CH 4

Chapter 4 – Japanese-style Boat Capabilities and Island Job Descriptions

It’s dinner before the effects of the ship summoning level up and the summoning of the newly purchased ship.

I went to the cafeteria and asked for their recommendation. It was white fish soup and bread. I still want to eat rice, but it is definitely delicious. I should be satisfied now without being extravagant. After finishing dinner, I told the landlady I was going for a walk and left the inn.

I can’t be seen here. First of all, “Summoning the Japanese-style boat”… Oh, it feels like a boat when it has an outboard motor. Let’s try out the ship disguise right away.

A wooden ship, just a little bit old-fashioned “Ship Disguise”… Oh, it looks like a completely wooden Japanese-style ship. But the outboard motor is still there. Let’s try “Ship disguise” again so that the outboard motor becomes one with the ship… It’s perfect. Compared to other boats, it is a little bigger, and the outboard part is different, but not enough difference to make a fuss.

Next, let’s try to see if +1 is now able to summon another ship, as expected. I’ll try summoning a warehouse ship next to a Japanese ship to see if I can summon another ship… And I was able to summon it. It seems certain that +1 can make me summon another ship.

Let’s move the necessary luggage to the Japanese-style boat and return to the inn. Two blankets, a rope, some tea utensils, and some food in a wooden box to put in the Japanese-style boat.

Then, if I can get to the island, I’ll spend a long time waiting on the island. I’d like to have a fire on the boat, so I’ll buy an iron pot and put some ashes in it to use as a shichirin (a traditional Japanese charcoal brazier). I’d also like a pot to put on top of it. Tomorrow I’ll buy two iron pots, some charcoal, and some food before I go to the island.

I’ll have to dock tomorrow, so I’ll have to carry my own weapons and stuff with me. Then I can go back and test the map’s performance.

Well, the map seems to show me only the area I’ve passed through. The further I go, the more areas are displayed. It’s like a game.

After returning to the inn, I did some light training and wiped my body. Tomorrow, I’ll take the Japanese-style boat to the docking place once and then try to go to the southeast island. It’s going to take a while, and I’ll have to get up early.

＊＊＊

I wake up with a jolt. It’s going to be a busy day, and I have to work hard. I have a good breakfast and talk to the landlady.

“Good morning, Landlady-san. I’m going away for the night, and there’s a chance I’ll be gone quite late or won’t be back, but if I come back in the middle of the night, is it okay if I come into the inn?”

“If you come back in the middle of the night, someone will be at the counter, so it’s okay to come in. But please come in quietly because everyone around you is sleeping.”

Is this a 24-hour operation? That’s a normal thing in Japan, but in this world, it’s pretty amazing. Thank goodness for that.

“Yes, I’ll be quiet. Well, I’m off.”

First, I went outside the city to summon the Japanese-style boat and then headed for the docking station. If I could use the ship summoning generously, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble. Well, it would be foolish to get my life in danger due to sparing the trouble. Let’s not be lazy and do my best diligently.

I moored at number 115 and headed for the morning market. I buy some vegetables and meat I see and head to the tool shop. At the tool shop, I buy two iron pots with lids and some charcoal, and one of the iron pots has a separate container of ashes. All in all, it cost me 75 copper coins, huh…? It’s quite a bit.

Next, I’ll go to the merchant guild and ask them where the island is and how long it will take. Is Camille-san there? I enter the guild and look for Camille-san. Oh, there she is.

“Good morning, Camille-san. I got the magic boat, so I’m going to head for the southeast island immediately. Can you tell me the exact location and how long it will take to get there?”

“Good morning. I see that you have already obtained it. Do you have a compass? If you go out through the gate on the ocean side and head southeast while keeping an eye on the compass, you should be able to reach the large island.

That’s pretty rough. I’m a little afraid to go out to sea.

“The time depends on the boat, but it seems to take about eight hours. Please report back to me when you reach the island. Please be careful and take it easy.”

“Yes, I’ll be going.”

I can get directions from the map, but I should probably buy a compass as well. If I was steering the boat without looking at the compass when I was taking someone on board, I might make them feel uneasy, so I bought one.

I returned to the tool shop and bought a compass for one silver coin. Compasses are expensive, even though you can get them for 100 yen in Japan.

After arriving at the Japanese-style boat, I put on the luggage I had bought. Well, let’s get going. If I could go to the island, I would make a lot of money. I wonder what will happen.

I leave from the south gate and run the Japanese-style boat to the southeast. Well, it’s dangerous to leave the continent with a Japanese-style ship. It is unsinkable and indestructible, so it’s okay. However, I don’t know anything about ships at all, but thanks to my skills, I can just steer the ship without any problem. It’s scary that I don’t have the knowledge, isn’t it?

But it’s pretty nice to go through the sea on a boat. The weather is nice, and as I make good progress, taking breaks in between, I see an island in the distance. …Hey? I don’t think it’s been five hours yet… Maybe the Japanese-style boat is faster than the magic boat.

I maneuvered the boat with plenty of leeways, so if I give it my all, it’s going to be quite noticeable. Oh, the magic ship coming here is carrying a number of adventurers. I still don’t know which is faster, the Japanese-style boat or the magic boat.

As I approached the island, I saw many reefs and whirlpools surrounding the island. If only I could get through here.

I avoided the whirlpools and reefs and picked up speed when I felt like I was going to be pushed back. It was a bumpy ride, but I could easily get through it. I want to believe that I am not on the wrong island. I’d heard it was difficult, so I’m worried when it’s this easy.

