Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 124

The day after arriving in Eld, I decided to head straight to Ladeo Volcano to start working on the request.

It seemed Drogan and Rosca were going to check out the workshop, as they had already finished breakfast and left early.

We’d be going our separate ways for a while now.

It was a bit lonely, but there was nothing to be done since we each had our own tasks to handle.

Before leaving the inn, I checked out the stalls in town.

Not only were there people coming to this town to have weapons made by the dwarves, but there were also those heading to Ladeo Volcano to obtain rare materials.

I thought there might be items and tools useful for such people being sold at the stalls.

Even though I had bought items from Lumia’s shop and consulted with Drogan to buy everything necessary, I wanted to be sure.

In such harsh environments, it never hurts to be thorough.

I entered a dwarven tool shop.

Inside, mining equipment, small weapons, potions, and items were crammed into the space.

The weapons were casually placed, but each one was of considerable quality, as the appraisal informed me.

Truly, weapons made by dwarves. Each and every one of them was of high quality.

Just coming here to buy these would be worth it.

While I admired swords and spears, I had no knowledge of swordsmanship, so there was no need for me to buy them.

My current combat style using magic suited me just fine. It would be scary and risky to force myself to use them.

In addition to adventurers, there were also boys and girls in the shop.

Judging from their uniforms, they were probably students in this world.

“Hey, I heard items were expensive, but are they really this pricey!?”

“We can’t afford to buy for everyone.”

“…I can cover the water, so let’s just buy two.”

“Agreed. We’ll take two of those water flasks!”

“Thanks, as always.”

It seemed they were also heading to Ladeo Volcano.

And it appeared they bought items for that purpose.

Given the harsh heat, items to alleviate it were indeed necessary.

After the students finished their transactions and left, I also glanced at the display shelves of items.

Among them were the water flasks I bought from Lumia’s shop, but they were significantly more expensive here.

“Wow! They’re twice the price of what I bought them for at Lumia’s shop!”

It seems those students from earlier who were able to buy two of those are quite wealthy. It’s not the kind of money kids their age usually have.

“Knowing about Ladeo Volcano and still planning to buy locally, they’re in for a rude awakening with those prices.”

I had muttered inadvertently, but the dwarf who seemed to be the shopkeeper overheard me and replied, puffing on his pipe.

Indeed, it’s naive to plan to equip oneself locally for a trip to the volcano. In harsh environments like that, you should research and prepare in advance.

The shopkeeper probably raises the prices as a warning against that.

“Unless you’re a wizard, such items are essential for entering the volcano. You have no choice but to buy them even if they’re expensive to protect your life. And, I profit from it.”

Nope, I was mistaken. He was just jacking up the prices based on the customers’ naivety.

Those students are quite pitiful.

Well, that’s just how business works, so I can’t complain.

Thinking about it, my decision to prepare most of my supplies in Grantel was a good one.

If I had relied on getting everything here, I would have wasted a lot of money.

“I’ve already prepared in another town, but is there anything you’d recommend having?”

“Oh, straightforward, aren’t you? I don’t mind folks like you. Do you have salt? Even if you only take in fluids, you’ll collapse without salt.”

“Yes, I do.”

Not only fluids but also salt is lost, so I’ve prepared enough salt. I don’t want to end up with dehydration symptoms.

“In that case, what about fire-resistant gloves? You can’t hold a pickaxe bare-handed near a volcano, you know?”

“Uh, I’m not confident that mine are properly fire-resistant.”

Drogan warned me about that, so I’ve been trying to buy thicker ones, but hearing this makes me uneasy.

“In that case, you should buy them. It’d be troublesome if you couldn’t mine deep into the volcano. The gloves here are made from leather of monsters that inhabit the volcano, so you can rest assured.”

As the shopkeeper says that, I touch the gloves and feel the sturdy leather fabric.

When I put them on, they feel much more secure than my own. With these, I shouldn’t have to worry about heat transfer.

But, these must be expensive too, right? I cautiously check the price.

“Huh? These aren’t as expensive as I thought.”

“They’re reasonably priced everywhere. Jacking up the price doesn’t make much sense.”

Maybe it’s because of what he said earlier, so I’m a bit suspicious. But, I’ll choose to trust him for now.

“Then, I’ll take these gloves.”

“Do you trust my words?”

“I was a bit doubtful, but your advice itself was accurate.”

“…I see. Thanks then.”

♦ ♦ ♦

After peeking into several shops and gathering enough information and tools, I boarded the carriage bound for Ladeo Volcano.

“This is as far as the carriage can take you. You’ll have to proceed on foot from here.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

After about an hour of swaying, the carriage stopped near the mountain, and I got off.

To go further, I would need to proceed from inside a cave, as carriages couldn’t advance any farther. From here on, it would be travel on foot.

Even looking up, I couldn’t see the summit of the mountain. From up close, it just looked like an ordinary mountain for now.

As I trudged up the steep slope, I saw a cave.

It seemed that from here, we would enter the interior of the mountain and proceed deeper.

I heard that the Volkanos reside in the volcanic zone further inside the mountain, so we would need to advance quite a bit.

Entering the dark cave, the interior resembled a limestone cave.

Activating the magic stone detection, I could see many bats hanging overhead.

They were creatures often found in the Demio Mines. They seemed to be asleep now, probably because it was morning.

If they weren’t particularly attacking, there was no need to bother them.

Moving forward quietly to avoid making too much noise, I reached an open area.

There, I could see scattered movements—or rather, crawling shadows.

【Lazona – Danger Level E】

A crocodile-like monster that inhabits the vicinity of Ladeo Volcano. It’s very ferocious and attacks when it finds prey. It’s edible, and its flesh is juicy like chicken meat.

“Oh, it’s a Lazona.”

It was the Lazona I had eaten at the tavern just last night.

Its arms and legs, which had seemed like chicken wings, were firmly attached. It had scales of green and brown mixed together.

It’s a strange feeling to see a creature I had just eaten moving around right in front of me.

It doesn’t look particularly appetizing, but I already know from experience that it’s easy to eat and juicy like chicken meat, regardless of its appearance.

There are about four Lazonas around. Two are sleeping at the edge, one is just lounging around, and one is crawling around energetically.

I’ll probably be attacked if I pass by that energetic one.

I’ll detour away from the lively one and proceed. In a rocky area, there’s some brownish grass with red berries.

【Steaming Hot Strawberry】

A type of strawberry that grows in tropical regions. Eating it warms the body slightly.

Its flavor doubles when heated, but it loses its flavor when chilled. It’s Lazona’s favorite food.

Curious, I appraise it and find out it’s a type of strawberry that grows around here.

When I pick one up, it feels slightly warm, as if it’s holding some heat.

I’d like to wash it with water, but they say its flavor diminishes when chilled, so I lightly wipe it with a cloth before eating.

The slightly tart flavor of the strawberry spreads in my mouth, and when I swallow, I feel a slight warmth in my body.

But, what’s the point of warming up when I’m about to go to a hot place?

However, it seems it’ll taste even better when heated, so it would be delicious as jam.

In winter, spreading it on toast and eating it would warm up the body.

Since it’s Lazona’s favorite food, I quickly gather some Steaming Hot Strawberries to avoid getting tangled up.

With it being a volcano, the materials here sure are unique. I’m excited to see what other materials I can gather.