
A single hook? Because there are no floats, fishing with one hook will not cause damage to the fishing ground.
I look at the prepared fishing rod in the clerk’s hand. It’s a three-piece fishing rod. It’s made of wood. Quite soft.
Inside out. A pointless use of high-tech.
The reel is dull, though. There is no bail arm attached either, so the cast can’t be used. It really is just winding-the-thread.
“This fishing rod is the pride of our store. I’m sure you will be able to use it for a long time.” “What do you think about it?”
I pass the base piece of the fishing rod to Miria. It’s about one meter long. Connecting the three, the fishing rod measures three meters.
“Also, you might want to have a basket while fishing, and it would be convenient if you have a colander when you catch a fish. Both the basket and the colander are available right here.”
While Miria was checking the fishing rod, I go to check the basket and the colander out. Both are skillfully made using wood. Since there is no plastic in this world, the wood processing technique has advanced.
“It’s okay, desu.”
When I return with a basket and a colander, Miria passes the fishing rod back to me. With this, everything seems to be done.
“Do we have everything here? Then, can I buy all of these?” “Thank you very much. Let me see… as a customer who’s fishing for the first time, the total amount to pay will be 3,500 Nars. I will also add a bag and a tackle box to put the fishing rod in.”
The clerk gives us a bag and a tackle box for the fishing gear. As for the price, I’m confused. If I take it as daily food expense, it seems high. However, is it still high if I take it as an equipment? 30% discount was effective, at least.
“That’s bad.” “Bad, desu.”
Miria gently pulls my arm and says in a low voice. Did my feeling bad made her feel bad, too?
“It’s fine.”
I place my hand on her head and pat her gently. I thought it would cost a gold coin when I heard it was a hobby of nobles, but it wasn’t the case. It’s satisfactory.
Miria holds the fishing rod and the box while Roxanne holds the colander as we leave the store. I hold the basket.
“Thank you, desu.” “I hope you get us a good catch.” “Good catch, desu.”
Miria’s eyes show determination. The only thing I want from you is to not jump into the sea to catch fish if you fail with the rod. Well, Roxanne seems to have given her similar warning already, so it should be fine. Even if she doesn’t listen to what I’m saying, she will be sure to follow Roxanne’s orders.
We go back to the wall behind the library in order to warp. The destination is Hafen in the Harz Duchy. Whenever I think of a seaside, this is the only place that comes to my mind. Palmasque seems to be surrounded by sea as well, but I’m not sure about it since I never went out of the guild.
It isn’t morning yet in Hafen. Is it still the holiday here or has the holiday already passed? The holiday is between spring and summer. In short, it is something like the summer solstice. The day’s activities should start earlier in this part of the north than the rest.
I take a look around. The elf Village Head Lv3 is here. He’s the the same Village Head from before. I approach him to talk.
“Is it okay to do fishing around here?” “Yes, it is permitted to do fishing anywhere around here. The seashore further down seems to be quite a good point. The people who did fishing there before managed to get quite a good catch. Because it’s a rocky area there, it is difficult to setup a net, so there seems to be a lot of fish.” “Further down? Let’s go, then.”
I follow the village chief’s instructions, and reach the shore. There is no possibility to lay waste for this fishing ground. I can understand the reason why it is hard to setup a fishing net around here. Usually, in the places where you can move around freely, there will be no fish, making this point not bad at all.
The shore has a large number of reefs. It really is a good point. Miria is looking around with a serious expression. She runs to a rock, and looks into the sea.
“There’s fish, desu.”
Satisfied, she comes back.
“So, will Miria be fishing here?” “Yes, desu.”
I am still concerned about her but because it’s the holiday today, I should probably let her do what she likes. I call Roxanne over, and leave all the fishing gear. I put a leather hat on Miria.
“Just in case, I’m giving you five silver coins. You can buy whatever you may need from that village.” “Thank you, desu.” “I will pick you up in the afternoon. Don’t go too far from here.” “Yes, desu.”
I entrust Miria with the fishing gear, and leave. I go to the forest close to the shore. From there, I cast Warp for the wall back home.
“Will she be fine?” “It will be alright. There should be a few beastkin in the village who speak that language.”
Ah, that reminds me, she somehow managed a conversation before. So, will there really be no problem? Besides, Miria knows about the sea better.
“And Roxanne, I will be giving you ten silver coins.” “Umm, just me? Is that really okay?” “Since Roxanne is the number one slave, you are special.” “Yes! Thank you very much, Master!”
I hand ten silver coins to Roxanne. In Roxanne’s case, it is not necessarily a waste since she will be shopping. She will surely buy clothes for Miria, too, this time. It was the logical thing to do, and it also landed me a lot of points.
Roxanne accepts it with a smiling face. Apparently, the auction participation fee is 1,000 Nars. It is about time I go to the auction hall. Perhaps, the participation fee will not be confirmed until I go to the auction hall.
