Chapter 35

1 Comment / Spirits' paradise and ideal life in another world / By IX

Harvest

 

“Harvest time!”

 

“Harvest!”

 

“Kyuuuu!”

 

“Yes!”

 

Bell and the others responded to the cry of my soul.
It felt good.

 

When I woke up in the morning, Dolly appeared and told me that we could harvest the oil leaf.
My sleepy head suddenly awakened and led to the morning shout.

 

“Dolly, is it okay to harvest all of them?”

 

“Yes, the oil leaf grows quickly, so if you miss the harvest time, it will quickly grow larger and the taste will deteriorate.
It’s better to harvest them all and store them in your bag, Yuta.”

 

“Understood.
Should we leave some for seeds? It’s my first time growing vegetables and I thought I might be able to keep them going.”

 

“That’s a good idea.
If you leave a few plants, Tamamo can take care of them well, so it’s a good idea to leave some behind.”

 

Reducing the amount of ingredients is sad, but there are about a hundred plants, so it shouldn’t be a problem to go on expeditions or even to visit the town.

 

“In that case, let’s leave three plants and harvest the rest.
Bell, Rain, Turu, and Tamamo, please help me.”

 

I head to the field with a light step.
The welcoming greenery is gentle to the eyes.
I’m sorry, but I’ll have to harvest them.
However, since there are no insects, it might be good for pollination, and the vegetables will turn out nicely.

 

The other three types of plants that were planted at the same time will take a little longer.
Will we be able to eat one of them when we return from the expedition?

 

“Now, we will begin the long-awaited harvest.
Please bring the harvested ones to me immediately.”

 

“Bring them here!”

 

Bell is reacting by saying “bring it here!” but Bell is not in charge of collecting the harvest.

 

“Bell is harvesting and bringing it here, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Does she understand? Well, she seems to be having fun, so it’s okay.
I’ll start harvesting too.

 

I carefully grip the base of the healthy and lively leaves, being careful not to damage them, and apply force so that they won’t break.
Oh, it seems to be coming out quite easily.
The soil gradually rises and it comes out with a “pop”.
Wow, it’s impressive.
The roots seem to be strong, so the quality should be good.

 

“Yuta, I got one!”

 

“Kyuu.”

 

“…….”

 

“Kuu.”

 

As I was impressed, Bell and the others were lined up behind me without me noticing.
It seems like I took too much time being impressed.
They handed me the harvested oil leaf, and one by one, I thanked them and patted their heads.
When they finished handing them to me, they rushed towards the oil leaf like “let’s go to the next one!”

 

It seems inefficient, but well, there are only about a hundred plants, so it will end soon.
While receiving the oil leaf from Bell and the others, I also harvested them in between.

 

The harvest was finished quickly and easily.
It’s a bit sad, but since it’s not for selling, the amount should be enough.

 

“Kyuu.
Kyu kyu.”

 

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Rain?”

 

Rain seems to be trying to convey something, but I don’t really understand.
Do I not have the skill of telepathy or something?

 

“Rain wants to wash the vegetables.”

 

“Oh, Rain wants to wash the harvested oil leaf.
Thank you, Rain.”

 

Taking out the rock that was stored, Rain covered it with oil leaf, and the raindrop formed into a water ball.
Wow, it’s amazing, the water ball is vibrating ever so slightly?

 

Only the dirt on the vegetables sank neatly under the water ball.
It feels like a craftsman’s skill.
When Rain made a “kyu” sound, the previously dirtied rock was cleanly washed with water.
The oil leaf, now cleaned, was placed on top of the shiny rock… the craftsmanship is delicate.

 

Upon checking the oil leaf, even the soil between the roots was completely removed, leaving a shiny and glossy appearance.
It looks delicious.
How should I eat it?

 

“Kyuu”

 

“Thank you, Rain.
It looks even more delicious now that it’s clean.”

 

I rubbed Rain’s cheek? area with both hands, as it has recently become Rain’s favorite form of skinship.
The slightly sloppy and open mouth is cute.

 

“It really looks delicious.
This is the first harvest from deep within this place, from the depts of the Land of Death.
You can be proud of this.”

 

Sylphy loosened her cool beauty expression and praised us.
It may indeed be an impressive feat, but I don’t quite understand how to be proud of it, as we only managed to raise the plant out of desperation using the power of the spirits.

 

“Indeed, that’s true.
It’s very difficult to grow plants in the Land of Death.
Even with the help of the spirits’ power, this achievement is something to be proud of.”

 

Dolly joined in.
Naturally, that means…

 

“Yuta-chan, you’re so amazing.
Big sister will give you lots of praise.”

 

Even Dyne jumps in.
While having my head patted, I feel both the joy of having a beautiful woman nearby and the humiliation of having my head patted by Dyne.
It’s something that happens every time, and I always struggle with whether to shake it off or accept it.

 

“Well, it’s certainly something to be proud of.
However, with wind, water, earth, and plants, the setting is quite complete.
It’s a precious place born in the Land of Death.
It wouldn’t hurt to turn it into a sanctuary someday.”

