Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating - Chapter 57

Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 57   Searching for mushrooms in the plains

In the afternoon, as planned, the four of us would explore the stump-filled plains. Our main objective was to find mushrooms.

Leading the way was a stern-faced Lania, who showed no signs of amusement.

As a precaution, we carried both swords and staffs, just in case a group of goblins or wolves appeared. Although we didn’t expect any, being outside the safety of the fence meant there were no guarantees.

“Ciel, did you know that mushrooms can grow on stumps and the ground?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know about the Eldertake mushroom?”

“I know, meow.”

“Exactly. I want you to look for mushrooms other than the Eldertake. If you find any, let Ed know, and he’ll tell us the species.”

“Is Ed knowledgeable about mushrooms, meow?”

Oops, their gaze is directed at me.

“Oh, yeah. My mom taught me a little bit about it, so I should be fine.”

“Really?”

Ciel-chan gives me a slightly skeptical look.

Even Lania had a puzzled expression at first.

“Are you knowledgeable about mushrooms, Ciel-chan?”

“Nah. I know some mushrooms, but I can’t make accurate identifications. I just know that there are similar-looking mushrooms.”

“You seem quite knowledgeable. We’re counting on you.”

“Oh, no, I’m just a little knowledgeable, meow.”

Ciel-chan blushed and shook her head vigorously when praised.

She’s cute when she does that.

It’s common for amateurs to know which mushrooms are edible.

The problem is knowing that there are similar toxic mushrooms.

That’s when caution becomes necessary.

Amateurs are more likely to say, “Oh, I can eat that,” and end up eating it.

That’s why it’s scary.

It’s not just about being knowledgeable; it’s about identification. So, calling it a cheat wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

“Raffalier-sama, Divine Transmigration God, thank you for the Appraisal and Item Box. And also, thank you to my companions,” I expressed my gratitude.

I am not alone. I have everyone by my side, and that’s what makes it all possible.

In my previous life, I was a lonely person, but now I am surrounded by girls like this. It seems like they keep increasing, or rather, I keep adding more.

“I found a mushroom! But it’s purple,” came the report from Ciel-chan.

I hurriedly made my way over to Ciel-chan. This area is flat, and the trees are low, so I can see almost everything. It’s helpful.

“An unfamiliar mushroom?”

“I’ve seen it before, but with this color, I don’t think it’s edible, meow.”

“This one is incredibly delicious. It’s unbelievably tasty.”

“You’re lying!”

“What’s the point of lying? You’ll end up killing yourself.”

“You’re right, meow. So, that means this mushroom is delicious.”

I swallowed hard. I understand.

For now, I must appraise this. It’s essential.

【(Purple Melrial Mushroom )Murasaki Melrial Mushroom, Edible (Delicious)】

It’s the real deal.

“Now, Mīnya, Lania! The Murasaki Mushroom, it’s genuine!”

I called out in a loud voice.

“Really?!”

“We’re coming right now!”

The two of them rushed over.

To be precise, they ran. Of course, they didn’t fly through the air.

“Wow, amazing! It’s been a while.”

“This, it’s a gold coin, right? How many of them do you think?”

“Well, even I don’t know.”

“Huh? A gold coin, meow?”

It’s a scene I’ve seen somewhere before. It’s a recreation.

It seems that Ciel-chan can’t quite connect the image of mushrooms and gold coins.

“This… If someone who knows about it, they might buy it with gold coins.”

“Really? I didn’t know, meow! If I knew, I would have found them in the grasslands around the village!”

“Around the village?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen them many, many times, meow…”

Suddenly, she became downcast.

She looked like she was about to cry.

“This… There’s no way such mushrooms would sell, meow. Even if they did, I wouldn’t be sold.”

“Huh?”

“Hm…”

It was just a slip of the tongue, but I could somehow imagine it.

Not the mushrooms, but her being sold.

While human trafficking is fundamentally illegal, it is legal to buy and sell slaves.

So, maybe she was sold by her parents as a slave, or she was about to be and escaped.

“Oh, no, it’s not like that…”

Ciel-chan stammered, her mouth opening and closing.

We understood the situation and silently watched over her.

“I-I’m not an escaped slave or anything.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter to us. It’s not our concern. We won’t betray you or anything like that.”

“R-Really? Sorry, thank you.”

“And besides, you don’t have a collar, so you’re not an escaped slave. You haven’t ripped it off or anything, right?”

“There’s no way I have that kind of brute strength, meow.”

“That’s right.”

“I believe you.”

“Of course. If someone claims that a small child like you ‘tore off a collar with their beastly strength because they’re a beastkin,’ they should come up with a better lie.”

“But, well, there are people who believe that… I’ve had some terrible experiences, meow.”

“I see, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“No, it’s okay. Ed-kun, you’ve been kind to me… I like you, meow.”

“O-Okay.”

She was half-crying, half-smiling.

I felt a little relieved that she seemed to trust us a bit more. It made me happy.

Escaped slaves would naturally face serious consequences for running away, just like deserters are executed.

However, if she were a proper slave, she would have a collar. I couldn’t help but wonder about the circumstances surrounding that.

One possibility was that she had escaped just before being enslaved, a common pattern. She realized it at the last moment and desperately ran away.

If she had escaped before being enslaved, then she was safe. At least, legally speaking.

Since the exchange of money often accompanies enslavement as a form of equivalent exchange, she hadn’t received any money.

Her parents might continue to live in poverty.

There’s another possibility, one I’d rather not dwell on, but it involves illegal slaves.

The likelihood seems low, but it does happen occasionally.

Legitimate slave traders have licenses, but there are illegal ones who operate without them.

They are undoubtedly the kind of people you want to avoid any involvement with.

And slave hunters fall into this category.

Escaping from illegal slavery wouldn’t be a crime, of course.

They should be protected, but that’s assuming the world operates on the assumption of inherent goodness.

It’s a scary world out there.

“Now, about the mushrooms. Unfortunately, we decided to submit the Purple Mushrooms to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Oh, I see. That’s too bad, meow.”

Ciel-chan still had a half-smile on her face, expressing her disappointment in a playful manner.

She must be a good kid, no, a really good kid.

She’s considerate of her parents, and there might be younger siblings or even older siblings without a doubt.

“Let’s search for other mushrooms for our meals. The next Purple Mushroom can be used for that.”

“Yeah, the next Purple Mushroom is for eating. You heard that, right, meow?”

The mushroom hunting resumed simultaneously.

The results were excellent.

We found four clusters of Elder Mushrooms.

And we also found an additional cluster of Purple Mushrooms.

We also stumbled upon two specimens of the poisonous mushroom known as False Elder Mushroom.

It’s scary to eat Elder Mushrooms without appraisal.

Mina’s mouth was already watering.

“Alright, let’s head to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Yay!”

Everyone raised their fists and embarked on a mushroom parade towards the Adventurer’s Guild.