“Well then, I am off.” “Yes, have a good day. Find a good party member. I will leave it to you, then.”
Roxanne has already accepted my expanding the harem. I will have to take full advantage of her words. I promise her.
I pass the house keys to Roxanne, and jump to the waiting room in the merchants’ guild. The waiting room is crowded with people. This is the first time I’m seeing these many people in the waiting room of the merchants’ guild. There is a possibility of hitting someone while coming out of the wall.
Nah, it was okay. I didn’t collide with anyone. I thought my heart would beat faster while choosing a new harem member, but I am plenty calm. Nothing will make me fail.
There is a different receptionist in the waiting room. Once you pay the participation fee there, you can go inside, it seems. I follow behind the line of people in front of me.
“Is the participation fee 1,000 Nars?” “That’s right.” “Hey you lots, did you know? It seems a wizard slave will be exhibited today.”
When I was about to pay the participation fee to go inside, someone shouts. A dirty old man who looks like the boss of a workers’ camp.
“Is that true?”
The guy who went inside before me reacts. Everyone seems to be interested in the wizard he mentioned.
I object. What’s important is not their job. But whether they’re beautiful or not.
“I will get them no matter what. Do you have white gold coins? If you don’t, go back home and bring some.”
The old man keeps on shouting. You can hear his voice everywhere. I wonder if people will really go back with this. As expected, no one went back. The old man leaves, looking satisfied.
I pay 1,000 Nars and go inside. I advance to the inner part. The small rooms, which are normally used for meeting, have been turned into showrooms for the slave merchants to exhibit the slaves they are selling. I enter one such room.
“Welcome, our shop is exhibiting this man from the dragonkin tribe.”
The slave merchant speaks as soon as I step in. There are three men inside the room. One of them is most likely a customer since he is an explorer.
Second one is a sturdy, big, muscular man. His job is Dragon Knight Lv1. A job a chuunibyou would love. I wonder if it’s a racial job of the dragonkin tribe.
“I see.” “The dragonkin tribe excels in battling abilities. Their power and presence can easily be the main force of any party in close combat. You may consider them the best combat slaves available.”
I receive recommendation from the slave merchant. Even though they’re called dragonkin, they don’t look that different from humans. Their body is slightly larger. I guess they really are suited for combat.
“I see.” “This man is an outstanding one even amongst the dragonkin. I can recommend him with confidence. Also, he has already been training in the labyrinth, he has already acquired the Dragon Knight job, so he can immediately be put to use. It is also rare to have someone from dragonkin as slave. You will certainly regret it if you don’t bid on him when you have the opportunity.”
You are saying he has trained but he is just a Dragon Knight Lv1. He seems to have only just acquired it. I can’t trust the recommendation of this slave merchant. And above all, he is a man, so that’s a ‘thanks but no thanks’.
I decline politely and leave the room. I move to the next room. There are two female slaves in this room.
Both of them are sitting on chairs. It’s different from the room with the dragonkin before as they are not being kept separately in a cage. Well, if they must be put in a cage, it means they may run away immediately after you buy them.
One of the women is young and cute. The other one is a beautiful, mature woman. I’m not sure if they are good enough to be in this auction, though.
“These two are mother and daughter.”
The slave merchant whispers in my ear, with a grin on his face. I see. It’s something I really want to try once before dying.
If I didn’t become an explorer, I would definitely become an AV actor. When I retire, I would like to be a professor in a girls’ college. That place is a mountain of treasures.
I withdraw because I don’t have that much of an interest right now. Or perhaps, it is not practical. I wonder if I should’ve bought them and sold them off immediately.
There’s a woman in the next room, too. Apparently, there are more women around here. Earlier, Alan the slave merchant told me that women are more expensive. How can they be so common?
The woman in the next room is graceful and noble. She is quite the beauty. As long as she remained silent, she would look like a young lady. I think she has been a slave for a short time. Her grade is indeed high.
“Do you like her? Although she is not suited for combat, she is a first-class beauty.”
Indeed. With just one glance, you can tell she is not suited for rough stuff. I had to go out since more customers were coming in. She is an enormous beauty, with her hair pulled back. Since she can not fight, however, there is no helping it.
If she sat quietly, with her long hair stretched out, she would look just like a princess. Anyways, there is no way she can become a princess now. Rather than getting disillusioned after hearing her story, it’s better to form delusions without talking to her.
Besides, this is not the best place to talk for this is a place where people are being sold. I’ll just keep her impression as that of a student who never sought sexual entertainment.
I pull myself together and move to the next room. Only one woman in this room? There is the slave merchant as well, but no customers.
She is really beautiful, too. Slaves exhibited at the auction seem to be different. She also looks big and muscular, so I don’t think she will have any problem even with combat.
“Welcome.”
When the slave merchant calls out, the woman stands up. Huge.
Vesta | Female | 15 years old Villager Lv2
I take a look at her. She’s a woman with fiery, red hair.
[ Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter ]