ITK C42: A Chat with Arowana

“There you have it, brother-in-law. That’s why I wanted to discuss this with you.”
“…Me?!”

I asked for advice from Prince Arowana, who comes here to hang out every once in a while, to obtain good clothes that will please his sister.
He’s the second person who frequently visits my place, next to Sensei.

“Platy did live with us before she got married to you. If you’re talking about clothes she used to wear before moving here, should I just bring in her dresser?”
“…You’re right!”

I guess that would be the simplest way.
But when you think about the inevitable future, you’re going to have to come up with a different solution again, so is this really enough to settle the matter at hand?

“However, us merfolk have one pressing problem when it comes to clothing!”
“And that is?”
“We don’t make clothes for the lower half.”
“Ah…”

Right.
I should’ve thought about that first.

“Our kingdom does manufacture and sell clothes, but they’re mostly for the upper half of the body. In addition, those who decide to transform into human form and migrate to the surface are extremely rare. Whimsical artisans who choose to manufacture clothes for such a minority group are…”

Non-existent, I guess.

“What about the trunks you’re wearing right now?”
“Ah, this? Land-dwelling fishermen gave this to me long ago.”
“…”
“When I landed on their ship, they gave me this and told me to wear it whenever I change into human form. From that moment on, I understood that this is part of a land-dweller’s manners and have always made sure to keep it always.”

…I can somehow picture how things went that time. I’m sure those fishermen had a hard time knowing where to look.
In any case, suppose I buy clothes from the Mermaid Kingdom or even try bartering with them, I won’t be able to find any clothes for the lower body.
If I’m going to have it ordered, it should be a one-of-a-kind custom order…which is also probably going to cost a fortune.

“I don’t even have a single penny with me in the first place…”

All I have are goods and nothing else.
Since there is no viable solution, should I stop worrying about clothing for now and see how things turn out for a while?

---

“Ah! Speaking of money, there’s something I would like to ask,” says Prince Arowana.

“Hm?”
“Do you not have any plans to sell the goods you make here to earn money?”

The goods I make here include vegetables I harvest from the field to use as ingredients for processed food, several metalware made from mana metal, and the clothes I made with my zero-fashion sense. These are what I have so far.

“To be honest, the things I’ve seen you make here are way beyond my imagination. First, your food is so exquisite that it tastes good even when eaten raw. If you cook them, its flavor increases a hundredfold, so much that even the food served at the royal palace is no match for it!”
“I-I see!”

I think I’m being flattered a little too much, but frankly, being complimented feels great, too.
After all, they’re vegetables I grew with my blood, sweat, and tears!

“And then, the metalware you use daily. They’re all made from mana metal! You think that’s normal?”
“It’s not?”
“It’s not! It would’ve been more realistic if they were made from pure gold!”

Well, I did have an inkling of an idea, but I guess mana metal really is a valuable metal here.
It’s hard to be convinced when mana metal doesn’t even exist in my world, but seeing Prince Arowana react like that, it must be more valuable than gold.

Sensei…how can you be so nonchalant about letting me have something this precious?!

“Metalware aside, it just has to be the food! Lord Saint, why don’t you sell any excess vegetables you have to me? Of course, I’ll pay accordingly!”
“Huh?”
“If we have your produce, the royal palace should be able to recreate its unique and supreme taste! Even Father and Mother will surely be delighted! Please, I ask of you!”

I’m sure all our harvested crops are kept in the food storage, but do we have any excess?
Now that Veil, Orkubo, and the others have started to live here, the number of mouths to feed has drastically increased, that I can’t even tell where the safety line for our stock lies.

Even then, I anticipated that it would be time to sell the things I’ve made in this reclaimed land in exchange for money.
In a way, it’s like an indicator that tells us we also need to expand our land.
Does it mean we’re finally reaching that stage?

“…I’ll check the stock we have left and reconsider if I can share any. But on the occasion that I do sell them to you, it shall remain a private transaction between us.”
“Oh?”
“It wasn’t that long ago when that incident occurred. As much as possible, I’d like to keep this place from getting discovered right away.”

And by that incident, I meant when Miss Astres and other members of the demon race invaded us.

“You have a point. The moment people hear about the vegetables here, there’s no doubt it will be the talk of the world. It definitely won’t be a good idea to tout this place right after the trouble with the demon race.” Prince Arowana agrees.

But why is he so sure it will be the talk of the world?

“In the meantime, I’ll keep the vegetables I receive from you for my family to enjoy alone. Actually, let’s keep it a secret as much as possible.”
“Agreed.”

And as the conversation continued along that path…
I asked him if he had any preferred food he would like to receive.

“Pickled radishes!” he replies immediately.

Pickled radishes, huh?
Well, they are tasty; you can even snack on them between meals.

“This is quite the pickle. Sensei happens to like them too.”
It has become my routine to bring him pickled radishes whenever I visit his dungeon. I must make sure Sensei’s portion isn’t affected.

“No way! To think the Lifeless King and I share the same tastes…” says Prince Arowana as his face shows utter despair.

He’s that bothered by it?

“…Hey, Lord Saint. If I go to Sir Lifeless King’s place, do you think he’ll serve me pickled radishes as a snack?”
“Calm down, brother-in-law! Get a hold of yourself!!!”

Sensei is extremely friendly, so it’s easy to forget that he’s actually one of the World’s Two Greatest Calamities! If it’s him we’re talking about, he might just welcome Prince Arowana with a smile, but if that were the case, I feel like that will cause the world’s order in disarray!

I need to grow more radishes.

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