After crossing the reefs and whirlpools, I pull in close to the shore. The island is like a sheer cliff, and I don’t think I can land from here. Let’s look for some place where I can land. As I sailed along the island, I came upon a sandy beach that curved back in an arc toward the land side.

It is a beautiful beach. The clear emerald green sea. White sandy beach. It’s a perfect resort though there are monsters.

When I arrived at the beach, I saw a small boat anchored. Should I say hello? …I’m going to sneak into the business, after all. If I don’t at least say hello, they’ll say I have no common sense.

As I approach the small boat to say hello, the person who was lying in the boat gets up, and I call out to him.

“Hello.”

“Oh, you don’t look familiar. Are you an adventurer?”

“I’m an adventurer, but since I got this boat, I joined the merchant guild as well. I asked if there were any good jobs, and I heard that I could earn money if I came to this island, so I gave it a try.”

“You must have got a good ship. If you can come to this island, you can certainly make a lot of money.”

It’s ten silver coins per person per day. If I carry a party of adventurers, I’ll make a fortune.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m Wataru. Pleased to meet you.”

“Oh, I’m Guido. Nice to meet you.”

“Are you also an adventurer, Guido-san?”

“I also joined the adventurer’s guild and the merchant guild. Well, it would be nice to have more people in the guild. I look forward to working with you.”

Hmm? Are you happy that there are more people in the guild? Even though the four-person monopoly will be broken.

“Since there will be more business rivals, you must not be too happy about it, right?”

“Well, it’s certainly a problem if there are too many, but right now, only four boats can come to this island. I’m the only one here now, but it’s not unusual to have four boats here. Even when we finally get back to the southern city, we often come right back to this island. It’s hard to take a vacation, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, it’s hard not being able to take vacations.”

It was a monopoly and a lot of money, but it was black. It’s a judgmental situation.

“Yeah, well, four boats becoming five won’t make that much difference, but it will give us a little bit of leeway. That’s a big help.”

“Is there anything I need to watch out for in this job, or anything else I need?”

“Hmm, tools to pass the time and maybe some good food?”

“Is there really that much free time?”

“You never know when the adventurers will be back. Sometimes they are seriously injured and have to return in a hurry. That’s why we have to stay by the ship for a few days during the request. It’s gonna be a lot of free time.”

Wow, profitable but boring. There’s only so much you can do to pass the time on a boat the size of a small boat. I’ll have to think of something, too, or I’ll get sick to my stomach from boredom.

“It sounds like it’s going to be pretty hard. I hear there are strong monsters on this island.”

“If monsters appear, just stay away from the land, and you won’t have any problems. They don’t come into the sea.”

“Is that so?”

The only problem is boredom… It would be helpful to be able to escape from the monsters quickly, but what shall I do? What can I do in this place? Fishing or cooking?　The best way to do that is to think about what dishes you can cook. Hmm, what to do… Oh, right!

“Guido-san, are there slimes on this island?”

“Slime? Yes, there are.”

“Oh, yay. That’s all right then.”

If I can be with that fluffy slime all the time, I’ll never have time to complain about boredom. That’s great.

“What’s wrong with slime?”

“No, I was just wondering what to do with my free time, but I like slime. So I thought I would play with the slime in my spare time and see if I could get some tame skills.”

“You like slime? What a strange guy. Well, there is plenty of free time. If you don’t get away from the ship too much, you can do whatever you want.”

Guido-san is also someone who doesn’t understand the charm of slime? That’s disappointing. When I get my taming skills, I’ll evangelize the wonders of slime.

“Well then, I’d better get back. I think I’ll report to the merchant guild and get a job, so once again, thank you.”

“Oh, see you later.”

I leave the island and return to the southern city. I’m getting excited thinking about the big profits I’m about to make. It looks like I’ll be able to buy my next ship pretty soon.

＊＊＊

Whew, I got home surprisingly early. I might be able to have dinner at the inn just in time.

“Oh, welcome back. I thought you were going to be late.”

“I finished my business earlier than I expected. Is dinner ready yet, Landlady-san?”

“Yes, it’s not too late. Do you want some?”

“Yes, I’ll take your recommendation.”

I ate dinner, wiped myself off, and took a breather. I’m glad I made it to the island, but it’s tough not to take a vacation. But when I think about it, I feel like I’ve been working ever since I came to the other world. If I can kill time on the island, I may be able to have a surprisingly fulfilling day.

Guido-san seems to be a nice guy, and if he’s not going to be my business rival, at least I won’t have any trouble with the other three.

Tomorrow, after going to the church, I will look for tools that will allow me to spend a comfortable time on the Japanese-style boat. Then I have to report to the merchant guild.

I wonder what will be needed for the Japanese-style boat. I think I need at least a cushion since adventurers are going to be on board. …I think I should buy six blankets instead of cushions and let them use them as they like, or that would be more convenient for various uses.

It would be enough to buy six wooden boxes and use them as chairs and put blankets inside. The wooden boxes can be thrown away if they get in the way. Oh, I also need a wooden box for storing iron pots and food. I would add two more wooden boxes.

And should I at least serve tea and food when the adventurers come back to the ship? I will be paid a lot of money for it, so I should at least do that. Then I’ll need more plates and cups too.

Other than that… if I’m going to be on the island for a few days, I’ll need a spare pair of underwear and a couple of clothes for laundry. I’ll transfer them to the Japanese-style boat.

I also need to buy dried meat for the slime before I forget about it, so I guess that’s what I’ll need. Now that I have a new job, I’m going to be a lot busier.