 

Now even Nomos has joined in, and he’s saying something incomprehensible.
Isn’t a sanctuary something amazing?

 

“Oh, that’s good.
But there are still many things lacking if we want to turn it into a sanctuary.”

 

Sylphy became enthusiastic.
Dyne and Dolly also joined in the conversation, and a serious discussion among the great spirits began.

 

“Hey, what’s a sanctuary? I don’t get it, so explain it to me.”

 

“That’s our conversation.
You´re not prepared enough yet, so I’ll explain it when the time comes.
Yuta, you should cook the vegetables you worked so hard to harvest.”

 

Nomos said that and went back to the discussion.
I can hear some words like “getting a jewel from the Great Spirit King” and “increasing the forest’s area”, which sound troublesome.

 

I understand now.
Something troublesome is going to happen soon, and I’m going to get caught up in it eventually.
Instead of listening to the details and getting scared, I decided to fully enjoy the vegetables as Nomos suggested.

 

“Now, how should I eat it? I don’t have any granulated dashi, so should I just blanch it and eat it simply with soy sauce? Since Rain washed the roots clean, should I stir-fry them? Chinese cabbage can be eaten with their roots, but what about oil leaf greens?

 

“Dolly, I’m sorry to interrupt, but can you tell me if the roots of oil leaf greens can be eaten?”

 

“Roots? They’re not poisonous, so you can eat them.”

 

With that, Dolly quickly returned to the discussion.
Is it really that important? It’s a bit scary.

 

Anyway, let’s focus on cooking for now.
First, prepare the roots.
Carefully shave off the small hair-like parts with a survival knife.
Then stir-fry them with salt.
It’s easy.

 

If I had plenty of seasonings, I would make kinpira, but let’s not be too extravagant.
The leafy part can be blanched quickly and finished with a splash of soy sauce.
Simple and delicious.

 

Boil some water, add a little salt, and boil the stems.
Blanch the leafy part and it’s done.
The roots are easy to stir-fry with salt.

 

“It’s done!”

 

Blanched oil leaf greens, stir-fried roots with salt.
It’s too easy and looks plain, but it shines in my eyes now.
Bell and the others immediately gathered around, but the Great Spirits didn’t move.

 

“Hey, Sylphy, Dyne, Nomos, Dolly.
It may not be a luxurious dish, but can you all taste my first harvest with me?”

 

“Oh, sorry, Yuta.
Of course we’ll have some.”

 

“Yuta’s first vegetables.
I’m excited!”

 

“I’ll have some too.”

 

“Hehe, let’s dig in.
Thank you for the food, Yuta.”

 

Now that everyone is gathered, it’s time to taste the first harvest.
I thought the dolphins and foxes might eat the vegetables.
And they do eat it.

 

“Well then, let’s eat.”

 

First, the blanched leaves.
They have a crunchy texture and a unique vegetable flavor that spreads in my mouth.

 

Hmm, it’s not a flavor I would normally like, but my body seems to be enjoying the replenishment of the nutrients it was lacking, so it tastes delicious.

 

What about the salt stir-fried roots? It has a chewy texture, almost like burdock or daikon, with plenty of fiber.
The salt adds flavor and the texture is good.
This is also good.

 

“Well done.
Yuta, you did a good job.”

 

“Yuta-chan, it’s delicious.”

 

“Yuta-san, the simple seasoning brings out the flavor of the vegetables.”

 

Sylphy, Dyne, and Dolly are pleased and say it’s delicious, but the other spirits seem a bit unsure.
Nomos eats it like it’s not vegetables at all, and the lesser spirits…

 

“I like fish better.”

 

Bell’s cute eyebrows form a “Ha” shape.
I’m a little disappointed.

 

“Kyuu.”

 

Rain looks disappointed.
I think she had high expectations because of my enthusiasm.
It hurts my heart.

 

“Bitter.”

 

Turu just frowns, trying to digest the vegetables.
I’m sorry.

 

“Kuu.”

 

Tamamo looks at me as if to say, “Do I have to eat it?” It reminds me of a Chihuahua commercial.

 

It doesn’t seem to be very popular.
Well, it’s not a taste that children would love, so I guess it can’t be helped, but I do wonder about the earth and forest spirits not liking vegetables.

 

“Haha.
It seems Bell and the others didn’t like it.
When we go to town, I’ll make sure we can eat something even more delicious, so please look forward to it.”

 

“Promise.”

 

“Kyuu.”

 

“Delicious food.”

 

“Kuu.”

 

The lesser spirits cling to me, confirming the promise one by one.
I pet their heads while promising to keep the promise.
I hope there will be food in town that these kids will like.

 

Anyway, I’m pretty satisfied since I was able to eat the vegetables deliciously.
If the expedition is successful, we’ll be able to go to town, so maybe I didn’t need to desperately grow vegetables, but it’s become a support for my heart, so it’s fine.