ALL NOVEL Chapter 120
Chapter 120. Three Companions And Chinese Cuisine
Having figured out the details of the camper, we decided to resume our journey.
I shouted “We’re heading out!” somewhat randomly in the middle of the road, and both Faf and Yarlai appeared as if it were nothing. Even though I didn’t shout that loudly, it seems their hearing is beyond ordinary.
When I explained the luggage space allocation, both accepted it without complaint. Yarlai carefully stored her belongings and the black needles, while Faf had only one item bag, so there was no issue on her end.
They didn’t have any complaints about the bed arrangements either.
On the contrary, Faf seemed delighted as she lay down on the bed.
“Hehehe. I live to eat, sleep, and be held.”
Faf said this in a tone that didn’t quite sound like a joke.
In any case, we were ready to depart.
The villagers watched us with curiosity, but there was no sense of avoidance. It seems that in this world, which has techniques rather than magic, some amount of irrationality is acceptable. As expected.
With black smoke rising, the camper slowly started moving its heavy body forward.
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As we drove along the highway, we occasionally passed by carriages or merchants on foot. Surprisingly, we didn’t encounter many ordinary people. Sometimes, we’d pass caravans of several large carriages, each flying the Verriero Trading Company’s flag. So that town really was sustained by Cherina…
When they return to their country, they’ll be shocked to find it gone. In a good way.
We traveled down the rough highway at an average speed of about 15 km/h. Even at this speed, it’s several times, or perhaps ten times faster than a carriage.
The slow pace was due to the poor, winding roads.
In some areas, a carriage could only cover about 1,500 meters in an hour. No wonder it’s tough to traverse such pothole-filled roads…
By the way, when we encountered potholes too large to avoid, Hagg would eagerly fill them in, with me helping by carrying and throwing nearby rocks into them.
Apparently, this should hold until the rainy season.
…Does the rainy season wash away these rocks?
Well, I don’t plan on fixing the infrastructure, so we’ll just repair what we need and keep moving. When I muttered that maybe we should use iron plates meant for construction, Hagg refused, saying it was good training. How cruel.
As the sky darkened, Hagg seemed excited when we turned on the headlights. Of all the modern products she’d seen, these lights intrigued her the most.
However, I told her it would be difficult to make them, given the need to solve the electricity issue.
We probably covered about 100 km to 150 km today, but not in a straight line. In a straight line, we probably didn’t even cover 50 km. Maybe it was closer to 30 km. The roads are that poorly maintained.
As for gasoline, the slow pace may have contributed, but the fuel consumption was horrendous. I expected this with a camper, but it was worse than I imagined. We used about 40 liters of gas in one day.
I filled up twice since each jerry can holds 20 liters. That’s 2,720 yen.
Remaining balance: 282,544 yen.
We decided to spend the night in the camper.
I started preparing dinner in the sink.
“Finally, I get to witness these functions.”
“Hehehe. Not even royal carriages have such facilities. If you sell this to the Karman Empire, it might become a royal family’s exclusive vehicle.”
“I’m not selling it.”
Now, what should I make for dinner?
Since we have the equipment, something new would be nice.
…I’m in the mood for Chinese food.
What’s missing?
-Approved. SHOP items have been added.-
Black Tiger Shrimp (10 pieces) = 420 yen
Ginger = 97 yen
Doubanjiang (200g) = 362 yen
Ketchup (500g) = 168 yen
Umami seasoning (400g) = 798 yen
Lettuce (1 head) = 197 yen
Sesame dressing = 386 yen
Plastic wrap = 258 yen
I have everything else I need in stock.
Oh, might as well fill up the water tank. A 160-liter fixed tank was installed. It took a dozen or so bucketfuls to fill it.
I’ll need about 30 shrimp since Hagg and Faf are both big eaters.
Now that we have running water, things are much easier.
I quickly rinsed the rice and put it in the pressure cooker. I tore about a third of the lettuce by hand.
Then I realized we didn’t have plates. Most of them were borrowed from inns or Cherina. Since we have a dish cabinet, I might as well stock it. Hagg, Yarlai, and I each have a rice bowl and chopsticks, so I only need to get a set for Faf.
I’ll also buy plates that might be useful.
Salad plate (glass) = 1,678 yen
Large plate = 1,288 yen
Medium plate = 982 yen
Small plate = 95 yen
Hmm. One salad plate should be enough. I’ll get two large plates and ten each of the medium and small plates. 6,186 yen.
Chopsticks and a rice bowl for Faf cost 1,618 yen. Total: 7,804 yen. Add 16 yen for the 160 liters of water, and that’s 7,820 yen.
The shrimp, seasonings, and plastic wrap add up to 3,526 yen. Total: 11,346 yen.
Remaining balance: 271,198 yen.
We’ll need to start doing business when we reach a big town…
Now, I’ll dress the lettuce salad with sesame dressing. I’d love to have a wok, but we’ll have to save up for now.
I’ll cook the main dish in a frying pan.
It’ll be done at the same time the rice is cooked.
I laid the lettuce on a large plate and placed the bright red main dish on top, making for a decent presentation.
“Oh-hoh. This looks delicious. What is it?”
“This is shrimp in chili sauce. It’s spicy and tasty.”
The table was filled with a large plate of salad and shrimp in chili sauce, leaving little room to spare, but everyone began eating skillfully. Faf even handled the chopsticks with ease, suggesting that the warriors in this world might all be quite dexterous.
“Hehehe… Never did I imagine I’d eat shrimp this deep inland. It’s incredibly delicious.”
“Indeed. Akira should become a chef rather than a merchant.”
Just a regular chef would do…
“…Hmm. As your friend, I want to train you… but as a cook, not bad.”
What kind of assessment is that?
The future my god-given abilities suggest seems unnecessary. But I don’t mind.
However, if I push it too far, it might trigger a forced event beyond the quest, so I think it’s better to go along moderately. Traveling as a merchant is also kind of fun, even though I haven’t really done it yet.
Dinner ended on a high note, and we quickly cleaned up.
We used a cleaning artifact to get the dishes spotless and then gave them a light rinse under the tap.
Dish towel = 117 yen
Remaining balance: 271,081 yen.
Now, since it’s been a while, I thought I’d read some manga and relax. But as I was climbing into bed, Hagg grabbed me by the collar.
“Whoa?! That’s dangerous! What are you doing?!”
“What are you doing? It’s training time!”
“…Huh?!”
“I planned to train you during the journey, which would have taken a month, but I didn’t expect you to pull out such a trump card. At least at night, I’ll train you thoroughly. Be grateful. Gwahahaha!”
“No way?! I don’t want that! I decline!”
I’ve been driving this unfamiliar, large vehicle on unfamiliar roads with an unfamiliar left-hand drive. I’m tired!
“Mental fatigue should be relieved with physical fatigue! Accept it!”
No sooner were these words spoken than I was tossed outside. Damn it!
And it was shockingly dark outside. Naturally, since there are no streetlights at all.
“It’s fine. Your eyes will adjust soon.”
It seems Yarlai had come out.
“That’s not the issue! Fine, at least wait until tomorrow morning…”
“That’s already decided. We’ll train before breakfast starting tomorrow.”
“What?!”
“Hehehe… You’re lucky to have two skilled warriors training you.”
“I said I’m not happy about it!”
“Give it up, Akira. This is your fate.”
“Damn it! My life is a crappy gameeeeee!!”
My usual outburst echoed across the star-filled sky.
Ah.
Once my eyes adjusted, I could actually see.