882 - - 26-02 Japanese mugwort
When Jin returned to the inn, everyone was already awake.
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"Onii-chan, did you go for a walk by yourself? You should have called out to me."
"Jin, you smell like water. If you had woken me up, I would have been happy to go with you.
Jin, you're so mean.
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I'm sorry. But it seemed like everyone was sleeping well and I didn't want to wake them up.
I was awake. Saki is the best night owl."
"Don't say that, Hannah-chan."
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It was true that compared to Hannah and Erza, Saki's hair was still a mess and there were still a few sleepy habits in it.
"So, Jin, what is that you're holding, Reiko?"
Either to distract me or out of sheer curiosity, Saki spotted the wormwood.
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"Oh, I know what it's called, it's used for fragrance.
"Oh, I see. What is it used for?
Jin did not answer, only smiling.
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"That's something you'll have to wait for when it's ready. You can look forward to it until lunchtime.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I will.
And that was the end of the conversation. Everyone went to the dining room for breakfast. The inn has taken the liberty of changing the menu for the consecutive guests.
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Barley porridge, grilled smoked meat, and cactus salad.
The edible cactus is harvested when young, sliced with its spines removed, boiled in salted water, chopped into small pieces, and mixed with other vegetables.
It has a sweet taste with a hint of sourness and bitterness. It seems to be rich in vitamins and minerals .......
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"Well, I don't like it."
It has a slimy texture, which Saki doesn't like,
"I think it would be good with shaved dried bonito flakes and soy sauce. ......
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It reminded her of okra, and she liked it.
Hannah, who had no preference, ate it silently, while Erza ate it with a little patience.
"Well, what are we going to do? We spent the whole day yesterday seeing the town, shall we leave now?"
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Jin suggested over a cup of after-dinner tea.
"Well, I guess so. I think it's a good idea.
"Me too."
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"Me too."
Since no one seemed to have any objection to their departure, Jin made up his mind.
"Okay. Then let's stop by Oliver's store for a while afterwards, hear what he has to say, and then we can leave.
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Oliver had been officially authorized to handle Mitsuho products, so he would be able to provide us with a lot of information.
"Hmm, that's fine."
"Well then, let's all go together!"
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Erza nodded and Saki raised her voice.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
8:00 a.m., the time when all the stores open their doors.
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Jin and the others got into a car and drove to Oliver's store.
"Is this a horseless carriage? I see, I've heard a lot about you
As soon as the car pulled up in front of the store, a young man jumped out and greeted him.
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My name is Jin Nido. I'm going to Mitsuho after this. Is there anything I should be aware of?
"Oh, to Mitsuho."
When Jin showed him the permit, Oliver nodded and gave him some advice.
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"I see, so you can easily get a permit. The people of Mitsuho welcome people skilled in magical engineering, so it would be better to identify yourself as a
"I see."
Jin had thought that this was somehow true, including at the time of John Dinney, but this advice confirmed it.
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"And you're still forbidden to do business on a large scale, aren't you?"
Yes, His Majesty has informed me.
"Then all you have to do is go west on the ...... road and you will arrive at an uninhabited rest house. Normally you would spend the night there. From there it is about 20 kilometers to the next village, so take it easy.
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After hearing about the lifestyle of the people of Mitsho, Jin left Oliver's store. He left a gold coin for the information.
"All right, let's go!"
Where once John Dinny had departed in secret, now that diplomatic relations would soon be established, he could leave with dignity and bravado.
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In addition, many residents of the town of Ismar stood on the western wall to see them off, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare vehicle.
"Jin, are you staying at the rest house I told you about?"
Saki asked. Jin smiled wryly, his desire to get there as soon as possible apparent.
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"No," Jin replied with a wry smile. As far as distance goes, it is only a little over 60 kilometers from Ismar to the village of Kali. A car can get you there in a single bound, no matter if you are on horseback or not.
Because of the climate and the water supply, horses are forced to rest in a rest house.
However, a car can keep running without such a break.
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So Jin left the driving of the car to Edgar and flew to Horai Island using the warp gate installed behind the back seat. Reiko was with him.
"......Kufu, Jin has a fussy personality, doesn't he?"
"Yes. But that's just like him.
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"Grandma says that Onii-chan is always there for you."
That's true. He's a little rusty when it comes to women's feelings, though."
Saki glanced at Erza.
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"I can't ...... deny that. But that's part of who he is.
"Ha-ha-ha, thank you for the food, indeed."
Unaware of such girl talk going on, Jin was making grass cakes on Horai Island.
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First of all, he checked the toxicity by
The peridot reader is assisting her. She will be in charge of the rest of the work, and she will be ready to make us delicious Kusa-mochi anytime we want.
"Anko (sweet red bean paste), yellow flour, or even molasses would be good..." she said.
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Jin thinks that since it's made with the same koshinko as the dumplings, it might go well with the molasses too.
"Then, Master, I will prepare those three kinds for you.
"Father, is this the mugwort?"
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Reiko was grinding the wormwood in a mortar.
"Yes, enough. Now put the rice cakes into the bowl and knead them.
"Yes."
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It would have taken Jin a long time to make these grass rice cakes for four people, but with the help of Reiko and Perid, he was able to make them efficiently.
"Now I just need to roll them up. Okay, that's it."
The Kusamochi, Anko (red bean paste), soybean flour, and molasses were separated and put in a box. The time would be around 11:00 a.m. local time where the car was.
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"Well, let's go back."
Jin and Reiko returned to the car.
The women had just finished their conversation, so Jin was able to join the conversation easily. The car seemed to have stopped.
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"Just in time, Jin. We just arrived at the rest house.
"Oh, I see."
It was about 20 kilometers from Ismar to the rest house, a distance of two hours at 10 kilometers per hour.
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"It's a little early, but shall we have lunch?
"Yes!"
Hannah replied happily.
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The weather is nice, so we decide to eat outside instead of inside the car. We put the car in the shade of the rest house.
"That's great ......."
I had heard about it, but the rest house made of rocks was magnificent.
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"Is there a water spring in the back?
Hitoshi checked it out.
Indeed, there was a spring. It was an ancient water supply system.
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"The low volume of water must mean that there is a crack somewhere in the piping or something and water is leaking.
I thought to myself, but I didn't have time to look for the cracks and fix them now.
There was a table and chairs made of stone, so I sat down and spread out some grass cakes.
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"Wow! Green rice cakes!
"Jin, what is this?"
"...... is a beautiful color."
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"It's called 'Kusa-mochi,' and where I come from, we eat it in the spring. It's a little creative, so you can eat it with sweet red bean paste, soybean flour, molasses, or whatever you like."
"Yes, I'll eat it!"
Hannah reached for the red bean paste without hesitation.
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She put a spoonful of red bean paste in the middle of the flattened rice cake and wrapped it around the rice cake.
"Delicious!"
The sweetness of the bean paste matches the fresh aroma of mugwort.
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"Yes, this is good!
Saki seemed to like the yellowish powder and chewed it with a yellowish color around her mouth.
"Delicious!"
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Erza seemed to be a molasses lover.
Jin poured molasses on the top of the cake and then sprinkled yellowish powder on the top.
"Oh, that looks delicious.
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"I'll try it too!"
"Yes, this is good too!"
Everyone seemed to like the Kusamochi, and all the Kusamochi we had prepared were completely gone.
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