Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 157

It’s three days after receiving Klaus’s nomination request.

Since the necessary items were completed as scheduled, I picked them up and, after a brief check, headed to the Terra Phios Marshlands with Lumia.

A week’s journey south from Grantel by carriage, and we arrived.

“So, this is the Terra Phios Marsh…”

I murmured as I gazed at the endless marshland stretching before me.

The ground was muddy as if it had rained recently, with puddles forming here and there.

Just as Rabis had informed me, mushrooms and fungi grew abundantly on fallen trees and the like.

“It looks like the weather could start raining anytime.”

Lumia murmured as she looked up at the sky.

Though it wasn’t raining now, thick clouds covered the sky overhead.

It was natural for this region, where it rained almost all year round. In fact, it was rather fortunate that we had arrived without rain.

“The footing is indeed poor.”

After walking a bit, my shoes sank deep into the muddy ground. Mud stuck to my shoes, weighing them down as if they were anchors.

Moreover, due to the moisture in the soil, my shoes quickly became wet. If we kept walking like this, they would undoubtedly become soaked.

“Let’s change into the prepared shoes for this.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

For this purpose, Lumia had made shoes for us.

I took out the pair she had made from the magic bag we had stored them in.

“Here we go, slime shoes made by Lumia-san.”

“Thanks! Having a magic bag really is convenient!”

Lumia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the shoes taken out from the magic bag.

Since I had confided in Lumia about the magic bag, we could use it freely during this journey.

Thanks to that, we managed to bring along the maximum amount of items with minimal luggage.

Putting on the slime shoes and storing away our original shoes, we walked around casually to test them out.

“Wow, these are really comfortable to walk in!”

Walking in the shoes Lumia had made, we could stroll comfortably without our feet getting stuck in the mud.

“I’m glad they’re working properly.”

“I can see that the spikes on the bottom make it easy to walk in the mud, but how does it repel mud and water?”

“That’s because the surface of the shoes is coated with slime skin. In fact, slime skin has the property of repelling not only water but also adhering substances like mud! The raincoats we have prepared also use slime skin!”

“I see. Slime skin has such uses…”

While it’s not uncommon to gather slime as a material, the idea of processing it into tools like this never occurred to me. I can only respect Lumia for her creativity.

“However, these shoes also have their limits. If submerged in water for a long time, they’ll get wet, and if you step into a bottomless bog, you’ll sink. So, please be careful.”

“Got it. Don’t get overconfident.”

I nodded firmly at Lumia’s warning.

There’s nothing absolute in this world. Even with good equipment, it’s wise not to approach reckless places.

“Well then, shall we proceed while it’s not raining?”

“Yes.”

If it starts raining, our exploration speed will decrease.

It’s best to make as much progress as possible before that happens.

Since we both agree on this, Lumia and I advance through the marshland.

So far, there are no monsters around, and there’s no response from the magic stone survey either.

The only sound echoing around us is the splash of water every time we walk.

“…It’s very quiet here,” Lumia murmurs as she walks.

I had the exact same thought.

In a forest, you would feel the presence of living creatures a bit more, but here, it’s not as noticeable.

Judging from the response of my detection skill,

“There are no signs of monsters, but it seems there are small creatures around, although they’re all keeping a low profile.”

“Are they all timid children?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Lumia’s cute question.

“More likely, they’ve developed these habits to survive in this area.”

“In that case, we need to be extra cautious and vigilant of our surroundings.”

Lumia’s vigilance intensifies as she seems to understand what I’m getting at.

Being skilled at concealing their presence also implies they might excel at launching surprise attacks.

It’s essential to keep in mind that they might not always engage in straightforward confrontations.

It seems like the creatures inhabiting this area have their own quirks and tricks up their sleeves.

“Oh! It’s the Toxic Mushroom!”

As Lumia carefully scans our surroundings with her skills, she points ahead.

There lies a thick fallen tree, densely covered with purple mushrooms.

【Toxic Mushroom】

A type of mushroom primarily found in the Terra Phios Marshlands.

