Striving For The Luxury Liner – Vol 10 Chapter 9

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Chapter 9 – Sightseeing

“Oh, I’m used to seeing the ocean from my ship, but this view is spectacular.”

Last night I managed to get a good room at the Mermaid Inn. After waking up and going through my usual routine with Ines and Felicia, I looked out the window and saw a spectacular view.

The emerald sea glistening in the sun. The sight of the ancient cityscape sinking into the sea was a view worthy of the word “fantasy.” If these ruins existed in a world without monsters, they would be a very popular tourist destination. No, it would definitely be a world heritage site.

“Fufu, I thought I was tired of seeing this scenery, but it’s been a long time since I saw it, and I miss it.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Ines and Felicia also murmured as they looked at the sea. Rimu seemed to enjoy the view as well because he twitched violently on my head.

“Speaking of which, why did Ines leave the Aquamarine Kingdom? Is it because she’s tired of looking at this landscape?”

“Hmm… well, not necessarily because I was tired of looking at the scenery, but the main reason was that there wasn’t much work for me as an adventurer. So after I learned the basics, I left the island right away.”

Oh, I remember hearing that there aren’t many monsters on land. Ines, who likes to have fun, probably wasn’t stimulated enough by the simple, low-ranked requests.

“Your parents didn’t object to you leaving the island?”

“They did object, but not too strongly, because I told them I’d leave the island when I became an adventurer. So it was when I became an adventurer that they objected so much.”

So they were already fighting before she left the island. Ines’ parents must have been very strict. On the other hand, her younger brother seems to have grown up quite honest.

“I see.”

While we were chatting and looking at the sea, there was a knock at the door.

“Good morning, Wataru-san. It’s time for breakfast. Aren’t you coming?”

“Good morning, Alessia-san. I’ll be right there.”

My first meal in a new country. I’m only moving by sea, so it won’t be much of a change, but I’m expecting it. What kind of food will we be served? With a little excitement, I left the room with Ines and Felicia, said hello to Alessia-san and the others, and went to the dining room.

“Hmm, it’s delicious, but I find it a bit lacking. I don’t know how to describe it, but it has a softness that is common to porridge, but it seems too light.”

Claretta-san mumbles a little regretfully. I agree with her. White fish soup. It’s delicious, but I feel like I want to eat it in the morning when I have a hangover. Was it just a light dish because it was for breakfast?

I guess it seems insufficient for adventurers, but it could be a dish tailored for mermaids and fishermen. Besides, it seems that even adventurers do a lot of work diving in the sea or riding on boats, so maybe it’s hard for them to eat a lot of food in the morning.

Rimu, Fuu-chan, and Beni-chan ‘s sharing rounds seem to have slowed down as well, and everyone must have gotten used to the luxury of a luxury liner. When seasonings are plentiful, it’s easy for the taste to become rich.

“Wataru-san, if we go to the Adventurer’s Guild at noon, what are you going to do in the morning?”

“Hmm, yes. I want to get permission to go to the sunken city on a Japanese-style boat, but I’ll ask about that when I go to the Adventurer’s Guild. So I guess I’ll just take a walk around the royal capital. Is there anything Alessia-san and the others would like to do?”

“We would like to do some sightseeing in the royal capital as well. Shall we spend the morning looking around the royal capital?”

“Yes, that’s right. After lunch, we’ll take a walk around the capital.”

Today’s schedule was easy to decide. Well, since we originally came here for fun, there is no problem with such a loose schedule. I’ll be happy if I find something interesting.

＊＊＊

We walked around the royal capital with Ines as our guide, but there was nothing new to be found. I know this is due to the fact that I only visit places where there is a port, but there were a few rare items for sale. If I had to say anything, I would say that sea monsters and things from the sunken city were sold as souvenirs.

We also defeat sea monsters ourselves, but we only collect the most valuable ones, so there were quite a few that I had never tasted before. Claretta-san also wanted to try cooking, so we bought a certain amount of food and secretly stored it in the food storage boat. I bought some large shellfish and some vicious-looking little fish monsters. The shopkeeper said they were delicious, so I was looking forward to them.

The items salvaged from the sunken city looked like they might make good souvenirs, but I decided not to buy them because I might explore the area myself. If I couldn’t get anything, I would buy it and go home.

As for sightseeing, the sunken city was spectacular and quite enjoyable to see while walking along the sea. The royal castle of the Aquamarine Kingdom was also quite nice, but in terms of excitement, the sunken city is superior.

The cityscape of the royal capital has many houses piled up with white-colored stones, which, combined with the sunlight, creates an atmosphere of openness. I feel like I’ve chosen a pretty good country for a vacation, but the fact that you can’t swim at the beach is a big drawback.

“Wataru-san, do you mind if we stop by the weapon shop for a minute?”

Even though we are here for fun, as adventurers, they seem to be interested in the weapons and armor of the new country.

“Yes, I’m interested too. Shall we go inside?”

“Master, Alessia, the weapon shop in this country is unique, so you won’t find much useful equipment there.”

Unique? I tilted my head, and Ines continued.

