Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 68

After collecting the seven-colored grapes, Lumia and I traveled to the river downstream in search of fine sand.

It’s a small river near the entrance of the forest.

Crystal clear water flows, and the gentle sound of water is playing.

Blocked by trees, direct sunlight doesn’t hit the ground, and only a faint dappled sunlight illuminates the ground.

“Can we collect the high-quality sand needed for potion bottles here?”

“Yes, you can collect it here.”

“It doesn’t seem like a place where such special sand can be collected…”

The sand at the bottom of the river doesn’t have any particular features.

“It’s just one of the materials needed to make potion bottles. Besides, it becomes a material only after impurities are separated in alchemy.”

“I see. I thought the bottle could be made with just sand.”

“To make a bottle, you need to mix in magic stone powder and sticky ore.”

Lumia patiently explains the materials needed for the bottle to me, who had misunderstood.

“Um, I’ve been wondering for a while, but is it okay to ask about the materials needed to make it?”

The recipe for making things is an important asset.

Of course, for me, who is curious about the use of materials, just listening is enjoyable, but I wonder if it’s okay to ask so casually.

Lumia was taken aback at my timid question and giggled.

“I don’t mind at all. This level of recipe is something not only alchemists but also slightly knowledgeable ordinary people know. Besides, even if you understand the recipe, it’s not something you can do without the alchemy skill and long-term practice.”

As Lumia spoke, her face showed a kind of confidence.

“I see. I feel like I said something rude. I’m sorry.”

Well, yeah. Lumia learned about alchemy, gained skills, and became able to do it through training under Saffy.

It’s not something you can easily imitate just by knowing it as knowledge.

“No, no, being an alchemist is not a profession that is known in detail, so it can’t be helped. It’s natural for Shuu-san to have doubts.”

“Thank you.”

“But today, I’ll show some specific details for you, Shuu-san.”

By specific details, she must be referring to the alchemy skills she mentioned when we entered the forest.

I’m sure she’s going to show me the process of collecting sand from the river and turning it into high-quality sand.

“Could you help me a little in gathering the sand from the river?”

“I understand.”

I rolled up my pants, took off my shoes and socks, and grabbed a shovel.

Once I was ready, I glanced at Lumia, who had just taken off her socks and was now barefoot.

Not a single stain marred her smooth, white feet revealed to the sunlight. The dappled sunlight beautifully illuminated Lumia’s bare feet, making them strangely vivid.

…It’s not like I saw anything inappropriate, but I feel like I witnessed something I shouldn’t have.

It’s disrespectful to harbor impure thoughts about a pure child like Lumia.

I shook my head from side to side to dispel such thoughts and stepped into the river.

“It’s cold!”

“Since it’s still spring, the water temperature would still feel cold.”

It’s a comfortably warm season, but the temperature is still characteristic of spring. It’s only natural for the water to feel cold when you step into the river.

However, I’m not fully immersing myself. The river here is deep enough to reach my knees.

I gradually got used to it, and the water started to feel pleasant.

The gentle flow of the water stimulated my legs like a natural massage.

Spending time in this peaceful river isn’t so bad.

I don’t know if this world has a season like summer, but if the temperature gets hot, cooling off like this might not be a bad idea.

“Now that we’ve gotten used to it, shall we collect the sand?”

“Yes, where should I collect the sand?”

“If you can, try to avoid getting too many stones in it. The sand around here should be fine.”

“Understood.”

It seems like we really can use the sand from here.

【River Sand – Normal】

Clean sand with few impurities.

By removing impurities with alchemy skills, it becomes high-quality sand.

When I appraise it, only basic information is provided, and it doesn’t seem to have much use.

It appears that its value as a material is only revealed when using alchemy.

After confirming such things, I use the shovel to pack the sand from the riverbed into a hemp bag.

At that moment, I realized that not only the water but also the sand in this river is clean.

In Japanese rivers, there are many places where water quality and sand pollution have been spreading recently.

The river near my place was also famous for its clean water, but when you touched the riverbed a bit, mud would swirl up like smoke.

However, in this river, there was no mud or impurities at all. This was evidence that not only the water but also the sand was clean.

Indeed, with sand this clean, it’s not surprising that it could be used as a material for potion bottles.

I packed the sand from the riverbed into a hemp bag in a zigzag pattern.

“This should be enough.”

With Lumia saying so, we finished and carried the now quite heavy hemp bag to the shore.

“Now, let me show you my alchemy skill.”

“Please!”

“However, it’s really plain, so don’t expect too much.”

Lumia emphasized this, then spread out the hemp bag and placed her hand on the sand, which had absorbed a lot of moisture.

【Drying】

As Lumia uttered a single word, the sand that had solidified due to moisture momentarily shimmered. In the next moment, the sand that had contained moisture turned into dry, fine sand.

“Ohh~! It dried in an instant…”

Did she instantly dry the moisture in the sand?

【Component Analysis】【Impurity Separation】

When Lumia continued to activate her skill, the sand split into two parts: muddy sand with gravel and other particles, and silky, fine-grained white sand.

“Yes, now it’s high-quality sand.”

While I was still stunned, Lumia said with a smile.

“May I touch it for a moment?”

“Sure.”

After getting permission from Lumia, I touched it, and indeed, it was silky smooth with almost no resistance to my fingers.

【High-Quality Sand – Premium】

Smooth, high-quality sand purified by alchemy, suitable as a material for alchemy and for making potion bottles or bricks.

Upon appraisal, it had truly transformed into high-quality sand.

It was a significant difference from what had been labeled as just clean sand, with the quality upgraded to premium.

“So, what was once just sand has transformed into high-quality sand. You dried it and removed impurities, right?”

“Yes, I used my alchemy skill to evaporate the moisture and separate the impurities.”

It was like witnessing a magic trick, happening in the blink of an eye.

In the time it took to shine, it was already dry, separated into impurities and the rest.

“If we leave it like this, it will be heavy to carry, so I’ll turn the other sand into high-quality sand as well.”

Saying so, Lumia quickly demonstrated alchemy to turn the sand into high-quality sand, just like before.

It may look easy when seen up close, but this is probably the result of her training. Skilled individuals often make their techniques look effortless.

“Thank you. I appreciate seeing your valuable skill. Watching the material transform was very interesting.”

“When you say it like that, I feel like it was worth showing this to you.”

Upon closer thought, Lumia is an apprentice to Saffy, who is a master alchemist.

While she humbly calls herself an apprentice, in reality, her skills might surpass those of most alchemists around.

“Now we have all the materials gathered.”

All the materials Saffy tasked us with collecting have been gathered.

I thought gathering the seven-colored grapes would take more time since it was an unfamiliar material, but surprisingly, we were able to finish collecting them quickly.

Thanks to that, the sun is still high in the sky.

“Um, well, since we finished early, is it possible for you to accompany me a bit more for material gathering?”

While estimating the time from the position of the sun, Lumia timidly asked.

“I was thinking the same thing. How about we take a break and then gather some Wobbly Berries?”

“Yes!”

In response to my words, Lumia nodded with a flower-like smile.

Sometimes, it’s good to go for material gathering like this without any particular plans.

I gaze up at the sky while soaking my feet in the cool river water.

t/l note: Ty Shuu-san for sharing about your foot fetish with us… >->