Sporting a vivid purple cap, with a thick stem at its base.

Inedible, direct contact can cause skin irritation.

Ingestion leads to digestive system poisoning symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain within about thirty minutes.

Additionally, neurological symptoms such as pupil constriction, sweating, dizziness, seizures, and difficulty breathing may also occur.

Prompt ingestion of antidotes or detox potions can lead to recovery within about three days.

While appraising, detailed information about the Toxic Mushroom emerged.

“As expected of a toxic material… The information that comes up during appraisal is quite scary.”

“Of course, it’s a poisonous mushroom.”

It’s been a while since I felt frightened just by reading the description of a material.

Are these the only kinds of materials overflowing in this marshland?

“Is this also on Saffy’s list of tasks?”

“No, the basic task materials are the same as those you collect. However, as research materials, we want as many toxic materials as possible!”

“I see.”

“I’ll leave the storage of the collected materials to you, Shuu-san. Is that okay?”

Lumia’s eyes seem to be assessing our situation.

“Leave it to me. It’s a magic bag specifically for collecting, so you don’t need to worry about it becoming a burden.”

“Yes! Thank you so much! I’ve been wanting to collect freely without worrying about luggage!”

With a firm approval, Lumia jumps up and down with joy on the spot.

“It’s a wish that comes to mind once you start collecting!”

“It is, it is!”

This concern is a wish that everyone has while collecting.

Being able to focus on gathering is, of course, important, as is being able to proceed safely along the way.

While it’s not always about collecting as much as possible, there’s nothing more frustrating than giving up on gathering because of the amount of baggage you’d have to carry.

However, with a magic bag, it’s a different story. You don’t have to worry about it becoming a burden, and the issue of freshness is also resolved. You can collect to your heart’s content.

“Well then, before collecting the Toxic Mushrooms, shall we put on gloves?”

“Yes, indeed. Touching them with bare hands will roughen the skin.”

Taking out black gloves for both of us from the magic bag, we each put them on.

“So these are made from Black Slime skin. It feels completely different from the texture of the shoes made from Slime skin.”

It snugly covers the hand and has a clinging sensation.

When you move your fingers, it makes a creaking sound like rubber fabric.

“Black Slime is a subspecies of Slime. The texture is completely different. It’s interesting how Fire Slime and Ice Slime skins each have their own unique features.”

“Wow, Slimes really are complex creatures.”

While having such conversations, I touched the Toxic Mushrooms with gloves made from Black Slime skin.

Although they had thick stems, applying force at the base allowed me to collect them smoothly.

Perhaps because of her experience in the Grantel Forest, Lumia, without observing me, skillfully plucked them from the base. Once you get used to this, you understand the best method of collection.

The Toxic Mushrooms we collected together were placed into a wooden crate.

For this level of toxic material, there was no need to put them in a dedicated collection case.

As Lumia took care of collecting from the front side, I moved to the back side, where I noticed red mushrooms different in color from the Toxic Mushrooms.

【Red Spotted Mushroom】

Characterized by white speckles on a bright red cap.

Eating it causes dizziness, chills, shivering, and other neurological symptoms in five to ten minutes, along with hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and abnormal excitement if taken in large quantities.

Though it tastes quite good, it’s not suitable for consumption due to its toxicity.

“Oh, there are different poisonous mushrooms growing on the backside too.”

“…Red mushrooms, huh? I’ve never seen these before.”

It seems Lumia had received a lecture from Saffy beforehand, but she seems unfamiliar with this mushroom. Well, with hundreds of types of poisonous mushrooms, it’s difficult to explain them all.

After I summarized the appraisal information, Lumia spread out a small memo and quickly wrote it down with a pen.

“Thank you. This is informative since I didn’t know about them!”

“Is that enough information for the memo?”

“I’ll take my time with it on the carriage ride back. For now, I want to focus on collecting.”

“Got it. Let’s keep moving then.”

“Yes!”

After collecting a sufficient number of Toxic Mushrooms and Red Spotted Mushrooms and storing them in the magic bag, Lumia and I continued our journey to find the next material.