“The monsters are basically weak on land, so they don’t sell weapons that are good enough for that. Weapons and armor specialized for underwater combat are the main items sold.”

…I see, because I never fight underwater. The only weapon I’ve ever had to use is my bow, whether on land or at sea.

“What would you like to do, Alessia-san?”

“I’d like to at least check it out.”

I didn’t think it was necessary, but out of curiosity, we decided to stop by the weapon shop. When I entered the store, I noticed some unique products. There were blunt harpoons, sturdy harpoons, harpoons with strings, expensive harpoons, big harpoons, nets, big nets, expensive nets, and so on.

There are several other weapons, including a large rake, but the main weapons seem to be harpoons and nets. My simple question is, how are nets used in the sea?

The armor seems to be mostly scales and leather. I can see how metal armor would be tough underwater. …I didn’t find the weapons and armor as interesting as I thought they would be. I guess the underwater restrictions didn’t allow for a wide variety of weapons like on land. It seems that it would be difficult to use bows and blunt weapons in the sea, so weapons that could be used to thrust, such as harpoons, would be more useful and, therefore, more one-sided.

We entered the weapon shop out of curiosity but left without much excitement. Everyone had subtle expressions on their faces. Just because it’s a strange field doesn’t mean there are unique weapons. I have learned my lesson.

“…It’s almost noon, so let’s go somewhere for lunch and then go to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“…Yeah, sure.”

Both Alessia-san and I are not in a good mood, perhaps because we were disappointed. The healing effect of Rimu and the others, who are happy to hear about lunch, is appreciated.

“Ines, do you have any recommendations?”

“Hmm, I know a place that I think would be good. But if you’re used to Master’s cooking or the food on a luxury liner, you’ll probably find it a little unsatisfying, won’t you? They have good food, but they don’t serve it for lunch.

Is that the downside of luxury liners? Yes, the food on the ship is delicious, but it is also a little sad to have to provide your own food in a new country. What’s the right thing to do? Well, it looks like I’m going to get a good night’s sleep, so I’ll think about it after I eat the food.

“I want to try some of the country’s specialties. As good as possible…”

Carla-san says something difficult. Ines thought about it.

“…If that’s the case, maybe a grilled sea monster. It’s an ingredient that even luxury liners don’t use, and I think it would taste better than a half-baked dish.”

I see. I think the chances are better if you use the best ingredients. After consulting Ines’ opinion, everyone decided on the grilled sea monster.

＊＊＊

The grilled sea monsters were quite tasty. The white-fleshed fish I had was firm and elastic, with a delicate, pufferfish-like flavor that would probably impress those who know what it tastes like.

The only thing that disappointed me was the fact that they served grilled fish with bread. As a Japanese, I would have preferred white rice or a pot of rice with porridge. If it had been sautéed with butter or fried, or at least cooked in a way that would go well with bread, I would have been more satisfied. Well, I guess that is a selfish request from a rice-eating culture.

I bought some fish monsters with Claretta-san, but before I leave the Aquamarine Kingdom, I should buy some more and go home. Also, it might be a good idea to have Claretta-san and the God of Gastronomy-sama cook up some of the monsters we killed in the sea that I’ve been keeping in my material storage boat. A fusion of monsters and earthly spices. A revolution is about to take place.

When we went to the Adventurer’s Guild, we were soon filled with hope for a future diet that would be even richer. There are many things to think about, but for now, let’s focus on the reunion of the siblings.

The inside of the Adventurer’s Guild was even more deserted than the night before. There were only a few people in the bar, which was not surprising since they were probably at sea on business at this time of day.

Perhaps because we had told them that we would be coming in the afternoon, Dario-kun and Flora-san, both in civilian clothes, approached us at a short distance. Maybe they were on their day off, or maybe they took the day off for the discussion.

“Nee-chan. I told Father and Mother about you yesterday. They were worried about you, but they were happy to hear you were alive. Can you meet them today? They actually wanted to come here, but I held them back because it would have been too much trouble for the guild.”

Without even a greeting, Dario-kun stormed off. He seemed to be in a hurry. Even though there are only a few people here, we are getting a lot of attention. Let’s go outside for now since it looks like a holiday.

“Dario-kun, don’t be in such a hurry. If you make a fuss here, there will be no point in stopping your parents.”

Before I could say anything, Flora-san took the initiative and stopped Dario-kun. Dario-kun also noticed that he was being impatient and nodded his head in disapproval.

“I’m sorry, Nee-chan. Well, Father and Mother are waiting for you at home. Wataru-san, um, I’m sorry to bother you so abruptly, but would you mind coming over to our house?”

This is a sudden development. Well, first of all, I thought I was going to briefly explain the lie situation to Dario-kun and Flora-san, right? It’s a hurdle to suddenly meet Ines’ parents, you know.

But when I see Dario-kun bowing his head to ask for help, it’s hard for me to say it’s impossible because I’m not prepared for it. Ines doesn’t want to meet her parents out of the blue, and she desperately tries to appeal to me with her eyes to refuse. What should I do?

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