Shax, the demon trader, tried patiently to negotiate a deal to sell sewing machines, sign an exclusive contract with an elven craftsman, and enter the mermaid kingdom for commerce, but in the end, none of it worked.

　At the end of the evening, we held a welcome dinner and served Shaksus some of our farm's food, which was also very well received.

The food was very well received.　I don't care if it's still meat and vegetables that are used as food!

　I said, but Prince Arowana, who was sitting next to me....

Then what will happen to the crops I'm sharing with you?

　The negotiations ended instantly.

　It's not just Prince Arowana, but also the Demon King, who brings home a surplus of crops every time he comes.
　As expected, Shax-san withdrew again when he couldn't bite into the part occupied by the royalty of each power, and he withdrew again.
　Regret was evident all over his face.

　Just like that, the face-to-face meeting went off without a hitch, and after confirming that I'll be looking forward to receiving your help in the future, Shax-san returned to the demon country.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　* * * *

　Well.
　So, now that I've settled down, I'd like to do some pure pioneering work.

　This time, I'm going to develop a new food menu.

　The more dishes there are, the richer our lives will be.

　I've been wanting to make the food I'm going to try for a long time.
　I'm hoping to be in the best shape to make it now, with all the necessary ingredients in place for further farming.

　What is the dish that I am aiming for...

　Natto!

　If you're Japanese, natto must be on the table every morning!
　I beg to differ!

　So I'm finally going to attempt to enter this other world with natto.
　I'm asking the familiar mermaid race, Gara Rufa-san, the only person in the other world who understands bacteria, to be my assistant.

Please!

　Well.
　Now I'd like to proceed with making natto with Gala Rufa, but before that, I built a special natto shed.

　It will be under the jurisdiction of the mermaid team, the same as the brewery and brewery.
　At first, we tried to get them to make it together in the brewery since it's the same fermented food, but when Pfa - who is now the brewery operations manager - saw the prototype, she said....

'Stop it!　If you put this under the same roof, it's going to affect all the other fermented foods!

　If we put it under the same roof, it will affect the other fermented foods!

　So they decided to build a new building.
　It's less than two times smaller than the brewery and the sake brewery, but it had been a long time since we had worked on a construction project, so the Okubo's team was excited.
　It was a magnificent piece of work.
　The walls were plastered to seal up and retain heat perfectly.

This is where we're going to make natto (fermented soybeans)...!

　Ingredients.

　Soybeans.
　Straw.

　That's all.
　It's perfectly simple.

　Straw is abundantly available as a by-product which we got last year when we were growing rice.
　It's an all-purpose material which can be used for various purposes.

　When we use it, what we aim at is the real Natto made by wrapping it in straw!

　At first, I prepared the straw for wrapping Natto.
　First of all, I sorted the straw and arranged the thickness and length of the straw, and then I made the shape of the tube which I saw on the TV in the previous world.
　I don't know how to do it, so it was a trial and error process.

'Hmmm?　Like this?　Tie it up here...?

　As I was struggling against the straw, Gala Rufa, who was equally challenged by the strawwork, raised his hand.

'Saints, saints, saints!　Look at this!

　What?　Did you actually finish it?
　I know what it is before I even get to see it in person?
　She made it with her own hands, out of straw...!

Yes, I got it!　A doll made of straw!

　..........?
　Gara Rufa, who was rushing in a strange direction because she had no image to aim for.

　She had completed a thing in the shape of a human being.
　And the raw material, straw.

　In other words, a straw doll.

'How do you like it?　Isn't she pretty?　Mr. Strawman?

　Incidentally, Gala Rufa is called 'The Plague Witch' and other names in the locality.
　A witch's hand-made straw doll.
　It's impossible not to feel anything.

'Ugh, it's well done, but it's not what we're after today, so let's just leave it there, okay?
'I understand!　This Mr. Straw Doll will be carefully displayed in my room!

　So be it.

　We finished the straw bundle, and finally we started to make natto (fermented soybeans) in earnest.

　First of all, we touch the soybeans and straw, the raw materials for natto, with our own hands.

Natto bacteria, Natto bacteria, Natto bacteria...!　Multiply and prosper and brew.

　The 'supreme bearer' gift in my hands brings out the potential of what I touch beyond the limits.
　In the same way, it should be possible to generate the fungus which will be the source of natto (fermented soybeans) by touching straw and soybeans, just as it was possible to make a seed sprout from the soil which was touched.

　In fact, sake and fermented foods also generate the seed fungus in this way.

Good!　Spell done!

　From there, prepare the fire.
　The straw is steamed with steam, and the prepared soybeans are put into a pot and boiled down.

　I heard that the bacterium that makes natto (fermented soybeans) is called "Bacillus subtilis" officially, and this bacterium is resistant to high heat.
　I don't know about it because I heard about it on TV.
　So once the natto is boiled, all the bacteria die and only the bacillus subtilis remains in a pure state.
　So we asked them to ferment at the sole discretion.

　So we finally put the soybeans in the straw bundle and leave them at the right temperature.
　Let it sit overnight.

And here's what we left overnight.
What?

　The natto is ready!
　When you pull it out of the straw, it's pulling a gooey string!
　It's a success!　This is a definite success!

'Yay!　It's also the power of the bacteria!　It's a wonderful fungus!

　Gala Rufa, who helped us, was also very happy.
　I went to share my joy with the other members of the team and went to show them natto.
　And then.....
　The people who took one look at the natto (fermented soybeans)....

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　* * * *

That's disgusting!
It's rotten, isn't it? It's totally rotten.
It's poison!　You'll die if you eat it!
"Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang!　Gulululululu...?　Cain-Cain?

　It was a big hit.
　They were afraid of the sticky texture of natto and wouldn't eat it, or even go near it.

"No, it's okay...!　This is the soul food of my hometown, and in the world I've been in, there's not a single person who doesn't like it!

　The exaggeration is mixed in.

'And it's good for your health too!　I've heard that people who eat it regularly are disease free and live to be a hundred years old in plenty!

　It's an exaggeration.
　I'm desperate for everyone to eat.

　Regardless of the fact that it's a hundred years old, it's true that it's good for your health.

　It's rich in vitamins and minerals, so it's excellent for preventing a variety of diseases, from colds and food poisoning to constipation, osteoporosis, arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction, strokes, diabetes, and even cancer.
　It's also said to suppress gum disease bacteria, and contains nutrients that prevent cell aging and have a whitening effect.

　It's turning out to be like a dubious health show, though.
　Anyway, try it!　Feeling cheated!

Then I'll do it.

　It was the usual loyal vassal, Okubo, who advanced.

'It is the duty of a vassal to eat whatever my lord recommends, even if it is poison. I will serve the first spear, you Orcbo!
Wait a minute!

　That's when Gobbler, the head of the goblin team, appears, and says, "I will not be left behind in my loyalty to you!

He says, "I cannot afford to fall behind in my loyalty to you!　This gobbler has the honor of playing the poisoner!
Then go ahead.
Huh?

　Gobukichi cut short his promise and decided to eat natto.

''Eeek, eeek, eeek...!''
Let's not rush you!　Yes, let's die together.　Yaaaaaah!

　Gobukichi put the natto in his mouth with a yakuza feeling.
　The next moment.....

!

　Gobukichi's whole body started to shine with a golden color!

''This is aaaaaaahhhh!　The backache that I suffer from in my daily work was blown away at once.　All the other discomforts are gone and I'm in perfect health!
It's even better than that!

　Aura-like things are shuinshing around Gobukichi!

　Conclusion.

　Natto is a great health food.