Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 102

Upon entering the sea, Saffy, who seemed excited about the water fight, has now calmed down.

She’s now leisurely swimming in the sea.

Judging by her proficient crawl strokes, she seems to be good at swimming.

Klaus and Nelge seem a bit tired, resting under the parasol, while Lumia appears to be hydrating herself.

Still feeling energetic, I’m unsure of what to do. Should I swim like Saffy?

However, choosing to do so might lead to being coerced into a long swim or something similar.

Although that wouldn’t be bad either, after the intense activity of splashing around in the water, I feel like taking it easy for a bit.

Deciding to forgo going further into the sea, I take a stroll along the shore.

“Oh!”

And then, I spot a beautiful white seashell at my feet.

【Conch Shell】

Blow air into the hole at the tip, and it produces a sound similar to a flute.

Curious, I decided to appraise it, and it turns out to be a seashell that produces flute-like sounds.

I pick it up from the sand, meticulously washing away the sand with seawater.

Pressing on the tip with my finger, it breaks off easily. So, I put my mouth to the hole and blow.

Suddenly, air escapes from the shell, producing a sharp, high-pitched sound, reminiscent of the candy-like noise of ramune sold at festivals. It’s quite nostalgic.

“Shuu-san, what’s that?”

Intrigued by the flute-like sound, Lumia approaches.

“It’s called a Conch Shell. When you blow into the tip like this, it makes a sound.”

“I want to try finding one too!”

As I make the sound, Lumia’s eyes sparkle, and she begins searching.

Despite her age, Lumia has a mature demeanor, but she innocently responds to fun materials and games like this. It’s really heartwarming.

“Oh! I found one—Ah!”

Lumia, who picked up a Conch Shell, jumps in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“I-it seems it wasn’t just the shell…”

Following Lumia’s embarrassed voice, I see a creature poking its head and legs out from the Conch Shell, resembling a hermit crab.

It would be quite a surprise if you peered inside thinking it was just a shell.

“It seems there was already a tenant inside.”

“Yes, I’ll try to find one with just the shell.”

“I’ll help too.”

I thought we’d find one quickly together, but there are many similar shells on the shore, and it’s hard to spot the right one.

So, I activate my investigation skill to search for Conch Shells.

Soon, I spot scattered silhouettes of purple Conch Shells around. They seem to be buried in the soil nearby. Since digging them out seems troublesome due to the amount of soil, I pick up the ones on the surface as much as possible.

“Lumia-san, there are some over here!”

“May I have one?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you!”

Lumia expresses her gratitude and takes one of the Conch Shells from my palm.

She washes the Conch Shell with seawater, tilting her head while examining it.

“Um, where should I blow into it from…?”

“You press and break the pointed end with your finger.”

“Oh, I see! Got it!”

After explaining, Lumia seems to understand and uses her finger to create a hole at the tip of the Conch Shell.

Then, she puts her mouth to it and blows, producing a feeble sound.

Amused by the silly sound, both Lumia and I burst into laughter.

“Somehow, Shuu-san’s sound is different.”

“Perhaps the sound changes depending on the size of the hole and the shell.”

Intrigued, I try blowing into several Conch Shells in my hand.

Some produce a deep sound, while others emit a high-pitched tone.

“Indeed, it seems the sound varies depending on the shape of the shell.”

“How interesting! I’ll pick up some as souvenirs!”

Lumia, full of enthusiasm, walks along the shore searching for Conch Shells. It seems she also wants to collect some.

If I search with my investigation skill, I could find them in an instant, but I sense Lumia wants to find them herself, so I decide not to overthink it.

Come to think of it, I completely forgot that I also need to prepare souvenirs, as Lumia mentioned. I told the guild staff, including Rabis, that I would bring some back.

When it comes to Lindblum, seafood is the main attraction. While I have my Magic Bag to keep them fresh, I’d rather not reveal that. Freezing them with ice magic might preserve their freshness, but it’s not advisable to bring back living creatures from far away. It would be regrettable if someone got food poisoning because of that.

On the other hand, bringing back dried fish isn’t quite…

It might be better to bring back whatever is available in the sea without selecting specific groceries.

Yes, like how Lumia seems to be planning to bring back Conch Shells as souvenirs.

It’s not that I find it troublesome to choose or think about souvenirs. This is just the result of my consideration.

“All right, now that it’s decided, let’s pick something up.”

I immediately activate my investigation skill.

As magical energy permeates, numerous silhouettes emerge in my field of vision.

Perhaps because many materials have washed ashore, there are plenty of them.

Among them, I’m particularly interested in these rounded, bluish stones.

【Coral Fragments】

Formed by the long-term rubbing of waves against coral.

A specialty of Lindblum, often used in accessories.

Highly valued for its beautiful color and rounded shape.

Upon appraisal, it seems to be coral fragments.

It appears to have been made in a similar manner to beach glass.

Come to think of it, I remember seeing a woman in town wearing such decorations. Was this what she had?

This should make a decent gift for Rabis, and Rosca, being a decorator, would likely appreciate it as well.

I continue to pick up coral fragments with beautiful colors and shapes, one after another.

“…Are you picking up coral fragments?”

Lost in collecting them, Klaus approaches.

I wondered if Nelge was okay, but it seems she’s searching for Conch Shells with Lumia.

“Yeah, I thought I’d bring them as souvenirs for the people of Grantel.”

“Ah, brings back memories. I used to pick them up a lot as a child.”

Murmuring nostalgically, Klaus starts picking up coral fragments as well.

While it’s clear he’s helping me, it’s still somewhat surprising.

“…What’s wrong?”

As I gaze intently, Klaus looks puzzled.

“Well, knowing you, Klaus, I thought you’d say we could just buy them at a stall.”

“My true thoughts would tend that way. Coral fragments and such can be bought pre-packaged at a stall for a silver coin. But you find that uninteresting, don’t you?”

“You understand me well.”

They can be used as decorations. If we went to such a stall, we could easily buy about a hundred of them. But that wouldn’t be any fun. Since they’re right in front of me, I thought I’d gather them myself and make souvenirs out of them.

“Your innocent face while picking up coral fragments says it all.”

With that, Klaus quietly continues picking up coral fragments.

His movements are swift, selecting only the ones that seem useful and beautiful.

It seems true that he used to collect them as a child.

As I gather coral fragments to keep up with Klaus, a yellowish object is visible underground.

It has a peculiar curved shape and doesn’t look like an ordinary stone.

【Bola Maxillary Bone】

The maxillary bone of a bola fish. It once held enough power to crush rocks.

When I appraised it on impulse, it turned out to be the maxillary bone of a bola fish.

“Klaus, take a look. It’s the bone of a fish called a bola.”

“While it’s rare for monsters to inhabit this area, could it have washed ashore as a bone? Well, never mind. Bones of sea creatures are rare. If you find any others, pick them up. Handing them over to researchers should fetch a decent price. It’s dangerous to explore the sea, given the many dangerous monsters lurking, so ecological research isn’t progressing much. If researchers are willing to buy and study them, it might be worth collecting.”

Advancing research on monsters would also contribute to one’s own safety.

When I activate my investigation skill by searching for bola bones, there seems to be a complete set of bones in the vicinity.

It feels incomplete to only collect a part of it, like taking a piece from a puzzle.

“Got it. I’ll do that.”

Might as well collect them neatly while I’m at it.

With that in mind, I decided to dig up and collect the bola bones from the ground.